One of the vital thrilling propositions about this first season of HBO’s The Last of Us used to be that, in the future, it used to be going to include a 2d piece of Closing of Us lore: the 2014 add-on to the sport known as The Last of Us: Left Behind. Launched a 12 months after the unique sport, the downloadable content material clued gamers into extra of Ellie’s previous and sexuality, and printed precisely how she were given the chew that modified the whole thing.
Smartly, with more than half the season over, it after all took place. Episode seven of the The Closing of Us is titled “Left At the back of,” and in it we see Ellie’s remoted existence ahead of she used to be bitten, ahead of she discovered she used to be immune, and ahead of she met Joel. It used to be every other improbable, standout episode because of famous person Bella Ramsey and visitor famous person Typhoon Reid.
Issues kick off quickly after remaining week’s cliffhanger of Joel being stabbed within the abdomen and Ellie being concerned he’s going to die. Ellie has in some way moved Joel and their horse into an deserted space and Joel isn’t taking a look just right. In truth, he’s able to die and tells Ellie she will have to depart him and return to Tommy. Ellie isn’t slightly yes what she needs to take action she covers him up, is going up the steps and forestalls. She has a call to make: attempt to save Joel or attempt to save herself.
It’s with that on her thoughts that issues return in time, however no longer too some distance. Ellie nonetheless appears to be like the similar, save for the sweatshirt she’s dressed in that claims “FEDRA Coaching.” She’s at FEDRA college, doing laps in a health club and listening to a couple tunes on an outdated Walkman. That’s when a far larger lady named Bethany grabs the headphones off her head. It’s obtrusive there’s dangerous blood right here, one thing to do with a chum of Ellie’s who left, and so after exchanging phrases, Ellie punches her within the face.
Like most faculties, when you get in a battle you get despatched to the principal’s workplace. And at FEDRA college, that suggests Captain Kwong (Terry Chen). Ellie has been right here ahead of and Kwong is uninterested together with her continuously entering bother. He tells her she has two paths she will take. One is to take care of the perspective, wreck the principles, and reside her existence as a grunt answering to the Bethanys of the arena. Or she will straighten up and use her smarts to change into an officer. He believes there’s a pacesetter in her and she will assist FEDRA in its undertaking to carry the arena in combination. She makes a decision to make a choice the second one trail and he shall we her cross.
Instantly we see that Ellie is each bit as jumpy and hot-headed as we’ve noticed within the display. This isn’t some new factor for her. Neither is her obsession with the arena ahead of. In her dorm there are film posters from house and sci-fi motion pictures like Purple Planet and Innerspace, and a poster of the moon; she’s studying the comic book she and Sam read together two episodes in the past, or even has a Mortal Kombat II poster, which she saw in that Cumberland Farms in episode three. There’s additionally an empty mattress within the room. The mattress of, we suppose, the lady Bethany used to be speaking about.
Ellie falls asleep and any individual sneaks in thru her window. The individual places their quit her mouth which makes Ellie react violently, snatch her knife, and virtually stab the individual. She stops when she sees it’s Riley (Reid), her roommate who we be told has been lacking for 3 weeks. Riley, it seems, has joined FEDRA’s major enemy, the Fireflies, which Ellie can’t imagine. There’s a historical past and agree with between those two so, regardless of the stunning flip of occasions, Riley ultimately coaxes Ellie to sneak out together with her for a couple of hours promising the most productive evening of her existence.
The 2 make their manner around the town, going out and in of home windows, up staircases, and alongside the way in which even discover a bottle of booze a useless man purchased to kill himself with. (Closing week Ellie said she’d tasted alcohol before, right? Now we get it.) They debate the deserves of their opposing issues of view as a FEDRA trainee and new Firefly; each assume their way of life is the precise manner, therefore the consistent warfare between them. The argument appears to be getting out of hand when Riley tells Ellie they’ve made it to their vacation spot: an deserted buying groceries mall.
Ellie is of the conclusion that this mall is full of inflamed, however Riley turns out to understand another way. Riley additionally mentions that a couple of outdated energy grids have been grew to become on within the space to deal with some new other people within the Quarantine Zone. Which turns out like an peculiar piece of data, till it isn’t. Inside of, Riley tells Ellie to make a couple of turns and wait. She does simply that and that’s when issues get truly, truly just right.
The facility to the mall used to be restored with out FEDRA realizing and Riley lighting the entire thing up, retailer by way of retailer. Ellie watches with a glance of pleasure that’s just about indescribable. She’s by no means noticed anything else adore it however Riley says that’s no longer the part of it. She’s deliberate an entire night for them to discover the wonders of the mall.
In 2023, maximum youngsters most definitely most effective have a imprecise reminiscence of spending time in buying groceries department shops so there would possibly nonetheless be some surprise and kitsch to them. However for someone born ahead of this century, there’s not anything extra not unusual or relatable than a shopping center. It’s natural nostalgia. So that you could see Ellie’s amazement on the mere turning on of the lighting—in addition to the whole thing that adopted—used to be The Closing of Us at its best possible, giving its target market an excessively explicit instance of one thing that’s mundane and forgettable to us, however to not a kid on this global. It’s the message of appreciation for the little issues and that there’s attractiveness in the most simple of puts, particularly for those who’ve by no means skilled it ahead of.
Working example, the escalator. Ellie freaks out concerning the “transferring stairs” to such an extent Riley has to switch her excursion from the 4 wonders of the mall to the 5, with this being the primary. The chums stroll during the mall and Ellie marvels at what the people who looted this position went after and what they didn’t. A jab at our trendy way of life as a result of, after all, other people wiped clean out the sneaker retailer however didn’t contact the cleaning soap retailer. In Ellie’s global, cleaning soap is a lot more essential than the most recent pair of shoes.
One retailer that still wasn’t looted is Victoria’s Secret and the 2 ladies communicate about what the underwear used to be used for and the way it should really feel. Riley jokes about what Ellie would possibly seem like in it and after she leaves, you’ll be able to see that Ellie is taken with it. It’s an intimate aspect of her character that the display hasn’t truly touched on but, however is ready to get blown vast open.
After the bras and panties, Riley calls Ellie over to surprise primary: the carousel. They experience round at the horses with some pretty muzak taking part in and for the primary time, the most productive buddies really feel like, possibly, slightly extra. There are giant date vibes going down and within the inclined second, Riley tells Ellie the true explanation why she joined the Fireflies. She used to be assigned her everlasting FEDRA place and it used to be, sadly, at the trail Ellie advised the captain previous that day she didn’t need. Riley used to be assigned to sewage element and felt so disrespected she needed to depart. In truth, the one factor she overlooked concerning the position used to be Ellie.
Surprise two is a photograph sales space which, in some way, kind of works 20 years later and the women take some lovely photos. Then it’s time for surprise 4. Riley asks Ellie to concentrate and, once more, kids of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s know the sound right away. It’s the mall’s arcade and when Riley displays it to Ellie, she calls it probably the most gorgeous factor she’s ever noticed. They stroll round, taking a look on the video games, and if the display has achieved its task proper, you will have this peculiar little twinge at the back of your head. All season we’ve gotten those little hints that Ellie is obsessive about Mortal Kombat II. In order she traverses the arcade we’re left secretly hoping for that sport to be there. Then it’s. And the divulge is treated with such attractiveness by way of everybody concerned that there might not be as satisfied a second on this sequence up to now (or, transferring ahead for that subject). The enjoyment of Ellie after all getting to position some quarters and play this sport she’s obsessive about used to be palpable and not has Mortal Kombat been so pretty. Riley even discovered the fatalities so the 2 may see some actual gore. (A sure-fire signal that even if it doesn’t make logical sense, episode creator Neil Druckmann used to be a large MK fan.)
This, on the other hand, is The Closing of Us. And simply as Ellie reaches her top second of bliss, the digital camera slowly leaves her and Riley. It is going out of the arcade, around the mall, and into every other retailer the place the arcade noises get up a clicker. Fuck.
Ahead of they cross to the general surprise, Ellie tells Riley she has to return to college. There’s nonetheless time ahead of she’d in reality get in bother however that is our trace that she’s truly taking that speak with the captain from this morning severely. She’s able to move all in on a FEDRA existence. However Riley tells Ellie she has a gift, and so they head to a cafe.
Like a child on Christmas morning, Ellie assists in keeping guessing what the existing may well be. She even randomly guesses a dinosaur, which, Last of Us Part II fans know is indisputably no longer random, identical to her love of the moon. The present isn’t a dinosaur even though. It’s the second one quantity of the pun e book Ellie loves such a lot. This, once more, makes her so freaking excited, even supposing the women don’t perceive the pun about computer systems getting inebriated by way of taking “screenshots.” (They have been born after computer systems would were a factor, don’t omit.)
The e book used to be at the back of a cafe that Ellie realizes Riley were staying in. There, Ellie sees why her good friend used to be truly within the mall. Riley has been making bombs. Bombs to most definitely use on FEDRA squaddies. Ellie is pissed and is ready to go away when Riley hits her with an emotional bomb: Riley is leaving Boston. The Fireflies need her to visit Atlanta and even if she requested the chief Marlene (nice nameagain to the primary episode and trace at what’s to return) if Ellie may cross, she stated no. That implies Riley’s leaving and he or she sought after this evening so she may say good-bye.
Sizzling-headed as ever, Ellie pushes that truth apart and storms out. She will get virtually all of the manner out ahead of she thinks higher and turns round. She then hears a scream. Working, able for anything else, she busts into every other retailer to search out… Halloween decorations. Surprise 5 is the shop Riley even though Ellie would really like highest, a Halloween retailer. She does adore it and sits right down to hash the whole thing out. The most important distinction between Riley and Ellie, we be told, is that Riley at one level had a circle of relatives. She knew that sense of belonging. Ellie hasn’t (but) and doesn’t slightly get that whilst the Fireflies aren’t best, they’re giving Riley that house that she wishes.
This is an appropriate excuse for Ellie who forgives her, thank you her, and tells her she misses her. After sitting within the smooth second for a beat, Riley jumps proper again into the evening’s deliberate actions. She grabs one in every of Ellie’s tapes, places it on within the retailer, and palms Ellie a large large werewolf masks. She herself places on a clown masks and the 2 begin to dance. In a global like this, with such a lot of other people long gone and terror round each nook, you virtually were given the sense this used to be the primary time they ever simply were given to be children. To reside careunfastened and simply dance like idiots in Halloween mask.
Stuck up within the second, Ellie takes to the air her masks and asks Riley to not cross. She then musters up some power and kisses her. Riley isn’t stunned even though. She’s satisfied about it and concurs to stick in Boston. It’s every other satisfied second, possibly the happiest second, as a result of in every different, they in finding what they want. Love. Circle of relatives. Long term. So after all, that’s precisely when the whole thing ends.
That clicker from ahead of bursts into the shop and a battle ensues. It’s manic and violent however, ultimately, Ellie is in a position to stab it in its head, killing it. She’s interested by the victory till Riley issues at her. Ellie has been bit, and so has Riley. Their lives are over. At which level, for the primary time in like 40 mins, the episode cuts again to the current. Ellie continues to be on the best of the ones stairs understanding what to do. For the second one time in her existence, she’s at a crossroads with any individual she loves who’s at risk of death.
Again on the mall, Riley and Ellie speak about their choices. Do they devote suicide or simply cross mad in combination? In the event that they select the latter, a minimum of they haven’t given up on every different. And whilst we don’t see what occurs subsequent, the display brings us again to present-day Ellie. She makes the verdict not to surrender on Joel, even supposing he recommended it, and tears the home aside. She reveals a needle with thread and frantically tries to stitch him up. Which is the instant the episode ends.
“Left At the back of” used to be simply extraordinary. In point of fact magical. The usage of Ellie’s previous so that you can contextualize the bleak second she’s in at the moment, and to provide an explanation for her combat with it, used to be a stroke of genius. And in the ones flashbacks, we get to look Ellie for who she is. A powerful, good, queer younger lady who used to be in love and misplaced that particular person. As a result of it doesn’t matter what occurs in that retailer, we all know that Ellie survives and Riley doesn’t. Bella Ramsey is basically improbable within the episode, Typhoon Reid bounces off her superbly, and after all we’re left with an added appreciation of the small issues we now have in our lives and the information that, at any second, cleaning soap might change into extra precious than shoes.
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