With back to back gut wrenching and incredible episodes, this HBO series has proved all skeptics and critics wrong. I mean you know a quality show when you see one and The Last of Us is definitely up there with the most quality shows ever made. It doesn’t matter if you have played The Last of Us games or not, this show is clearly for everyone. With the execution, direction, and performances we have seen so far and the solid source material backing it, we sure are in for a exhilarating ride. Now without further ado, lets dive deep into our verdict for HBO’s The Last of Us Episode 4 and 5 and beware that some major spoilers for the episode follow below! Review Marathon – Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3.
The Last of Us – The Tragic Tale of Henry and Sam
- Rating for Episode 4 – ★★★★
- Rating for Episode 5 – ★★★★★
The Last of Us Episode 4 and 5 saw our protagonists making their way through the free city of Kansas which is technically not free. It has been taken over by the people and is represented/led by Kathleen, an HBO original character who wasn’t a part of the games. The thing about this character is that she is pretty much unbearable and definitely deserved what she got. Although, much like every character on TLOU, her character is grey as well but there is something about her which makes viewers lean more towards hating her. Throughout these two episodes she is hell-bent on finding Henry, Sam, Ellie and Joel, and is pretty ruthless in the way to achieve her objectives.
On the other hand, Henry ain’t a saint as well as he most definitely betrayed his people, even if it was ultimately for his sick brother Sam. As for Joel and Ellie, they are wanted by Kathleen and the people as they see them as invaders who killed a few of them. Therefore, the four of them decide to stick together in their efforts to make their way out of the city. But just like rest of the episodes, we know that no one but Joel and Ellie survive in this messed up world. While Episode 4 was more about strengthening the bond between Ellie and Joel, Episode 5 is where a hell breaks lose. The character moments in these two episode, especially, are very thought-provoking and offer deeper insights into Ellie as well as Joel. For example, the moment when Ellie tells Sam she’s scared of being alone or when Joel tries to empathize with Henry. Moving on, much of the story plays out pretty much like the games but with a few minor changes which made it even better.
First of all, they made Sam a mute which made his ultimate fate hit even harder. Next they spent a lot of time making us care about Henry and Sam only to kick us in the guts towards the end. Lastly, they made the entire tunnel sequence seem like a cake walk, only to literally shake the ground beneath us later. We all knew things won’t go their way but we didn’t expect a Game of Thrones’ Hardhome (Season 5 Episode 8) like scenario. Just when Kathleen and her army is about to nail Henry, the ground explodes with runners, clickers, and an OP Bloater. This was the first time we saw a fully evolved Bloater on the series and it was the stuff of nightmares. The entire sequence keeps you on the edge of your seats as Ellie, Sam and Henry try to escape the ambush.
It is terrifying how the infected made such a quick work of an entire army, but at the same time it was awesome to watch Joel finally kick some ass. The man’s sniping skills were off the charts in this episode as he ensured Ellie makes her way through the mess. Kathleen, after delivering delivering some sadistic lines about how kids die all the time, was ironically killed by a young infected. As for Sam and Henry, they suffer the same fate as the games. Sam turns and begins to attack Ellie and Henry proceeds to shoot Sam as well as himself. The only difference is that it hurt even harder in the series thanks to the incredible performances by the entire cast. One highlight of this heartbreaking sequence was the subtle horrified gasp that Bella Ramsey (Ellie) took when Henry shot himself. It enhanced the intensity of the scene a lot and made me go like, “Damn, that’s way too much sh#t for a child of her age”. But that’s what this hopeless world of TLOU is all about.
Final Verdict – Top tier writing and direction, heart-felt performances and character work, as well as horrifyingly beautiful make-up and production design, make The Last of Us Episodes 4 and 5 stupendous additions to an already incredible series. If this continues, TLOU will undoubtedly end up among the greatest cinematic projects of all time. Kudos the entire HBO team!
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