The Last Of Us Episodes 7 & 8 Review
Credit to: Naughty Dog, Sony and HBOWhen you’re lost in the darkness…
Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re taking a look at both episodes 7 and 8 of the hit HBO Max series, The Last of Us! I can’t believe we’re only one episode away from the season finale already, it feels like we just started watching! But I suppose the things that let us have the most fun have time go by a lot faster. I’m so happy to have been able to start up the blog again in time for this series, because honestly I’ve been having some wonderful conversations with you guys. The engagement is part of what helps to keep me going, so I love the fact that not only am I enjoying this with you all, but I’m also sharing the love with you all. It’s good to be a nerd, huh? Lemme stop getting all weepy, y’all should already know I love you. Now, let’s not waste any more time. Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
Episode 7: Left Behind
Pros
I’ve learned to just expect that I’ll get emotional after basically every episode. And I’ve played the games, so I should know about basically everything, yet here I am with watery eyes, making me see the world in pixels. Something I ask myself after watching these episodes is, “Why?” because I wonder why it is that they INSIST ON TRAUMATIZING US WITH THESE EPISODES. Ahem. Let me compose myself. After asking myself that, I feel the need to watch the behind the scenes clips so I can get a better understanding of what they were going for, whether it’s the creatives on why they changed and/or added details, dialogue, or scenes to a certain part of the story, or the actors and actresses themselves on what they did to prepare themselves for the role in the beginning, do what they thought would be best in order to act as the character, things like that. For this episode right here? Let me tell you, I literally did a deep dive into the game just to do my own personal comparisons, then I watched the behind the scenes footage. They somehow managed to improve the events of the game, that’s my honest opinion. So there’s the character of Riley, played by Storm Reid, a very close friend of Ellie’s back when they were both in a FEDRA school. Her character alone was great in the video game, but the performance by Storm Reid here absolutely elevates her to a whole new level. Her character is meant to serve as a plot point that Ellie uses as a reason for why she learns to not give up on Joel as their relationship improves, so for that reason alone, she’s already important. It’s when you see her and Ellie on screen together, bonding, laughing, enjoying what they can from the ruined world, and having their serious moments that you just get sucked right in. I’ve said this about the dynamic between actors Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), which is that they feel like they have such a great relationship off the camera, but with Bella and Storm, they feel like they’ve been friends for a lifetime. That type of relationship differs from the father-daughter dynamic, as it’s not familial, rather it’s something that becomes intimate. The love, the frustration, the anger, the defeat, all of those topics reminded me of all of the episodes we’ve been through so far and the characters in it. It reminded me of Joel and Tess, Bill and Frank, Henry and Sam, Tommy and Maria, and it reminded me of what it was to be a kid feeling love for the first time. I love the connection that this series has to the real world, I love how in your face it is about how good and how cruel humanity would and could be in times of crisis, and I love the fact that this series isn’t afraid to make changes to deliver a captivating experience. The performances of Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey were absolutely phenomenal, and witnessing that one change in Ellie for Joel really tied the whole episode together. Absolutely incredible episode.
Cons
You’re probably all gonna be super surprised when I say this… sarcasm. That was sarcasm. This episode was an absolute gem. I loved it, and that’s all that there is to be said. Thank you, and good night… joking, please keep reading you lovely, wonderful human beings.
5 out of 5.
Episode 8: When we are in need
Pros
We’ve seen a lot from this season. In terms of creepy, we’ve gotten Clickers and we even got to see a Bloater (types of Infected if you still haven’t started watching for whatever reason), but with this episode now on the table? Huh. Let me say that me personally, I am a HUGE horror fan. I love horrors, thrillers, things like that. When you think of classic tropes for those genres, you think of things like werewolves, vampires, mummies, zombie- oops, that’s a forbidden word on the set of The Last of Us… anyway, you think of those things, but something else that’s quite common is the presence of cultists. Y’know, sacrificial groups of people who believe in an otherworldly entity(s) and have some pretty sick ways of living. That’s what we’re dealing with here. If you’re familiar with the game, then of course you’ll understand who I’m referencing. For those of you who are new, let me introduce you to the character of David, played by Scott Shepherd. He’s paired up with his right-hand man, James, played by Troy Baker, who’s actually the original voice actor for Joel in the video game. Cool little bit of info for y’all. So, David is the leader of a group of people who live up in the snowy mountains. The all worship God, so they have times of prayer, where David is the one reciting passages from the Bible. The group loves David. They elected him, so they look to him for guidance. The problem about David, Blake and the group is that food rations are dangerously low. So low, that it might get them through the week. No spoilers, so I’ll let you all wonder about how the group gets through the hunger, it shouldn’t take you too long. Now, we have to talk about Joel and Ellie. First, Joel. We have never seen him so pumped. So angry. So ready to kill. Again, no spoilers so I’m not gonna say what got him so pissed, but all I’ll say is that when this guy gets mad, he gets MAD. Understanding what gets him to that point, any father or parental figure in general would completely understand. I myself am not a father yet, but I know the way that I would be, and so it’s with that thought in mind that I told myself, “I get it.” Now, Ellie. Something that’s been raging on the internet is that people think Bella Ramsey deserves an Oscar. First of all, both she and Pedro Pascal deserve one for every single episode of this series. Second of all, I do agree that this is the most powerful performance that she’s delivered in this series. Not downplaying anything from the previous episodes, not at all, but considering what her character fights through alone in this episode, it’s understandable. This episode was just so much. It was so intense, and it really put our characters through a whole hell of a lot, and by the end of it, we see that bond that we’ve been waiting for, and it was beautiful. I can’t wait to see what the final episode brings us, because this episode set us up very nicely for that finale. I loved this episode, fantastic entry.
Cons
Yet again, we have an episode that in my opinion, is absolutely flawless. To see such wonderful performances from not only our protagonists, but our super creepy antagonists. There was so much to process, so much to dissect, but so much to love. This was in fact, a BANGER.
5 out of 5.
Final Thoughts
We have not one, but TWO back to back flawless episodes, and I couldn’t be happier. This series has been nothing but strong, and has been such a great talking point in my personal life outside of The Wolf Den. I love having nothing but good conversations with my friends, while also having good conversation with all of you guys about this series. It truly has been a great experience, and I know that the finale is only going to enhance it. Hopefully we won’t need to wait too long for the second season. But what did you all think? Let us know on our Instagram, and make sure you’re following us there to stay up to date with the latest and greatest entertainment news and reviews. But that’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den!
