So, now onto Part 2 of my review of the acclaimed HBO TV adaptation of The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in their iconic roles of Joel and Ellie and here I will cover episodes 4 to 6.
So, let's take a look at how the mid series episode fair compared to the first three.
And the usual warning is coming up...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD THROUGHOUT!!!
Episode 4 - Please Hold To My Hand
So, episode 4 begins with Joel and Ellie driving toward Wyoming to find Joel's brother Tommy, who is concerned for his safety. However after some rest in the woods, they re-embark on their journey until they come to a roadblock which Joel is forced to drive around and as they drive on, a man suddenly appears begging for help but Joel refuses to and drives the truck toward and we soon see its an ambush as the truck runs over spikes taking out the wheels and overturning the truck. Joel and Ellie manage to flee into a launderette where Joel manages to kill two men but a third attacks him by surprise and very nearly chokes Joel to death but Ellie at the last minute appears and shoots the man in the back. The man, Bryan, begs for his life as Joel takes the gun off Ellie and he takes a knife from Bryan and warns Ellie to get behind the broken wall, which she does just before Joel fatally stabs Bryan.
Later, Joel admits his guilt for forcing Ellie into the position of shooting Bryan and he apologizes for it but Ellie also tells him that it wasn't the first time she shot someone. Joel then gives the gun back to Ellie and shows her how to grip it properly and allows her to keep it much to her delight that he trusts Ellie enough to use it.
Meanwhile, the story then shifts to the leader of the bandits that Joel attacked, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) who is out to find one man, Henry, who ratted out her brother to be executed. Kathleen questions some other collaborators on Henry's possible whereabouts and one of them confesses his possible location. Kathleen however then orders her second in command, Perry (Jeffrey Pierce) to kill the collaborators and burn their bodies when finished.
Back to Joel and Ellie they break into a building in order to find somewhere to sleep for the night and Joel breaks some glass, so he can hear anyone coming. Before they go to sleep however, Joel questions Ellie over what she meant by not her first time but she refuses to talk about it and Joel admits that killing someone is something that never gets easier when you get older. Ellie then to break the gloom tells Joel a pun that makes him laugh and the two of them share the moment laughing together. However not long after, Ellie and Joel are awakened by Henry and his young brother Sam, who hold them at gunpoint...
THOUGHTS
Please Hold To My Hand up to this point is actually my favourite episode of the show so far and its mainly because this is where Joel and Ellie start to cement their bond and it also features some fun moments from the game. Not only that but the episode has a slightly lighter feel to it despite some of its more dramatic moments. Joel also starts to show signs of caring for Ellie as he apologises for putting her in a position where she had to shoot the raider that attacked him. We also get some welcome moments of humour that include Ellie's pun book, which makes Joel cringe and finding Bill's somewhat gay magazine in the back of his truck!
PERFORMANCES
As for the performances again the two leads are great here and they ably supported by its supporting cast too.
Starting with Pedro as usual as Joel once again he provides some great moments in his performance here. And the first one I will mention is the scene where Joel tells Ellie a bit about Tommy and he says to her "You keep going for family" and Ellie asks him "Am I not family?" and he tells her "No, you're cargo".
And then there is one of my favourite moments is in the scene where he Ellie saves Joel from being killed by the raider and he turns to her and takes the gun and the raider's knife and he says to her in an intense voice "Get back behind the wall!". Then there is the scene where Joel shows Ellie how to grip a gun properly and as he gives it to her she is about to put it in her jacket pocket but he stops and says "Put it in your pack. You'll shoot your damn ass off!".
And last of all is the moment where Ellie tells the cheesy pun about how "Did you know that diahorrea is hereditary. It runs in your jeans" and Joel turns around and looks at her and turns back and tries not to laugh and says "That is so goddamn stupid!" and Ellie smiles and says "You laughed motherfucker!" and Joel says "I didn't laugh!" and Ellie says "You did!" and Joel says "Jesus, I must be losing it!" and Ellie smiles and says "You're losing it big time!" and they both laugh together.
And Bella really starts to shine here in this episode as we get to see her not only deliver the cheesy puns every fan of the game loves but also shows her guilty and sadness over the loss of her best friend Riley, which she hints at but doesn't tell Joel about but also the shock of Joel's murder of the raider. And Bella perfectly delivers the puns in the scene where Joel refuels the truck and she gets out the book and Ellie reads one of them "No matter how hard you push the envelope, it will always be stationary!" and she grins while Joel doesn't look amused. Ellie then reads out another "What did the mermaid wear to her math class? An alge-bra!" and she laughs out loud and reads another "I waited up all night for the sun to rise and then it dawned on me!" and Joel says "Feel free to wait in the truck" and Ellie says "OK but just so you know, you can't escape Will Livingstone (the pun book author). He'll be back!".
This is then followed by the scene where they camp out in the woods and get in their rucksacks (which belonged to Bill and Frank) and Ellie says of her rucksack "This one is nice and clean" and Joel says "That would be Frank's then!". And as they try and sleep Ellie asks Joel "Joel, can I ask you a serious question?" and Joel says "Sure" and Ellie then asks "Why did the scarecrow get an award?" and Joel turns to her and says "Because he was outstanding in his field" and Ellie surprised says "You dick! Did you read that?" and Joel smiles and says "No, go to sleep".
And later on there is of course the scene where Joel and Ellie try and get some sleep in an abandoned building and Ellie shares yet another pun. So, Ellie asks Joel "Joel, did you know diahorrea is hereditary? It runs in your jeans!" and Joel says "That is so goddamn stupid!" and Ellie laughs and says "You laughed motherfucker!" and Joel says "I didn't laugh. Jesus I'm losing it!" and Ellie laughs and says "You're losing it big time!" and they laugh together.
As for the supporting Melanie Lynskey does not too badly with her role as Kathleen, the leader of the raiders who is out to try and find Henry, who betrayed her brother to be executed. Although I do have to say I found Kathleen's character to be somewhat redundant in a way and not really necessary to the story and just a generic, crazy leader who has a ruthless streak in her and will kill anyone who opposes her.
And last of all is Jeffrey Pierce who is pretty good in his role as Perry, Kathleen's second in command, who also voiced Tommy in the video game as well as in the sequel. Jeffrey isn't given a great deal to do here but his small role still works well within the frame of the episode and he makes for a bit more interesting a character than Kathleen is.
SUM UP
So, to sum up, Please Hold To My Hand is definitely one of the strongest episodes of the series even if some fans might be divided on the inclusion of the character Kathleen, who does seem a bit pointless in a way to the plot. But this episode definitely begins to cement Joel and Ellie's relationship bit by bit and the puns and the lovable moment they share together laughing near the end makes it worth watching alone. Not only that but it also shows the powerful impact of Ellie's choice to shoot the raider and the guilt it makes her feel later on, which begins to show Joel care for her that makes their characters so watchable.
So, with that I will rate Episode 4:
8.5 out of 10
Episode 5 - Endure and Survive
So, episode 5 begins where the previous one left off with Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his younger deaf brother, Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodward) holding Joel and Ellie at gunpoint. However despite their rocky start, Henry persuades Joel and Ellie into helping them as he says he can provide a way for them to get out of the area via the tunnels. Ellie quickly bonds with Sam as the two of them play together and read comics, which Ellie has been collecting. Henry meanwhile talks to Joel about escaping Kansis City but he also reveals that he was a collaborator, who gave up the brother of the city's resistance leader, Kathleen, who is out for revenge. Joel is initially not happy hearing this as he doesn't work with "rats" as he puts it but Henry insists he is their best chance of getting out of here.
After they navigate and leave the tunnels however, a sniper gets a drop on them and with Joel killing the sniper (who is a bad shot!) it alerts Kathleen's men nearby who soon converge on them. Kathleen orders for Henry to give himself up, which he does but before Kathleen can shoot him, a hoard of infected emerge from the ground and attack everyone, which ends up with Kathleen being killed by a child clicker and her second in command, Perry being torn apart by a heavily mutated infected known as a bloater. Henry and Sam along with Ellie eventually escape with the help of Joel providing sniper support nearby as the infected rampage through the city.
Later on, the group seek refuge in a motel and Henry accepts Joel's offer to join them on their trip to Wyoming. However that night as Ellie and Sam are together, Sam reveals that he has been bitten on his leg and Ellie cuts her hand and smears some of her own blood on Sam's wound in an effort to treat it and Sam asks Ellie to stay awake with him and the two hug. However in the morning, Ellie wakes up and finds Sam sitting on the bed lifeless until she goes near him and he attacks her having become infected. Henry stops Joel going for his gun and after a moment finally shoots Sam, leaving Henry devastated and as Joel pleads for him to give him the gun, Henry turns the gun on himself. Not long after, Joel buries both Henry and Sam's bodies and Ellie sadly leaves a note for Sam saying "I'm sorry" before they leave.
THOUGHTS
Endure and Survive is another fine episode in the series that sees the introduction of two more popular characters, Henry and Sam, two brothers who are fugitives running from the resistance group Henry betrayed. And in a change to the video game, Sam is now younger and deaf and communicates through sign language and uses a board to write messages on and this is an inspired change as it makes him even more innocent than in the video game where I felt that Sam came off as being a bit whiny but here Sam is so more sympathetic and likeable. And this also leads into one of the most heartbreaking, tragic moments from the game which happens at the end of the episode.
PERFORMANCES
As for the performances, the cast are all excellent here for the most part.
Starting with the regulars as usual, Pedro does another fine job again here as Joel and he does very well at conveying his mistrust of Henry at first when Henry reveals he is a collaborator and Joel says "I don't work with rats!". Pedro also gets an amusing moment during the scene where a sniper tries to kill Joel, Ellie and the others but he has poor aim and Joel says to them "I'll try and distract him as he's got shitty aim!". Its almost like a storm trooper moment in Star Wars as they infamously has crap aim in the films! ;-). One thing I would have to say is that Pedro doesn't have many standout moments in this episode though and he will stronger moments in the next episodes.
Bella Ramsey once again really shines here as Ellie and has the most highlights of anyone and Ellie's bond with Sam is very touching and poignant especially given the tragic ending. It also shows more of Ellie's kindness and compassion after seeing much cheek from her up until this point even though Bella's performance has always been likeable.
And Bella's best moments are when she is with Sam and particularly the scene where they sit and ask each other questions via Sam's writing board and Sam writes "What are you afraid of most?" and Ellie writes jokingly "I am afraid of..." and shows him the board "Scorpions!" and Sam doesn't react and Ellie writes again "I am afraid of ending up being alone". And Sam then writes on the board "If you turn into a monster, is it really still you inside?" and he shows Ellie the bite mark on his leg he got during the infected attack earlier. Ellie then hurriedly writes on the board "My blood is medicine!" and she takes out her switch blade and cuts her hand and rubs some of her blood on Sam's wound in an effort to save him. Sam then writes on the board "Stay awake with me" and she hugs him.
As for the supporting cast, Lamar Johnson is excellent in his role as Henry, a collaborator who is on the run from the resistance group lead by Kathleen after he gave up her brother in exchange for medicine for Sam, who has leukemia.
And Johnson has some great moments in his performance such as in the scene where Henry tells Joel that he isn't a violent person. And he says to Joel "Pointing a gun at you is the closest I've come to being violent" and he notices Ellie and Sam play in the background and Sam laughs and Henry says "Its been a long time since I've seen him smile".
Then there is the scene where Henry admits to Joel that what he said earlier about him not being violent ever was not entirely true "When I said I had never been violent before, well that's not entirely true. See I'm the most wanted man in Kansis because I gave up someone".
And last of all is tragic scene where the next morning after Sam is bitten, he attacks Ellie and they burst through into the next room where Joel and Henry are and as Henry fires a warning shot at Joel before he can get his gun, Henry finally shoots his brother. Henry then looks on in horror at what he's done with tears on his face he says in a shaken voice "What did I do?! What did I do?" and Joel pleads with Henry "Henry, give me the gun!" and Henry then turns the gun on himself and fires and Ellie shouts "No!!" with tears in her eyes.
Keivonn Montreal Woodward is also great in his role as Sam, the young deaf brother of Henry and Keivonn himself is deaf in real life and uses sign language. And he shares a nice bond between Lamar and you really buy their relationship and its all the more sad and tragic given that Sam is such a likeable, innocent character. He also shares some lovely moments with Bella as Ellie and Sam bond together in their scenes nicely.
Melanie Lynskey also returns in her role as Kathleen, the resistance leader who is out for revenge to kill Henry for what he did to her brother. And she does not too bad here but the only problem is her character just feels redundant to the story and it feel like the Sam and Henry narrative could easily have worked without her being in the show. No offence to Lynskey herself as its more her character that is the problem here but she does well enough with her role regardless.
And last off Jeffrey Pierce also makes a return here as Perry, Kathleen's second in command and here he get's the honor of being a victim to the one and only bloater we see in the entire series (yep that's right!). So, yeah in the scene, Perry tries to defend Kathleen and give her time to escape while the bloater basically rips his head off!
SUM UP
So, to sum up, Endure and Survive is a really good episode and perfectly deals with some of the more touching and tragic characters in the show, Henry and Sam who really do get a heart wrenching ending. I also thought it was good how they did not show Henry shoot himself and cut away to Ellie instead and finality of seeing them being buried by Joel and Ellie leaving Sam's board with the words "I'm sorry" on it made this all the more poignant and tragic. Its also good to finally have a big action scene with the infected running amok and we also see the one and only bloater in the show killing everything in his path. Sadly after this, the infected's appearance in the show is much reduced.
So, in the end I will rate this episode:
8.5 out of 10
Episode 6 - Kin
So, episode 6 begins with Joel and Ellie resuming their journey to Wyoming to find his brother Tommy and by now, the story has shifted to winter time and at the start, Joel intrudes on an elderly Asian couple and forces them to ask for directions on how to reach the destination of where Tommy would be. The couple are somewhat eccentric and seem unfazed by Joel's threat and in the end Joel accepts what they say and leaves with Ellie. However after they leave, Joel has a panic attack as he fears that Tommy might be dead, which leaves Ellie worried about Joel's health but he brushes it off as the cold air affecting him.
However as they travel further west, they are soon surrounded by a group on horseback lead by Maria (Rutina Wesley) who has a dog sniff out Joel and Ellie to see if they are infected. The dog tries Joel first and registers he is not infected but Ellie nervously awaits her turn as the dog sniffs her but ends up playing with her and licking her face, much to her delight and relief.
Maria then takes Joel and Ellie back to her community, which is safe zone and Joel finds his brother, who is alive and well, as he calls out to Tommy, the two of the reunite and hug. Joel however soon also finds out that Maria is Tommy's wife, which makes him feel resentful and jealous of their happiness. Joel then confides later in Tommy about Ellie's immunity but also how vulnerable he feels and he fears that will end getting Ellie killed just like his daughter Sarah did and he insists that he take Ellie to the fireflies instead to which Tommy eventually agrees although he also tells Joel Maria is expecting a baby.
Ellie in the meantime gets her haircut (which seems to annoy her!) by Maria, who tells her about Sarah being Joel's daughter but Ellie becomes defensive when Maria tells her to be wary of Joel because of his checkered past. Ellie later on having overheard Joel's conversation with Tommy confronts him over why he won't take her and that everyone else she cared for has died or left her except him. However when Ellie mentions Sarah, Joel immediately cuts her off and says that he isn't her dad and that they are going their separate ways in the morning.
In the morning however, Joel changes his mind and gives Ellie the choice to go with him or Tommy and she immediately chooses to go with Joel. As the two of them leave Jackson, they begin to bond more as Joel teaches her how to shoot a rifle and they talk about baseball (I think!) and Joel tells Ellie how he used to be a contractor and built homes and stores years ago.
As they arrive at the site of the medical facility however, they find it has been abandoned and some monkeys scampering around inside. Joel also finds a map that suggests that the Fireflies have moved to Salt Lake City in Utah. However at this point, men appear outside and Joel and Ellie quietly leave and get back to their horse but are soon ambushed by one of the men, who Joel kills but he is stabbed in his side during the attack leaving him badly wounded but they narrowly escape the other men nearby. After they escape however, Joel gravely wounded falls off the horse leaving Ellie pleading for him to get up as she cannot carry on without him.
THOUGHTS
Kin so far is my favourite episode of the series without a doubt and features some real highlights between the two leads and it also sees the welcome return of Tommy to the show. We also get to finally meet Maria, Tommy's other half and in contrast to the game, her character is black instead of white although this does make you question Joel's reaction a little as if he is a bit prejudiced towards Tommy's decision to marry a black woman at least that's kind of what I got from the episode but I could be wrong. Regardless this episode again is a great one and it also does a great job at showing Joel's vulnerable side and his intention of ditching Ellie is more out of fear of getting her killed rather than selfishness which is what we appear to get as Joel's motivation in the game. It also sees some really charming and even adorable moments from Ellie's character and her bond with Joel really begins to deepen here as its clear that Ellie is no longer just "cargo" to Joel as he told her in episode 4.
PERFORMANCES
As for the performances, they are absolutely top notch in this episode and the two leads particularly give their best performances so far in the series right here.
Starting with Pedro (as usual), this is arguably his best performance in the series and he really shows Joel's vulnerable side and that he does care for Ellie but is scared of losing her like did his own daughter Sarah and insists that Tommy take her instead. But he also enjoy some really charming moments with Bella as Joel and Ellie's bond reaches a new level.
And Pedro's highlights include the scene where Joel and Ellie near a dam, and Ellie says "Dam!" and Joel tells her "You're no Will Livingstone" and Ellie says "Who is? So that's the dam" and Joel says "Yeah, it provides electricity but don't ask me how it works as I don't have a clue!" and Ellie says "Its OK. You could have just made something up, I would have believed you!" as she teased him for not knowing how siphoning petrol works earlier in episode 4.
Then there is one of Pedro's best moments in the entire series when he admits to Tommy his vulnerability and how feels scared that he will get her killed. And says to Tommy "I have dreams every night. I'm failing her over and over again" as he refers to Sarah and he says of Ellie "I'm just gonna get her killed, I know it! You have to take her!" and Tommy relents and says "I'll ride her out by dawn".
And this is followed by the great scene where Ellie confronts Joel as she overheard him talking to Tommy about leaving her. So, Ellie asks coldly "Why are you here?" and Joel says "I came to talk to you" and she asks "No, why are you STILL here?" and Joel after a beat says "What did you hear?" and Ellie tells him that she heard him say to Tommy that he has take to her. Ellie then angrily asks Joel "Do you give a shit about me or not?!" and Joel says "Of course I do!" and Ellie says "Then what are you so afraid of?!" and then "I'm not her you know. Maria told me about Sarah" and instantly Joel becomes angry and says "Stop! Don't say another word!". Ellie then approaches Joel and says "I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel but I've lost people too" but Joel angrily tells her "You have no idea what loss is!". Ellie then angrily tells Joel that everyone that cared for her has died or left her except him and if he palms her off to Tommy she would just feel more scared. Joel then says "You're right. You're not my daughter and I sure as hell ain't your dad! And come dawn, we're going or separate ways!" and he storms out.
However the following morning, Tommy takes Ellie to the stables where Joel is standing by a horse and Ellie says scornfully to Joel "Did you come here to say goodbye or something?" and Joel says "No, I came here to steal one of these horses and go" and Tommy says "I would have gave you one" and Joel says "I know". Joel then says "Anyway that was 30 minutes ago and..." and he goes up to Ellie and says "You deserve a choice...you still think you'd be safer with Tommy?" and Ellie instantly throws her bag to Joel and says "Let's go!" and Joel taken by surprise says "OK".
This is then followed by the funny scene where Ellie practices with Tommy's rifle and she can't shoot straight as she flinches when firing it. So, Joel says to her "You're flinching!" and Ellie "I'm not flinching, the rifle just sucks! The target is too small!" and Joel says "I made it bigger than I should have, eject the cartridge" and Ellie says "It doesn't aim right!" and Joel says to her "Give it here" and he takes the rifle. Ellie says to her "It doesn't aim right, you'll see!" and Joel carefully aims with the rifle and says "You need to hold it like you love it, aim careful slow, nice and easy..." and Ellie interrupts and says "Are you gonna shoot this thing or get it pregnant?!". And as Ellie says "It doesn't aim right!" Joel fires a perfect shot and Ellie looks through binoculars and says "You...dick!" and smiles as Joel give a little smug smile himself.
And last of all is the scene where Joel tells Ellie about how used to be a contractor and build up stores and homes in his previous job before the infection breakout (I think!). And he says to Ellie "Yeah I used to built home and stores that kind of thing. We were called contractors" and Ellie mimics his voice "A contractor. That's pretty cool" and Joel says to her "Yeah we were cool" and Ellie says "Nice" as they ride on and Ellie affectionately rests her head on Joel's back, which is nice little moment in itself.
Bella Ramsey also is superb in this episode as she once again nails Ellie's character and she has some really adorable moments here as she shows Ellie's sense of humour at its best maybe in the whole series but she also does very well at showing Ellie's fear of being alone and the prospect of being abandoned by Joel.
And Bella's great scenes include the one where Joel falls asleep while they camp out for the night and he wakes up to find Ellie standing by him carrying a rifle. And Ellie tells Joel "I took second watch while you were asleep. I checked around and did as you told me to, what can I say man? I'm a natural." and Joel says "You should have woken me" and Ellie said "You were tired" and Joel says "I'm not supposed to go to sleep, I'm supposed to protect you" and Ellie says "Then don't fall asleep" and Joel takes the rifle from her and nods.
Then there is the scene where they approach a dam that is near the community where Tommy is and Ellie makes a cheesy pun and says "Dam!" and Joel says "You're not Will Livingstone" and Ellie says "Yeah but who is?". And as Joel tells Ellie the dam must provide electricity to the nearby areas he tells her "Don't ask me how, I haven't a clue" and Ellie says "That's ok, you could have made something up, I would have believed you!".
And then there is the great scene where Ellie confronts Joel over him abandoning her for Tommy to take her to the Fireflies. So, in the scene Ellie says to Joel "Why are you here?" and Joel says "I came here to talk to you" and Ellie says "No, why are you STILL here?" and Joel after a pause says "What did you hear?" and Ellie says "That you have to take her". Joel awkwardly then tells Ellie "You know, i made this decision for your own good. You'll be way better off with Tommy. He knows the area better than I do" but Ellie stands up and asks "Do you give a shit about me or not?!" and Joel says "Of course I do!" and Ellie says "Then what are you so afraid of?!". After a pause Ellie says "I'm not her you know. Maria told me about Sarah" and Joel instantly says "Don't! Don't say another word...". Ellie then approaches Joel and says to him "I'm sorry about your daughter, Joel but I've lost people too" and Joel angrily says "You have no idea what loss is!". Ellie then says to Joel "Everybody I've cared for has either died or left me. Everybody FUCKING EXCEPT FOR YOU!" and she pushes him back angrily and shouts "So, don't tell me I'd be safer with somebody else because the truth is I'd just be more scared!". And Joel after a pause says "You're right. You're not my daughter and I sure as hell ain't your dad. Come dawn we're going our separate ways" and he storms out.
And the following morning Joel changes his mind and offers Ellie as choice to go with him and she quickly accepts and throws her bag to Joel and says "Let's go!" and Joel surprised at her quick decision says "OK" and she goes over to the stable horse and pets it as Joel looks to Tommy who nods accepting their decision.
Then we have the scene which I've mentioned already in Pedro's paragraphs where Ellie practices using a rifle with Joel. So as she misses the target, Joel says to her "You're flinching!" and Ellie "I'm not flinching, the rifle just sucks! The target is too small!" and Joel says "I made it bigger than I should have, eject the cartridge" and Ellie says "It doesn't aim right!" and Joel says to her "Give it here" and he takes the rifle. Ellie says to her "It doesn't aim right, you'll see!" and Joel carefully aims with the rifle and says "You need to hold it like you love it, aim careful slow, nice and easy..." and Ellie interrupts and says "Are you gonna shoot this thing or get it pregnant?!". And as Ellie says "It doesn't aim right!" Joel fires a perfect shot and Ellie looks through binoculars and says "You...dick!" and smiles as Joel give a little smug smile himself.
And then there is the scene where Joel and Ellie ride their horse near where the medical facility is they are looking for and Joel says "There we go, we made it, five days" and Ellie says "Yeah, I don't know what Tommy was so worried about". Joel then warns her "There's still time to find out" and Ellie mimics his voice again and says "Still time to find out" and in a zombie voice says "The contractor!" and she smiles at Joel who turns round and almost smiles, which is another great little moment from Bella.
And last of all the scene is where Joel is attacked by a man who carries a baseball bat and he kills the man but realises after that he's been stabbed in his side by a broken off piece of the bat and they narrowly escape the other men on horseback. However Joel afterward falls off the horse and Ellie pleads with him to get up "Joel! Joel! Joel, open your eyes! Open your eyes! I can't fucking do this without you! I don't where the fuck I'm going or what the fuck I'm going to do! Please...Joel".
Gabriel Luna next up is also very good in his role as Tommy, Joel's brother who despite Joel's fear for his brother's safety discovers that Tommy lives within a thriving community and is married to Maria who has their baby on the way too.
And Gabriel's notable scenes include the one where Joel first tries to get Tommy to take Ellie to the Fireflies instead but he tells Joel that his wife is pregnant. So, Tommy says to Joel "Look, I need to be more careful now. Maria is expecting our first" and Joel gets the message and says "Alright. I'll get some supplies and we'll be out of your way in the morning!" and he storms off.
And later there is the scene where Joel tells the truth about Ellie's immunity to Tommy and says to him "She's immune. I mean she got bit but didn't get sick. She's immune" and Tommy shocked sit down and says "OK, from the beginning". And Joel explains what happened and how Tess promised him to take Ellie to the Fireflies and he says how he is scared of getting Ellie killed and Joel tearfully tells Tommy "You have to take her!" and Tommy quietly says "OK, I'll ride her out at dawn".
And last of all is the scene where Joel changes his mind and decides to take Ellie with him and he says to Tommy before they depart "General direction?" and Tommy tells him "Head west, go off the Interstate 5, you can't miss it. There's a place for you both here, you know that" and they both hug and Joel asks for Tommy's rifle.
Rutina Wesley also does very well in her role as Maria, Tommy's wife, who is black instead of white like she is in the video game and it makes for a good change-up. Rutina also does quite well at showing Maria to being quite stubborn just like the Maria in the video game.
And Rutina's most notable scene comes when Maria cuts Ellie's hair for her and they have an uneasy chat about Joel's past and that she was also formerly an attorney but also about Sarah. And in the scene Ellie says "I'm sorry about your kids" as Maria lost her child and she says "That's OK and just kid. Sarah was Joel's daughter" and after a beat Maria says "Oh, I've said too much" and Ellie says "No that's OK, its starting to make sense". Maria then goes to warn Ellie about Joel's checkered past but Ellie becomes defensive "Oh that he kills people! I know that! Didn't Tommy kill people too?". And Maria puts down her scissors and says to Ellie "There's a whole lot you're not telling me. Good. Therein lies the point. Be careful who you put your faith in. The only people who can betray us... are the ones we trust".
SUM UP
So, in summing up, Kin is definitely my favourite episode of the series so far and its features great performances from the two leads in Pedro and Bella who play one of the most iconic scenes from the game to perfection and they also do a great job at showing Ellie and Joel's growing bond, which has a sad moment just at the end of the episode. Its good to see the return of Tommy and Pedro and Gabriel Luna share some nice brotherly moments in the episode and not quite as antagonistic as their scenes in the video game at this point. The episode also features a neat Easter egg in the scene where Ellie tells off a girl for staring at her while she eats at the community in Jackson and the girl is supposed to actually be Dina, who later on becomes Ellie's romantic interest in The Last of Us Part II.
So, with that all said, I will give Kin a rating of:
9 out of 10
So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with the 3rd and final part of my review of the Last of Us TV show.
Until then bye for now!
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