The Last Of Us: Episode 5 Recap - Escape from Kansas

[FP1997]

The Last Of Us Episode 5 puts Joel and Ellie through their paces. On the run from Kathleen's hunters, they team up with Sam and Henry on a dangerous mission that goes underground.

Fast asleep and more vulnerable than ever, Joel and Ellie wake to a frightening sight. An 8-year-old, contrary to Naughty Dog's 14, with a painted face and talking board is bearing arms at Joel. Henry, his big brother, relays the "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" modus that draws them through this episode's narrative.

This episode fleshes out Henry and Sam, two characters that form a side-quest and tete-a-tete for the parental-child relationship between our titular figures. Their brotherly bond further melts the walking icicle that is Joel, as he watches the mischevous back and forth of ASL and talkboard. Watching Ellie interact with Sam is a pleasure; their shared interest in the Savage Starlight comics pulls them into such child-like fits of giggles, it's hard not to crack a smile yourself. It's nice to get these Easter Eggs (I'm still waiting for the stuffed giraffes and trading cards) so delicately placed in meaningful moments; Ellie gets to be young again, and yet experiences first-hand what it's like to have someone young and delicate under her care.

Now, we've seen a few infected so far, but The Last Of Us seems to have deliberately kept these appearances to a minimum for dramatic and/or visual impact. Going underground with the gang builds the necessary tension felt most prominently in the games; nowhere is safe, but least of all in the maze of tunnels Kathleen unceremoniously stuffed thousands of infected into. And though we discover they've since been cleared, we're still left sat on the edge of our seats at every echo, every pin drop.

Why was Henry on the run from Kathleen?

Henry uses their temporary safe place to unburden himself; not able to fight, work or run, he found work as a rat for FEDRA in return for life-saving leukaemia medication for Sam. The only catch: he had to give up the location of resistance leader, close friend and Kathleen's brother - Michael Coghlan. Doing the right thing in an apocalypse can come down to life or death, but reaping the reward of a healthy brother was a fundamental choice that Henry took in his stride. Ever since, he's been on the run. 

The brother's journey up until this point is plotted out in heart-aching fashion. Sleeping rough, on their last nerve and scavenging for food; they find solace in the quiet things. Sam is deaf, and his brother makes use of this to protect him from the harsh reality of the world outside; yet, also uses taps to communicate in an affectionately frustrated way. Sam can't be exposed to bloodshed yet, and though he's already seen so much, Henry symbolically douses his brother's face with the red band of a superhero. Super Sam.

Kathleen represents the parts of humanity that can easily turn monstrous

Deep in the heart of the city, Kathleen stands in her childhood home reminiscing. The wallpaper is peeling from the walls, and we get another one of those gorgeous beams of light through a symbolic window shots that leaves you feeling almost guilty for stepping in on her private moment. Her second-in-command, Perry, enters. There's suspicion between these two, cracks forming. But when Kathleen shares her story, the gaps begin to close.

Her brother Michael was the epitomous 'good man'. Caring, kind, honourable. As the resistance leader, he protected and nurtured his people, and sweetened the sourness that people found in Kathleen. Upon his untimely death, there was a vaccuum to be filled. Kathleen stepped in to raise the mantle, but in doing so, turned the tide for the resistance. Driven by guttural grief and resounding disgust, searching for the informant drove her to bitterness, and pushed her people to places they'd never been before.

She raises the all important question: do you forgive, forget, or fight? Distasteful her opinions may be, Perry reassures her that this leadership is what will keep her people standing. You stay still, you stay dead. You move, and move with force, and things have to get out of your way. In the game of post-apocalyptic hallway chicken, Clickers move for you. Kathleen shows a hyper-awareness of her brother's wishes to forgive, but rejects it. It's such an unusual thing to see a character be so resentful, so emotionally driven, so formidable - and be a woman. But The Last Of Us was already shooting shots and taking names, so the internet hate just...falls away.

The Last Of Us horde is here, and it's terrifying.

Making fans of the game squeal in excitement, the sniper sequence is ripped straight from the source material. Our heroes come face to face with their first taste of true, imminent danger in the form of a sniper, the Hunters, and the horde. Just like in the games (eek), Joel rushes the house and disarms the attacker, but immediately notices the incoming doom of Kathleen-on-wheels. Thus, our most action-packed sequence ensues.

Moment to moment, the stakes continue to rise. Through the flurry of bullets, cars crashing and yells, we can see it: Kathleen wants blood, and won't stop until all four of them are dead. When Henry steps out to sacrifice himself, a car sinks into the ground which releases an almighty hoard of Runners, Clickers, and one humongous Bloater. Remember what I said about delicacy? Yeah, that's out the window. As the fires continue to blaze overhead, Joel must pick off every Infected in the way of Ellie's route to escape and rescue.

The cuts between Joel and Ellie's frightened communication are gut-clenching, as we see a child-Clicker follow her into a car, bending in demonic fashion. When Ellie eventually escapes, she must then defend Henry and Sam, who are trapped underneath a car. Kathleen stops them as they run, desperate for some closure. But that Clicker leaps on, beats her and sinks its teeth right into her struggling body. All's well that ends well, right?

Sam reveals his bite to Ellie, and she desperately tries to cure him.

Having only just fully recovered from Episode 3, I wasn't ready for another death in the family. Sam's gentle question: "If you turn into a monster is it still you inside?" breaks the news in such an innocent way that we already know what's about to happen. Ellie, thinking on her feet, takes a blade to her hand, and rubs her blood (which she calls a cure) onto his wound, and promises to stay up with him all night. But the next morning, it's too late, and it's Henry that must put his little brother down. Bella Ramsey's yell of fear in the moment Henry then takes his own life is absolutely astounding.

Burying the pair, Ellie writes "I'm Sorry" on Sam's talkboard. Joel knows what this means, but one look between the pair is enough to press them onward. Away from this grief, away from childhood, towards more choices.

10/10