#tlou ep 5

[caterpillareyelashes]

the way joel freaked out when he couldn’t hit the clicker going after ellie. gut wrenching. the ending of the episode? ellie’s reaction? heart breaking. oh my god this is probably the best show i’ve ever watched and there’s only five episodes out

[abisexualidiotstuff]

bitch if this appeared in front of me I would run so fast you’d never hear from me again

[dyingroses]

The Last of Us + text posts 

[paigegonerogue]

Here’s why the infected scene in episode 5 of TLOU works so well…

Buildup: As of episode five in the series, we’ve seen infected multiple times already, and every appearance has built up this “threat-level” of them. In the first two episodes we see both the larger scale of the infected and how scary they can be in hordes (like the driving scene and the capitol building, as well as the absolutely brilliant overlook scene), but also how threatening they can be solo (Joel and Sarah in the diner and the museum scene)… also in episode three we get Bill’s little “ehehe” from an infected death which is just as if not far more important as well.

By the time we see the infected come running out of the crater, the writers have already intentionally and precisely given us the knowledge of just how scary the infected can be.

That’s also why I’m glad they only did this type of massive battle once in the series, because once they did it, it becomes impossible to recapture that buildup and almost “unleashing” of the infected, of seeing just how scary they are.

The buildup also includes the more typical rising tension of the episode (which was, like everything else in the show, done absolutely fantastically), and the foreshadowing of the infected by both Kathleen and Henry.

Scale: The infected scene in episode 5 is by far the biggest in scale action sequence of the show. The huge amounts of infected pouring out of the rubble and the massive Bloater, as well as how many people are involved, the fighting in the background, it makes the whole battle feel huge. It leaves you in this sense of almost “awe” that so many great action sequences have.

Horror: In the sequence there are horror elements added in to make it feel scarier (complementing both of the points above). Obviously zombies are already horror-esque, but that’s not what I mean.

I feel like the best example of horror elements being incorporated into the fight is the part where Ellie is in the car. Enclosed spaces are a horror staple. Ellie being trapped in the enclosed space with an infected, and later Henry and Sam trapped under the car, transition this battle beautifully into tension-filled smaller scale sections in this massive battle, with parts so pinprick focused on the people we care most about, and how bloodthirsty and terrifying these monsters are.

We also see it in Kathleen’s shocking and gruesome death, and the power of the bloater, almost reminiscent of the predator or other near-unstoppable horror forces.

Cinematography: The lighting in the battle is so good, with the fire and darkness adding to this scary effect of the battle, as well as this extra layer of dynamism and contrast.

Also, I’m always a sucker for background fight, following characters as they navigate through violence. The way this sequence does it is also incredibly well done, with the background ever-shifting and changing, with the focus of the shot being on someone actively trying to avoid the fight and get past this living mass of gore.

The handheld style of TLOU is something I can write essays about (and I will! Post about cinematography coming soon lol) but in this sequence it makes you feel like you’re on the ground with the characters as the battle rages around you.

Monster Design: This one is self-explanatory, I’d say. The clickers, and the Bloater, my goodness the Bloater, look so incredibly good. And the way that they created this almost alien thing overtaking regular peoples bodies and turning them into monsters is incredibly amazing, and the practical effects make it look so real and detailed (they had the makeup guy who did the Night King and Vecna)

Emotional Resonance: This one’s pretty simple. The battle makes you feel things. Not just fear for the characters, though there’s definitely a lot of that, but also showcasing Joel and Ellie’s growing bond, with Ellie trusting Joel to have her back and Joel desperately trying to protect her.

It was absolutely magnificent, and an absolute feat of filmmaking.

[mikewheely]

Joel from the moment the little clicker girl gets inside the car after Ellie till she gets out of the car safely. His face, the fear in his eyes, his desparate attempts to kill that clicker, his rapid breathing caused by the panic and anxiety that it might hurt or even kill Ellie, and that subtle relief in his face when she gets out of the car. MAN, OH MAN.

The way Joel was only following Ellie's movements throughout and shooting every clicker that gets near her the whole time. MY HEART CANNOT FUCKING HANDLE THISSSSS. HOW ARE YOU ALL DEALING WITH THIS? And after Henry shot Sam, Joel was going to her, and if he was not stopped by Henry, he would have probably went and hugged her. I CANNOT 💔

[gentlemnpirate]

So.... how're we all doin?

[thedestructionofgrace]

SPOILERS!! Gosh, the new episode of the last of us was amazing (as expected). To get a little background on Henry and Sam just made their deaths even more devastating, we already knew Henry would do anything for Sam but now we get to see how far he really went for his little brother (killing a well loved/known person for medicine).

The fact that they incorporated keivonns deafness too, was great to see (I am deaf too, I can’t sign but I wish I could and think it’s a real beautiful language) Sign language is really useful especially in situations where you can’t be loud or give away your location. It’s awesome to see hard of hearing/deafness portrayed in the show and I wasn’t expecting it or aware, maybe they did that on purpose, they didn’t make a big announcement about having a deaf character for clout, their just happens to be someone who’s deaf and that’s it. I love it.

Oh man, I love apocalypse shows. They always reveal people’s true nature. What’s interesting to me is that for 20 years Kathleen’s people were under the thumb of FEDRA, they fought (endured?) and survived them and took the city for themselves. In another situation we know the audience would support the people and be happy to see them get justice but instead of being good guys the writers kinda flipped it on us by giving us Kathleen and her right hand man (Perry), who we automatically hate because of their want to kill the two brothers. To me it’s thought provoking, if we’d started off with Kathleen and her brother there’s a chance we’d hate Henry for killing him and we’d be on her side instead of Henry and sams. It’s kind of like the situation with Abby, we hated her automatically for killing Joel but we actually got to see her side of the story and now I love her character and understand why she did what she did, it’s guess it’s not an official parallel between the storylines but that is how I see it.

I’m not sure if changing sams age (from early teenager like Ellie to child) was on purpose or not but I thought it was really good, you don’t get to see any really young kids beside Ellie, Riley, Sarah and Abby (but they were in their teens when we see them in flashbacks). To see it from a child’s perspective was heartbreaking especially since we knew what was coming to him, Sam and Ellie’s relationship could not have been portrayed any better in my opinion. Sam showed Ellie he was bitten and they first thing she does was try to save him 🥺 and she stays up and comforts him throughout the last night of his life while his big brother is in the next room none the wiser. Like that shit had my eyes teary and blurry. While i knew that they were going to die the writers still managed to find a way to still make their deaths shocking and rip out my heart (again), so they deserve high praise for that.

You can really see on bellas face how good of an actor she really is, that look she had after Henry shot himself was just 😫. This is definitely one of those key moments in Ellie’s life that lets her know how fucked life can be and again Bella just knocked it out of the park with her reactions. With Joel he’s had 20 years of this kind of stuff but obviously with Ellie it’s different, we have to go through all these firsts alongside her. Ellie’s “I’m sorry” was just gut punching and now we can see that those close ups of joel which we’ve been seeing in the trailers for the last few months was his reaction to reading that and looking down on their graves. I can’t believe the whole time that’s what he was looking at 😢

Honourable mentions:

That little clicker girl!!! She was so freaky!!!

Ellie being cocky knowing that Joel will change his mind later and let Henry and Sam come with them to Wyoming

Sam and Ellie’s love of savage starlight and them signing “endure and survive” 🥹🥹

despite not verbally speaking, Sam and Ellie still have the ability to communicate with each other

They cast Henry and Sam perfectly

Bloater!!!!

Joel’s determination to keep infected away from Ellie while he was sniping was making me sweat

Ellie being badass and saving Henry and Sam, also Henry saving Ellie in the smoke 🔥

DANNY AND ISH!!!!😫

Henry’s look on his face when he hears his little brother laugh 😭

“He’s not my dad” “I’m not her dad”

I thinks sams superhero mask deserves a shoutout too

it’s also cool how they made Henry and Sam actively seek out Joel and Ellie compared to how they meet in the game

[ellabswilliamson]

Rewatching tlou and still fucking sobbing over Ellie telling Sam "my blood is medicine" and trying to save him in the only way she can think of

[boilingcowboy]

Who was Joel thinking about when Kathleen (hope that’s her name) said “Well Kids die, they die all the time” ? (if he even heard it with his hearing)

Was it Sarah gasping for air, screaming in agony while the blood stain on her shirt slowly consumed her ?

Or was it Ellie the kid who slowly sneaked her way into his heart dying all the worst ways imaginable ?

Or was it both of them ? Both of them being rapidly taken away from him by death while the only he could do was stand there ?

[protectingstucky]

is any episode from the last of us NOT going to make me want to throw myself into an active volcano? just asking!

[amythenortherner]

Gif @trashcora

Guys😫 in that moment, she wasn’t just Ellie, she was Sarah too. He finally didn’t fail her. We know how he feels, what he’s said. Every night he goes to sleep, and he fails her (Ellie, Sarah) over and over and over again. But he finally didn’t got it right. He’s injured, feverish, weak, but he got up, he killed everyone who got in his way, he got back to Ellie. He’s comforting her, they’re comforting each other. He finally didn’t fail her, he finally feels successful. They’re clinging to each other for dear life, like to each other they are the very air they breathe. He finally saved his baby girl 😭

[sporesnsonnets]

TLOU EPISODE 5 SPOILERS:

I can’t stop thinking about how much worse they made poor Henry’s story.

He sold out someone he admired and because of it the resistance was left with a violent, extreme, callous leader. How responsible for the carnage that followed did he feel? It clearly weighed heavily on him.

And he did all of it for Sam; to keep Sam healthy - to keep Sam alive. He did so much, endured so much… all for Sam. To know that it was ultimately for nothing? That he couldn’t keep him safe despite it all? To have to kill him himself after all that?

Absolutely heartbreaking.

Do you think he heard Kathleen’s voice in the end? Telling him that Sam was destined to die?

It wasn’t enough for him to shoulder the burden of failing his brother. He also had to shoulder the burden of feeling responsible for everything that went down, only for it to be for nothing in the end.

[abisexualidiotstuff]

pov: you deserved better

[dyingroses]

The Last of Us + some AO3 tags

[passinhosdetartaruga]

I hated i hated i HATED that little zombie girl. Actual fight or flight response activated instantly. The way she moved created goosebumps all over my body. Burn her!!!

[booksandpaperss]

Something something Ellie walking forward while Joel is still looking at the grave he’d just filled, looking over to Ellie but then looking back at death at the grave again after she turns away and keeps walking for a few more steps. Something something foreshadowing. 👀

(gif from this heartwrenching post by @attackoneyebrows )