The Last of Us
The finale of the fourth episode of the Last of Us series left everyone in suspense. Literally. According to critics, the installment currently provides viewers with the biggest cliffhanger of the HBO adaptation, resulting in numerous questions for the future.
The Last of Us series ATTENTION : the following contains spoilers about The Last of Us
The ending of the fourth episode of The Last of Us
In the last shot of episode 4 of The Last of Us , Joel (Pedro Pascal) is seen coming suddenly awakened by Ellie (Bella Ramsey), in a panic after being threatened by two intruders. A large part of the new installment, as we pointed out in our special dedicated to the differences between the video game and the series , has begun to adapt an iconic section of the game, namely the part where Joel and Ellie come into contact with the ruthless hunters. In the original game, the hunters are located in Pittsburgh, while the screenwriters Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann , co-creators of the adaptation, have decided to change the name and dedicate it to Kansas City . Although the location has been slightly changed, much of the story setting remains the same as in the original work. Except, precisely, the hunters and the final scene.Much of the novelty that the fourth episode introduces in an unprecedented way compared to the videogame, in fact concerns the hunters, to whom a large space is dedicated while they are shown looking for two men, named Henry and Sam. The two of them, played by Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Woodard respectively, are two characters from the original game, just like Bill and Frank from episode 3 of The Last of Us. While we wait for confirmation as to whether or not they are the two intruders who attacked Ellie, we know that the two brothers are being hunted down by Kathleen's (Melanie Lynskey) hunting party, a new unpublished character. She appears furious, desperate, looking for a group of people who have wronged her. You are looking for specific people, including Sam and Henry, responsible for the deaths of some revolutionaries, including her brother, after handing them over to FEDRA. Thus we discover why the hunters are eager to find Joel and Ellie as well, as Kathleen believes they are allies of Henry.
One of the questions that the audience raised after watching the end of episode 4, it's about Joel: why didn't he hear Henry and Sam coming? This is answered subtly by Ellie, who explains early in the scene that Joel's hearing isn't so good on her right side. It's a tiny detail, but one that needs to be pointed out to show, once again, the care put into this series: Joel, in fact, is lying on his left side, which is why he didn't hear Henry and Sam sneaking in.
Another important scene from episode 4 of The Last of Us comes just before the ending sequence. Joel and Ellie, before falling asleep, show us the first real moment in which they are starting to bond. Joel becomes more curious about the girl, asking Ellie about her past after Ellie recently claimed that the hunter she shot wasn't the first person she killed. This contradicts one of Joel's rules that he said during episode 3 of The Last of Us: neither of them should mention each other's stories. Instead, Ellie tells Joel one of her pun book jokes, even providing a moment of happiness for the survivor, who smiles for the first time since we've at least seen him with Sarah. Joel laughs openly, after trying to hold back. This short, sweet scene is truly the beginning of a long, difficult journey.