This review contains full spoilers for episode four of The Last of Us, now available to view on HBO Max. To stay spoiler-free, check out our The Last of Us Season 1 Review.
Episode 4 of HBO’s The Last of Us grants Joel and Ellie valuable bonding time that they’ve rarely been able to find time for so far in the series. The emotional stakes are raised by this openness, which presents itself over the course of this shorter 45 minute chapter, thanks to a starkly violent, inciting event. It’s a comparatively slower-paced episode when compared to the emotionally charged chapters it follows, but one that showcases Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as impressively malleable performers.
Joel's refusal to initially let emotion in and attachment grow is understandable considering his haunted past, but that doesn’t stop it from hurting when he insists that Ellie is cargo and not family. Thankfully his flashes of darkness are offset by a more jovial turn from Ellie; even if her pun-packed joke book can't crack him, they still grant us moments of welcome humour. These moments of levity continue to lift the unshakable shadow that much of this world casts to good effect, ensuring events never fall into the realms of abject depression.
The pair’s road trip also serves as a perfect opportunity to once again praise just how good this show looks - views of a long-forgotten society are thrown our way with regular abandon; a parade of abandoned bridges, boats, and roller coasters flank the ghostly empty roads that guide Joel, Ellie, and us to our next destination.
The mellow opening act quickly escalates as they enter Kansas City, though, where the duo are met with a sudden violent ambush. This thrilling sequence conjures memories of Children of Men’s car attack scene, its frantic nature seemingly paying homage to Emmanuel Lubezki’s standout camerawork from the 2006 sci-fi movie. It’s another example of the classiness on display in every aspect of the show’s production, all the way down to its nail-biting fight choreography. This isn’t glamorous Hollywood action but instead rough around the edges, reflecting the scrappy, home-taught skills you'd expect from people being forced into this way of life. It’s also a fantastic representation of The Last of Us’ signature style of gameplay, as wooden planks break in two upon impact and firearms sway through desperate aiming.
This is an episode all about breaking the walls between Joel and Ellie down.
“
It’s in this action sequence that Ellie gets her own taste of the violence that comes with survival. Her first gunshot, fired to save Joel from an attack, is met with a whimpering cry for help. Her ‘victim’ is a relatively young person himself, which further drives home the questions of who is good and who is bad when civilisation crumbles and moral compasses lose their true north. Though she’s spent episodes fawning for a gun - seemingly fixated with the thought of using one at times - Ellie’s chance to use one is met with reluctance, so much so that Joel is left to finish the job. Despite all of the bravado she's displayed up until this point, it’s clear that she's not yet hardened to all of the horrors of the world she was born into.
For all of their quiet conversations, it’s this moment of loud violence that cements Joel and Ellie’s now unbreakable bond. He owes her the debt of his life, no small weight for him to carry around. This is an episode all about breaking the walls between the pair down; Ellie's rush of emotion following her saving of Joel signals the first time either has expressed their true feelings to one another. There’s little time to dwell on it at this juncture, however, as the pace keeps up and the duo find themselves in the middle of a siege with half of the cast of Mad Max pouring into the streets. The camera does a great job here of reflecting Joel and Ellie’s movements as it goes from hand-held and scampering during the action, to close-up and peeking as the pair go into hiding.
Their hunters belong to what’s left of the civilian population of Kansas City, a place that decisively rejected FEDRA rule. They’re led by Kathleen, a chilling presence blinded by vengeance, menacingly portrayed by Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey. Her one-track-mindedness leads to the prioritising of a hunt for her supposed brother's killer over the safety of her people when she discovers signs of nearby infected. An entirely new character for the series, she cuts a shape more reminiscent of someone out of the game’s sequel, The Last of Us Part 2; her ruthless devotion to a personal cause allows her to justify the violence she’s committing while preventing her from seeing the knock-on effects it may have on a larger community. It’s a stark piece of foreshadowing for what’s set to come later in the series’ story.
In truth, much of this episode feels like a bridge to stronger story moments yet to come. It serves as a great piece of character development, but doesn’t provide a completely satisfying narrative chapter in the way that every episode before it has done. Whether it be Tess’ sacrifice or the culmination of Bill and Frank’s love story, we’ve had big story payoffs at every juncture up until this point. Our entry into Kansas City, though, very much feels like part one of an unfinished story. This isn’t a damning criticism, as slowing the pace down and allowing for relationships to grow can be valuable when paid off further down the road, but it doesn’t make for the strongest single episode when taken individually.
In truth, much of this episode feels like a bridge to stronger story moments yet to come.
“
For now, though, Joel and Ellie are granted a small moment of respite in the middle of the storm they’ve stumbled into. Their cold exteriors continue to be broken down as they allow warmth and trust in, making for stellar evolutions for Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. It all builds to the fantastic moment where we see Joel laugh for what feels like the first time in 20 years - a laugh that echoes into the night’s soon to be broken silence.
Verdict
Episode 4 is another great episode of The Last of Us, albeit one that spends more time setting up what is to come for its two lead characters – both in the long and short term – than it does provide many definitive moments of its own. Nonetheless, Melanie Lynskey’s introduction as Kathleen adds a chilling, sinister edge to the cast, while the fantastic action scene is positively thrilling. Much of the episode’s duration is spent developing Joel and Ellie’s relationship, and the pace is justifiably slowed down slightly in order to let it naturally blossom - a necessary decision taken to further the impact of future payoffs when the stakes will be heightened once more.
