Welcome back to the blog, readers. Well, we have made it. As sad as it is the season finale of The Last of Us is finally here, and I am curious as to how they decided to wrap up the story of the first game in a satisfying way. Again directed by Ali Abbasi and co-written by creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, was the finale, called "Look for the Light," a slam dunk of a finale? And did the episode prove to be the perfect end of a phenomenal season of television? Stick around to hear my thoughts.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
First off, I want to commend Craig Mazin for shepherding such a beloved IP and turning to the game's creator for bringing his two-sense in. Together, these two men brought something beautiful to life for everyone to see. They deserve the highest honors possible for their efforts. I'll shower more praise onto them for my overall season spoiler review, so expect that in the coming days.
Now for my review of the episode. I posed the question in the intro of did this episode prove to be the perfect end to a phenomenal season of television, and I am delighted to report that it so fucking did. This finale was everything I could have hoped for. I spent all season quietly fearing that we would get a bad episode, but it did not come. And now I am better for not letting that fear get to me.
High praise should go to Pedro Pascal, but I'll talk about him in a bit. The first thing I want to talk about is Ashley Johnson as Anna, Ellie's mother. Ashley puts on a hell of a performance even though she is in the episode for less than 10 minutes. I can feel the vulnerability and power in her performance, and Ellie's birth kind of reminds me of another HBO series doing a birth in their final episode (yes, I'm talking about House of the Dragon). The similarities between the performances of Emma D'Arcy and Ashley Johnson are comparable and they are both breathtaking. And in her final scene, she absolutely kills it. I hope she gets more live-action roles because I loved her here.
Neil Druckmann had said he wrote a short story about Anna but never got a chance to tell it, I am so glad that he finally did get to tell it. And the revelation that Anna was bit before giving birth to Ellie answers a lot of questions about how Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps. I also appreciated how Merle Dandridge's character Marlene was there to be with Anna in her final moments, especially since Ashley played Ellie in the games. So it was nice to see a reunion between them. This moment also explains how Marlene knew Ellie in the first place. Anna and Marlene were childhood best friends and Anna begged Marlene to kill her to save Ellie and herself. A beautiful prologue to a wonderful episode of television.
Now let's get on the Pedro Pascal high horse. Now let's not get off. Pedro Pascal gives another fine performance in this finale, and it certainly won't be the last knowing where we're going next. Especially everything that happened in the hospital man. When he is demanding to see Ellie, you can feel the power in his voice. When he goes through the hospital mowing down Fireflies, you can feel the rage in his actions. When he is getting Ellie out of the hospital, you can feel the love in his heart. And all of these things make it such a beautiful performance.
Marlene's final scene is heartbreaking to say the least. Knowing that Joel will not waiver unless he is reasoned with, she tries to appeal to his heart one final time. And we get swerved into thinking that this time she was able to get through to him, but it was all for naught as we hear Ellie waking up in the back of the car, and Joel shooting Marlene dead. It was very nice to have her show up for these two episodes, and thank you for giving a new dimension to this beloved character you brought to life ten years ago.
The final thing I wanted to talk about is the magnitude of the decision Joel makes at the end. To sacrifice all of humanity, he decides to save Ellie because she means that much to him. Like someone said, you are not meant to agree or disagree with what he decided to do. In fact, what you think of his actions is solely based on the connection that you have developed with these characters over the course of the season. And I love that moral ambiguity here. I can't wait to see how these characters have to deal with this situation in the future of this show, which will be more than one season.
Guys, this is it. It has been so fun analyzing each episode and giving my thoughts each week. I am so sad this show is over, but I am not going anywhere. We've still got much more content to delve into, and I will be posting a full season spoiler review in the coming days. Until then, my friends, I will see you for the next post.
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