In the sixth episode of The Last of Us, Maria (Rutina Wesley) — one of the elected leaders of the Jackson commune — leaves Ellie (Bella Ramsey) an unexpected gift: a menstrual cup. The 14-year-old’s reaction is peak Ellie. After reading the pamphlet explaining what it is, Ellie calls it gross before folding it, watching it pop back open, and giggling to herself. It’s a funny moment, largely because it’s entertaining to watch Ramsey’s Ellie do just about anything. But this gift is so much more than a throwaway joke. Ellie’s menstrual cup continues The Last of Us‘ quiet dedication to normalizing periods and respecting Ellie as a character.

“Kin” isn’t the first time the series has alluded to Ellie’s cycle. “Long, Long Time” starts with Joel (Pedro Pascal) bringing Ellie to an abandoned store where he stashed supplies years ago. As Joel looks for for his backpack, Ellie finds a box of tampons. The second she sees them her face lights up, and she says “Fuck yeah.”

The implication is that, in the wake of the apocalypse, period products are hard to come by. That’s what makes the inclusion of the menstrual cup so brilliant. For those who aren’t aware, tampons and pads are typically single-use cotton-based products. They’re supplies that would be hard to find after society collapsed. Conversely, a menstrual cup is an accessible, easy-to-carry, and reusable period solution. It’s such a no-brainer that it’s frankly shocking that Diva Cups haven’t become mainstays in every show or movie about the end of the world.

The Last of Us handles those tampons and the menstrual cup in the same casual way. There are no heavy-handed conversations between Ellie and an older female character about changing bodies or her path to womanhood. No one sits down and explains, point by point, how the device works. Even when Maria checks to make sure Ellie got the Diva Cup, their conversation stays casual. Ellie calls the menstrual cup the “weirdest gift ever” to which Maria responds, “But useful.”

That’s how people who have periods actually interact with their monthly cycle. There’s no need for long monologues or immature jokes because handling periods is just another hygienic chore, much like brushing your teeth. The Last of Us keeps that mundanity front of mind, and as a result, it has emerged as one of the most authentic mainstream shows to portray periods.

“These are basic items that we’d need or would want,” series co-creator Craig Mazin told Vulture. “In a postapocalypse, it’s annoying to have to deal with that and have a shortage of options. Why wouldn’t we show it? Especially because our co-lead is a 14-year-old girl. This is part of her life!”

It’s that basic degree of respect that initially made The Last of Us stand out as a video game. In the original game, Ellie always felt like a teenage girl. She was never a lifeless companion designed to reflect Joel’s insecurities nor was she overly immature or angelic. She was impulsive, vulgar, hotheaded, and silly. That’s the exact version of this character Neil Druckmann and Mazin have brought to HBO and expanded. Ellie’s period isn’t just a part of every 14-year-old girl’s experience. It’s a visual reminder of who this character is — a young woman slowly saying goodbye to her childhood who is still too young for the world of adulthood.