‘The Last Of Us’ Episode 6 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: HBO Max
The newest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us is here, and it was a nice change of pace from last week’s action-packed, heart-wrenching episode. With only three episodes left until the season one finale, it was a pleasant surprise to have everything slow down for the majority of the episode.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US EPIPSODES 1 - 5 AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE GAME!
Last week’s episode introduced us to the “rebellion” which was a group in Kansas City that had killed all of the FEDRA officers in their QZ to take control and give power back to the people. Unfortunately, it was a cover for the true motivations of the group’s leader, Kathleen, who was only interested in avenging the death of her brother. Joel and Ellie teamed up with brothers Henry and Sam in an attempt to escape the QZ alive. Henry confessed to Joel that Kathleen was looking for him because he got her brother killed in exchange for medication to treat Sam’s cancer. The group was almost out of the QZ when they were confronted by Kathleen’s group. In a shocking reveal of her true character, Kathleen admitted that she did not care about Sam’s cancer and she intended to kill the entire group, including the children. Moments before she pulled the trigger, a massive group of Infected burst from the ground, and we got our first look at a child Infected and a bloater. Fans of the game are familiar with bloaters, but those of us that have not played the game were left shocked. The episode ended with one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in which Sam attacked Ellie after becoming infected, and Henry was forced to shoot him and then take his own life after realizing what he had done.
Image Source: HBO Max
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This week’s episode picks up three months after the events of episode 5. Ellie and Joel are both still trying to come to grips with what happened with Henry and Sam, and neither one of them is doing a very good job of it. They have finally made it to Wyoming, and after a close call with a group of masked individuals, Joel is finally reunited with Tommy. He is living in a commune that has electricity, running water, and sewage. It seems almost impenetrable and is nothing like the QZs spread across the map. The reunion is bittersweet. While Joel was risking his life to find Tommy and make sure he was okay after they lost contact, Tommy had been living a comfortable life and hadn’t seemed to give any thought to Joel’s wellbeing until he showed up.
Joel and Ellie finally have some needed difficult conversations. After getting a good night’s rest and supplies, they continue on their way to find the Fireflies that will use Ellie to make a cure. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple, and the last ten minutes of the episode leave them in the direst situation we have seen them in so far.
Image Source: HBO Max
This episode was significantly slower than the first five episodes of the season, but it gave us a chance to process everything that has happened and catch our breath. It was the most emotionally raw episode we have seen yet because our pair were finally able to slow down and process everything that had happened thus far. They realized that they have too many secrets getting in the way of their mission. Joel acted more like a father to Ellie in this episode, and he was forced to come to terms with the loss of Sarah and Tess which he has been putting off all season. The emotions were at an all-time high and reminded us that even during the apocalypse we are still human.
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: 8/10
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