The Last Of Us Is Once Again Brilliant And Heartbreaking

Chris Pizzello. Shutterstock Images.

(This post contains SPOILERS about Friday night's The Last Of Us. Don't read if you haven't seen it yet.)

(Last warning!)

That was about as heartbreaking an episode of TV that I've seen in some time. The third episode was certainly sad how it ended but it showed a love story between two lonely people who did die, but at their terms. They were old men and lived full lives. It was almost nice in a way that they did die together in their lovely home. You had a beautiful Linda Ronstadt song in the background. It was a perfect and graceful ending to two characters we only just met that episode but had already cared a lot about.

The only similarity between this episode and that one were two characters we just met that also are very easy to care about. Everything else was so sad. I loved the relationship between Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his younger brother Sam (Keivonn Woodard). Woodard was especially strong. His scenes with Bella Ramsey were her best in the entire run of the show. It's not easy to have to show such big emotions and not be able to say a single line. He acted with his eyes.

Chris Pizzello. Shutterstock Images.

To have those two characters die in such a brutal way in that awful motel was so crushing. There was no Linda Ronstadt playing at the end of this one. I completely understand why Henry did everything his character did. From giving up the leader of the resistance for leukemia medicine for Sam all the way to his tragic end. I'm not sure you can go on after killing your own brother. There's some grief you'll never get over. That would certainly qualify.

As much as I believed in Henry's motivations, I felt totally different about Kathleen's (Melanie Lynskey). She would have dozens of people killed in cold blood? I can understand wanting to kill Henry but to want to execute children? As a viewer, I can understand why that character existed but I could have spent much less time with her. I would have much preferred another couple scenes with Henry and Sam.

This was a great episode but I did have another issue with it beyond the Kathleen stuff. That giant creature that came out of the ground and ripped that guy's head off was pretty fucking goofy. Maybe in a video game, that's a cool guy to have to beat to move onto the next level but it was not necessary at all here. Plus it looked stupid. He didn't seem that much bigger then the other clickers. 

Those quibbles aside, this was pretty tremendous. I would never have expected a show based on a video game to make me cry but here we are. Kathleen did bring up destiny and fate in sort of a Final Destination way regarding Sam. His character did seem doomed to die but even after he was bitten, I was really hoping Ellie's blood could help him. Or maybe that same leukemia medicine would act as a vaccine. But that would have been cheap. The Last Of Us has shown they don't take the easy way out ever. They will give you just enough time to really care about certain characters but no one is safe. In that world that this takes place in, that's the only way to tell a story like this.

But I'd be lying if I didn't appreciate having a couple extra days before next week's episode. This one packed a punch.

Episode 5: A

Episode 4: B-

Episode 3: A+

Episode 2: B

Episode 1: A