Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Last of Us.Every episode of HBO’s The Last of Us is packed with emotional moments, frightening encounters, and a deep exploration of human behavior under the weight of impossible conditions. Still, Episode 5, “Endure and Survive,” might have been the busiest one yet. Episode 5 explores the revolution in Kansas City, showing how regular people tired of living under FEDRA's ruthless regime became oppressors themselves. It also reveals how former FEDRA collaborator Henry (Lamar Johnson) managed to escape the revolutionaries with his brother Sam (Keivonn Woodard), waiting for the right opportunity to escape Kansas City. And once Henry teams up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) during their escape, we are also gifted with the scariest moment of the series so far.
If all of this wasn’t enough to fill one hour of masterfully written television, Episode 5 adds new layers to Ellie, as we see the girl interact with another post-apocalyptic child for the first time. And while we are all very cautious by now and always on the lookout for the new ways HBO wants to rip our hearts out, Episode 5’s ending gets bloody and brutal faster than anyone could anticipate. The deaths of Sam and Henry will forever be scarred in our minds, and it will be hard to shake the unnerving feeling we get after witnessing that awful murder-suicide. In addition, Episode 5’s ending also has a lot to say with a simple gesture, as the message Ellie leaves at Sam’s grave tells us a lot about how the girl experiences the harsh reality of a world devastated both by the Cordyceps infection and by the pits of human morality.
Ellie's Biggest Fear Is Becoming the Last of Us
While Henry and Joel unite forces to escape Kansas City and evade the revolutionaries’ bloody justice, Ellie gets to spend a good chunk of Episode 5 bonding with Sam. Together, the two children play games, read comic book stories, and share their thoughts about living under the shadow of fear and violence. Before they can get out of Kansas City, the revolutionaries corner Joel and Henry. Taken by grief, the revolutionaries’ leader, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), threatens to kill Sam and Ellie, as even children must pay the price of Henry’s treason and Joel’s attack. There’s no arguing with the ruthless woman, and it seems that might be the end of the road for our heroes. Luckily for them, a swarm of Infected rises from the underground, summoned by the explosions originating from the revolutionaries’ attack. Joel and Henry use the chaos and confusion to escape to lead Sam and Ellie to safety, leaving Kansas City behind once and for all.
Later that evening, Ellie and Sam are put to bed in an abandoned hotel while Henry and Joel discuss the possibility of traveling together from that moment on. When they are alone, Sam asks Ellie if she’s ever afraid, as the girl always looks fierce in the face of danger. At first, Ellie tries to joke about it, saying she’s just scared of scorpions. However, realizing Sam needs some emotional comfort, Ellie reveals she’s constantly afraid of being left alone. It makes sense that loneliness is Ellie’s biggest fear. While everyone is fighting for survival in The Last of Us, Ellie has a unique advantage given that she’s immune to the Cordyceps. That means the girl is most likely to survive an Infected attack and most likely to watch everyone she loves dying in front of her eyes. Ellie fears being left alone because she knows the odds are not in her favor when it comes to keeping dear people around.
Just as Ellie reveals the truth about her most intimate fear, Sam confesses he got bitten by an infected during the swarm outbreak in Kansas City. Ellie promises not to tell Joel and Henry about Sam’s infection and even rubs her own blood in the boy’s wound, hoping her immunity can be somewhat transmissible. Unfortunately, the following day, Sam has turned into one of the Infected, attacking Ellie when she tries to get close to him. In the commotion, Henry shoots Sam. And when he realizes what he’s done, he points the gun to his own head and pulls the trigger.
Henry and Sam have the most violent deaths of The Last of Us yet, showing fans no one is safe in the grim post-apocalyptic world of the series. Their death does more than shock viewers, though, as it profoundly impacts Ellie. After burying Henry and Sam’s bodies, Ellie leaves a two-word message on the boys’ grave, “I’m sorry.” And while Ellie’s apology comes at the end of Episode 5, those two words say a lot about the girl’s feelings.
What’s Ellie Saying Sorry For?
After Sam got bitten, his fate was sealed. There was nothing anyone could do to save the boy, and the best course of action would be to kill him before he lost his mind and attacked his friends and family. As painful as this decision might have been if Ellie had warned Henry and Joel of what was happening with Sam, they could all have taken the time to mourn and prepare. Instead, her fear of being left alone led to her irrational response of using her blood as a makeshift cure. As a result, the shock of seeing Sam transformed with no previous warning led Henry to shoot his own brother. Overwhelmed by the loss of the only person he cares about, Henry takes his own life. As Henry and Joel discuss a few hours after the disastrous transformation of Sam, having someone to take care of them helps them stay sane in a sick world.
If Ellie had acted rationally instead of giving herself to fear, Sam would still be dead. Henry, however, could have survived. Knowing beforehand what was about to happen, Henry could have gotten some closure with Sam before the Cordyceps took over the boy’s mind. And maybe Joel could have taken the burden of killing the child, preventing Henry from being traumatized by his actions. Of course, it’s too much to expect a fourteen-year-old girl to act calm and rationally in a desperate situation. Even so, Ellie is well aware she contributes to making things worse. That’s why she says sorry to Sam at his grave, with a closed heart and an angry mind.
So far, we’ve seen Ellie trying her best to add some levity to the hard life she has with Joel. But Henry and Sam’s deaths might change the girl forever, as they serve as a grim reminder that hope is a dangerous thing to carry around when the world is falling to pieces.
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