Welcome back to the blog readers. I just watched episode 7 of the HBO series The Last of Us, and every week I have been consistently running out of good things to say while waiting for a weak episode. Was the hot streak snapped with "Left Behind," directed by Liza Johnson and written by Neil Druckmann? Stick around and find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
I am saddened to say that I have officially run out of good things to say about this show. The hot streak is clearly not a hot streak, and this show is clearly not a flash-in-the-pan type of show. This series is absolutely fucking fantastic, and episode 7 is no exception. Getting a glimpse of Ellie's life before she met Joel and Tess was something I admittedly had a little bit of hesitation about and tying that into the present story with him and Ellie was fucking magical.
This episode's MVP is Bella Ramsey. I have spent all this time telling you that she becomes Ellie in a way I never could have imagined and bringing Riley into the mix made for such a compelling story. Bella may have given her best performance last week, but this episode completely trumps that. She buys into the childish wonder when Riley takes her into the mall, and I admittedly was hoping she would kiss Riley for the entire damn episode. Why'd they take so long man?
Storm Reid, who kind of won me over a few weeks ago with her turn in Missing, absolutely won me over here with her turn as Riley Abel. I loved how she becomes this person who has been hardened by events that happened and decides she will do something about her situation. I absolutely loved her motivation for giving Ellie one good night before things change, and I was completely gutted by the ending of the episode.
I like to think of this episode as a bottle episode. Bottle episodes are usually known for taking place in a single location, but I can go as far as to say that a bottle episode can also focus on one or two characters, and the main focus of this episode is Ellie. This episode gives us a look into her motivations, and decisions that she will wind up making. This episode also does wonders in giving her argument in last week's episode about everyone she loves dying or leaving her more weight and making it make more sense to casual viewers.
Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey's chemistry is unmatched. As two 19-year-olds playing a 16- and 14-year-old respectively, they delve into that childish wonder and make it absolutely believable. Riley taking Ellie to the abandoned mall was so charming and warm and I ate every second they were interacting in that mall. From the look that Ellie gives to Riley while they ride the carousel to them in the photo booth to them dancing on the jewelry rack.
This episode also hits home the idea that even the most beautiful things in this world are not meant to last. For Ellie to be kissing Riley one second and then they realize that they are both bitten and that their time is up is just bitter, sad, and heart-crushing. And the way that they tie this story with our main plot of Joel and Ellie is just wonderful. Her final moments with Riley made her realize that she cannot leave Joel and wants to be there for him, which will lead us into next week's episode.
I also loved the musical choices they made for this episode, using "Take On Me" by A-ha, which is a massive song in The Last of Us Part II, and I would be shocked if it doesn't show up in future seasons. Another song that was apparently in the Left Behind DLC is Etta James's "I Got You Babe," which signifies the relationship between the two young girls and was used effectively.
One final point I want to make is with all of the losers who turned on the show after the third episode with Bill and Frank. I knew that anyone who hadn't turned on the show by then would turn on the show after they found out about Ellie being gay. If you are one of those losers who can't accept two women kissing, then stop complaining and don't watch the show. I don't know what else to tell you. It's not called being "woke," it's called being inclusive and showing that even in the apocalypse, love is love. They aren't bothering you, so leave it the hell alone.
With that being said, this show is nothing short of amazing, and I am so bummed that there are only two episodes left. Let's hope that they can do David and his crew justice next week, because that is some major character development coming for both Joel and Ellie. Thank you all for reading this, and I will see you soon with more reviews and analysis.
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