The Last of Us Episode 7 and 8
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Today's podcast continues our breakdown of The Last of Us on HBO with episodes seven and eight. Episode seven dives into more of Ellie's past and gives the audience a view of what Ellie said when it wasn't the first time she had used a gun. Living in this world is harsh for even the youngest people. There isn't much hope to spare. Picking up with episode 8 drops us right back into the urgency of Joel's condition. Episode 8 feels pivotal in many ways. The first gives us a face to evil in the show, quickly capturing the audience. Also, giving Ellie the challenge of her life; can she survive without Joel? But not without Ellie being traumatized dramatically by the experience. While the audience is led to believe Joel will make a heroic rescue, we don't get that exactly, but Joel saves Ellie's soul right when she's about to fall over the edge.
Episode Summaries:
Episode seven picks up as Joel approaches death. He urges Ellie to leave him. Ellie remembers her time in FEDRA military school, which she attended with her best friend, Riley. Riley sneaks back into their dorm room and reveals to Ellie she has joined the Fireflies. She brings Ellie to an abandoned mall, where they explore a photo booth, an arcade, and a carousel. Riley tells Ellie the Fireflies have assigned her to a post in Atlanta, and it is her last night in Boston. An infected attacks the two, and Ellie kills it, but both are bitten during the struggle. Tearfully, they decide to stay together and wait for the infection to take hold. In the present, Ellie finds a sewing needle and stitches Joel's wound.
Episode eight continues after the flack back ends. Ellie leaves Joel, who is still recovering, to hunt for food. After shooting a deer, she tracks the wounded animal and encounters a preacher, David, and his fellow hunter James. She trades her deer for penicillin. David reveals that the man who stabbed Joel was a group member; Ellie leaves to treat Joel. The next day, she discovers David and his men have followed her to seek vengeance on Joel. She flees to draw them away but is captured. At David's camp, he reveals he has been feeding his group human flesh.
Meanwhile, Joel awakens and tortures some of David's men into telling him Ellie's whereabouts. David and James attempt to kill Ellie, but she kills James and escapes; David hunts her down, but she kills him with a meat cleaver. Finally, Joel finds a traumatized Ellie outside the cult's burning community center and comforts her.
Show Notes:
(00:00) Intro
(01:03) Episode 7
(04:24) A Lull in Pacing
(06:52) Comparing to Bill and Frank
(10:13) Keeping the tension
(14:26) Let the audience live the consequences
(17:03) Transition to episode 8
(21:28) The Villain of Episode 8
(26:57) Culty Vibes
(29:30) What is David's Motivation
(36:30) Joel Survivor Moment
(39:32) Ellie's Capture
(41:44) The Donner Party
(45:57) How David Talked to Ellie
(48:48) Ellie Making Her Escape
(53:26) The Climax
(01:00:56) Why Joel and Ellie Connect
(01:02:25) A Heart Breaking Coming of Age
(01:06:14) Hype for Where the Story Goes
(01:07:03) Wrapping Up