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Sunday’s latest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us takes a slight detour from the main story to do a quick flashback on not only how Ellie got bit but takes us back to show her first sense of loss with Riley (Storm Reid), her best friend and first love.
The episode is based on DLC content that is a flashback sequence that takes place after the incident at the University of Eastern Colorado where Ellie finds herself having to fend for herself as well as see Joel back to health after getting stabbed (in the game, he fell and was impaled). There was a lot the episode took out from that part of the game, but cut to the core of what makes Ellie and Joel so similar in their experiences of losing the most important person to them.
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Now Playing: The Last Of Us Episode 7 Breakdown: Ellie And Riley Flashback | Left Behind DLC
“In this world, it’s often the case that the happiest moments are interrupted by the worst moments,” explained showrunner Craig Mazin during the episode’s behind-the-scenes featurette. “And there’s this wonderful moment where Ellie realizes that Riley feels the same way about her that she feels about Riley and they kiss…they’re attacked and they’re both infected.”
Ellie is still unaware of her immunity at this point and the two young girls think they’re both going to die or become one of the Infected. We see for the first time here the rage that lies within Ellie while she takes her anger out on her surroundings, smashing display cases, and screaming, while Riley lies still and quiet as she’s lost people in the past.
“The Ellie we’re seeing now has never experienced loss and Riley does say, we’re all going to the same place, but we don’t quit on the time we have together,” added Mazin.
Game co-creator and show writer Neil Druckmann explains that splicing the flashback with Ellie frantically trying to save Joel shows Ellie’s resilience and what Riley said to her echoing in her ears.
“She’s going to fight to the bitter end because the person she loves most in the world now is Joel,” Druckmann said. “And she’ll go to any lengths to save him.”
This mirrors what we saw in Episode 4 where Joel fights to save both himself and Ellie against the resistance fighters and the darkness that rests in Joel comes out without mercy. Fans of the game series will know that rage that also floats within Ellie will come out once again.
HBO’s The Last of Us airs new episodes Sundays at 9 EST.
