HBO The last of us hit fans with all the feelings during episode seven, titled “Left Behind.” Keeping the same name as The Last of Us game DLC, the episode gives viewers a glimpse into Ellie’s past the night she was infected. The episode revolves around her night at a mall with her best friend, Riley. Riley recently left Phaedra School to join the Fireflies, and her perfect night is cut short by disaster. Let’s discuss Riley’s fate in The last of us.
How does Riley die in The Last of Us?
The episode takes place very close to the Left Behind DLC in The Last of Us game. Riley shows up late one night at Ellie’s room and takes her to the Boston QZ mall, which is supposedly closed. There, he reveals to Ellie that the mall still has power and shows her the wonders the two have never experienced in this post-apocalyptic world.
Picture via HBO
The two play on an escalator, ride a carousel, and even use a photo booth to take photos in an almost exact recreation of the game, minus the Facebook jokes. Riley then shows Ellie around the arcade, and eventually the two reunite at a Halloween store after Ellie finds out that Riley is going to leave with the fireflies once the night is over.
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After a kiss that reveals the two share feelings for each other, they are interrupted by an infected who ends up biting them both in a fight. The event unfolds similarly, with Ellie getting angry while Riley sits in silence. The two talk about their options, with Riley stating that they should be poetic and lose their minds together, seizing every last minute they have to spend together.
This scene is nearly exact to the game. The only difference is that the Left Behind DLC includes a chase scenario where you play as Ellie while you and Riley flee from several infected. They nearly escape through a painting scaffold sticking out of an open window, but it gives way when Ellie climbs on it. Riley steps in to save Ellie, and they’re both bitten at this point.
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Riley is an important character in Ellie’s life, and the title of “Left Behind” is extremely direct. While the two wait to become monsters together, it never comes for Ellie. Riley is not seen dead either in-game or on the show, but it is implied that she turned around while they waited and Ellie was not. She’s literally left behind as her best friend and her love are both infected, and it’s just as heartbreaking to witness in the series as it is in the game.
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