HBO's The Last of Us episode 7, "Left Behind," surprised fans of the game by again changing elements of the story to keep viewers on their toes.
Based on the DLC for The Last of Us of the same name, The Last of Us episode 7 introduces Riley, Ellie's best friend from the FEDRA military school. The majority of the episode takes place in flashbacks as Ellie remembers the last time she saw Riley. After sneaking back into their dorm room, Rile reveals to Ellie that she joined the Fireflies during the three weeks she was missing. The two girls leave the school grounds and spend the day at an abandoned mall. After Riley tells Ellie she'll be leaving for Atlanta in the morning, Ellie begs Riley to stay and the two share a first kiss. In the game, this is followed by an attack by a horde of infected that results in both girls being bitten and Riley succumbing to the infection. In the show, the two are attacked by a single infected, but Riley's fate remains the same.
On the episode of The Last of Us Podcast that followed episode 7, producer Neil Druckmann, who wrote The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part II, and The Last of Us: Left Behind explained why this moment was changed when adapting the game for television. "...In the game, there’s no indication until much later that there are infected, and it’s clear there are a lot more infected that ambush the player. We have the characters comment on how it should be full of infected, but Riley is correct when she says it’s not. There’s only one, that’s all it takes, and what wakes him up is the sound of their joy and laughter and fun," Druckmann said. "As much as we can, we give our characters the things they want the most, and punish them for getting it. One of the fears you have in this world is that you’re never safe enough to have fun, to fall in love and to have a first kiss."
The scene directly contrasts the attack that led to Sam's death in episode 5 "Endure and Survive." In that episode, an army of infected erupted from the ground and took many survivors down - including Sam, who succumbs overnight and is killed by Henry. Both instances show Ellie dealing with the loss of someone close to her at the hands of the infected, but Riley's death proved to Ellie early on that loss is an integral part of the world she lives in, whether she likes it or not.
Episode 7 has been compared to The Last of Us episode 3, "Long, Long Time," both for the similarities in subject matter and the fact that both episodes abandon the game's cannon in favor of emotional impact. Both episodes prominently feature queer characters and their relationships with one another, and just like how episode 3 changed Bill and Frank's story to keep the audience emotionally invested, episode 7 changed the circumstances of Riley's fate to remind the audience that a single infected can spell doom for the survivors.
Two more episodes of The Last of Us season 1 remain, and although it seems likely that the first season will end with the events of the first game, the show's writers' willingness to make changes, big and small, in the adaptation should not be taken lightly. While it could simply mean that they are willing to abandon faithfulness in favor of impactful storytelling, it could just as easily mean that even die-hard The Last of Us fans are in for a surprise when the season finale premieres.
The Last of Us episode 8 airs on Sunday, March 5th, 2023, on HBO Max.
Source: The Last of Us Podcast (via Collider)