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The Last of Us episode 7 landed on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, following Ellie and Joel (Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal) after a nasty encounter with a marauder left Joel stabbed and near death.
It interrupted their quest to bring Ellie to the rebel group known as the Fireflies. They’re hoping to potentially restore society by replicating her immunity to the fungal infection that’s turned most of the world into deadly monsters.
Before that, Ellie’s gotta stop Joel from bleeding to death. The situation reminds her of a dark moment from her past, one that sticks closely to a memorable part of the game. Let’s jump into SPOILERS for HBO’s adaptation of the Sony PlayStation game.Strained friendship
Much of the episode takes place in the time before Ellie and Joel met, when she was living (and not getting along) with other kids in the custody of FEDRA, the Federal Disaster Response Agency, which runs quarantine zones with the remnants of the US military.
After she gets in a tussle with one of her peers, a FEDRA officer presents her with alternative visions of her future in the zone: Continue messing about, end up a grunt with crappy duties, and likely die in some random accident. Or… show a little discipline, become an officer, and live a fairly comfortable life. She opts for the latter, but she doesn’t seem wild about it.
After she stays up late reading an issue of Savage Starlight (a fictional comic book series you can collect in the game), her sleep is interrupted by runaway best buddy Riley (Storm Reid). Turns out Riley abandoned FEDRA care for the opposing Fireflies, but she isn’t visiting to recruit Ellie.
“Come with me for a few hours and have the best night of your life,” she orders her pal.
Hell yes.’80s style fun
After brief stops to check out a dead guy, knock back a little of the pre-apocalypse alcohol he left behind, and admire Riley’s sidearm (highlighting Ellie’s fascination with adventure and death), the pair head to — where else? — the mall.
It turns out FEDRA unknowingly restored power to the mall, giving Ellie a chance to get a taste of old-school consumerism. And run on an escalator to the tune of Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha’s ’80s classic Take On Me. (Ellie has a copy of the group’s greatest hits in her quarters.) This tune makes a memorable appearance in the second game. Its iconic music video also shows a woman taking a comic book character’s hand and getting pulled into an adventure — Ellie has a similarly transcendent experience after metaphorically taking Riley’s hand in this episode.
Bella Ramsey is so good here, with Ellie’s awkwardness about the Victoria’s Secret lingerie and stolen glances at Riley hinting at her feelings. Those looks get longer as the alcohol takes effect.Wonders of the mall
Turns out the escalator was just a precursor to the real fun. The pair hop on a carousel that plays a version of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven (specifically, one that sounds a lot like Rockabye Baby’s Lullaby Rendition).
