The Last of Us – Left Behind

This is my favorite episode of the present to date, giving us the identical quiet and intimate focus that we additionally obtained from the Bill and Frank episode, proving that this present is admittedly at its strongest when it slows all the way down to give attention to one or two characters. 

The give attention to Ellie permits us a higher perception into her after trying on the world by Joel’s eyes for a lot of the present to date and Storm Reid proves to be a incredible scene companion, bringing the Ellie-Riley relationship to life with the identical power and spark that made the DLC so widespread all these years in the past. 

The episode did a terrific job at capturing the magic of their friendship and most significantly, it allowed them to behave like children, whether or not that was by goofing off in a photograph sales space or spending most of their time losing cash on an arcade recreation. 

Most of the episode is permeated with a way of happiness and luxury. There are some slight political undertones that assist floor the storyline as Ellie and Riley debate – and argue – over the Fireflies as terrorists and FEDRA as fascists. It creates a pleasant little little bit of world constructing and character improvement and permits them to shift between light-hearted enjoyable and a few extra severe dramatic battle. Their struggle feels completely pure and after having spent a complete episode exhibiting the energy of their bond and Ellie’s apparent crush on Riley, the quantity of ache and upset between them in the course of the struggle is palpable to say the least. 

It makes the traumatic ultimate moments of the episode hit tougher in addition to Ellie’s rage and concern at being bitten provides manner into resignation and the 2 sit collectively on the finish, holding onto one another tightly. It’s splendidly paralleled with Ellie looking for a way to assist Joel. There was completely nothing she may do to save lots of her greatest pal so she was damned if she was simply going to go away Joel to his destiny. 

It can be remiss of me to not point out I really like the usage of ‘Take on Me’ in the course of the elevator scene. Ellie’s cowl of that in The Last of Us Part 2 recreation is a crucial second for her relationship with one other character so seeing the music used right here as a part of her relationship with Riley provides a beautiful little bit of nuance for gamers of the sport and creates a touching parallel. 

What did you consider the episode? Did you’ve gotten a favorite Wonder of the Mall? Sound off within the feedback beneath!