There has been a major shift recently in The Last of Us. What originally started out as an action fuelled fight for survival against hordes of infected has become a journey of discovery filled with characters that have such a depth to them it leaves us feeling a little empty at the end of each week waiting for us to be able to spend some time with them again. The fight is still there but we are now beginning to see that the infected isn’t necessarily what we need to be most afraid of, but what our fellow survivors would be willing to do just to continue living.
Episode 8 is the penultimate episode in Season 1 aptly named When We Are in Need. Joel is still recovering from the wounds he received in Episode 6 and Ellie is still doing her best to care for him to make sure he pulls through. Ellie and Joel are still holed up in the same town as Joel continues to heal meaning that Ellie is largely on her own. Thankfully through Joel’s teachings, Ellie has become proficient in her skills with a rifle using them to go hunting.
Unfortunately, Ellies actions lead to a meeting with David (Scott Shepherd) the leader of a local group of survivors. David is charismatic and comes across as a trustworthy individual despite the rest of the group looking a little worse for wear. He invites Ellie to join their community much to the dislike of the rest of the crew as she is “just another mouth to feed.” Ellie as she has been all along is wary of anybody new but they may be able to help heal Joel and help them on their way. If you know the game, you know what’s coming.
In this episode, we see just how far David and his group of survivors are willing to go in order to continue on and also the twisted mindset that David has installed in them that accompanies it. We finally get to see Troy Baker on screen which I have to admit I was waiting for, after all he brought Joel to life originally. Baker plays David’s second in command, he plays it with a certain air about him too, I don’t want to get into spoiler territory but watch his mannerisms and note them at the end of the episode. Just to add another dimension to it.
Bella Ramsey once again knocks this one out of the park. I cannot fault her portrayal as Ellie, again I knew what was coming but found myself going through a range of emotions with her. From holding my breath to a tear rolling down my cheek to cheering and yelling at the screen. It is in these moments we see the pure and raw emotion on screen that the game was so well known now, only now being played out for so many more to see. It’s a testament to the direction and the passion the actors have put into bringing these characters to life.
Episode 8 is the brutal and heart-stopping episode we needed for the run-up to the season finale. I don’t want it to end, I want Joel and Ellie to just keep on travelling together and growing.
The Last of Us releases weekly episodes, Mondays only on Binge
