![]() But it also gives a window into the resentment she often has toward those decision-makers, some of whom (like Marlene) take it out of her hands entirely. All the way through picking Tommy or Joel to take her to the Fireflies, Ellie has had other people shape her path. Here, she’s being offered either grunt work or upper management. ![]() Her whole life has been simplified down to a series of “one or the other” decisions. (Unless they already happened to have one lying around, it seems like FEDRA officers made it a top priority to keep Boston’s nameplate factory open.) It’s another in an increasingly long line of examples of Ellie being presented with two options. The key sequence before all of the mall stuff is that conversation with Captain Kwong (Terry Chen) in the school office. Here, there’s a more tangible secondhand thrill in seeing someone experience an exciting new corner of everyday life for the first time (one that has escalators, too). There was an abstraction in Joel’s outline of capitalism and contact sports last week. If nothing else, Ellie and Riley’s adventure lets director Liza Johnson add some literal electricity to the show: neon lights, fluorescent bulbs, a flickering GameStop sign. The simplicity of the hour gives “Left Behind” a chance to rest. Free from the heavy lifting of having to connect Ellie’s past and present, the episode can focus on showing what it is that’s keeping her going. In Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s conversations about losing loved ones and not having anyone left alive to care for, this is the story that was promised. Just as the two begin to explore what part of those futures might look like spent together, an attack from an Infected leaves both of them bit. In the wee post-curfew hours, Ellie and Riley tour the highlights of an abandoned mall and discuss their respective futures. One fateful night, her best friend Riley ( Storm Reid) returns from a mysterious absence to show Ellie a secret corner of the Boston QZ. Disillusioned by the conditions at her FEDRA-operated school, Ellie weighs her options and the limited number of life goals set in front of her. “Left Behind” is the simplest episode in scope of the season so far, setting most of it on a single night. So as the season gears up for the homestretch, “The Last of Us” takes a quick trip back to the not-so-distant past. Sadly, it could not be re-created for the show.‘Barry’ Jumped Ahead and Now Everyone Looks Different This was a lovely, heartwarming sequence that lifted up Ellie’s head space as the center of this universe. The game tries to re-create this experience for the player with button prompts while the camera is zoomed in on Ellie’s face, as she reacts to her electronic dreams. In the video game, the arcade machines are busted, and instead Riley asks Ellie to imagine the video game in her head. In the show, the machine just works and the two girls actually play the game. The arcade game sequence underscores a huge difference in how effective video game storytelling can be.It’s a style of gameplay sometimes referred to as a “prestige tour,” popularized by developer Naughty Dog in their efforts to tell video game stories beyond violence. This is probably also the episode that most mimics the video game version, as the “Left Behind” gameplay consisted mostly of walking and talking. It’s an important one as it confirms Ellie as gay, and lays out her foundational trauma, much like the show did with the death of Joel’s daughter. This entire episode is a retelling of a chapter that wasn’t in the original release it was released later, as downloadable content.
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