TV Show Review: The Last of Us (HBO) Episode 7 – Emotional Mall Trip is a stunner

Lovers of left-wing DLC ​​are in for a treat this week, as the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us devotes an entire episode to this harrowing trip to a shopping center. With Joel worse for wear after last week’s episode, Ellie thinks back to another time she was faced with a difficult choice. What follows is another great performance for Bella Ramsay, as we see a different and more vulnerable side of this wonderful young man.

This show always has the ability to expand on what we already know from the game, and we get a glimpse of that here with Ellie’s time at FEDRA School. However, we’ve always appreciated that the show knows when to keep things the same, and for the most part, that’s what it’s done here with Ellie’s late-night trip to an abandoned shopping center. While some moments like the car smashing contest or the water gun fight are absent, almost all the others you know and love are here, and brought to life to great effect.

That’s because Bella Ramsay is firing on all cylinders in the seventh episode. While we’ve seen her character slowly open up as she and Joel grow closer, this is a different side to Ellie. We really can’t stress enough how great Ramsay is here, and the doubts we had earlier in the season are now nothing more than distant memories.

A lot of the brilliance in Ramsay is brought out by Storm Reid’s Riley, a recently recruited Firefly and Ellie’s best friend. The dynamic between these two characters is just as heartwarming as you remember. Storm Reed manages to encapsulate this sense of youthful arrogance, where the gun in his belt is not a tool for defense, but a badge of authority and pride. It was thoroughly entertaining to watch the two characters unfold in this world of upheaval and despair, what scared them, what worried them, and especially related to their journey. encouraged

Shop windows in dilapidated malls offered glimpses of another time, lit-up arcades evoked a life these characters would never have. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the mall is remarkably accurate to the game, and even manages to create a sense of wonder — even if it’s just the warm glow of a carousel.

When it comes to that emotional climax, it feels even more impressive than the game in some ways. The performances really make you feel the anger, fear, and tragedy of young love. It doesn’t particularly do anything to set it apart from the game, but the rawness of its live-action format makes it a must-see for fans and newcomers alike.

The seventh episode is a wonderful reminder of why we love this world so much. It’s a world tied to the heart of its characters and its violent reality, but more poignantly in The Last of Us terms, its pun books and pipe bombs.

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