Viewers who relished in Episode 3’s poignant post-apocalyptic love story will find a similar beauty in Episode 7 of The Last Of Us. Titled “Left Behind," this chapter of the often-despairing show trades melancholy and nihilism for unadulterated joy — for the most part. A refreshing tonal shift, Episode 7 centers on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and the teen’s late best friend, Riley (Storm Reid), before Ellie meets Joel (Pedro Pascal).
HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us treats “Left Behind” as something of a bottle episode, but, unlike previous vignettes, this one is lifted directly from the game series. Recreating sequences from the game or dropping in references has proven to be a balancing act — one that HBO’s series has handled elegantly. But, as much as it can be, “Left Behind” is a shot-for-shot reenactment. So, is that a crowd-pleasing move, or does the predictability lessen the episode’s emotional impact?
Was Episode 7 Of The Last Of Us In The Game?
No, the story viewers witness in Episode 7 of The Last of Us isn’t pulled from the first game as it was when it first released in 2013. The episode takes its title, and story, from The Last of Us: Left Behind — a downloadable expansion pack that Naughty Dog released in 2014. However, the studio’s recent PlayStation 5 remake of the first game, The Last of Us: Part 1, does include Left Behind, which speaks to the impact the downloadable content (DLC) had on players as well as its significance to the larger story.
In the wake of the success of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog also found that players wanted to know more about Ellie’s (voice of Ashley Johnson) life before meeting Joel (voice of Troy Baker). In particular, fans wanted to know more about Riley Abel (voice of Yaani King), who was mentioned in the main game and a focus of Faith Erin Hicks and Neil Druckmann’s graphic novel, The Last of Us: American Dreams (2013).
Is Episode 7 Of The Last Of Us A Flashback?
While Episode 7 of The Last of Us takes place largely in the past, the extended flashback is book-ended by moments set in the present. In the show, Ellie struggles to help Joel with his gunshot wound, and rifles through an abandoned house to find supplies. This story structure is similar to the game, but also marks the episode’s biggest departure from the source material.
Left Behind tells two parallel stories: that of Ellie and Riley, who explore an abandoned Boston mall on Riley’s last night in the Quarantine Zone (QZ), and what happens between the “Fall” and “Winter” portions of the main game. As in the show, Ellie cares for an injured Joel, but the need for medical supplies takes the teen survivor to an abandoned mall in Colorado. Naughty Dog’s development team felt that contrasting these two stories against one another would not only help with the DLC’s pacing, but deepen both stories.
The show trades time spent with an injured Joel for more time in the Ellie-and-Riley flashback. It’s a narrative choice that certainly pays off for the TV medium; all viewers need to know, really, is that Joel is alive, and Ellie is determined to stitch up his wound. This also allows the series to provide a bit more world-building and framing in the past. Using The Last of Us: American Dreams as a source of inspiration, Episode 7 shows us Ellie’s life at the FEDRA-run military boarding school.
In American Dreams, Riley and Ellie meet at the school after Riley saves Ellie from some bullies. In the show, one of Ellie’s peers picks a fight, alluding to the fact that Riley’s gone and Ellie is without protection. Of course, that doesn’t stop Ellie from fighting back and landing the bully in the infirmary with 15 stitches. The commanding officer who acts as the school’s headmaster reprimands Ellie, before outlining two life paths for the teen.
Choice one? Keep messing around and disregarding authority, only to wind up a lowly patrol soldier. Choice two? Suck it up and work hard — like all future leaders do. He also reminds Ellie that FEDRA is the glue holding the world together; he claims that without FEDRA civilians would just rob and murder each other. From there, Episode 7’s extended flashback follows Ellie and Riley’s Left Behind story pretty much to a “T” — minus the Super Soakers.
What Happens to Riley in The Last of Us?
In Episode 7 of The Last of Us, Riley sneaks into Ellie’s room after midnight. Shocked to see that Riley’s alive after vanishing for three weeks — another small change from the game — Ellie is upset at first. Riley reveals that she’s a full-fledged freedom fighter now, and shows off her Firefly-issued sidearm. Ellie can’t believe it; liberating the QZ from FEDRA’s military rule feels like an incredibly dangerous pipe dream.
Not to mention, Ellie has decided to play it safe and aim for a leadership role within FEDRA — what other choice do these kids have, really? Riley is firm in her beliefs: FEDRA is a fascist organization that kills innocent civilians and pushes anti-Firefly propaganda. Plus, Riley will be 17 years old soon, which means she’ll receive her posting, and she’s choosing a third option: leave FEDRA and, hopefully, dismantle it.
Riley promises to explain everything later, but says she has something fun planned for the two of them — the best night of Ellie’s life, in fact. The best friends traverse back alleys and rooftops, avoiding FEDRA patrols until they reach an abandoned mall. Supposedly sealed off, the mall is just empty; Riley’s been hanging out there, and she’s discovered two things: the mall isn’t crawling with Infected, like FEDRA claims it is, and it’s been connected (accidentally) to FEDRA’s power grid, which means a visit to pre-pandemic life for an awestruck Ellie.
The best night of Ellie’s life involves seeing the Four Wonders of the Mall. Riley adds a fifth to their list when Ellie is amazed by the escalators. It’s incredibly endearing, and the whole fun-filled adventure allows Bella Ramsey to tap into Ellie’s goofball side — the side viewers have only seen glimpses of in the form of terrible puns lifted from Will Livingston’s joke book.
Throughout the episode, the two ride a carousel, act ridiculous in a photo booth, play Mortal Kombat II in an arcade, and visit what looks like a Spirit Halloween. Between all of that carefree fun, the best friends argue about the whole FEDRA-vs-Fireflies conundrum. Ellie takes the side of the safe, known path. For Riley, who’s set to be assigned sewage detail, the same choices aren’t readily available.
What Did Ellie Do When Riley Turned?
Riley tells Ellie that she’s been assigned to the Fireflies in the Atlanta QZ, and that it's her last night in Boston. After Ellie storms off, the two meet up again in the Halloween party store, where Riley explains that it’s different for her: not only is her pending post abysmal, and a reflection of how FEDRA views her, but she also remembers what things were like before the Cordyceps outbreak.
Unlike Ellie, Riley remembers how it felt to belong to a family. Now, the Fireflies have chosen her, and it feels like the belonging Riley has been searching for all along. “I chose you first,” Ellie says softly. It’s yet another impossible situation in this ravaged, broken world. Hoping to lighten the mood, Riley tosses Ellie a Halloween mask and, with the help of Ellie’s trusty Walkman, puts on Etta James’ rendition of “I Got You Babe.”
Ellie joins Riley on top of the counter, and the two dance and laugh. After a bit, Ellie and Riley pull off their masks. Breathlessly, Ellie asks Riley to stay — and Riley agrees. The two share a kiss, revealing their feelings for each other in a tender teen moment that makes all who are watching forget, momentarily, that the world is full of Infected. An infected Runner, drawn to the music, interrupts that fleeting joy. Riley shoots it several times. After a scuffle, Ellie stabs the Runner to death. But it’s too late. In the same tentative way the teens revealed their love for each other moments earlier, they reveal their bite marks.
Ellie smashes things and shouts — a preview of the Ellie to come in The Last of Us: Part 2 — while Riley just sinks to the floor, absorbed in thought. Riley says they’ve got two options: they can either “take the easy way out” and end things with her handgun, or they can keep fighting. Yes, they’ll turn, but they can still fight for the time they have left. “We can be all poetic and lose our minds together,” Riley says, tearful but assured. Players know Riley’s fate before Left Behind because Ellie talks about it, wondering why they both didn’t die that night. While it’s not explicitly said, Riley presumably turned, forcing Ellie to kill her or leave her behind. Regardless, “Left Behind” shapes Ellie’s character in lasting ways.
HBO’s The Last Of Us: Is A Faithful Adaptation Always A Good Thing?
So far, HBO's adaptation has skillfully blended pre-existing and new material. In Episode 5, Ellie knows about Sam’s (Keivonn Woodard) bite before he turns, for example, which adds another emotional layer to the story. In Episode 2, however, the show borrows from the games, using over-the-shoulder camera angles while Ellie and Joel sneak around Clickers to great effect.
But leveraging the game’s influences to strengthen the TV series’ impact is one thing. While “Left Behind” isn’t visually a one-to-one remake, players will know the story beats very well. So, is an extremely faithful adaptation of the game really what fans want? Or does the lack of unknowns lessen the story’s emotional resonance for players-turned-viewers? Part of what made Episode 3 so powerful was its freshness. For players, it was a new experience set in a world they already care about.
To reiterate the story’s focus, Left Behind deemphasizes combat and is all about exploring the wondrous mall and interacting with Riley, making its translation to TV pretty seamless. The only thing missing is that interactivity. There’s something so heart-rending about controlling Ellie during the teens' water-gun fight while knowing their joy will be shattered by the game’s harrowing reality. The player can’t help but feel implicated. Even though viewers are passively watching, they all know what’s looming.
Only Ellie and Riley don’t see their fate coming, which makes all the small touches that much more searing. Reid’s Riley sees the Etta James cassette in Ellie’s room and smiles, knowingly. Their once-shared room is decked in posters and other memorabilia from a bygone era, but, against all odds, these things come to life that night. And when Riley makes a comment about the lingerie in Victoria’s Secret, Ramsey’s Ellie has a nervous hair-fixing moment. The beautifully faithful adaptation of Left Behind works because The Last of Us, and Ramsey and Reid, sell viewers on the simple truth: Ellie chose Riley first — and, in the end, Riley chooses Ellie, too.
The Last of Us airs on HBO, and streams on HBO Max, every Sunday at 9 PM EST through March 12, 2023.