Welcome back to the blog, everyone. The Last of Us has cemented itself as the best show on television right now, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are absolute geniuses at this point, and after an emotionally charged episode highlighting the relationship between Ellie and Riley last week, what did they have in store for us this week's episode, titled "When We Are in Need" written by Mazin and directed by Ali Abbasi? Stick around and find out what I thought.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
I told you all last week that I had officially run out of good things to say about this show. Episode 8 was just another reminder of how stupid I am for making a statement like that. I should never have said that because "When We Are in Need" was utterly fantastic. I was interested in how they were going to frame this series of events in the game, and I was stunned with how well they did it. This episode was a creepy and violent look into how dark humanity can be in the darkest of times.
Two performances stand out among the rest in this episode. First and foremost, I want to give my flowers to Bella Ramsey. The material she is given in the episode would be enough to make any person uncomfortable, but the way she handles herself is absolutely commendable. She is asked to do a lot in these 50 minutes, but my goodness does she make it count. Ellie's interactions with David are basically her "For Your Consideration" entry for this year's Emmy Awards. I hang on every word she says and every subtle movement she makes. It's just wonderful to see.
And finally, I may not have known who he was before Sunday night, but I think we'll be hearing a whole lot of Scott Shepherd's name in the future. The way he played David completely stunned me. And I was even starting to think they would change David to make it work for the show, but I am glad they decided not to. We pretty much spend as much time with him as we do Ellie, and he is such a compelling antagonistic character that I'm sure will be talked about for a long, long time (See what I did there? Come on, you know you like it.).
Other performances I want to note are those of Pedro Pascal and Troy Baker. Pascal plays into Joel's dark side in such a fantastic way that I would believe that this man was a killer back in the day. He did exactly what he had to do in this episode, and if next week's finale kills it then we're talking about an amazing television character. And the video game Joel - Troy Baker - absolutely nailed his role as James. He took advantage of every second he had on screen to play such a compelling and emotional character that kind of deserved what he got coming.
I like how we gradually get a devolution of David and his character. When we are first introduced to him, he seems like he is a pastor figure who genuinely cares about his followers. But as time goes on, we see a more sadistic side of him, until we get the big reveal at the end. And that reveal, damn. Like I said, I was surprised they didn't change his background of a cannibal, but it makes it more shocking that we actually get an opportunity to get to know the people he is feeding HUMAN FUCKING FLESH to. Just a shame they were absent for the climax in the restaurant. But whatever.
Something that I think will also be talked about is how David attempted to have his way with Ellie, which is disgusting to say the least. Is he like this in general, or does it have to do with him recognizing that Ellie has a violent heart? Like one John Campea said: David, being a monster himself, recognizes Ellie as a monster, which we will see later in this episode and later in the series. I also love how we get to see an introduction into Ellie's monstrous heart. Something that got triggered when she saw Joel beating the guard at the end of episode 1 was triggered here.
I really enjoyed Joel and what he did here. We got to see his torture method on full display, and it was glorious (Basically it involves using two people against each other to get the truth out of them.). And his role at the end of the episode is absolutely heart-shattering. Mazin and Druckmann had stated that they didn't want Joel to save Ellie, and she does save herself physically by butchering David, and he does not, at least physically. Joel emotionally saves Ellie from going down a path of vengeance, and even calls her his "baby girl," something he has not said in over 20 years to his daughter. What a full-circle moment of Joel finally accepting Ellie as his surrogate daughter, and what an emotional one.
Episode 8 continues the upward trend of this show, and I cannot wait for next week's season finale. I cannot believe we have one episode left. Where the hell did the time go? Anyways, I will see you all next week for that review and a spoiler-free review of the season as a whole.
Comments