The Last of Us Episode 7 delves into Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her initial years inside the Quarantine Zone and leads into the daredevil tryst with Riley, her former best friend turned Firefly. The episode also takes a break from the usual plotline and turns into a heartbreaking friendship saga. Moreover, the episode is directed by Liza Johnson and written by Neil Druckmann and has a total runtime of 55 minutes.
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The Last of Us Episode 7 Review
The latest instalment of the post-fungal pandemic series breaks off from the usual pattern of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s survival arc and finds the latter surfing through the past life of QZ. The episode is centred around her friendship and tenderness toward Riley (her former roommate in the Zone) and finds her grappling with the uncertainties of love, loss and despair.
In The Last of Us Episode 6, Joel confronted the spirited teenager about her definition of loss and claimed that Ellie had little to no idea about how it really feels to lose somebody. This episode is a living testament to her pain that will help us to relate better with her defence mechanism throughout the series.
The plot finds Riley (played by Storm Reid), taking up Ellie, on a night of liberty and wonders inside an officially sealed Mall. The trajectory finds her witnessing a blast from the past, including videogames, dance routines, electric merry-go-rounds and escalators. Moreover, we also get to see the sharp and sarcastic teenager in her safe space with Riley, without trying to be mean and unreflective.
Throughout this night of fun, Ellie finds real comfort in the vicinity of her best friend, with a set of underlying feelings towards her. However, just like in the case of Bill and Frank, love seems to have no space in the solitude of an apocalypse. The brewing emotions between the adventurous teenagers are soon interrupted, and this time, for the final time.
Storm Ried marks a great guest appearance in The Last of Us Episode 7 and plays the role of Riley with utmost sincerity. And even though her character is mostly fixated on an Ellie-like daredevil spirit, we can feel her own struggles and life span inside the Quarantine Zone, which eventually led to her rogue purposefulness.
Furthermore, the episode might not peak in terms of the episode rankings, but it surely does make up for some well-needed character development. Something which will definitely pay off in the upcoming episodes.
Final Thoughts
The episode provides us with the “Ellie Narrative” in the series and helps us to understand her even more. It also ventures into the aspect of love and longing, which simply has no place in the infested world. Furthermore, if you are wondering about Joel’s wound and his eventual recovery, you might have to wait a little more this time.
You can stream The Last of Us Episode 7 on Disney Plus Hotstar. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section. Meanwhile, you can read our review of the previous episode below.
Also Read: The Last of Us Episode 6 Review: Joel and Ellie on an Adventure into Their Feels