REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us,’ Episode 8 – “When We Are In Need”

The Last of Us Episode 8, titled “When We Are In Need,” delivers the series’ most chilling hour to date. As Joel (Pedro Pascal) lies on death’s door, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continues to fight to keep him alive. She soon crosses paths with David (Scott Shepherd), the leader of a small settlement that’s close to where she and Joel are hiding out. But there’s a dark secret hiding underneath David’s seemingly friendly exterior, and soon both Joel and Ellie find themselves fighting to survive once more.

Once again, the bulk of the episode’s emotional weight falls on Ramsey, who’s proven that they are more than capable of carrying it at this point. But this time, they get to show how much Ellie has grown under Joel’s tutelage. A scene where Ellie hunts down a wild deer features the character using the same hunting techniques that Joel did, and when Ellie encounters David and one of his followers, the young teen keeps them at gunpoint the whole time. When they are in danger, Ellie crafts a clever strategy to outrun pursuers and keep Joel safe. Ramsey delivers a multitude of emotions throughout the episode, switching through them with ease. One minute they’re staring down the barrel of a rifle with an icy glare. The next, they’re recoiling in horror as Ellie discovers the horrors the captors are capable of.

Pascal also gets his moments to shine, particularly at the end of the episode. Joel is possessed by a calm, chilling fury when he learns that Ellie is in danger, and that fury leads to some particularly horrifying moments, especially when he corners two would-be assailants. Through all of the bloodshed that occurs, Pascal keeps his face fixed in a rigid glare. It’s enough to send chills down the spine of even the strongest viewer – and doubly so when you remember that this is one of the series’ protagonists. The fact that Pascal is willing to dig this deep into Joel and expose the character’s darker layers proves that he was the right man for the job.

However, the standout of the episode is Shepherd. Throughout the episode, he peels back the layers of David’s methodology and what’s underneath isn’t exactly pretty. But what makes it truly scary? His calm, almost genial demeanor. One minute, he’s delivering a sermon (appropriately enough from the Book of Revelation) about how the Cordyceps virus is but a trial for mankind to survive, and then he’ll turn around and backhand someone for speaking out of turn. Throughout it all, his facial expression never changes and his voice rarely raises its octave. The show previously explored how other survivors can be just as much of a threat as the infected, but Shepherd takes that to the extreme.

Director Ali Abbasi and co-showrunner Craig Mazin work together to make The Last of Us Episode 8 a well-oiled machine. Mazin’s script builds up the tension, especially during the sequence where Ellie has to protect Joel. You can almost hear a pin drop as hunters stalk through the house the duo is hiding in. Abbasi helps by letting the visuals do most of the talking. A room is awash in flames as David hunts Ellie, symbolizing the chaos broiling underneath the supposedly peaceful surface of his settlement. A dead deer lies in the snow, its gaze boring into the viewers’ eyes. But Abbasi saves the best moment for last when Joel and Ellie finally reunite. His camera lingers on the duo as they embrace, Joel hugging Ellie tight, with assurance that things are okay. It’s the perfect catharsis for such a harrowing hour of television.

The Last of Us Episode 8 blends horror and heart together for its penultimate episode, resulting in an emotional roller coaster. The stage is set for the finale and given how the series has gone so far, the finale will probably break viewers’ hearts or leave them begging for more. Or both.

The Last of Us airs new episodes on HBO and HBO Max every Sunday.