We open with a shot of a lakeside resort city, and a preacher studying Revelations from the Bible to his flock of extraordinarily unhappy and tired-looking folks. A bit of woman asks when she’ll have the ability to bury her father. The preacher, named David, says it’ll have to attend until spring. David speaks to a different follower named James outdoors, performed by Troy Baker, who portrayed Joel Miller within the video video games. David might seem to be a run-of-the-mill preacher, however his interplay with James suggests an insidious aspect. When David asks James if he’s nonetheless “with me,” Baker’s James barely nods his head, letting out a weak “yeah.” Baker’s quiet appearing right here tells us that James is both petrified of David, or beholden to him in a means that feels unimaginable to flee. The identical appears to use to the remainder of David’s flock.
Joel continues to be recovering from the damage he sustained two episodes in the past, and Ellie decides to hunt for meals as they’ve been diminished to consuming scraps of beef jerky. This complete looking sequence is lifted from the online game, giving each gamers and viewers a chance to see Ellie awkwardly transition from prey to predator. To her disbelief — and because of Joel’s earlier coaching — she hits a deer. The deer’s corpse is found by David and James, who went looking as a result of their city’s rations are working low.
Earlier than they will take the deer, Ellie holds them at gunpoint and calls for they transfer away. David seems shocked at Ellie’s age — and possibly her gender, too — since she was capable of sneak up on each males silently. The following negotiation sequence can be lifted line by line from the sport, with Ellie tried to commerce for drugs. David asks James to return to city. James’s face betrays the truth that he disagrees, however he performs alongside anyway, leaving David and Ellie alone in a close-by home to heat up beside a hearth.
Right here, David and Ellie get to know one another. Within the sport, this scene was interrupted by an motion sequence with contaminated zombies. Within the present, we as an alternative get some background on David’s religion, and the way he grew to become a preacher. He claims to have discovered God after the world ended, and he left the Pittsburgh quarantine zone with a gaggle of individuals; they finally settled 1000’s of miles away at this location.
Then, David drops the bomb: The boys who attacked Joel and Ellie in episode 6 have been from his group, and the person who bought his neck snapped by Joel was the daddy of that little woman from the episode’s starting. James returns with the drugs however holds Ellie at gunpoint. David insists that James decrease the gun and provides Ellie the drugs. James questions David: Are they actually going to let Ellie get away?
“The Final of Us” has been an awesome stage for appearing with faces. Scott Shepherd’s David and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie each do distinctive work right here. David’s smirks and wrinkles belie his true intentions, when you can clearly see Ellie’s guard being let down … earlier than it comes proper again up after the conclusion that she’s in hassle. Ellie rapidly returns to Joel to inject his damage with penicillin. They snuggle collectively.
David returns to his city’s makeshift meals corridor, a former steakhouse, with the deer. His complete flock is quiet and he shoots a look at James. It’s clear that James excitedly instructed everybody on the town that they discovered their buddy’s killer. David reassures everybody that they’ll search justice, after which the little woman speaks up: “You must kill them,” she says. David slaps the woman with a vicious backhand, our first overt signal that David lords over these folks with abuse and gaslighting. Everybody sits down and eats their meal. James continues to be uncomfortable, for causes we’ll uncover later.
David’s city is a pointy distinction to Tommy’s Jackson, Wyoming haven. In Jackson, the place everybody shares the whole lot, kids laughed, engaged in artwork, and there was liquor, lively outlets and meals. They have been on the verge of elevating hogs for bacon. In the meantime, below David’s management, the kids are crying, and the adults’ our bodies are wiry from starvation. If Jackson is the image of success, David’s group is a portrait of a failing society.
Morning comes, and David’s group has tracked Ellie again to the suburb the place she and Joel are holed up. Ellie arms Joel with a knife; he nonetheless appears out of it and unable to fend for himself. Ellie rides on horseback and fires photographs on the group to lure them away from Joel’s hiding place. This try fails, as James shoots the horse. James and the remainder of David’s males intend to kill Ellie, however David stops them abruptly. He appears to take care of Ellie’s well-being to some extent, and insists on bringing her again to city, whereas leaving some males to hunt for Joel.
Little do these males know that Joel has recovered, no less than a bit. Followers of the sport have complained that Joel feels much less violent within the present than he was within the video games, which is sensible; motion video games sometimes have their protagonists kill lots of of individuals. However they need to be happy with this episode, wherein Joel methodically and punctiliously dispatches the three males looking him down. He instantly murders one of many males who was capable of finding his location.
Ellie awakens to seek out herself caged, below David’s gaze. David pleads along with her to inform him her identify, however Ellie refuses. David tries to work his magic, aiming to persuade Ellie to affix his group. He gaslights her, suggesting she has no different alternative.
We swap again to Joel’s perspective as he incapacitates two extra males searching for him. Right here we have now a mirror picture of his episode 6 stickup with the Native American couple. In that scene, Joel was a bit extra light. Right here, we see the total extent of Joel’s “interrogation” strategies. It’s simply torture; that is yet one more scene lifted straight from the sport. That is the second the place it turns into crystal clear to the viewers that Joel isn’t precisely a healthful father. He murders each males — regardless of their cooperation. One has to wonder if this outburst of violence comes from Joel realizing that he has been unable to guard Ellie, but once more.
We in the reduction of to Ellie realizing that David’s group has been consuming human flesh after she notices an ear — and different chunks of human flesh — on the ground. David claims its out of desperation and poor decision-making. Ellie interrogates David about his motivations. David mentioned it was cordyceps, not God, that helped him train the methods of the world. The fungal an infection isn’t “evil,” he says; it’s merely nature doing its job. This impressed David to take an “any means vital” strategy to surviving, which incorporates holding a “violent coronary heart.”
David entreats Ellie to affix him in main the group. It seems like a warped mirror picture of the FEDRA officer praising Ellie’s knack for “management.” He locations his hand gently on Ellie’s, his pedophilic intentions laid naked. Ellie touches again — a deeply discomforting second — earlier than we understand Ellie is lulling David right into a false sense of safety. She breaks his finger and tries to take his keys however fails. David provides up on altering Ellie’s thoughts and leaves. Ellie realizes she’s bought no means out of this.
Whereas Joel heads towards the city searching for Ellie, David and James return to cut Ellie up into “tiny little items.” In one other scene lifted from the sport, Ellie’s quick considering leads her to lastly declare to strangers that she’s contaminated. It’s an admission so stunning it retains the boys from killing her, particularly since Ellie was capable of take a chew out of David whereas making an attempt to flee. Distracted by how “actual” her an infection seems, James will get a butcher knife to the neck as Ellie escapes into the steakhouse.
With the doorways locked, Ellie grabs a bit of burning wooden to set fireplace to the steakhouse. David and Ellie play a deadly sport of cat and mouse, a gameplay sequence taken straight from the sport. The present mimics the gameplay of Ellie sneaking round silently and arming herself to assault David. David’s traces are additionally straight from the sport, together with: “Nobody who’s contaminated fights this tough to remain alive.” David then says that he’ll play as Ellie’s “father.” You may sense the outrage and disgust construct up inside Ramsey’s efficiency as she lashes out at David with a steak knife. She lands a stab, inflicting David to drop his machete.
David climbs on prime of Ellie and clearly intends to sexually assault her. Ellie screams in terror, however she’s capable of seize David’s machete and turns it on him. Ramsey’s Ellie loses herself fully as she stabs David dozens of instances. Ellie’s face, and the digicam, is doused in blood. Ramsey’s scream reminds the viewers that she was as soon as Woman Mormont of “Recreation of Thrones,” and if there have been any doubts about her casting, Ramsey’s efficiency on this episode ought to lastly erase them.
Ellie leaves the burning constructing in a daze, coated in blood. Joel finds her however Ellie screams in retaliation as she’s nonetheless in a primal mode of survival. Joel assures her — “It’s me” — and embraces her fully. He calls her “child woman,” the identical time period of affection he held for Sarah. With Joel’s acceptance of Ellie as his daughter full, the 2 stroll off into the winter haze and the episode ends.
Some notes and observations:
- It was solely implied within the sport that David was some form of cult chief. His pedophilia was simply hinted at. Moments earlier than his demise within the present, nevertheless, Scott Shepherd’s David is clearly about to unzip his pants — a horrifying motion that was not within the sport. Whereas he was simple to hate within the sport, he’s unforgivably detestable within the present, all whereas seeming extra benevolent early within the episode.
- Troy Baker is clearly a proficient actor, however his Southern drawl right here sounds a bit near the unique Joel from the sport. For veterans of the sport, it’ll be amusing to listen to the voice of Joel come from a very totally different character.
- It’s additionally vital to notice that when Ellie kills David, within the sport her stabbing is interrupted by Joel. Within the present, Ellie is ready to freely maul David’s physique with out Joel stopping her. It’s apparent that this resolution was made to additional reinforce that Ellie didn’t want Joel to “save” or “defend” her — not even from her personal declining psychological well being. Ellie’s rage is displayed unabated and with out a filter.
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