Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us, Episode 7: “Left Behind.”
A few nights ago, HBO aired The Last of Us‘ seventh episode, aptly titled “Left Behind,” after the DLC of the same name from the developers of the video game franchise, Naughty Dog. Deviating away from the usual action-packed scenes that we’ve grown accustomed to throughout the first half of the season, “Left Behind” implores viewers to appreciate some insightful flashbacks that chronicle the last night shared between Ellie and her best friend Riley before a fatal incident changes the course of their lives. Following on from the final moments of the sixth episode, we see Ellie dragging an injured Joel into a nearby abandoned house, situating him in the basement and covering him in an insulating fur coat. As Ellie frantically searches for medical supplies to save Joel’s life, she’s reminded of another occurrence where she lost someone important to her, and cue the flashback sequence to hers and Riley’s final evening of friendship.
Ellie is a FEDRA trainee, and so was Riley, before she snuck out one night and encountered a Firefly recruiter who convinced her to join the cause. Without saying a word, Riley leaves to join the Firefly ranks, leaving Ellie to presume her dead. On the last night before she’s due to be transferred to another outpost across the country, Riley visits Ellie and takes her on an adventure to the nearby Boston mall, since abandoned after the outbreak. Riley gets all the lights working, including the arcade games, and shows Ellie the “wonders” of the mall, including a Halloween store, an escalator and a photo booth. After an intimate kiss and whispers of “please don’t leave” from a desperate Ellie, the girls are attacked by a Runner mid-transition into a Clicker. In the ensuing chaos, both Ellie and Riley are bitten, and in the hours following, we’re led to assume that Ellie survived due to her immunity and when Riley turned, Ellie was forced to execute her closest friend.
It’s one of the most devastating episodes yet, but apparently, some viewers weren’t so moved. Over on Reddit, there were apparent allegations from The Last of Us fans suggesting that “Left Behind” was another “filler” episode, similar to claims made against “Long, Long Time,” wherein we get a full episode dedicated to Bill and Frank’s love story. Allegedly, there wasn’t enough progression in the main story for “Left Behind” to be deemed worthwhile. Naturally, gamers who’ve played the DLC itself would have been waiting for this episode since it was teased, so they were quick to defend Ellie and Riley’s adventures.
“Left Behind” was our first real look at Ellie’s origins, including the explanation of how she got bitten in the first place and how she discovered her immunity. It also grounds explores Ellie’s struggles living as a teenager — a closeted lesbian, no less — in a post-apocalyptic world where society hadn’t advanced far enough to be accepting of any sexuality or gender expression besides straight and cis. We see Ellie’s feeling for Riley grow in just under an hour, maturing her to the hardships of life and allowing her to fumble through these confusing emotions. It also gives both Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid a chance to shine away from Pedro Pascal’s Joel — magnificent as he is.
One user conveniently connects the dots, stating that when Ellie mentions she “killed someone” before, that person was Riley after she turned. Suddenly, Ellie’s character develops a whole other level of depth that we wouldn’t have seen had we not watched “Left Behind.” The immediate aftermath of Ellie and Riley’s escapades also leads directly into “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” the show’s debut episode, where we see Ellie chained up in a Firefly base by Marlene. We’re led to believe that Ellie was discovered by the Fireflies after murdering Riley and fleeing, so Marlene had her under strict surveillance to monitor the bite.
In short, there’s also a lot of naysayers out there that just hate characterization — we’re sure of it. Apparently, if The Last of Us isn’t all murder and mayhem, some viewers just simply aren’t interested. In that case, they’ll be extremely disappointed in the show’s second season, which is set to adapt The Last of Us: Part II — the sequel to the 2013 title — and features a lot of heavily detailed branching storylines.
In conclusion, “Left Behind” is absolutely worth the watch if you’re still on the fence about it. If you’ve grown to love Bella Ramsey’s Ellie just as we have, it’s a real treat.
