What the crap! If you have seen the latest episode of The Last of Us, you know what I am talking about. 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 8 and beware that some major spoilers for the episode follow below! Review Marathon – Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 & 5 / Episode 6 / Episode 7.
The Last of Us Episode 8 – Bella Ramsey Shines In This Spine-Chilling Installment
Rating – ★★★★★
This has got to be the most horrifying and massively f###ed up episode of the series yet. You thought Zombies were scary? Well then try being with the humans that have been left to survive in this dark and unforgiving world. The episode is the stuff of nightmares and many viewers will find it quite disturbing, violent, and too mature. It deals with strictly adult and bone-chilling themes like cannibalism, perversion, and violent side of human survival instinct. That aside, the episode is very graphic and contains scenes of extreme violence, skinned human dead bodies hanging on hooks, human body parts being chopped and eaten etc. So, if you cannot digest this kind of stuff, do not watch it.
The episode draws heavily from the horror classic Silence of the Lambs and Scott Shepherd’s Father David and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie are basically Hannibal Lector and Clarice. Bella Ramsey has once again proved her worth and her performance in this episode trumps every other performance on the show so far. During some of the final scenes you could actually feel Ellie’s fear and desperation followed by brutal survival instincts while killing David, and finally, how shook and disturbed she is when Joel finds her. Aside from her exceptional performance, Shepherds chilling and terrifying performance as Father David is bound to give you a few sleepless nights. Father David is an embodiment of what human survival instinct and deep rooted violence can turn a person into during desperate situations.
Another thing to note here is that how Father David saw his reflection is Ellie, especially when it came to leadership and violence. And while we all know Ellie is nothing like that monster, the episode showcased what she is capable of as she basically survived an unsurvivable situation. She managed to escape being chopped off, set the place on fire, and brutally kill James and Father David. Honestly, she has committed more badassery in this episode alone, than Joel in the entire series so far. Joel also got a few moments to shine, as even in that injured state, he managed to not only survive but also successfully track down Ellie and rescue her. Joel also proved to be ruthless as he proceeded to kill 2 men in cold blood even after getting the information he needed. Uff, what a show, and what characters!
While I started this show with Joel being my favorite, as this point, there is no doubt Ellie has become the best and the most badass character on the show. Also, I simply cannot appreciate the writing and direction enough! Every episode, every scene, and each character has so much depth and meaning that it provokes a thousand thoughts in your head. If you start analyzing perspectives, you might even find yourself relating and empathizing with a monstrous character like Father David. That’s the magic of writing. I never expected my heart to be broken, patched up, and then broken again so many times by a production about Zombie apocalypse. Before I wrap up, once again, kudos to the cinematographers, sound designers, production designers and editors for keeping the incredible quality of the show intact right from the premier to this penultimate episode.
Final Verdict – The Last of Us Episode 8 is top tier TV which stands right up there with the best episodes from shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Attack on Titan etc. It is a horrifying, disturbing, violent, and nightmare-inducing episode which has a lot to say and is as meaningful and complex as it could be. Simply the BEST!
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