#The last of us episode 8

[artemispt]

Penicillin is produced by a fungus. The duality of being saved by a fungus in the middle of a fungal apocalypse is interesting.

[the-crooked-library]

the thing about David is that not only is he evil but also a loser.  they’re all in the same apocalypse, in the same winter, but the people in Jackson are fine.  the old couple are fine.  Ellie managed to find and shoot a deer on her first day in the area, and she’s 14 - but somehow David’s flock are starving and resorting to cannibalism despite having better shots and more experienced hunters. 

the point is, for all his preaching about strength and survival he fucking SUCKS as a leader - because he’s not actually trying to make life better for anyone.  he’s there for a power trip that was unavailable to him pre-apocalypse and that is why he is terrifying.

it’s about the toxic entitlement of a truly mediocre man who is convinced he’s exceptional.  “high value,” if you will.

[toointojoelmiller]

[amythenortherner]

The fact that all it took was Ellie, a fourteen year old girl, to ruin their entire township, kill everyone who was a threat, and practically burn the whole town down. I loooved this episode because they really showed how smart Ellie is, how quickly she can think. She didn’t even need Joel in order to screw up their whole town.

[lynsstrange]

one thing that's interesting with the show is that this episode, they made David's intentions so much more direct. Like in the scene in the game, it's sort of left more up to interpretation if he really only meant to strangle ellie, based on some hints, and ellie's "he tried to..." while Joel's holding her. But in the show, it leaves none of that interpretation stuff. and it just makes the pure terror and violence in Bella's acting turned up to 100. And it displays what happens when she's pushed over the edge so well. How she's an incredibly strong kid, but just a kid nonetheless, that was absolutely traumatized and lost complete control when she got ahold of the knife, without Joel to come and drag her off. Like she's used to the idea of people trying to kill her, but couldn't ever imagine a situation like that where it wasn't hordes of infected or FEDRA soldiers trying to kill her, but just one man who wanted to do even worse. Because in tlou, at the end of the day, it's just ordinary people who are the worst, and I think that that realization took so much more of her innocence. It just. agh. It makes this turning point for her character even more significant.

[homotron-5000]

*LAST OF US EPISODE 8 SPOILER WARNING*

*tw: rape, sa, pedophilia, cannibals*

So much. So much to unpack here. The way Ellie tried her hardest and did everything in her power to save Joel, no matter the cost. And don't even get me started on David. Oh David... I've never wanted to disintegrate a man with my whole being before, but now, I have. Under the guise of a man of God, he proceeded to be the worst man imaginable. A pedophile, a cannibal, a rapist. I feel so badly for Ellie. All she had to experience in this fucking episode. The fear in her eyes as she screamed while David pinned her down at the end. And when she stabbed him over and over again? It felt good because he was gone, he couldn't hurt her anymore. But I already know he permanently traumatized her from this. Yet she was so brave through all of it. And then when she yells at Joel to get off of her, not knowing it's him? My heart broke. She was so scared of being touched because of what she just went through. And when he saw the fear in her eyes, you could see his heart break. Him comforting her, calling her babygirl... They were separated and now they're reunited, and even though it won't go away, the trauma and pain, at least they still have each other. At least Ellie still has Joel. David was wrong. She's not alone.

P.S. EVEN THOUGH I IMPLIED IT I HATE DAVID SO FUCKING MUCH JWNSONEKE I WANT TO BEAT HIS ASS AND DRAG HIM BEHIND MY CAR LIKE ACHILLES DRAGGED HECTOR BEHIND HIS CHARIOT, HE SHOULD FUCKING ROT IN HELL POOR ELLIE

[bingusrapture]

Babe wake up new fungus branch of Christianity just dropped.

[gay-mafia-stickball]

I’m sorry but Joel immediately shrugging off a life threatening injury just to kill for his babygirl is the funniest fucking thing

I know he’s a dangerous, murderous man but he’s really just a dad

[disaster-nicole]

TLOU ep.8 spoilers

When Joel finds Ellie at the end of the episode, the first thing he says to her is "It's me". Normally, that could read as a comfort, a victorious sentiment of 'it's alright, I'm here now'. But the way he says it, it sounds more like confusion. He doesn't immediately understand why her reaction is as desperate and violent as it is even when she's facing him. He doesn't yet understand why he has to clarify for her that it's him. He is genuinely confused.

Only then, when she settles a little, do the realizations come flooding for Joel. Now he processes just how disheveled and scared and frantic she is. He's never seen her in a state like this, which he knows can only mean one thing - whatever Ellie has just been through, it has been so much worse than anything they've faced together before now.

And he says it again, "It's me", and then he says "It's okay". And this time it is a comfort, a statement of safety.

And Ellie starts trying to explain, but she can't get anything coherent out so she just collapses into his arms and hugs him.

Joel is not stupid, and he is not a wishful thinker. He knows that Ellie is a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped by unknown men, was gone for hours, and who has now emerged from a burning building covered in blood and so traumatized that she screams and struggles the moment he touches her. He knows what these signs all point to, and the absolute terror that he must feel, fearing what Ellie probably went through. It would be paralyzing to any parent.

So he just repeats "It's okay." And he says "babygirl", and he says "I got you", because that's how he comforts his daughters. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ellie is his daughter now, and he promised himself he'd do anything to protect her, and that's all he knows how to do in this moment. To tell her that he's here, he's him, she's safe. That it's okay.

They both know that it isn't but, fuck, what else can you do?

[paigegonerogue]

Something ‘When We Are in Need…’ does SO well is that throughout the whole episode you have the same reactions, and feel the same things as Ellie.

It starts and she’s hungry and Joel’s really sick and it makes you, the viewer, scared for Joel and scared for Ellie, too.

Then she goes hunting and finds the deer and then she meets David, and it’s suspicious and you don’t trust him, then they start to talk and it’s a good time and you almost start to have fun and then…

“James put the gun down.”

Right along with Ellie you think: Oh fuck. Shit just got real.

I watched a video essay on how they were able to accomplish this setup and turn, and it’s really just an incredible feat of writing, directing, and acting.

Then you and her are desperate to heal up Joel, and feel that sad sort of warmth as she cuddles up to him.

Then the Silver Lakers come back and Joel’s helpless and still you feel the same thing as Ellie through the whole sequence, you feel the same worry for Joel and the same intensity. Then she gets taken down and right along with her you think ‘uh-oh’.

The next scene with Ellie is when she wakes up in the cage, and once again it all applies. You, along with Ellie, are super wary of David and are desperate to escape. To get out of there.

Then you see the ear at the same time as Ellie. Even if you already suspected the cannibalism from the earlier scene with the stew, you still have that same disgusted reaction of ‘oh god are they gonna eat her?!’.

Then he takes her hand, and you have that same awful, shuddering realization. Even if you were like me and immediately were like “this guy is definitely bad”, you still get that confirmation, and the you still absolutely have that ‘oh fuck’ moment.

Then she breaks his finger, and just like her you have that moment of victory, before once again it all comes crashing down.

Then through the ‘I’m infected’ and restaurant fire fight your heart is pounding and you’re barely breathing. It’s intense and scary and then he’s on top of Ellie and I don’t think any piece of media has ever gotten me more scared.

Then she starts hacking at his face with the cleaver, and that scene is… indescribable, honestly.

Ellie stumbles out of the burning building and you just feel shocked.

Joel comes up behind her and her pulse jumps momentarily, and then you see it’s Joel and just like Ellie you’re so so glad he’s here. And his ‘I gotchu baby girl’ is in my opinion the most comforting, sad, cathartic moment on television.

The way that we’ve been in Ellie’s shoes the whole episode, with her rather than watching from the outside, makes that final moment so much more impactful. We’ve been through hell with Ellie, and now we get that comfort too. It’s absolutely brilliant filmmaking, and was such a good way to play it for maximum emotional ‘oomf’.

It’s also why I sorta disagree with many of pacing complaints about that episode, because if it was too extended or had unnecessary action scenes it would’ve lost those “shared feelings”.

Also, I know not everyone felt this way watching the episode, especially people who played the games because they already knew what was going to happen, meaning that they couldn’t have those heel turns and realizations that put you so well in Ellie’s head. (I have a different post about this general effect).

But I think it was very intentional, and for people who it worked for it was some of the most impactful, incredible tv, period.

[haikyuul-kid]

anyone else notice how when joel is talking to ellie at the end of the episode after gets her attention after she freaks out he purposefully gets down to her level and looks her in the eye instead of standing above her to show that they’re equal that he’s not like david where he needs to show physical dominance over someone. he gives ellie the power in the situation when getting to her level

[aspiring-spellcaster]

“The show should be more like the game” so you want to watch 20 minutes of Joel wandering around aimlessly in a blizzard

[felixforsure]

Please be advised that the second to last scene of the Last of Us episode 8 is very disturbing. I have gone back and viewed this scene in the game and I have to say that the HBO adaptation has made it much worse than it was. Ellie is not harmed, but David has her pinned down and it’s almost too disturbing to watch. Please be careful when viewing, no one is talking about it and I don’t want anyone to be potentially triggered.

[prayforleonardo]

THE END OF THE EPISODE 8 ✨ Ha sido de los mejores episodios de la serie OMG #TheLastOfUs #TheLastOfUsHBO

[videogamestrack23]

Troy Baker speaking the truth

[webbo0]

"It's me! It's me! It's ok baby girl, I've got you"

Just fucking shoot me now