#but them making her jackson’s in-house salonist/barber???????

[mariatesstruther]

maria millers’s “whos been cutting your hair” line is so insanely interesting to me because, objectively, it’s an absolutely bonkers and unnecessary question to ask in the context of a literal apocalypse, but she says it so sure and normal. you can tell it actually matters to her so much about whose been cutting this random little girls hair that shes probably been thinking about it for their entire conversation, and then she sets up this cute little salon chair situation instead of just cutting her hair over the trash can. maria puts a towel over ellie’s shoulders and (SO MAD they dont show it) even wets her hair to make sure its all straight and even when it gets cut, which ellie has likely never had anyone do for her before. the woman is also incredibly attentive to her: she realizes by ellie’s lack of response that she likely has zero clue was a district attorney is and immediately puts it into the simplest terms for her. she engages her in genuine conversation super directly, which i think is ESPECIALLY important to point out because a big point of tension for ellie this whole episode is feeling left out of the conversations (unspoken and spoken) that happen between tommy and joel—and maria, as we know from the matching looks on their faces when joel and tommy hug, feels the exact same exclusion.

their entire first meeting scene just goes crazy in that maria is so immediately inclined to help ellie feel as comfortable and normal as she can be at this point. she sees that her coat isnt thick enough for their winter, so she instantly trades for a heavier one. she gets ellie new shoes and double-checks that theyre the right size. she guesses ellie doesnt have access to period products so she gets her some without even knowing for sure if she has one already. she knows from ellie’s negative reaction that she doesnt like to get her hair cut and immediately promises that shes not doing anything drastic, just a trim.

and to bring it back to the that line, cutting your split ends regularly is such small thing, but so so so important for your hair’s growth and health. i think its a great little example of how, over time, everybody has just learned to live without these kinds of small but incredibly meaningful gestures and rituals and habits, like getting their hair cut. and maria mf miller is out here being the one to make sure jackson is a place where people dont have to sacrifice those small and meaningful things because its just her instinct (likely left over from being a mom, just like her affinity for cutting hair)

idk man just thinking about maria miller and ellie miller and the shared experience of post apocalyptic womanhood

#tlou #the last of us #dont mind me just brainrotting on my way back from work #maria miller #ellie miller #joel miller #tommy miller #the millers #it just frankly annoys me that all of the straight up GOOD VIBES maria presents in this scene is often overshadowed by the back half #and i admit that the trust thing and what maria says about tommy following joel was weak writing wise #but them making her jackson’s in-house salonist/barber??????? #they mf ate that