A pre-denouement chapter that sets the stage for what’s to come
I think it’s fair to say that the best thing about The Last of Us Chapter 8 is Ellie.a character who has been undervalued throughout the season for the choice of Bella Ramsey as an actress who would play him at this point. Some unwarranted criticism given that we have already seen in Game Of Thrones what the young woman was capable of with characters as strong and courageous as Lyanna Mormont. But you know, we live in the era of cancellation and we love to create everything that does not correspond to us at the start.
The only sure thing is that Bella Ramsey turned out to be a worthy Ellie, no matter how much that hurts some of you.. She won’t be physically identical and her personality may have hardened a bit from the start, but over the course of the chapters (and the eighth shows that more than enough) it became clear that she is Ellie, like it or not.
A “bridge” episode towards the end of The Last of Us
I always believed that The Last of Us was good on its own without needing a second episode (And I’m one of those who thinks The Last of Us: Part II is much worse than the first video game because of its more open storytelling). For this reason, except for the drastic changes encouraged by Craig Mazin and his Neil Druckman, probably the ninth and final chapter of the first season is satisfying as the finale. This eighth chapter is a kind of bridge between the emotional highs and lows of the seventh, and the roller coaster that arrives in the following one. For some, it will surely be a great episode since there is more action than in the previous ones. To me, David’s story is not the same as background of Ellie or the meeting with Joel’s brother.
Attention, that it is about a chapter ‘bridge’ is not frankly bad. It helps us to know more about the universe that creates The last of us because our protagonists they meet the people of Silver Lake. A community that contrasts with the hope that lives in Jackson, because here terror disguises itself as faith. And Ellie will face her toughest moment yet: she will have to fight alone to survive.
Ellie is everything in The Last of Us
yes we all love it Peter Pascal as Joelbut it is obvious that Elijah is the main character of The last of us. And Joël acts more as a support so that the young woman grows and matures with him. Therefore, in this eighth chapter, it is best that Elijah he must act alone and fight against his own fears. Because she is a girl who is afraid, afraid of loneliness now that she has discovered what company is. And he has to face the dilemma of staying with the new community he’s discovered (he’s not quite up to it, to tell the truth) or continuing his journey with Joel once he has recovered.
Thanks to the enormous work of interpretation of Bella Ramsey (and the good performance of Scott Berger, who plays David, leader of Silver Lake), we have a chapter full of tension. What begins as an independent story (a community that has less than a week’s worth of food), ends up coming together when Elijah He goes in search of something to put in his mouth. Necessity compels Elijah trust David, because Joel needs antibiotics and there is no other way to get them. This, yes, he’s not going to accompany them to Silver Lake for the world; he doesn’t want to get away from his mentor.
At that time we know who David is and what his story is.. I won’t tell you too much because it would ruin everything, but the path the character follows throughout his life is quite interesting. A preacher who convinced some to follow him, but whose belief is fragile.
Chapter 8 of The Last of Us is a perfect prelude to the end
And from now on, I’d rather not comment on the rest of the argument so you can sort it out, because what ends one way then twists and ends another. I’m just telling you that Ellie will have to face the true face of David, putting her life in danger like never before. and maybe Chapter 8 of The Last of Us is one of the best despite being just a “bridge” thanks to the wonderful job Bella Ramsey does as Ellie.