The fourth installment of "The Last of Us" finally highlights what makes the story unique: Joel and Ellie (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey). This episode is the first to give us a significant amount of time with these two characters alone as they travel to Wyoming to find Joel's brother, Tommy.
This week's episode, while not as devastating as the previous three, plays a crucial role in developing the relationship between Joel and Ellie as they learn to rely on each other and understand the value of having each other's back. The bond between these two characters is a crucial aspect of "The Last of Us," and this episode marks the beginning of their connection blossoming.
The episode opens with Ellie in a gas station bathroom, admiring a gun she took without Joel's knowledge. Ellie seems captivated by the weapon, pulling the trigger and smelling it before putting it away. We have already seen Ellie's curiosity about violence, as she was fascinated by Joel in the first episode when he killed a FEDRA officer, and last week she stabbed an infected out of curiosity.
Joel siphons some gasoline for the truck. While waiting, Ellie takes out her joke book, "No Pun Intended Volume Too," and starts reading them to Joel, who is not very receptive. Later, as they continue their journey, Ellie teases Joel a bit more, pointing out a Hank Williams cassette he puts on and joking about a gay magazine with stuck pages. Like in the game, these scenes with the joke book and magazine indicate that the divide between Joel and Ellie is slowly being broken down. Ellie is starting to open up to Joel, while Joel is gradually accepting Ellie and her quirks.
As they drive, they encounter a world where nature has taken over. They see buffalo roaming in herds while abandoned cars and military vehicles are scattered along the side of the road. Joel and Ellie pull off the road and into the woods to spend the night, and discuss their plans. They estimate that they will reach Wyoming in a few days.
As they settle down for the night, Ellie pulls out her joke book and asks Joel a serious question, "Why did the scarecrow win an award?" Joel responds with, "Because he was outstanding in his field." Ellie is surprised by this side of Joel, and he goes back to bed with a rare smile on his face. Concerned about the other people, Ellie asks if they will find them, but Joel reassures her they won't. He stays up all night with his gun, guarding Ellie from any potential danger. This demonstrates the trust that is already beginning to grow between these two characters.
The following morning, Joel takes the wheel of the truck while Ellie keeps an eye on the map. They discuss Tommy, and Joel reveals that Tommy once wanted to be a hero, but after serving in Operation Desert Storm, he felt that he wasn't one. 12 years after the outbreak, Tommy convinced Joel to join a group heading to Boston. There, they met Tess and formed a crew, but Tommy eventually joined the Fireflies, hoping to save the world. Joel thinks the Fireflies' aspirations are unrealistic, and that Tommy left them and is now on his own, which is why Joel must go find him. When Ellie says that she thinks it's important to try, Joel counters that she hasn't seen the world, but family is what keeps you going. Joel refers to Ellie as "cargo," explaining that he made a promise to Tess, who was like family.
As they drive through Kansas City, the highway goes through a tunnel blocked by wrecks, so they take an exit and plan to get back on at the next exit. They drive through the city and see piles of bodies and a deserted quarantine zone. Suddenly, they see a man calling for help and Joel tells Ellie to buckle up. They drive towards the man, but another man drops a cinder block on their windshield, their tires are punctured by a spike strip, and another man appears with a gun. Joel and Ellie crash the truck into a laundromat as they are shot at from the street.
Joel instructs Ellie to hide in a hole in a nearby wall, promising her that she'll be safe. While Ellie takes cover, Joel fights off their attackers, thinking they're all dead. However, another man sneaks up on Joel and starts to strangle him. In a moment of desperation, Ellie shoots the man, but he's not dead yet, begging for mercy. Joel takes the gun from Ellie and kills the man with a knife. After making sure all their attackers are gone, Joel and Ellie leave the laundromat and look for higher ground to escape danger.
Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) is seen interrogating an older man in a FEDRA lockup, asking him about the whereabouts of certain individuals. She becomes suspicious when he denies knowing about Henry, one of the names on her list. Kathleen reflects on her past and wonders if this is the same lockup where her brother was beaten to death. The man claims to have never told FEDRA anything about her brother, but Kathleen accuses him of informing FEDRA about Henry. Despite holding a gun to the man's head, Kathleen hesitates to pull the trigger, due to their prior relationship as he was her doctor. When she hears a truck horn from the street, she decides to leave the man unharmed.
Joel and Ellie take a moment to check on each other's well-being and Joel expresses regret for putting Ellie in a situation where she had to shoot someone to save him. Ellie confides that it wasn't her first time and Joel apologizes, but Ellie forgives him. He returns her gun and they make a plan to head to a tall building once things have settled down. The moment between Joel and Ellie is a touching one, as Joel seems to be growing more fond of Ellie and treating her as more than just a mission. They both express confidence in their ability to get through this difficult time.
Kathleen and Perry come across signs of Henry and explore a nearby building where they find a small room with crayon drawings, empty food cans, and signs of people sleeping. Kathleen notes that they must be close to Henry as he wouldn't let Sam go without food. The two then come across a room where the ground has caved in, leaving them frightened. Kathleen suggests they keep the building sealed off until they have found Henry.
Joel and Ellie make their way to a tall building and plan to climb as many floors as possible to get a better view of the city. Ellie questions Joel about how he knew of an ambush, to which Joel admits that he has been on both sides in the past and that he and his group, including Tess and Tommy, did what they needed to do to survive. When asked if he killed innocent people, Joel stays silent. They make it up 33 floors before Joel becomes too tired, and the two find a room to rest in for the night, where Ellie creates a bed from cushions and Joel sets up a security measure with broken glass near the door.
Before retiring for the night, Joel asked Ellie about her comment regarding hurting others. However, Ellie didn't want to talk about it, and Joel acknowledged her decision not to share. When Ellie wondered if the pain gets easier with age, Joel responded that it does not, but life goes on. Ellie then brought up Joel's hearing issue, specifically asking about his right ear and if it's related to being shot. Joel answered that it's more likely due to him doing the shooting. To ease the tension, Ellie made a joke, and both of them laughed, bonding over the absurdity of it. The scene highlighted the growing trust and friendship between the two.
But Ellie's concerns about Joel's hearing proved to be valid, as they were awakened in the middle of the night by a man holding Ellie at gunpoint. Joel found himself confronted by a child with a drawn-on superhero mask, also holding a weapon. To be continued!
