Endure and survive! HBO’s The Last of Us Episode 5 is out now!
One thing becomes crystal clear after watching Episode 5 of the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey starrer. It is not just an ordinary zombie show. It is so much more than that.
Joel and Ellie have endured the best and the worst of humanity on their path to Wyoming in the last three episodes. From Bill and Frank’s heart-touching romanticism to Kathleen’s utter bitterness, the leading duo has watched it all.
The opening segment of Episode 5 opens up with the Resistance members beating and slaughtering FEDRA soldiers. Here’s where we get the backstory of Henry and his brother, Sam. We also see how they found out about Joel and Ellie. Soon, we see Henry offering his help to Joel to escape from Kansas City. He suggests using the city’s underground tunnels. Joel eventually agrees after displaying a bit of hesitation at first.
Henry reveals to Joel that he is responsible for giving FEDRA the location of Kathleen’s brother, resulting in his tragic death. He did it to get medical supplies for his brother’s leukaemia from FEDRA. After some time, the group manages to come outside of the tunnels. However, things quickly go south after a sniper starts attacking them. Joel kills him and discovers he is one of Kathleen’s men. Soon, Kathleen arrives with her team to finish Henry’s chapter for good. But a nearby truck blast digs a hole in the ground. As a result, a large swarm of the infected arrives and starts wreaking mayhem.
Amidst the chaos, a child clicker kills Kathleen. When the dust settles, the group takes shelter inside a house. Later, Sam shows Ellie that he got bitten by one of the infected. The latter promises him that nothing will happen to him. She applies some of her blood to Sam’s bite as her blood is immune to the infected bites. But her efforts go in vain after Sam transforms into one of the infected and attacks her the next morning. In precocity, Henry kills Sam to save Ellie. Then, he takes his life after realising what he has done.
The latest episode shows the lengths humans are ready to go to get what they want. Henry and Sam’s addition works fine as it gives more warmth to Joel and Ellie’s bond and, ultimately to the entire show. Ellie’s bonding moments with Sam worked like a charm. Both characters did not get a fun and lovely childhood. This is why their bond quickly connects with the viewers on an emotional level.
Melanie Lynskey’s Kathleen looked more sinister than she did in the last episode. Her menacing persona persists even after we see glimpses of her softer side during her conversation with Perry. Also, the episode gets extra marks for exceptional cinematography, performances, and score. The extended action sequence in the end was executed brilliantly.
As we mentioned in the beginning, HBO’s The Last of Us is much more than an average zombie show. The series doesn’t put humans straight into the categories of good and evil. Instead, it dares to show all sides of human nature, no matter how lovely or horrifying they appear. Indian viewers can watch Episode 5 on Disney+ Hotstar. Stay tuned for more updates.