The Last of Us Episode 4 — Intruder alert

(A review from a non-gamer)

Following last week’s viewer heartbreak, (more of a heart-no-mercy obliteration), this week we follow Joel and Ellie as they continue their journey across the country in Bill’s truck.

Although this episode is only 45 minutes long, the shortest episode in the series so far, we still get a fine development of the friendship between the survival duo, something very central to the series thus far.

Joel and Ellie’s relationship

From the end of last week’s episode to this week’s, it feels like Joel has begun to accept that Ellie is not responsible for Tess’s death. There was a lighter tone to their interaction, whereas their previous ones had hostile undertones. It felt less like they were testing the waters, or treading on glass and less of a natural interaction.

(You can read last week’s review here).

We see amusing and lighthearted interactions between the two, a memorable one being Ellie’s curiosity about a Gay magazine and proceeding to ask why it’s “sticky”, throwing in those awkward and cringe-worthy how-are-babies-born-esque…