With the Super Bowl this Sunday, there will be plenty of people tuned in on Fox during prime time. This is a blessing for The Last of Us fans since the new episode aired tonight as to not conflict with the big game. We find out if Ellie and Joel can escape from Kansas City.
When we last left The Last of Us, Joel awakens with a kid holding a gun to his face. The opening of “Endure and Survive” goes back a few days and focuses on that young boy, Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard), and his brother, Henry (Lamar Johnson), both who have been referenced by antagonist Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey). You gain a real sense of their closeness as siblings and Henry’s parental and guardian instincts.
When the elder turns the younger into a superhero is a touching moment that also instills bravery. They serve as an obvious foil to the main characters due to their actual familial bond. Would you think Joel would go to such measures to protect Ellie at this point of their relationship?
A few differences from The Last of Us source material include making Sam younger and deaf. Both decisions enhance the story in their own ways. Though they are family, having Sam a child rather than a teen enforces how dependent he is on his brother to survive. The difference of five years at that stage of life can be significant.
In addition, the youthful appearance and his love of art make the character more endearing that he can keep his relative innocence after the apocalypse. On the other hand, the disability ratchets up the tension and drama with silence while they are hunted and go on the run. For his part, Woodard is so emotive in his scenes despite the lack of spoken dialog, and he can equally pull off being a normal kid with the darker situations this world calls for.
The two pairs decide to form an uneasy alliance in order to escape the city; the whole the enemy of my enemy is my friend adage. The younger companions easily bond together in candid and earnest instances. They serve as a nice break of normalcy and calm before the storm. Some of the few sources of levity are the looks Joel gives when Ellie tries to connect personally with their partners, but even the adults begin to let their guard down.
Johnson embodies a tortured soul when Henry shares the reason why he is being chased. Joel exhibits real growth opening up to others when he first apologizes for judging Henry initially, and even later when he asks the brothers to join them on their journey to Wyoming.
You would be naïve to think escaping Kansas City would be so simple. Kathleen and her people finally catch up with the group, but the bigger surprise is the rush of Infected. We now know what was causing the ground shift in the basement last episode.
What is The Last of Us‘ biggest action sequence so far is chaotic, brutal, and intense. It’s thrilling to watch Joel as the sniper supporting his friends on the ground. Fans of the game might be excited for the appearance of a bloater, but it’s the clicker going after Ellie that’s probably most disturbing. Not only is it a child Infected, but the unnatural movements make it even more unsettling.
After escaping the madness, the gang regroup at a motel. Like kids at a sleepover, Sam and Ellie stay up past their bedtime and have some deeper conversations. We gain a better understanding into the latter’s mind, but it’s the former’s reveal that hurts the most. Ellie tries to be a good friend and desperately tries to assuage Sam’s fears.
Those who have only watched The Last of Us series might be taken aback by the events the next morning, but gamers had an idea of what’s coming. Though the embrace they share the night before is the most gut-wrenching. There is a change in Ellie, as if she is a little more dead inside. The loss has an even bigger impact than when she shot someone. Though there is the question as to why they didn’t tell anyone.
The only complaint about this episode of The Last of Us is how one note Kathleen came to be. There is no real motivation other than revenge. At least last episode, there was a degree of compassion. As an extension, the rebels aren’t the fearsome force you would expect. They might look intimidating, especially Perry played by the original Tommy, Jeff Pierce, but they are inept shots and seem to be clueless on how to run an attack or defend themselves. You wonder how they were able to defeat FEDRA in the first place. It also says something that the new regime is as vicious and cruel as the one they replaced.
“Endure and Survive” has the biggest and most intense action sequences of the series so far, but it’s the dramatic personal interactions that are most compelling.
New episodes of The Last of Us air Sundays on HBO.
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