The Last of Us: Season 2 Episode 5 Review

The following contains full spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5.

Episode 5 of season 2 of The Last of Us is all about Ellie. We watch her reach new, violent lows in her search for answers, and get some clarification on where those questions lead. We now know that she will mercilessly kill other humans and anyone who stands in the way of her primary target, Abby. And she’ll risk the lives of those close to her in the face of both human and non-human threats. But we don’t yet know how far she’s willing to go, even if this chapter (mostly) successfully moves us in the right direction. It’s a good episode, but not quite at the same heights as last week’s.

The episode’s big moment is also its last, as Ellie coldly dispatches Abby’s accomplice Nora. Though the scene is shot as a sort of inverse to Joel’s death, it still emphasizes that The Last of Us wants us to see both murders from Ellie’s POV. Joel was killed in the cold light of day, with every gory detail on display in between Ellie’s unrestrained expressions of grief. When Ellie is the perpetrator, however, the screen is drenched in a red hue, reflecting the anger that radiates off of her. That’s the idea, anyway. It works, just maybe not as well as it could. The way I see it, the act itself is shocking, but keeping the results of Ellie’s brutal pipe swipes offscreen diminishes its impact. It almost protects our sympathy towards Ellie to some extent, refusing to display the result of her brutality in a way Abby wasn’t afforded.

Bella Ramsey has been superb as Ellie for almost all of The Last of Us so far, but this is where I start to see cracks in their performance. As alluded to in my pre-season review, I just don’t quite believe them in this moment of pure violence, but I’m not entirely sure it's their fault either – it’s more due to the script. Up until now, Ellie has been a fairly immature character, especially when compared to Dina – an earlier scene in which Dina does all of the map triangulation shows Ellie still has much learning to do when it comes to surviving on her own. She’s a lot less experienced, sensible, and streetwise than Dina, and although Ramsey showcases an increased physical skill when it comes to action, they still come across almost childlike in these angrier moments, creating an awkward tension with the capable, rage-filled young woman her character has been written as. Although we’ve barely spent any time with Abby, I believe every word she’s said and bought every moment of Joel’s demise as a result. I just can’t say the same for Ellie as she starts down her own path of vengeance.

The build-up to Nora’s death is also confusingly constructed: Ellie sneaks into a Seattle hospital with almost laughable ease, and avoids sloppy gunfire that would make a Stormtrooper proud. I’m also a little baffled as to why this sequence returns spores to The Last of Us lore. Airborne transmission is foreshadowed in the episode’s intro, and it rears its head later, when the hospital’s bowels prove to be a veritable Mushroom Kingdom. Ellie’s flashlight putting an encrusted infected center stage makes for some striking imagery, but I’m not sure if retconning how the Cordyceps outbreak works is worth it. In an adaptation otherwise forensic in its detail – and particular in how its world is presented – this seemingly inconsequential change feels unnecessary.

Still, the episode stays aloft thanks to scenes like Ellie and Dina’s Stalker encounter. Season 2 continues its descent into full-blown horror as the duo finds themselves outnumbered and in need of a saviour. Fortunately, Jesse is there, his reintroduction adding an interesting wrinkle to the Ellie-Dina dynamic. It will be intriguing to see where it goes from here: From what we’ve seen of Young Mazino’s calming portrayal of Jesse, he could provide a much-needed level head and maturity in a group so otherwise blinded by revenge. Ellie's selfishness knows no bounds at the moment, as evidenced by her taking her pregnant partner on a death-defying expedition before running off solo to hunt for Abby.

This split is due to our first look at the Seraphites in action. Previously, we’ve only seen the carnage they leave behind; the execution in the park serves as yet another reminder that no matter how scary the infected are, it’s always The Last of Us’ humans you need to be most fearful of. As someone who finds cult-based horror inherently chilling, I found this sequence particularly affecting, its blood- and flame-soaked design conjuring up memories of Kill List and Apostle. It was only two episodes ago that we met that little girl and her hammer; the innocence of that scene is long gone, slain by further proof that violence is all-consuming in this city.

Much of this episode is about violence and how it eats at this world. Distant chatters of war can be heard as Ellie and Dina wander Seattle’s streets, and those sounds only grow closer as Ellie’s anger dwells. For the most part, the episode does its job – moving us forward in her journey and toward her quest’s objective – and provides thrills along the way. It’s just a shame, then, that it falters in its climactic moments. This is an episode and a show that is so centered on the idea of violence as a corrupting force, yet the creative team shies away from showing us the effects of it here. It’s a dull end to an otherwise sharp outing.