This is the second episode of the last of us that gets you attached to two characters in the span of one episode, only to brutally and mercilessly kill them off within that same episode. This show is too cruel, man. The worst part is that I got my hopes up, too. At least in long, long time, you knew what was coming, and plus bill and Frank got to spend one last happy day together. However, because of that, long long time was not nearly as emotionally effective as "endure and survive" (brilliant title btw). So although I hate this show for completely crushing my hopes, I am grateful that in exchange, we were delivered this absolute masterpiece of an episode.
First of all, I want to applaud the character development in this episode. Even though this episode is completely action packed, it still took lots of time to breathe and gave us some development to the three major characters that are killed off. First, I'll start with Henry. We only knew him for an hour, and already he was given so many layers and so much complexity. His story is so tragic, as he was forced to essentially sell his soul in order to keep what was most important to him alive, his brother. But at the cost of keeping his brother alive, he has to live as a tortured man, unable to forgive himself for his sins. Henry's moral dilemma is the perfect representation of just how cruel this world is. There is no right or wrong anymore. It's either wrong, or wronger. When you're faced with such a truly impossible decision- let your brother die, or kill a pure and honest man- it's hard to blame Henry for what he did. After all, if his brother is the only thing Henry is living for, then why is it wrong for him to keep Sam alive no matter what it costs? Wow, as I'm typing this, I'm realizing how incredible this show is since it literally made me empathize with a snitch and a murderer. But he's not the only one the show made me empathize with...
Kathleen. Unlike some reviewers, I actually liked the casting choice for her. She wasn't great the last episode, but she killed her role in this one. Again, much like Henry, it's impossible to say whether she is "right" or "wrong." In her mind, no amount of civilians she murders will make up for Henry's murder of her brother, much like no amount of snitching is enough for Henry to stop protecting his own brother. They are very similar in a way, however Kathleen is more motivated by rage and hate rather than love, which is Henry's motivation. She even said it herself: her brother would not approve of her murdering endlessly to seek revenge for his death. But that's what makes her even more complex in my opinion. She's not doing it to make him happy. She knows what she's doing is wrong. She simply recognizes that the world is a cruel and unjust place for taking the life of such a pure man. This one scene made me empathize with her so much and already makes her an extremely well written villain in just 2 episodes. I really wish we could've seen more of her.
Not really much to say about Sam but he was still a great character. He is just the embodiment of innocence, which makes it all the more heartbreaking as his innocence slowly fades away by the end of the episode. All of his scenes with Ellie were heartwarming and sweet. The scene underground where they bond, read comics and play soccer were especially beautiful. When I say that I mean it's beautiful that two children are able to hold onto their innocence and actually have fun in such an ugly and miserable world. Unfortunately I think this is probably the last time we will see ellie this way, as she keeps going through more and more traumatizing events each episode.
Now that I've talked about the characters, I need to talk about the zombie scene... I mean, wow! The zombies in episode 2 were scary, but this takes it to a whole new level. Never have I been so terrified of zombies before. In the walking dead, it often felt like they were just a useless obstacle, and even when they did pose a threat, it was never even close to this scary. But it's not just the zombies themselves that made this scene great, it's everything. The intense buildup where you can see the ground shaking was perfect, until all of a sudden the zombies appear out of nowhere, not even giving the viewer (or the characters) time to breathe. This moment was utter chaos, and I loved every single second of it. I honestly wish it could've gone on longer.
Kathleen also gets a gruesome but somewhat satisfying death by the same baby zombie that almost killed Ellie. After that, you think it's over... right? At least that's what I thought, but the episode doesn't stop there. We get to the dreadful cabin scene. Sam reveals that he's been bit, and we get one last touching moment between him and Ellie. Then of course, the show tries to get my hopes up, and I held on the smallest possibility that Ellie's blood would cure him. I thought to myself that even if her blood didn't work, at least Sam would get a proper, harmless death... I was so wrong. Possibly the worst scenario possible happens: he turns into a zombie. When I watched this I was in utter shock. I knew what was coming, but I couldn't accept what was happening on my screen. I knew Henry would have to shoot his own brother and then take his own life, yet it was still so hard to watch. If the end of this episode doesn't leave you in awe, I pity you. This whole episode was an experience like no other. A haunting, beautiful masterpiece of television, and the easiest 10 out of 10 I've given in a while. Thank you, the last of us.
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