'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 3: Why does Ellie sprinkle coffee on Joel's grave?

If you thought the emotional pain had to ease off after the devastation-fest that was The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2, this week's episode clearly had other ideas.

Because although episode 3 may not have been quite as gut-churning, there were still plenty of moments to catch us out — from Tommy's (Gabriel Luna's) comment about Sarah (Nico Parker) to the subtle tweak to the show's opening credits.

Another of these moments saw Ellie (Bella Ramsey) visiting the grave of Joel (Pedro Pascal), and marking the moment with a gesture that links back to Season 1. So what exactly does Ellie do, and why is it significant? Let's break it down.

What happens in The Last of Us Season 2, episode 3?

After sneaking out of Jackson with Dina (Isabela Merced) to track down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew, the pair stop at the graveyard 10 miles south of Jackson that Tommy told Ellie about earlier in the episode. In the morning sunlight Ellie finds Joel's grave, which reads "Beloved brother and father." She crouches, opens a small sack, and sprinkles some coffee beans onto the soil.

Then she smiles, shakes her head, and places a hand on the earth. When she leaves, she has tears in her eyes.

The coffee beans clearly represent something important to her, but given that it's been a while since Season 1 aired, you'd be forgiven for forgetting exactly why.

The answer lies in Season 1, episode 4, and one of the many formative bonding moments in Joel and Ellie's relationship.

Why does Ellie sprinkle the coffee on Joel's grave?

Season 1, episode 4 sees Joel and Ellie heading cross country to Kansas City. After a night camping in the woods, Ellie is woken by the rattling of liquid bubbling in a pot. She crawls over, sniffs it, and makes a face. "Urgh, what the fuck is that?" she asks.

"You don't like coffee?" responds Joel.

Later, in the truck, Ellie has more questions. "Is that seriously what those Starbucks in the QZ used to sell?"

"Well, theirs was a lot fresher than what Bill saved up, but yeah, this is what they sold," replies Joel.

"Smells like...burned shit," is Ellie's blunt feedback.

And Joel's response? Taking a long, purposeful slurp before telling Ellie to keep her eyes on the map.

Although the many tragedies the pair went through together solidified their bond, it's these light-hearted moments that Ellie clearly remembers with the most fondness.

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.