The last of us Episode 7 has arrived on HBO and HBO Max Sundaybrings us back to Ellie and Joel (Bella Ramsey and Pedro PascalAfter a bad encounter with one of the thieves, he left him Stabbed and near death.
She interrupts their quest to bring Ellie to the rebel group known as the Fireflies. They hope to restore society by replicating her immunity fungal infection This turned the world into deadly monsters.
Before that, you must stop Ellie’s Joel from bleeding to death. The situation reminds her of a dark moment from her past that sticks closely to a memorable part of the game. Let’s jump into SPOILERS for the HBO adaptation Sony PlayStation game.
a strained friendship
Most of the episode takes place in the time before Ellie and Joel meet, when she is living (and not getting along) with other children in the custody of FEDRA, the federal disaster response agency, which runs quarantine areas with the remnants of the United States. army.
After she gets into a conflict with a peer, a FEDRA officer presents her with alternate visions of her future in the district: keep messing around, end up munching on bad duties, and possibly die in a random accident. Or… show a little discipline, be an officer, and live a fairly comfortable life. She chooses the latter, but she doesn’t seem wild about it.
Ellie posters include one for the 2000 box office disaster Red Planet (not to be confused with a very similar mission to Mars from the same year) and the 1987 sci-fi comedy Innerspace.
HBO
After staying up late reading an issue of Savage Starlight (a fictional comic book series for you can be collected in the game), her sleep is interrupted by runaway best friend Riley (Storm Reed). It is revealed that Riley has given up FEDRA sponsorship to the dissident Fireflies, but is still visiting to recruit Ellie.
“Come with me for a few hours and have the best night of your life,” commands her boyfriend.
Hell yeah.
Eighties style fun
After a brief stop to check on a dead man, down a bit of pre-apocalyptic alcohol left behind, and enjoy Riley’s sidearm (which highlights Ellie’s fascination with adventure and death), the pair head to — where else? – The mall.
It turns out that FEDRA inadvertently restored power to the mall, giving Ellie a chance to get a taste of old-school consumerism. and run down an escalator to the tune of a Norwegian pop band The classic ’80s Take On Me song. (Elle has a version of the group’s greatest hits in her midst.) This tune Makes an unforgettable appearance In the The second match. The popular music video also shows a woman holding a comic book character’s hand and being drawn into an adventure – Ellie has a similarly over-the-top experience after she metaphorically takes Riley’s hand in this episode.
Bella Ramsey is very good here, with Ellie’s awkwardness about her Victoria’s Secret lingerie and stolen glances at Riley hinting at her feelings. These looks get longer as the alcohol takes effect.
Mall wonders
Turns out the escalator was just a prelude to the real fun. The pair hop on a carousel playing a version of The Cure’s Just like heaven (Specifically, the sound that sounds a lot like Rockabye Baby’s Lullaby (song). Songwriter Robert Smith said this tune was inspired by romantic trip He took with him his girlfriend Marie-Paule, who later became his wife.
“The idea is that one night like this is worth a thousand hours of hard work,” he told Blender magazine in 2003, which is probably how the show’s characters will experience this adventure.
Ellie and Riley’s evening continues with a trip to the photo booth, where they hit some poses and get real cozy in close quarters.
Flawless victory
Their next destination turns out to be “the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen” – a neon-drenched arcade. By some miracle, many of the kiosks are still working and they’ve hopped on the iconic 1993 fighter Mortal Kombat 2 (a poster for that game also appears above Ellie’s bed, hinting at her magic).
In their first battle, the more experienced, purple-clad cannibal Riley chooses Melina and Ellie for the thunder god Raiden – and ends up Excellent Milena dies from spitting out the bones.
Ellie’s revenge comes in a later round, when she runs Poorly finished stake pool. They experience the classic Mortal Kombat high of hyper-violence afterward and the sparks of romance get a little stronger. (Be warned though: Too many cartoon dead to watch It can have a strange effect on your mind.)
More classic puns
We remembered the next surprise for Riley Ellie’s penchant for bad jokeswhere she presents her boyfriend with a copy of No Pun Intended: Volume Too.
More fun puns await.
HBO What Did the Frustrated Cannibal Do? He raised his hands. What did the triangle say to the circle? You are so vain how drunk the computer? takes screenshots. What do you call an alligator in a sweater? They are interrupted before Riley can read the answer, but he is a “detective”.
Ellie is briefly reminded of the reality of their condition when she discovers the explosives that Riley prepared. Riley admits that the Fireflies are sending her away to the quarantine zone in Atlanta, and she wanted to spend this last night hanging out with Ellie before leaving. Ellie is not at all happy about this but eventually decides to go on with the last wonder.
Halloween time
After sharing their feelings in a super-chilled fashion store—since the outbreak in late September 2003 still sets up for a spooky season—the couple don masks and dance to an Etta James song to a ’60s tune. I got You Babe (You may know the original Sonny and Cher from the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.) The lyrics imply that young adults are defying their elders in the pursuit of love — just like these teens.
This is when the romantic tension comes to a head and Ellie decides to make a move, giving Riley a brief but passionate kiss. With their emotional and sexual cards finally on the table, Riley agrees to stay and it looks like things are going to be fine.
Until you get horrific attacks. Ellie manages to cut it open, but they both discover that they have been bitten. This will eventually lead to Ellie discovering her mysterious immunity, but Riley isn’t so lucky. They both think it’s a death sentence, but Riley wants to live as long as possible.
“We can just be poetic and dirty, and lose our minds together,” she tearfully says before they embrace.
We don’t see what happens next, but it’s possible that Ellie was forced to kill Riley once the infection took hold. It is likely that Marilyn found her then.
Back in 2023, Ellie maintains a spirit of refusing to give up hope – she is determined to heal Joel’s wounds rather than abandon him. She finds a needle and thread, and gets to work stitching up the wounds.
left behind
The section covered in this episode was not in the 2013 game at launch, it was added the following year in the Left Behind DLC pack and included with Remaster on PS4 and PS5.
You can try out a range of poses in The Last of Us Part 1’s photo booth scene.
naughty dog Screenshot from CNET
The show sticks closely to the events of the game, but the current section is more packed – it sees Ellie searching for meds in a shopping mall while an injured Joel lies unconscious. Avoiding infected robbers and humans along the way, she discovers meds in an army helicopter crashed through the roof of the mall.
During the flashback scenes with Riley, you play Fantasy game The Turning (which is basically Mortal Kombat) in the arcade… thing. The locker doesn’t work, so Riley tells Ellie to close her eyes and put her hands on the controls, then Riley describes the procedure. Mind theater indeed.
They also fight with water guns (a line in the show refers to this) and share a brief kiss in the game. A flashback ends with Ellie and Riley fleeing the mall while being chased by hordes of infected people. They both end up bitten and decide to wait out their deaths together. Riley succumbs to the fungus, but Ellie’s survival reveals her immunity.
mother’s love
You can also read a note from Ellie’s unseen mother in this chapter (one given to her by Firefly leader Marlene):
Ellie,
I’ll share a secret with you, I’m not a huge fan of kids and I hate kids. However… I stare at you dumbfounded.
You’re not a day old and holding you is the most incredible thing I’ve ever done – a life about to be cut short.
Marilyn will take care of you. There is no one in this world that I trust more than her. When the time comes she will tell you all about me. Don’t give it too much of a hard time. Try not to be stubborn like me.
I’m not going to lie, this is a very corrupt world. It won’t be easy. The thing you should always remember is that life is worth living! Find your goal and fight for it.
I see a lot of strength in you. I know you will become the woman you were meant to be.
Forever…your loving mother
I
Make me proud, Ellie!
Episode 8 of The Last of Us is coming to HBO Max Next Sunday, March 5th.
