The Last Of Us Shows The Sad Reason Ellie Lied About Her Mortal Kombat Knowledge
This post contains spoilers for HBO's "The Last of Us" and the video game series of the same name.
In true "The Last of Us" tradition, the latest episode of the HBO series delivers yet another emotional gut-punch by centering the story around Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her best friend/crush Riley (Storm Reid). The previous episode ended on a cliffhanger, where Joel (Pedro Pascal) seemed to be on the verge of death after getting stabbed and losing a ton of blood. "I can't do this without you, Joel," Ellie pleads desperately, as she is stranded in the middle of nowhere and does not have the resources or know-how to save Joel's life. Pushed into an extreme situation like never before, Ellie relives the incident that marked the beginning of the end: An unforgettable night at the mall with her best friend, Riley, whom she loved, and lost too soon.
There is plenty to talk about in terms of this particular flashback, which is based on the 2014 "The Last of Us: Left Behind" DLC, a supplementary chapter that focused on Ellie and her dynamic with Riley, who is mentioned in passing in the games. "Left Behind" not only provides greater context to Ellie's past and her emotional landscape but also centers a queer teen romance rather beautifully, which was a rarity in the mainstream video game arena at the same. Series creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin seamlessly alternate between Ellie's past and present to explore her in greater depth, which provides the perfect opportunity to dive into the night that changed everything for Ellie, and how some things will always be defined by her memories of Riley.
One such thing is Ellie's love for Mortal Kombat II, and the specific game-related moment she shared with Riley one last time.
A half-truth
In episode 3, which is predominantly Bill and Frank's episode, Joel and Ellie arrive at an abandoned garage, where the latter leaps with excitement on spotting a defunct "Mortal Kombat II" arcade machine. While talking about Mileena's cool-as-heck fatality in the game (where she eats her opponent and barfs out their bones), Ellie mentions that she "had a friend who knew everything about it." As Ellie has spent most of her life in a FEDRA-sanctioned school and does not even know how a seatbelt works, this moment gives off the impression that the friend she mentions must've told Ellie about the game. Although this moment initially plays off as an in-game Easter egg, Ellie's words only reveal half of the truth in hindsight.
When we flashback to Ellie's room while she was in school, it is littered with real media references of the time, as well as in-universe media, such as the "Savage Starlight" comic series (which is a collectible in "Part I"). There, we also see a "Mortal Kombat" poster, which is most probably something Ellie found while scavenging for stuff she is interested in, as physical collectibles or remnants of media would be pretty difficult to come across in the fungus-infected world of "The Last of Us." Following that logic, it would be borderline impossible for Ellie to have come across a "Mortal Kombat II" arcade machine, let alone have the chance to play the game. However, she does end up doing so, thanks to Riley, who takes her to an abandoned mall and the two play the game several times together.
Naturally, this memory is not only an integral part of her relationship with Riley, but this moment of pure bliss is tainted with the knowledge of what came next, and the horrors that followed.
Riley is the key to understanding Ellie's core motivations
"The Last of Us" is steadily edging towards painting a more comprehensive picture of who Ellie and Joel are as people, and the games make it fairly clear that the two are motivated by a complex set of reasons. In Ellie's case, survivor's guilt is a crucial motivator for her to keep moving forward and provide a cure, and the catalyst for the same is the cruel nature of Riley's death. In the show, Riley reveals that she has been posted elsewhere now that she is a part of the Fireflies, and that she has to leave Ellie behind and this is goodbye. Although Riley does not initially articulate her feelings for Ellie in words, the mall adventure is clearly meant to be a date, where she surprises Ellie with everything she loves — from a lit-up carousel that the two ride whilst drunk to a neon-drenched arcade that houses "Mortal Kombat II," which they play together.
Riley is also a reminder of a time when Ellie did not know better, as she was too naive to understand how unbelievably corrupt and cruel FEDRA can be. After she is taken in by Marlene and her ongoing journey with Joel, Ellie understands that the world is not quite as black and white as she had believed it to be, and that even those who fight against injustice are capable of cruelty. Riley's death hits harder considering that the two had decided to face the inevitable together, with Ellie having no knowledge that she would survive the ordeal. The utter confusion, relief, grief, and denial of surviving such a harrowing night while losing the girl you love must have been horrible for Ellie. To be forced to live with that weight is unbearable.