The "Yellowjackets," a brand new character, is frightening as the insanely driven leader of a group dangerous "hunters."

Melanie Lynskey, another guest star, brought with her a whole army of guerilla fighters to the latest episode of "The Last of Us."

The episode ended on a dramatic cliffhanger, which puts Joel (Pedro Pascal), and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in yet more trouble. This was also the first time that the episode didn't resolve its main conflict. It seems to be the norm.

Last week's touching and beautiful installment focused on the power of love, and why it's worthwhile opening your heart and soul to someone else. This week saw Joel follow that lead and begin to feel at home with Ellie, a little girl who reminds Joel so much of his long lost child.

Pascal and Ramsey have an amazing chemistry. They effortlessly carry the show and their central emotional relationship. Ramsey injects Ellie with a mix of innocence and hardness.

The characterization captures the sweet-but-frustratingly irritating combination that comes with this age. Ramsey has created a wonderful scene where Ellie is trying out her new gun while in the bathroom.

Ramsey conveyed the truth with no words that Ellie's bravado was a disguise for deeper fear and uncertainty. The portrayal of Ellie and Joel is filled with childlike wonder and fear. Ellie's excitement at discovering a book full of terrible puns and see tanks is balanced by Joel's fearful asking for assurances that they are safe when the s--- hits the fan.

Kansas City, Here I Come

It's Ellie's nightly routine. The darkness brings out her fears about being unsafe. Joel warns Ellie early in her journey that cordyceps are not the only danger out there, just as with "The Walking Dead" or other post-apocalyptic tales.

We cannot praise enough the show's visuals, which speak volumes about that open world. While we were able to see the state of Boston as it is now, this cross-country journey through Pennsylvania and Ohio provided stunning images of overgrown roads, cars, and collapsed bridges.

In those moments of quiet in a world trying to reclaim itself from man, there was a peaceful beauty. But, the way cordyceps monsters were presented, vegetation has a sinister undertone.

This peaceful beauty in the societal collapse was juxtaposed by Ellie falling asleep in another setting to wake up as they are blocked from continuing on Highway 81. Enter Kansas City. A quick attempt to bypass the overpass blocked quickly leads to them being lost in a city at conflict with itself.

Ellie discovers evidence that FEDRA once existed in the area just before chaos ensues. However, unlike Boston, it appears they have lost all control over the city and its residents. FEDRA's military occupation was replaced by something even more brutal and militaristic.

A man wandered onto the road and asked for help as they tried to find their way back towards the highway. Joel didn't believe the ruse. It was obvious that it was. But it didn't matter. They were quickly taken off the road and brought to a laundromat, where they quickly became under fire.

Ellie's secret gun that Frank gave her came into play here. Joel was able to dispatch two of them, but the third was caught off guard by Ellie, who was a little more than a child. Ellie escaped from her hiding place and shot the child in the leg, saving Joel.

The scene that followed was powerful as the child begged for his life. He went from being an aggressor to becoming a negotiator and begged them to take him to his mom to save him. Ellie was clearly shocked as the boy was pleading with her. He knew he had a better chance with her of not getting shot.

Joel shot the shot and Ellie was sent back to hiding. She didn't want to be there when he killed someone. Their problems weren't over. With their truck damaged, they were now stuck in Kansas City and being hunted by others.

Cold, cold Kathleen

They had a leader, and she was a new creation to this TV adaptation of the classic video game. Craig Mazin, the showrunner, created Lynskey's Kathleen to lead this new version of these characters.

ScreenRant was told by Neil Druckmann (writer and co-director) that "they take a slightly different position here." "When enemies arrive, it was important to ask the question: "Well, why are their enemies?" What are they looking for? They are not only evil. This all makes sense from their point of views, and it's rightifiable. That was an interesting topic to explore."

This was evident from the start when the "Yellowjackets' star appeared on screen interrogating a doctor who gave her character as a baby. We believe he was a collaborator in FEDRA, turning in his neighbors. Many of these people were murdered.

Kathleen is currently on the hunt to find the man who murdered her brother in the same cell as the one where she was holding her doctor. Although she didn't believe the doctor was involved in his death, she believes he may have known the location of someone who played a part.

Her obsession reached dangerous levels when her men returned the bodies of Joel's victims with the boy still apparently alive. She knew immediately that Henry was the one she was looking for and had brought in mercenaries.

She sends her team out to search the area for interlopes, then she stalks back to the prison cell and shoots the doctor. This is a person whose humanity has been taken over by their obsession. It is very dangerous.

It doesn't matter that Joel and Ellie were actually trying to pass through. Kathleen sees them as collaborators. They've been brought in by Henry. Henry is now the symbol of the entire organization that has killed so many people, including her brother.

Here's Henry and Sam

Through what he leaves behind, we get our first glimpse at this frightening Henry. Kathleen's right-hand-man takes her to an attic where he was hiding. There she finds drawings of a Superman-like character, and empty cans full of food.

Henry, a father and fled from Kansas City rebels who took down FEDRA in Kathleen's death. He has a young son. He isn't necessarily a terrorist or a massive threat.

Kathleen's right-handman showed Kathleen a sunken pit of concrete rubble. We were far more interested in it. He suggested she tell others, but Kathleen's single-minded obsession wouldn’t allow her to lose her focus on the prize.

Both she and the man are clear about what the shifting rubble is. We believe it to be the cordyceps fungal. Henry would be a far greater threat to her family than Henry.

We are curious as to how she managed to control such a large group and get them to follow her lead. Even the right-hand man agrees to her request to keep the story secret from anyone. It is obvious that this will be a dangerous decision for safety and lives.

Joel and Ellie might be willing to give up the human terror of Kansas City in exchange for more vegetative terror. Perhaps a combination of both, which sounds better! Although this is the second consecutive week without any cordyceps monsters, it was still dangerous around every corner.

They could not close their eyes for a single night of sleep without being awakened by danger. The inevitable happened, however, when just before they fell asleep, the ice between their eyes seemed to melt and thaw over a horrible, terrible pun. Both of them were able to have a good time laughing.

This is what probably brought them to their deaths. They had climbed 33 floors to see the top of the building in the hopes that they would be able to look out from the windows and find a way out. Kathleen's goons eventually caught them.

The huge office tower is a good hideout because there are many places to hide, and it would take quite a bit of time to search the entire tower. They weren't the only ones to try and get into this building.

Although they weren't named, we know that Henry and Sam were behind the guns pointed at Joel and Ellie. These two were just as scared as Ellie or Joel so they might not be as dangerous now as the four hunters.

My enemy is my friend. Hopefully?

Every Sunday, "The Last of Us," airs new episodes at 9 p.m. ET on HBO

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Title: The Last of Us Recap: Melanie Lynskey's Obsession Makes KC a Deadly Stop for Joel and Ellie
Sourced From: toofab.com/2023/02/05/the-last-of-us-recap-joel-ellie-crash-melanie-lynskey-obsession/
Published Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2023 03:00:08 +0000

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