‘The Last Of Us’ Season One Finale Spoiler Review
Image Source: HBO Max
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON ONE OF THE LAST OF US AND THE GAME
The season one finale of HBO’s The Last of Us is here, and I am still not over it! This episode was by far the most emotional if you can believe it! Quick Trigger Warning: This episode discusses attempted suicide!
Last week’s episode left most of us reeling after Ellie was kidnapped by a cult leader and almost sexually assaulted before running out of a burning building into Joel’s arms. I’m still not over him calling her “baby girl”! This episode really let Ellie shine and showed us not only how close she and Joel have gotten over the season but also how strong she has gotten. When we first met Ellie back in Episode 1, she was more rash and unwilling to listen to Joel or Tess. She has now become an absolute powerhouse who is not only nursing Joel back to health but also fighting off disgusting creeps. The episode also featured a quick cameo by Troy Baker who is the original voice of Joel in the video game.
This week’s episode starts off with the birth of Ellie, and the audience finally learns why and how she is immune to the Infected’s bites. It is a fascinating idea that, since her mother was bit while giving birth to Ellie, she got just enough of the cordyceps in her brain to make the fungi think that she is already one of them. Another fun fact is that the original voice of Ellie in the game, Ashley Johnson, stars as Ellie’s mom in the finale, giving birth to the character in both the game and the show. We also learn that Marlene was a close friend of Ellie’s mom. She did not meet Ellie by accident in Episode 1 and she knew about her all along.
Image Source: HBO Max
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As we are taken back to the present, we see Ellie and Joel moving toward their final destination, the Firefly hospital, but the entire dynamic is off. Once they reach the city, they are surprised to find giraffes roaming freely in a small herd including babies! Ellie is overjoyed, and Joel helps her feed and pet one of the giraffes. Seeing the giraffe herd was like the early videos from the COVID-19 quarantine when we saw skies clearing and dolphins returning to the Venice canals.
Unfortunately, the happiness ends quickly when Joel and Ellie are ambushed and taken by the Fireflies. When Joel regains consciousness, he finds Marlene by his side, and she explains that Ellie is going to have her brain removed so that they can replicate the cordyceps she possesses and create a cure for the infection. Marlene always knew that Ellie would die, but she assumed no one would care. Joel proves her wrong as he kills everyone in his path on his way to rescue Ellie. After the pair escape and head back towards Tommy in Wyoming, Joel makes up a story about what happened at the hospital. We quickly learn in the final moments that Ellie can tell Joel is lying about what happened. However, he swears it is true and we are left with more questions than answers.
Image Source: HBO Max
The episode was visually stunning, as always, but the acting was on a completely different level. Bella Ramsey stole every scene they were in, and their facial expressions in the final moments of the episode sent a chill down my spine. Pedro Pascal was phenomenal, and his fighting through the halls of the episode would put Liam Neeson’s Taken franchise to shame. There was so much emotion packed into this episode that I am still reeling! While fans of the game know exactly what is coming next, those of us that are new to these characters and their world are left to wonder what will happen in Season 2.
The Last of Us Season 1 is now available to stream on HBO Max.
Rating: 10/10
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