‘The Last Of Us’ Episode 5 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: HBO Max
The newest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us is here, and it delivered one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I have seen on television in a long time. Although fans of the game knew that this was coming, no one could have been prepared for last night’s episode.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US EPISODES 1- 4 AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE GAME
Last week, Ellie and Joel made their way toward Wyoming and started to bond over their past traumas and a book of puns. The sweet moments are short-lived when the pair arrive in Kansas City and are ambushed on a side street. After crashing the truck, the pair are forced to fight off multiple people leading to Ellie being forced to shoot someone to save Joel’s life. We soon learn that FEDRA no longer controls this QZ, and it is run by someone named Kathleen, a woman looking for a man named Henry who she blames for her brother’s death. There is a hint of a large and ominous enemy, but the most heart-pounding moment is when a man and young boy armed with guns wake up Ellie and Joel.
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This week’s episode starts with a flashback that takes place ten days prior to Joel and Ellie’s arrival in Kansas City. We meet Henry and his little brother Sam who is deaf, which takes the stakes higher than we have seen them. We quickly learn who the pair are and why and how they tracked Ellie and Joel down, leading to the final scene in last week’s episode. They need help escaping from Kansas City, and Joel reluctantly agrees after he sees how happy Sam makes Ellie. This is the first time where we get to see Ellie as a child and Joel as a father, which adds a new layer of emotion to the narrative.
Image Source: HBO Max
While the group is traveling through underground maintenance tunnels, they discover an abandoned compound that is full of children’s toys and belongings. This foreshadows some of what is to come later in the episode. We learn the truth behind who Henry is and what lead to the death of Kathleen’s brother. Joel sympathizes with Henry and finally understands why he is desperate to leave the QZ.
Kathleen and her group are the first glimpse we get of there is little humanity left after the outbreak, and why Joel is always on edge. She is leading the “resistance,” but that is just a ploy to get people to follow her in murdering anyone who may have something to do with Henry or the murder of her brother. We quickly realize the true depths of her depravity when she and her mob catch up to the group, and it is revealed that while she knows why Henry did what he did, she just does not care. She plans to murder Henry, Joel, and the children with no remorse. Before she gets the chance, a mob of Infected explodes out of a sinkhole in the earth, and we not only get our first glimpse of the big villain teased last week but also see our first child Infected. It is a jarring reminder that no one is safe in a pandemic, not even children.
Image Source: HBO Max
The group manages to escape, and when everything seems like it is going to be alright, we get one of the worst gut punches of the season. The final jaw-dropping moments of the episode are heart-wrenching and leave you wondering why you watched the episode all the way to the end.
Once again, The Last of Us has left us reeling after another incredible episode. The cinematography, especially in the battle scene, was spectacular, and the character development was painfully good. We are officially halfway through Season 1, and it definitely feels like the stakes have never been higher. I am cautiously excited to see what happens next and can’t wait to see what Season 2 has in store!
All-new episodes of The Last of Us air on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and stream on the same day on HBO Max.
Rating: 10/10
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