The Last of Us HBO Episode 6 ended with a familiar song, which has audiences wondering exactly why it was used. Before the credits on the very first episode of the series rolled, Depeche Mode’s Never Let Me Down Again was played on the radio to signify trouble at Bill and Frank’s estate. Now, the song has been used once more, to close out this sixth installment, but why? There could be a couple of reasons to explain the song choice.
Why was Depeche Mode’s Never Let Me Down Again used in The Last of Us Episode 6 on HBO?
This slower, stripped back version of the Depeche Mode song, Never Let Me Down Again, was likely used to signify Ellie and Joel’s return to the journey that they set out on while the song played, all the way back in the season’s debut episode. Their time together feels fresh, after constant bickering and arguing resulted in them almost falling apart and staying away from one another entirely.
It is possible that the track has also been included to show the danger that the duo are in, echoing how the song was used in the first episode. After Joel was stabbed by a raider, and though he and Ellie both escaped on horseback without being followed, Joel’s wound seemed to be critical, as he passed out in the cold snow before Episode 6 came to a close.
A teary-eyed Ellie pleaded with Joel to wake up so that they could continue their journey. She doesn’t have faith that she can go it alone in this dangerous, post-apocalyptic world, and now completely sees Joel as her safety net and guardian. Whether or not he will hear her and be pulled back from the brink, however, remains to be seen.
