The Last Of Us Makes Its Central Premise Explicit In Episode 5
This post contains spoilers for "The Last of Us" episode 5, "The Last of Us Part II," and potentially "The Last of Us" season 2 as well.
HBO's "The Last of Us" is already past the halfway point through its first season, and episode 5 may prove to be the most crucial of the show yet. Joel and Ellie's journey up to this point has been Joel keeping Ellie at arm's length, even going so far as to call her nothing but "cargo" in the previous episode. However, there is a noticeable shift in their relationship by the time episode 5, titled "Endure and Survive," comes to an end. After the introduction of Henry and Sam, the focus is on the four survivors escaping from Kansas City, as Henry is pursued by the vengeful leader of the Kansas City QZ, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey).
While there are some significant changes in the series compared to the original video game, they're made to highlight the show and game's shared themes. Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have reshaped the narrative to humanize what were once faceless antagonists in the game and create some clever and ominous foreshadowing of the future of Joel and Ellie's relationship. More than anything, though, episode 5 of HBO's "The Last of Us" reinforces the central premise, reminding viewers of Ellie's singular goal and using Henry and Sam's tragic story as a reflection of what awaits the two main characters.
Endure and survive
In the game, Joel and Ellie are ambushed in Pittsburgh by marauders who took over from FEDRA. Eventually, they run into Henry and Sam, who also ventured into the city as unsuspecting victims. The HBO series dramatically changes the premise, moving the location to Kansas City and making Henry and Sam's relationship with the freedom fighters of the city much more personal. In the ongoing war between FEDRA and the Kansas City Resistance, Sam betrays a key figure in the movement against the government for the sake of his younger brother, who needed medicine to live.
The emotional center of episode 5 is Sam's love for his brother Henry and the people he's willing to sacrifice because of it. The idea of paternal love runs strongly through all the scenes involving the two brothers, in turn making Joel much more contemplative about his relationship with Ellie. In the high-strung situation of "Endure and Survive," the show manages to balance the tension with quiet moments that have both Joel and Henry reflective on the choices that led them to the predicament they're in now. If not for these creative changes, we wouldn't have powerful moments of Joel coming to terms with his past as a parent who loved his daughter more than anything and what it now means to have Ellie in his care. Henry and Sam's story parallels the game's story, and that idea is only cemented with the explosive conclusion of the episode.
A pivotal change in character relationships
Kathleen's hatred for Henry and their final emotional confrontation at the end of the episode all feel like foreshadowing for Joel's position later in the series. Kathleen berates Henry for his decisions that, although she understands his reasoning, only lead to further bloodshed and cost Henry, in Kathleen's own words, "everything." While that sounds like the delusional ramblings of someone deadset on vengeance, Kathleen's words ring true by the time it ends. The decisions Henry made out of love for Sam that resulted in the death of what he called a "great man" would also be the death of both brothers, ending the episode on a grim note.
With the way Henry and Sam's story plays out in HBO's adaptation, if you've played the game, you can't help but be reminded of what lies ahead for Joel and Ellie in their cross-country trip and beyond. The original game is all about building up the relationship between Joel and Ellie and the impossible decision players make for her in the game's last moments. Episode 5 tells that same story on a smaller scale with Henry and Sam, and when it comes to its tragic conclusion, Joel looks to be in a somber state, possibly worried about what will happen if he gets any closer to Ellie. Even more interesting is the character of Kathleen and how her drive for revenge is evocative of the next game that's yet to be adapted, "The Last of Us Part II."
The consequences of love and hate
Besides the themes of parenthood and love in "The Last of Us," this fifth episode also serves as an ominous warning of the extent to which characters can pursue vengeance. According to creator Neil Druckmann, "The Last of Us Part II" has a large focus on what hate and lack of empathy can do to a person. It's a story point that's extremely similar to Kathleen's character arc in episode 5. Her hatred feels like a small taste of the darker themes explored in the story of Abby, one of the main characters of the second game (and undoubtedly a main character of the newly announced second season), who is hellbent on revenge against Joel for the decision he makes at the end of the first game. The cycle of violence is a prominent theme in "Part II," and one that is set up incredibly well with episode 5 of the HBO series.
Overall, "Endure and Survive" might very well be the best episode of the series released thus far. The significant narrative changes are done in service of the more prominent motifs of the story. Moreover, how Craig Mazin (the credited writer of the episode) and director Jeremy Webb use Henry and Sam's plight to echo the premise of both the first game and the second one makes the series a rewarding watch for old and new fans alike. The foreshadowing put on display will no doubt get fans of the game's story anxious as Joel and Ellie only get closer to the fireflies and their mission for a cure, in which Joel will find himself having to make a decision as impossible as Henry's.