The Last of Us
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When we last saw our heroes, Joel and Ellie, things werent looking so great for Joel.
As Left Behind opens, the situation remains dire.
And Ellie at least considers it.
Or at least attempted bullying.
And its obvious hed like to have a smart kid like Ellie as an officer.
Without FEDRA, the only other choice is chaos.
That tension complicates the show, and its at the heart of this episode.
As she sleeps, the beds former owner returns: Ellies best friend, Riley (Storm Reid).
Rileys been gone for three weeks, and Ellie had started to think she was dead.
Instead, Riley has a revelation.
Shes joined the Fireflies.
This is no small development.
Joining up with terrorists who kill soldiers the job theyve been training to take is another.
Ellie might be mad at her friend, but she cant turn down an opportunity like that.
(Ellie, in typical fashion, is both fascinated and grossed out by the body.)
After the floor collapses beneath them, they grab the booze and go.
But they cant debate the issue all night.
Next stop: the mall.
(Ellies fascination with the electric stairs makes it five wonders, however.)
When Riley says shes trying to picture Ellie in a thong, they laugh it off.
But then Ellie pauses to fix her hair in the shops windows, the comment not quite forgotten.
Is she just buying into Firefly propaganda, or does she know something Ellie doesnt?
Theres no changing the world when youre supervising other people shoveling shit.
This reminder not only prompts her to leave but also makes her question Rileys motives.
Was all this just a long recruitment pitch?
Riley quickly assures her it was not, but the reality is even worse.
Riley has been transferred to Atlanta and will be leaving tomorrow.
Even her attempt to get Marlene to let her bring Ellie with her has failed.
Unless, that is, Ellie can get Riley to change her mind.
Which, it turns out, she can.
Or, more accurately, she doesnt have to.
When the masks come off, Ellie asks Riley to stay.
She agrees without any hesitation, and they kiss.
What do we do now, Ellie asks.
Were gonna figure it out, Riley replies.
If the credits started rolling and the story ended here, wed have a happy ending.
ButThe Last of Usis a heartbreaker, and the story keeps going.
But only after both girls have been bitten.
There goes the happy ending.
Nonetheless, Ellie and Riley decide to write their own ending.
Like Kwong, Riley offers Ellie two options.
After considering taking their own lives, they vow to stick together until the infection takes them.
Theyll stick together whether its two minutes or two days.
Infectious Bites
How terrific are Reid and Bella Ramsey in this episode?
Ramseys been great all season, but we see aspects of Ellie here weve never seen before.
And, for that matter, still a kid, as is Riley.
This episode is taken from theLeft BehindDLC of the originalThe Last of Usgame.
Ellies musical taste is a reminder that pop culture has frozen and flattened.
A-has Take on Me was a big hit in 1985.
(Its now usually included as a bonus track on Jamess great albumTell Mama.)
None of this matters to Ellie and Riley.
They just like what they like (and what they can find).
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