The Last of Us season 2 director on why episode 5's surprising ending delivered: "It was the right tonal gear shift"

The Last of Us season 2 has already hit us with plenty of emotional gut punches in its final few minutes, but none quite like this.

Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 5 follow.

The Last of Us' latest episode sees Ellie (Bella) find a lead in the ongoing hunt for Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) – in the shape of Tati Gabrielle's Nora. Instead of a normal interrogation, Ellie flips and repeatedly attacks her in brutal fashion.

Ordinarily, the cut to black would signal the end of the episode but, here, we are transported back to years prior. As a serene, peaceful Ellie wakes up in a Jackson room bathed in light, Joel (Pedro Pascal) walks into the room and says, 'Hey, kiddo'.

While fans of The Last of Us Part 2 game will know that Joel's death doesn't mean the end of his presence in the narrative, the placement here – not long after Ellie has stomped past the point of no return with an act of unflinching violence – is still a surprise.

Speaking to Variety, episode director Stephen Williams explained why it was time for a revert back to happier times for the pair of Ellie and Joel.

"The loss and the heartbreak and the things left unsaid between her and Joel is the motivating metronome behind all the narrative beats," Williams explained. "It felt appropriate for the episode to end in a reverie of Ellie’s recollection of Joel – especially after the intense scene that preceded it. It was the right tonal gear shift."

While it appears that the penultimate episode of the season will deal with a prolonged flashback with Joel and Ellie, co-showrunner Craig Mazin warned viewers that Ellie – for so long the hero of the story – is close to reaching a point of no return.

“This is no longer rational. She’s so far from that fake speech she delivered at the [Jackson town council] meeting. ‘Oh, this isn’t about vengeance, it’s about us and community.’ Absolutely not," Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter. "This is going right back to what has always been there in Ellie, which is a rage that I don’t even think she fully understands herself.”

Mazin teased, "This is not the last time [this] season that Ellie is going to do something where we feel like, ‘We can’t go on that walk with you kid.”

The Last of Us season 2 is airing Sundays on HBO and Max in the US and on Sky/NOW TV in the UK. For more, check out The Last of Us season 2 release schedule and the new TV shows still to come this year.