Warning: The following article contains spoilers for HBO’s The Last of Us episode six, ‘Kin’.
HBO’s The Last of Us is now sadly two-thirds of the way through its run, and this week’s episode, ‘Kin’, has left fans with the biggest cliffhanger in the show to date.
Following Joel and Ellie’s pitstop in Jackson, Wyoming, they moved on to their next destination in hopes of finding the Fireflies, the University of Eastern Colorado. While they find a fair few monkeys, the Fireflies appear to have since departed from this particular base.
Unfortunately, as they’re preparing to leave, Joel and Ellie are happened upon by a group of raiders. As they make their escape, Joel ends up in a tussle with one of them. He manages to get the upper hand and choke him out in what was a frighteningly true-to-game moment but suffered a stab wound in the process.
They get away from the university, but Joel eventually loses too much blood and falls off his horse, leaving Ellie to potentially have her worst fear realized – ending up alone. It’s at this point the camera begins to pan and zoom away, and we hear some very familiar lyrics sung by a different voice.
Who performed the Depeche Mode cover in The Last of Us episode six?
Those lyrics were of course written by Depeche Mode, and we first heard them in the original rendition of their song “Never Let Me Down Again” at the end of the first episode of The Last of Us, back when Joel, Ellie, and Tess (RIP) were departing the Boston Quarantine Zone.
As far as who performed this haunting cover version, it just so happens to be showrunner Craig Mazin’s daughter, Jessica Mazin — confirmed by the man himself on HBO’s official The Last of Us podcast. The song wasn’t immediately available to stream following the release of the episode, but not too long ago that changed when the song landed on YouTube, Spotify, and other reputable music streaming platforms as part of HBO’s official The Last of Us soundtrack.