The Last Of Us' 'baby girl' has utterly destroyed fans

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the eighth episode of The Last of Us.

Who here still hasn’t emotionally recovered from ‘When We Are In Need’? I know I haven’t.

The Last of Us’ penultimate episode is currently the highest-rated and most-viewed instalment of the series so far, which really speaks for itself. Poor Ellie was left to defend herself against the show’s creepiest antagonist so far, David - the leader of a cannibalistic cult-like group - while Joel managed to shake himself awake in order to defend himself from the hunters who had been sent after him and eventually find Ellie. A lot went down, and somehow, some viewers have branded the episode as “boring”. Did we watch the same thing?

Take a look at the teaser trailer for the season one finale below.

Anyway, as UPROXX reports, one particular line of dialogue from the end of the episode has sent fans wild. When Joel finally catches up to Ellie, shortly after she manages to break free from David and send him packing once and for all (a scene that Bella Ramsey deserves every single award for, by the way), he holds and comforts her, and says, “It’s okay, baby girl. I got you.”

Who’s cutting onions? The phrase “baby girl” is impactful on so many levels - it’s a callback to when Joel loses his daughter Sarah right at the start of the story, and it clearly signifies that he’s come to love Ellie like a daughter too.

“Just watched the latest episode of The Last of Us… Daddy Pascal uttered the line ‘It’s ok, I’ve got you baby girl’, and I slid off of the couch. I have not been ok since,” one fan tweeted. “Oh my god the new episode of The Last of Us at the end when Joel called Ellie ‘baby girl’ I fully lost it and started sobbing uncontrollably[,] this show hurts so much,” wrote another. “Joel said ‘It’s okay baby girl’ and I immediately f***ing burst into tears. I swear to Christ this show is gonna kill me,” another said.

The Last of Us’ season one finale will air on Sunday 12 March in the U.S., and Monday 13 March in the UK - don't miss it.