Review: The Last Of Us, "Left Behind" | Season 1, Episode 7
While Joel lies bleeding in the basement, Ellie remembers what brought her here and why that matters
I’ve been enjoying Bella Ramsey’s performance as Ellie, but something has been missing, and it wasn’t until tonight that I finally pinned it down: vulnerability. Ramsey is a self-possessed actor, and while that gives her tremendous power on screen (especially when contrasted with her size; when someone short-ish looks at the world with absolutely no fear in their eyes, you know they’re going to fuck some shit up), it presents a challenge for her developing relationship with Joel.
They’re friendly, sure, and the banter has been solid throughout, but this isn’t strictly speaking a friendship. In order for the story to work, Joel has to come to view Ellie as a kind of surrogate daughter that he’s desperate to protect, and she has to view him as, if not a father, at least a cool uncle or something. But up until tonight, Joel has been the more obviously vulnerable of the two. Rewatching last week’s episode, I’ve come to think that the show is doing this on purpose, to give him a …