The Last of Us continues to rip people's hearts out. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, it has been episode after episode of pure horror and emotional anguish. The last episode left fans on the series biggest cliffhanger yet with Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) life left hanging in the balance after being fatally wounded. If you’ve played the game you know that the next episode will have Ellie (Bella Ramsey) reflecting on her tragic past while trying to save Joel’s life. Now a new image teases Ellie’s previous life in military school.
The new image sees Ellie in an office most likely getting reprimanded for a fight. This is something we see a glimpse of in Episode 7’s trailer. The quote accompanying the image claims there’s a leader in Ellie which could act as a hint to her future role in both the episode and The Last of Us Part II. However, the main focus of this image is setting the stage for the Left Behind storyline. In the game this was a DLC side story that filled in some of the gaps in the main game while expanding upon the people Ellie already lost. This, of course, means the introduction of Ellie’s first love Riley who will be played by Storm Reid, and we’re going to see their memorable yet horrifying mall adventure come to life. The series will expand upon the story before those events by showing us Ellie’s day-to-day life trying to survive in military school and the real world horrors of being a teenager.
Like the image alludes to, this episode's big theme is what it means to be a leader and the sacrifices that come along with the title. Joel is prepared to make those sacrifices and Riley too given her Firefly status, but for Ellie her road to becoming a reluctant leader is a pain she arguably doesn’t want to face. You never know when the people you love will be taken from us and how Joel mirrors Ellie’s tragic experience with Riley is something the character isn’t coming to terms with. Ellie will do anything to save Joel and the context of her story with Riley will make her mission even more urgent.
When Does the Next Episode of ‘Last of Us’ Premiere?
The new episode of The Last of Us, “Left Behind”, will be premiering on Sunday, February 26 at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max. Be prepared with tissues because if you think the worst of the series’ horror is behind us, we haven’t seen anything yet. The Last of Us’ waterworks are just getting started. Especially for Ellie who will go to the end of the Earth to save Joel. While we anxiously wait to see if Joel survives, you can view the new image below:
