The Last of Us Episode 7 reminds us that Ellie knows what loss is

The Last of Us Episode 7 opens where the previous episode left off: Joel had been impaled with the shard from a broken baseball bat, and Ellie was confronted with her innermost fear – being left alone.

In the latest episode, still unable to articulate the fact that she loved and cared so deeply for a man she’d recently met, Ellie refused Joel's suggestion to find his brother, Tommy. Continuing her story with another companion was just not how she rolled.

Despite Joel accusing her of not knowing what loss is, by the end of episode 7, we realize that she was very familiar with it indeed.

The Last of Us Episode 7 then took us back in time to when Ellie (Bella Ramsey) was picked upon by the resident Boston QZ bully- Bethany.

Nobody interrupts our favorite teenager when she’s listening to Pearl Jam. Bethany needed 15 stitches, Ellie received a black eye, and Captain Kwong had an appointment with the soon-to-be princess of the apocalypse.

The Captain laid out two paths for her. Follow the rules and become an officer. Or flout them and become a commoner, likely to eat a bullet from a Firefly. Only the former afforded her a slim window of survival in this harsh, cruel world.

And then, a third possibility rolled in from the window in the form of Riley. Played by Storm Reid of Euphoria fame, she invited Ellie to have the time of her life. Ellie, initially reluctant (when she heard that Riley had aligned with The Fireflies), relented soon after.

Thus began the best and worst day of her life.

Ellie relished the simple joys of a defunct mall in The Last of Us Episode 7, reveling in its four wonders (five if you consider the escalator). An especially endearing scene features Riley, Ellie, and many rounds of Mortal Kombat (remember how thrilled she was when she discovered the same arcade game in episode 3?).

Of course, every heart-warming scene in the show is followed by a heartbreaking one, and The Last of Us Episode 7 is no different.

Somewhere in the mall, an infected man awoke.

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Ellie discovered Riley’s truth in The Last of Us Episode 7

The explosive truth was uncovered by Ellie when she discovered weaponry designed to kill FEDRA. Riley hadn’t brought her to the mall to have a good time. This was her Firefly post! She stormed off, but was brought back thanks to a piercing scream (a false alarm).

There were seeds planted at several points in The Last of Us Episode 7 that there was an attraction between Riley and Ellie. All of it came home in a tender kiss, not long before an infected being chanced upon them. While they managed to kill it, they discovered that they were both bitten with no hope of going on.

Riley said that taking the easy way out and ending it all was not an option. No, they would continue as they were, whether it was for 2 hours or 2 minutes.

This realization spurred Ellie in the present day to do her best to stitch Joel’s wounds. To not take the easy way out and spend whatever little time she had with her newfound father figure to revive him.

The Last of Us Episode 7 is based upon the Left Behind DLC and contains perhaps the best soundtrack in the series. From A-Ha, to Pearl Jam, to Sonny and Cher, it’s a trip back in time in more ways than one.

Verdict – 50% cute, 50% heartbreaking, but then again, this applies to the entire series.