The Last of Us ‘Left Behind’ Review: Ellie’s terrific origin story reveals first love, first loss

The Last of Us takes a timeout from the journey out west to showcase Ellie’s origin of sorts with Left Behind.

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin‘s focus on love and attachment as well as the pain of loss are revisited in a more youthful fashion. Joel’s pain is clear to see and Ellie hints at a traumatic past. Left Behind flashes back to before Ellie was bitten.

If last week’s episode was a fitting showcase for Pedro Pascal and it was, then Left Behind is Bella Ramsey‘s time to shine. Ramsey is sensational in carrying an episode of the series for the first time. From the awe-inspiring look in her eyes at the mall to her angsty crush on her best friend to the expression of pure delight after Ellie kisses Riley, Ramsey is phenomenal.

Matching Ramsey every step of the way is Storm Reid as Riley. Creating a real friendship in a single episode isn’t easy. However, from the opening scene in Riley and Ellie’s dorm room, it’s easy to pick up on the dynamic between the two friends. While Riley keeps her cards close to her chest, Reid shoulder a heavier weight than Riley.

My only issue with Left Behind is the absence of a reason for the Fireflies to deny Ellie from joining alongside Riley.

The production design of the mall is dazzling. The music which includes another perfect-for-the-show Pearl Jam song also adds to the moving story.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into Left Behind. There may be some minor spoilers. The Last of US  is streaming on HBO Max.

Ellie and Riley are Left Behind

The flashback shows Ellie in FEDRA school. A bully tries to take advantage of Ellie since Riley isn’t around to fight for Ellie, which is a mistake for the bully. Ellie meets with essentially a principle. He makes it clear Ellie is full of potential but in order to realize her prospects, she needs to stay out of trouble.

She returns to her dorm room. Ellie clearly feels alone and abandoned by Riley. Luckily, Riley returns after running away. Riley reveals she joined the Fireflies. Ellie is dismayed over Riley joining a bunch of terrorists without taking her along or at least telling her.

Later in the episode, Riley reveals the reason for joining the fireflies. The principal of the FEDRA school made it clear to Riley would never receive the same opportunity as Ellie. Similar to Tommy, Joel’s brother, Riley wanted to find a place to belong and Fireflies gave her a purpose.

Riley also reveals she asked if Ellie could join the Fireflies and Marlene rejected the idea. Riley never provides a reason for this rejection.

Druckmann’s script does a great job of creating the sense of being left behind for both Ellie and Riley. Ellie is quite literally abandoned by Riley, while Riley believes Ellie is destined for better things and will leave her behind. If Riley leaves first, she can’t be abandoned like she was when her parents died. However, Riley can’t leave her best friend without saying goodbye in epic fashion, which leads the duo to an abandoned mall.

Love and the things we lose the mall

Riley brings the decrepit mall to life in an attempt to give Ellie the best night of her life. The mall is a stunning example of production design and is matched by an equally dazzling performance by Ramsey as Ellie. As the night goes along, Ellie begins to wonder why Riley’s planned such a special occasion.

Ramsey does a great job of showing Ellie’s crush on Riley. These affections don’t go unnoticed by Riley, but she’s more subtle. For instance, when they stop at a Victoria’s Secret, Riley remarks she can’t imagine Ellie wearing lingerie. Ellie deflects and Riley wanders ahead. Ellie stops, looks at her reflection in Victoria’s Secret display window and fixes her hair a little.

Ellie’s fascination with how the world worked reaches a whole new level at the mall. Her amusement over an escalator eventually paves the way for the bigger mall wonders awaiting Ellie. There’s a carousel that is bathed in warm, romantic lighting, but the showstopper is a stop at the arcade.

Riley and Ellie play Mortal Kombat II, which has a romantic competitive spirit. Without banging the audience over the head Druckmann’s created a first date episode in an apocalypse. Druckmann and director Liza Johnson excel at adding just a little bit of tension to every scene. In addition to wrestling with her emotions, Ellie knows there’s more to the evening than just a memorable night

Loss and attachment

Eventually, Riley reveals she’s leaving the Boston QZ and wanted one last night with her best friend. Ellie’s furious and storms off. However, Ellie hears a horrific scream and comes back for Riley. The scream doesn’t belong to Riley. It’s coming from the Halloween shop.

The two friends have a great conversation about their different upbringings. Riley remembers what it was like to have a family and to watch them die. Ellie doesn’t know what it’s like to belong to a family. Riley doesn’t say this to hurt Riley nor does Ellie take it that way. Riley simply wants to belong again and the fact that the Fireflies chose her means everything. Ellie makes it clear that Riley matters to her, but once Riley commits to her decision, Ellie accepts it.

Riley and Ellie put on Halloween masks and dance on the countertops. Finally, Ellie kisses Riley. Ellie apologizes to which Riley says “for what?” Then the biggest smile emerges across Ellie’s face. Then all hell breaks loose.

An infected bites Ellie and Riley. The setpiece is tension-filled, but the aftermath of the attack is more memorable. Riley sits down, resigned to her fate. An enraged Ellie begins smashing the display cases. Riley’s experienced loss before while this is Ellie’s first experience. Both believe they’re going to die and hold hands. Ellie chooses to stay attached to Riley until the very end. Druckmann and Jordan make the right decision in not showing Riley’s death.

Left Behind is bookended with scenes set in the present day. Joel is dying from the stab wound suffered in the last episode. He tells Ellie to leave. She starts to, but stops and remembers Riley, which triggers the flashback. She decides to stay attached to Joel. Ellie’s going to do everything she can to save him. If Joel does die, then Ellie’s going to be right by Joel’s side. Left Behind ends with Ellie stitching up Joel.

Left Behind final thoughts

While Joel plays only a minor role in the episode, the events of Left Behind succeed in showing how similar Joel and Ellie are to each other. Left Behind once again displays another, beautiful angle of this apocalyptic world. In Left Behind, we get to see what it’s like to be a teenager and an Ellie who isn’t saddled with saving the world.

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