The Last of Us Recap: Don’t Go in the Basement

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It’s troubling to see a group of heavily armed soldiers huddled outside a hospital basement door, barricaded behind metal grates, with expressions of concern on their faces. Whatever’s down there should remain there. The episode begins with a conversation between officers Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach) and Elise (Hettienne Park). Hanrahan is curious as to why Elise appears to have killed some of her own men, with Leon among them. In the process of clearing the hospital’s lower levels, Elise sent a team led by Leon to the first basement level, where they found only an empty floor. As they ventured deeper, Leon’s team discovered signs of infected individuals and then, unexpectedly, encountered airborne cordyceps. Realizing the danger, Elise and Leon decided to seal off the basement floors, trapping the soldiers inside. Hanrahan expresses her condolences for Elise’s son as she departs, revealing the tragic ending to the story. This show knows how to tug at your heartstrings before even starting the credits.

After they’ve rolled (moved), the season’s fifth episode concentrates on Seattle’s Pinnacle Theater. It’s “Day Two” in Seattle, we learn, and Dina and Ellie are strategizing. By intercepting the Wolves’ signals, Dina locates their position and maps a route towards the hospital. Meanwhile, Ellie investigates their short-term abode, a stunning concert venue arranged for a performance that won’t occur. Intrigued, Ellie plays the guitar but recollections of pain make her stop when Dina approaches to discuss their approach. This involves penetrating an unidentified building possibly teeming with infected, which Dina describes as “reckless.” They decide to proceed, leading them past a gruesome scene of slain Seraphites beneath a mural portraying their prophet. Ellie offers Dina the chance to retreat, but she declines and shares her backstory instead. In this chilling narrative, Dina, at eight years old, returned home to find her family slaughtered by a lone raider. She survived by killing him, and she holds a grudge against revenge. “Would it have mattered if my family had harmed his people first?” she ponders, but the question is hypothetical. They move forward.

This implies they’re planning to penetrate a large structure believed to house the infected, but they think they can manage without resorting to firearms, as doing so would signal the Wolves. Initially, their intuition seems correct, but when the exit appears, they identify a group of intelligent infected similar to one Ellie had encountered earlier, which Dina calls “smart.” Ellie advises retreating, but with no other options, they devise a risky strategy: Ellie acts as bait while Dina ensures their escape route. Unfortunately, this plan fails. What succeeds is an unforeseen intervention by Jesse, who eliminates the infected and assists them in fleeing from the Wolves, who were indeed alerted by the gunfire.

They make their way to the park, a place where the Wolves avoid. This introduces them to fresh challenges; however, before delving into these issues, Jesse shares his account. Accompanied by Tommy, he arrived in Seattle with the objective of recovering Ellie and Dina. Despite their desire to depart only after eliminating Abby, this plan is momentarily paused when they hear mysterious whistles. The park, it turns out, is under the control of the Seraphites.

As a cinephile, I must admit that I’m not well-versed in the ways of the enigmatic group known as “Scars.” However, my ignorance was swiftly dispelled when I chanced upon a Seraphite band executing a grisly act against a Wolf. At this juncture, they remain shrouded in mystery to me, much like their counterparts. Initially, they were portrayed as unlikely adversaries for the Wolves, but recent events have altered my perspective. It’s clear now that they are some sort of cult, but we know very little about their dogma. We’ve glimpsed divergent interpretations of their teachings among them. Despite their apparent disadvantage against the heavily armed Wolves, it’s evident why they’ve managed to endure. Any hints of them being unquestionable heroes have long vanished from my mind, but introducing such characters now would be a dramatic twist in “The Last of Us.

In this scenario, things become even more complicated when Dina gets wounded by an arrow in her leg. After splitting up, Ellie manages to flee towards the Wolf hospital where she confronts Nora at gunpoint, demanding information about Abby’s location. However, Nora manages to escape and warn others, only to find herself trapped and cornered by Ellie. Her sole means of escape is through an elevator shaft leading to a dreaded basement, known from the series premiere.

In this hazardous environment filled with infectious particles and cordyceps-covered walls, it’s only Ellie’s immune status that keeps her alive. Along her journey, she encounters a WLF soldier entangled in cordyceps, followed by Elise’s son Leon, who’s stuck in a state between life and death. When Ellie comes across Nora struggling to breathe, it seems inevitable that she will join the others in their grim state.

Nora, recognizing Ellie as the immune girl, tells her that they are both doomed to die. However, when she learns that she is speaking to this mysterious figure, she questions whether the immune girl was real at all. Nora attempts to help Ellie understand Joel’s actions, including his role in killing Abby’s father, but Ellie remains unyielding. In a chilling echo of Joel’s torment, Ellie starts beating Nora, and the scene fades to black.

Later, we are shown a flashback of happier moments, as Joel enters Ellie’s room with a gentle “Hey, kiddo,” marking the end of the episode.

The final image may give the impression of a bygone innocent era, but Ellie was born into a world that’s already fallen and experienced danger all her life. Her time with Joel in Jackson appeared peaceful, yet their relationship still fractured. This contrast between her past and present is highlighted. Ellie never had a chance to be a child, but Joel tried to save her from a life of constant violence. However, due to Joel’s death, she has chosen this violent life. Despite various reasons for her to turn back, such as Dina, Dina’s baby, her civic duty to Jackson, and the understanding that Joel wouldn’t want this for her, Ellie persists. This episode is full of action, which makes it exciting, but it also pushes Ellie deeper into a dark path from which she might not be able to escape, making it as impactful as previous episodes.

Infectious Bites

Wow, watching the final scenes of this episode leaves you feeling uneasy. Ellie discusses seeking vengeance against Abby and her group, but seeing her carry out that revenge on Nora, who is defenseless, is chilling. It’s hard to believe it’s a coincidence that the scene resembles Abby’s attack on Joel. The episode ends before showing more violence, but it’s evident that Nora’s fate is sealed due to her cordyceps infection. The pain inflicted is entirely Ellie’s doing. The expression on Ellie’s face shows she has crossed a moral boundary, and there seems to be no turning back. When we see flashbacks of a smiling, innocent Ellie, it underscores just how far she has strayed from the light.

The Pinnacle draws inspiration from Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, originally built as a cinema in 1928. While it still shows films on occasion, its primary function has shifted to hosting theatrical performances and live concerts.

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2025-05-12 06:04