news culture The Last of Us HBO: Is the series reaching its limits? Our opinion on episode 5
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Already five weeks that the adventures of Ellie and Joël fascinate us on the small screen, and we are already halfway there. Today, it’s time for episode 5, which has us a little less excited.
The adventure of Ellie and Joël starts again and this time, it’s time for the second part in Kansas City! Casually, this is the first time that creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann – father of the license – have spent two episodes in the same place. It must be said that the American city, equivalent to the passage to Pittsburgh in the video game, is led by a revolutionary group that does not do lace. At its head, the charismatic Kathleen (played by Melanie Lynskey) just as ruthless.
In the previous part, we learned that she was tirelessly looking for Sam and Henry, the two brothers already present in the basic work. The eldest – Henry – is said to be linked to the death of someone close to Kathleen. Who is in the middle of all this? Of course, Ellie and Joel. At the end of Chapter 4, Sam and Henry point a gun at the two heroes. No choice, they will help each other to leave Kansas City safe and sound.
More great ideas
From the outset, this episode 5 brings us back ten days before the “timeline” of Ellie and Joël – from the point of view of Sam and Henry. Again, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann make good use of flashbacks, showing the adventure of the two brothers through Kansas City… and especially behind the scenes of the revolutionary group led by Kathleen. The opportunity to learn that he rejects the authority of the FEDRA, the equivalent of the American army in The Last of Us (at the origin of the control of the quarantine zones). A nice idea, which avoids putting all the brigands in the same bag. Because yes, depending on the place and the course of events, the post-apo can take several forms. Same for the characters. Kahtleen, under her air of a leader without half measures, is motivated by the loss of her brother. Henry, meanwhile, wishing to save his Sam from leukemia, sentenced a man described as “very good” to death.
Despite a more classic post-apo result, this fifth chapter brings new nuances to the transformation of societies after the passage of cordyceps, and that’s welcome! On the sidelines of Pedro Pascal (Joël) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), the character of Melanie Lynskey always bursts the screen; Kevonn Woodard (Sam) | Lamar Johnson (Henry) delivers an absolutely fair performance. Nothing to say either about the final action scene, both in terms of tension and staging.
Conclusion already known
On the other hand, the very end, where a certain very tragic scene occurs, will not surprise fans of the video game (except for a detail related to the relationship between Ellie | Sam). No problem: the whole is well done and still takes so much guts… But inevitably, for us players who are already aware of what is going to happen, the effect is less. It is kind of a shame. So far, the show The Last of Us had always known how to navigate mischievously between its novelties and the obligatory scenes, finding a way to surprise the most connoisseurs of the universe. In our opinion, it is a little less the case for the end of this episode. The scientific aspect of the virus, a good idea developed in the first two chapters, is no longer relevant either. HBO, don’t forget that for the future!
