The Last of Us, Episode 8 Review – When We Are in Need

By the end of this episode of The Last of Us I had tears in my eyes, an elevated heart rate and renewed faith in the state of streaming entertainment in 2023. HBO Max can consider their investment in adapting a decade old video game into live action, money well spent. This penultimate installment was definitely a winner.

There was something very exciting to me about Ellie and Joel taking shelter in an abandoned home over the last few episodes, which may seem counterintuitive when considering the more colorful sets the series has presented, such as the mall in episode 7. Perhaps it’s the fact that I grew up in the most generic of track housing, so to imagine my own neighborhood turned into a ghost town with battles for survival taking place between suburban backyards added spice to the mundane, but familiar surroundings. 

As much as I find Pedro Pascal an enjoyable presence on screen, I feel almost guilty admitting that I was happy to see him once again relegated to a barely mobile figure in this story, allowing Bella Ramsey to take center stage. I’m still amazed that after all this time Ellie has never once come off as a too wise beyond her years character, despite the fact that she is constantly called upon to hold her own against adult characters. She definitely had a challenge coming her way as this adventure got going.

In terms of adversaries for Joel and Ellie throughout the course of the series, I haven’t been impressed. The infected have been faceless, uninspired threats and the human “villains” haven’t possessed any true menace. That all changed with the introduction of Scott Shepherd as David. I could not have anticipated where this character was going to land by the end of this story. 

I must admit that seeing the slightly creepy religious leader acting as the head of a survivalist group, at first rang false to me. It felt like yet another tired stereotype of the dangers to be found in rural, country towns as imagined by Hollywood screenwriters. But the slow burn of David’s character and his many layers of morality being slowly peeled away was as exciting and engaging as any well choreographed car chase from the Fast and Furious franchise. OK, way more.

What’s fascinating about Shepherd’s performance is that despite appearing to be a man hiding behind Christianity in order to maintain dominance over a community of people, there’s always a tinge of sincerity to his declarations of moral decision making. This leads the viewer to suspect that David is not as sinister as the script appears to be positioning him. Perhaps his role as a harsh, but loving father figure is necessary in this world gone mad.

Shepherd and Ramsey are excellent foils for one another in multiple scenes where David attempts to gain Ellie’s trust by offering her medicine to treat Joel’s wound and a place in his community. Despite these attempts at friendship, Ellie never lets her guard down, which endears her all the more to the preacher, even while his second in command, James (Troy Baker) seems intent on killing the girl who was in the company of a man that killed one of their own. 

David’s decision to satisfy the bloodlust of his flock by allowing them to hunt down Joel for the sake of vengeance is an interesting fake out, since the audience assumes he is letting Ellie off the hook as an innocent. But when she is captured and caged after trying to lead David’s band away from the barely coherent, Joel, we realize his intentions are much more twisted. 

Meanwhile, the tension of the scene where one vengeance seeker discovers the basement hideaway where Ellie left her friend, not realizing that it is he who is being stalked by the injured Joel, is palpable. Last we saw Joel he was barely able to open his eyes, how could he possibly defend himself? As it turns out, pretty dang well. The aftermath in which Joel has captured 2 more of his would-be executioners and tortures them for the location of where Ellie is being held, is incredibly intense. For a minute I thought I was watching a deleted scene from one of the Taken films, but Pascal delivers a stone cold intensity that rivals Liam Neeson.

The brutality of the interrogation scene causes the audience question if it’s morally correct to invest emotionally in this man who is capable of such violence and cruelty. The torture at first feels justified as a means to an end, but his choice to then slaughter his captives feels like a step over the line of heroism. The morally grey tone of The Last Of Us definitely makes for a more complicated, but satisfying viewing experience.

In a parallel scene, David lays himself completely on the table and the mind reels at the revelations. Beware, spoilers ahead. Facing the starvation of his people, David has turned to cannibalism to keep them fed. Instead of worshipping the Christian God whom he evangelizes, David worships the fungus and feels a kinship with its nature as a practical killer. He wants Ellie to join not only as his second in command, but apparently a child bride. Just one of these confessions would be enough to make him a monster, but with it all laid bare the audience is left wide eyed and slack jawed.

Most fulfilling about the conclusion of this episode of The Last of Us is the fact that though Joel infiltrates the compound for a rescue mission, it is Ellie who ultimately rescues herself through cunning and ferocity. Going from the cage to the chopping block as the next meal for David’s flock, Ellie uses her infected nature to buy herself some time and a distraction. With each stage of her escape attempt thwarted, Ellie keeps her wits, all the while being taunted by David in the midst of a literal inferno. Taking on a demonic nature, the maniac finally meets his end at the hands of our heroine through a cathartic and excessive stabbing.

With emotions running high and my heart pounding, is it any wonder the when Joel finally embraces the panicked girl in a joyful reunion that I began to cry? I felt moments of poignancy and admiration for this series, but never true affection for the characters until this moment and it was certainly justified through this masterful storytelling.

I can’t imagine what’s coming next in the final episode of the first season of The Last of US, but having irrefutable proof of my bond with these characters, I’m desperately looking forward to it.