Joel and Ellie are caught in the middle a blood feud that has no winners. Plus, we have our worst clickers and cordyceps zombies!

"The Last of Us," once again proves to be more than a zombie series that delve into new characters.

This isn't a mistake. HBO decided to release the new episode of HBO Max and HBO On Demand two extra days ahead of the Super Bowl. The episode will air on HBO at the same time as the Super Bowl, but it can be streamed to streaming viewers right now.

Also, if your streaming doesn't allow you to view the fifth episode, then you might want to quit reading. There are spoilers ahead.

* SPOILER WARNING**

This week's installment finds humanity even in the most extreme behavior after last week's action-packed outing. It also explored the characters of Henry (Lamar Johnson), and Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey).

We wondered if this episode would be anything like the one that introduced us Bill and Frank, our favorite apocalyptic couple. Our leads Joel (Bella Ramsey, Pedra Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), were not featured in that episode.

This week began with a leap back to when Kansas City's rebels were freed from FEDRA's yoke. Then, the story quickly settled into the narrative that drove last weeks story. Kathleen is obsessed about finding Henry, her brother's killer.

It seems there is more to it than that. There's something deeper and darker beneath the sweet voice and appearance of Adrianne Curry.

After Perry, her right-hand-man, killed a group of collaborators, what seemed like obsessivemania has now become cold-hearted cruelty. It's hard to believe that she was able to justifiably rage at her collaborators as the night progressed.

Fans already know she won't find Henry during this sequence. Last week's episode ended with Sam and Henry catching Joel in their sleep. What was the point of this flashback? Humanizing.

The best thing about "The Last of Us," in horror, is the way it allows the characters to breathe. The success of "The Walking Dead" was due to its ability to do this in the first season, but it faltered after losing focus.

Horror is so much more effective when you can understand at least the humanity of the characters, even if it's sometimes very dark and disturbing.

Perry discovers Kathleen in her childhood bedroom, where she tells Perry that her brother, the ex-resistance leader, would be horrified by the things she did. He would encourage her to forgive Henry, and move on.

He actually said the same thing to her before he died. She doesn't care, because she doesn’t see the point of forgiveness. She's so blinded from her rage that she doesn't see any point in what she is doing. Blind obsession can lead to blindness.

Through the Darkness

We were able to see how evil Kathleen was, but we also got to know Henry and Sam, his brother who is deaf. We saw Sam filling the attic of the doctor with superhero drawings, and we also saw the space that they had taken over.

As the food ran out, they had to run. We were there with them and even got a different view of Joel and Ellie’s wreck last week. All of this made us move faster than we anticipated, even though the episode was over.

Joel was warm and welcoming as usual. We're not lying. He looked like a panther, waiting to attack at any moment. Henry was terrified, as he had probably been since Kathleen put the kill order on him.

They make a deal to escape the city by tunneling through it. This sequence allows Joel and Henry to gain a little trust and allows Sam and Ellie the opportunity to be children.

It would have been easy to throw monsters into the tunnels. Instead, the emphasis was on the humanity of the characters. It was charming to see the children smile and hear their laughter.

Ramsey deserves all the credit for playing Sam, a character many years younger than she. Their chemistry was sweet and raw.

The High Ground

After an episode and half of non-monster action the show moved into the most video-game-like sequence since the frantic car drive that was the premiere. Everything that occurred after the foursome of fearsome monsters emerged from the tunnel felt almost like a videogame.

Joel, who took out the sniper from the high vantage of a nearby home, to the importance of that vantage as the chaos below ensues. Both Joel's situation, which is crucial for survival, and Ellie’s on the ground could be seen. This becomes very desperate.

Joel commands the others to hide behind cars while Joel takes care of the shooter when someone begins shooting at the group. Joel makes quick work of the shooter, but then he hears that the guy was supposed to keep them down until Kathleen arrived.

She was suddenly there, driving through cars and eventually ending up right next to the three of them.

Henry did this because Sam had leukemia, and FEDRA had the only medication that would keep him alive. Kathleen asks, "What gives Henry the right say Sam's life matters more than her brother?

We didn't know she was incapable of redemption. Henry stated that he would turn himself in if she spared the children. She replied that she was not going to do it. She was going to kill them all.

Henry emerges from her car just as she is about to film him. Just then, the car she arrived in collides into a sinkhole.

Remember Perry and her concern (but not enough) over sounds and movement coming from below the city? It turned out that KC FEDRA had driven the cordyceps-monsters underground. They apparently thrived and grew.

All Hell

A swarm clicker flies out of the hole and quickly attacks and kills Kathleen's women and men, as well as anything else that moves.

Ellie tried to escape both clickers and people, but she got separated from Henry.

This clicker is so haunting because it features young girls playing key roles. Joel felt compelled to go into darkness after the death of his daughter. Now he must confront this young girl, who may be the light for all mankind.

Ellie was able to escape the clicker and make her way to Henry, Sam and Sam with Joel's key assistance. Joel watches over his watchtower and picks off clickers that get too close. This is another sequence that you can easily imagine yourself playing as Joel or Ellie.

They almost get to Joel's house, but a terrifying sequence of terror and clickers continues their assault on everyone behind them stops them. Kathleen stopped them at the last second.

After a rampaging, charging, and oversized clicker emerged from the hole, she was now alone. It had also pounced on Perry and Kathleen. Perry gave his life to help Kathleen. As she ran, we saw the creature ripping Perry's head.

Kathleen's obsession with killing Henry was more important than any good sense, despite the death and carnage all around her.

When Ellie, a little girl clicker who had closed the car previously, pounced upon Kathleen and started to rip her apart, Kathleen was prepared to kill them all. She had reacted to their growing threat last week by threatening to kill them all. Because she couldn't choose forgiveness and live, her hard-earned freedom was lost.

There is a lesson there.

Sarah Paulson gives a tour of her tiny Malibu getaway

Echoes of Horror

Joel and Ellie were now free from Kansas City and decided to take Sam and Henry to Wyoming as part of their ongoing search for Tommy, Joel's brother.

The kids bond in a motel room. Ellie asks Sam how she is so brave. Sam is surprised to learn that Ellie has a no f---s attitude. However, she admits that she is scared all the time. Her biggest fear? Being left alone.

Sam asks her if she's still inside after turning into a monster. She tragically shares that he was bitten during their escape from the neighborhood swarm.

Ellie finally found someone younger than her, with whom she felt a connection, almost like a big sibling. Ramsey was once again on point, trying desperately to get his blood onto his wound with this performance.

Sam attacked her the next morning when she touched his shoulder. He immediately threw Sam out of the bedroom to the shock of Joel, Henry, and Henry. Henry pulled the trigger on Joel to stop him from shooting Sam. He then shot his brother.

Henry again turned his gun against Joel as he attempted to reach Ellie. It was almost as if Henry had instinctively turned his gun on Joel when he tried to go to Ellie. He turned the gun on his own when it did.

It happened so fast. It was over in a flash. She lost the friend she had tried to save. Kathleen's obsession was made more meaningless by their deaths. It cost Kathleen everything, and she died anyway. Sometimes, nobody wins.

Joel and Ellie survived to continue their mission. However, their record for dealing with other people on their journey is absolutely disgraceful. Tessa, Bill, Frank and Kathleen are joined by Perry, Henry, Henry, Sam, and Frank. They continue to work despite the fact that their body count is increasing.

The journey continues on "The Last of Us", Sundays at 9 pm. ET on HBO

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Title: The Last of Us Goes Full Horror with Terrifying Monster Attack, Heartbreaking Fallout
Sourced From: toofab.com/2023/02/10/the-last-of-us-recap-full-horror-monster-attack-heartbreaking-fallout/
Published Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2023 03:00:25 +0000

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