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80s music in the mall = trouble. A-HA and that adorable Cure cover really triggered that sense of dread so that you’re always waiting for the trouble to start and ruin the wonder. Really loved how they used 80s music=trouble in this episode.
Ellie has an A-HA hits tape , seen early in the episode. I knew it was going to pop back up later ,meaning shit was going dowwwn.
There’s also an Etta James tape 😻
Imagine being 14 and being subjected to some insane level of stimuli you’ve never been subjected to before, you then have your first kiss and proceed to kill a zombie 5 minutes afterwards and cap that off thinking you and your best friend are going to die. And it’s a school night.
And then she had to see her friend/love turn and most likely had to kill her. Ellie said a few episodes back that she killed someone before so I assumed the infected is not what she meant by that so she definitely had to shoot her
EXACTLY!!! I was already filled with dread the whole episode waiting for something horrible to happen (pausing constantly, covering ears, etc) and when they showed that they were both bitten, all I could think about was what Ellie would have to do when Riley turned.
I genuinely took breaks throughout the episode. I remembered that Ellie said she got bit in a mall in one of the earlier episodes, so even though I knew how things were going to end for Ellie and Riley, I found the episode extremely suspenseful.
Ugh... and here's yet another character (Riley) that the show immediately got me attached to and just as quickly took away.
Okay, but Riley saying that the Fireflies have successfully overthrown Fedra in other QZs and put things to right in those places compared to Marlene admitting to Kim in episode one that they haven't beaten Fedra anywhere in 20 years. Maaaaaaann, the Fireflies are FULL OF SHIT and that was totally propaganda they fed their child soldier recruit.
They were also sending her to Atlanta. As far as we know the only thing happening in Atlanta is the manufacture of drugs and bullets. Why send a 17 year old kid? Marlene said she was impressed by her dodging FEDRA guards- I assume they were going to make her a smuggler.
I'm super curious to hear more of Ellie's story in getting caught up with them. My guess is that she waited there until Riley turned, and Marlene shows up to find Ellie hasn't, thus realizing Ellie may be immune and leading to Ellie we saw in the first episodes. But I could be wrong. Will be interesting to see if they show that or just leave it open.
We might see what happened when Riley turned. That would be a pivotal moment, especially if Ellie is the one who had to put her down. There could be another flashback - or she may simply tell Joel about it. Like Ozlin said Marlene probably showed up looking for Riley and found Ellie there.
Removing recruits from their home turf is actually in pretty common strategy in terrorist/freedom fighter groups. It takes away the temptation of running away back home, partially.
Hey thanks! We took over a shut down mall and spent 2 months busting our ass on it. It was the most fun build of the show plus we rode our skateboards around everywhere in there! The arcade was fully built from scratch and we re did like 30 stores. It was a ton of work but we got er done!
I feel like you should do an AMA at some point! Saw this and your other comment about the hotel lobby pool -- such cool insights as a fan, thanks for sharing. :)
That's what I thought about the hotel lobby that was filled with water in episode 2. I mean how expensive was that to create. They're really going all out for this series.
That's what you get when you have 10 - 15 million dollar budget per episode. Almost every show from HBO is great, many of them are among the shows that are considered the best of all time. They have a lot of money, and they know how to spend it to make a show great.
The parallel between the captain giving Ellie two options for her future at the start of the episode and Riley giving Ellie two options for how they should spend their remaining time together… Ellie never gets a choice, she’s forced into a third option
Her smile after that moment killed me (in a good way). That was genuinely the smile of someone finding out their crush likes them back and I felt that fluttery joy in my bones
Definitely. I'm really digging the way this show is handling the found family trope. I mean the parallel between Riley and Ellie sort of developing trust for figures in their lives they don't fully understand is nice. And it kind of feels like this bond between Joel and Ellie has become more grounded and authentic, whereas before it seemed like Ellie has become a surrogate for his unresolved trauma surrounding the loss of his daughter.
so true. while obviously Joel sees Ellie as a daughter it's also been the only constant in his world for four plus months in a world where people die all the time. it's likely that the only other people he'd spent more time with since the outbreak are Tommy and Tess. even without the daughter aspect this is someone he absolutely loves and has spent an immense amount of time bonding with which I feel like adds a whole other layer to their relationship
It was adorable. That's when I knew *for sure* she loved her, but even before then Ellie was indicating as much with more subtle hints. Like the question "you planned stuff?"
But the very first hint for me was when Ellie was self-conscious about undressing in front of Riley. Riley reaction indicates that normally that sort of stuff is no big deal between girls, especially roommates, especially best friends, especially in a military/boarding school. That made me go "yeah, Ellie likes her" lol
I thought there was something when the FEDRA girl, who got beat up, said “your FRIEND does the fighting.” The way she accentuated friend made me think that she suspected something more
And spends most of that three weeks chained to a radiator. The Fireflies likely found Ellie the next day as they would’ve gone to pick up Riley to go to Atlanta.
Yah I was thinking the same thing. Ellie never makes it back to FEDRA camp. She figured out that Riley was posted at the mall to guard the bombs, so it’s likely the Fireflies will come looking when she doesn’t report back. And they’ll find Ellie with a bite on her arm and a dead turnt Riley. I don’t think they need to show it, but it’s pretty clear this is how Ellie ended up with Marlene.
so what do y'all think happened after the end of the flashback? we know that ellie does not develop an infection and we have to assume that riley did.
did riley start to show symptoms and try to attack ellie, like sam?
did ellie have to kill riley?
did the fireflies show up (since they had riley posted in the mall) and find the two of them?
ellie is wearing the same outfit that she was wearing in episode 1 so we have to assume that she goes straight from the mall to the fireflies but i really want to know what happened in that first 24 hours after they both got bit.
>**Ellie:** So you leave me, I think you're dead. All of a sudden, you're alive. And you give me this night, this amazing fucking night. And now you're leaving again— forever— to join some cause I don't even think you understand. Tell me I'm wrong.
>**Riley:** I think... that you don't know everything. You don't know what it was like to have a family, to belong. I mean, I didn't have them for long, but I had them. I belonged to them... and I want that again. Maybe the Fireflies aren't what I think they are, but they chose me. I matter to them.
>**Ellie:** You mattered to me first. Goddamn I want to punch you so bad right now.
>**Riley:** If it makes you hate me less.
This was such a pivotal conversation that explained so much about Ellie's character and how she relates to the world (especially Joel). Props go to both the writing and acting for making sure it never feels like a soulless exposition dump. Bella and Storm performed the hell out of this scene with such warmth, regret, and subtlety
This episode brings a new weight to that scene in episode three where Ellie stabbed the trapped infected in the head. I bet she was thinking that if she had known how to kill them properly in the mall, she could have saved her friend.
It was also interesting to me that she was stabbing the side like you would if you were attacked by a human. I think this shows that FEDRA school only teaches you/ trains in human to human combat?
Didn’t Ellie specifically reference that earlier in the ep, where she’s training to kill Fireflies.
Infected seem to be basically a background existence at this point in the QZ inhabitants’ lives, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the focus around infected is less “here’s how we kill them,” and more “please stay away and don’t get bit thx”
When she’s talking to that principal or whoever after the fight with Bethany and he’s listing off the way FEDRA grunts die he mentions Fireflies, drunken mishaps, and getting tangled up in military hardware, and doesn’t mention infected. The fact that he considered all 3 of those to be more likely fates than being bit suggests to me that the average FEDRA soldier is rarely if ever dealing with infected. 20 years in I’m guessing any QZ still standing has more or less cleared them out, or at least driven them back like in KC
Yeah, I thought about that. I wondered what reason she had for telling Joel her school was really shitty. Failing to teach its students how to kill infected would certainly qualify.
Yeah but if they actually cared about more than maintaining their control, they surely would have added a semester of "the types of infected and how to kill them".
Those were American Girl dolls in there with the infected guy, and one was the 2021 Girl of the Year. Needless to say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Really though, I can't get over how good the sets are on this show! It's amazing to me the extent they were willing to go for single episodes.
Hahaha I love that you could tell that! The set decorators were probably like “it’s too hard to find 2003 accurate American Girl dolls…nobody’s gonna know…”
This is definitely what they were going for. And it would be the only mall in walking distance besides the Prudential Center which does not have the structure of a typical mall (like we saw in the episode). The Square One mall is in Saugus and would be too far away.
I really liked this episode not just for some of Ellie’s backstory, but also the little things we learn about FEDRA and the QZ. It also finally hit home how culture was just frozen in 2003 because of the outbreak.
And now we know that Ellie was lying to Tess when she told her that she broke into the mall by herself in the second episode.
I’ll admit that I laughed when they revealed that the infected that would eventually bite Ellie came from the American Girl store.
Love seeing kids just being able to be kids. Finding love in an abandoned shopping mall and having their futures extinguished by a shroom zombie. There's a simplicity in that we can all relate to.
I started to think how weird it was that a mall had a permanent halloween store, but then I remembered the outbreak was in late september and it’s like oh yeah that was probably an out of business radio shack until about 9 days before the outbreak
May be a weird thought, I saw a “little” Ellie. The super young girl. The Ellie we know now is a bit hardened, older. I don’t know if I only just noticed it or if they do it a lot but a lot of the camera angles on Bella were pointed downwards. Making her seem even more little next to Riley. Just gave me the “Ellie was a kid-kid” vibe.
Bella is just phenomenal.
There was the tiniest amount of innocence left in Ellie in this episode -- her reaction to the escalators, the looks she was giving Riley all episode, and the kiss that they shared. To have that all vanish in the course of a few weeks is just devastating...
And clean that mo fo. You're just sewing in a likely infection at that point. But, it's a show.
Though (having not played the games before) watching Joel slowly die from an infection over the next 2 episodes doesn't feel like it's off the table lol.
The bar is really low but this is probably one of the happiest endings of an episode so far. See you guys next Sunday to be emotionally devastated again!
> this is probably one of the happiest endings of an episode so far
i know joel got stabbed last episode but seeing two young people in love get bitten by infected is a little sadder to me. unless you mean the very end then yeah that's fair lmao
Riley broke my heart with her "I'm sorry." As far as she knows she got her best friend and crush killed. Yet even then she tried to make the best of the time they had left. Damn, what a cruel world.
All I could think is where’s some goddamn rubbing alcohol when you need it. Survive that stab wound only to be taken down by a germ. I guess not that different from the fungus!
I literally couldn't enjoy ANY of the sweet moments during this episode because I was so stressed waiting for what i knew was coming. also I can't get over fact that ellie and riley probably were just sitting in there while riley slowly turned, and ellie had to watch her best friend disappear while nothing was happening to her. I'm SICK to my stomach rn
Seriously! After they showed the infected my heart rate sky rocketed and stayed there until the end of the episode. I was *so stressed*! And then we didn't get to see the conclusion, my body is struggling lol
Yes, every time they got me with their fake outs.
“No, don’t get out the carousel, it’ll lunge at you as you turn the corner.”
“No, don’t lock yourselves in the photo both! There’s no escape!”
“No, all that noise at the arcade that’ll be like a clicker magnet!”
“Oh, no Ellie dont’ follow that scream. Run!”
I spent the whole time stressed as hell. The show runners definitely took Quentin Tarantino’s advice on just leaving the bomb in plain view and letting the scene go on and go on and go on.
Joel is alive. He’s not bleeding to death. He’s getting stitches. No one else died (yet) other than a clicker. This is the happiest ending we’ve had so far!
Edit: stalker, not clicker. Thanks to those who corrected me. Tbh, I don’t really know if the difference has been explained in the show yet, and I haven’t played the game. I’m just trying to enjoy a good show here lol
OH MY GOD THANK YOU. Literally all episode I was like damn where have I seen her in this show. Didn’t even think about the fact it was in euphoria I saw her
Not sure which tension was the heaviest:
1. The sexual tension between ellie and Riley
2. The narrative tension of when the zombie will come out
3. The tension of whether the glass they were dancing on will break
Oh man having myself been a love sick teenage girl once I can fully say our girl Bella absolutely nailed the feelings of *yearning*
The sideways glances! The long pauses! The flirty smirks!
Hats off for sure.
I wonder if we're going to get to see what happens with Ellie and Riley after being bit? Do they wait things out and eventually Riley turns and Ellie has to put her down?
Ellie did say she has had to kill before. I bet Riley turned, tried to attack Ellie, and Ellie had to put her down, and that is the life Ellie referred to taking.
I almost hope they don’t show it. We know at the end of it, only Ellie makes it out of the mall, and she’s said she’s had to use a gun before. We know exactly what happens already.
I really love that this show is willing to have not one but TWO queer love stories! And I didn’t see either one coming! I love that they actually let them have a kiss, I thought it would be an unspoken thing that was left up to debate whether or not Ellie might be crushing. Nothing felt forced, it was just sweet and genuine.
This really hit me. As a gay man, I remember having moments like those with boys (even at the mall!) - lingering glances, jokes, moments I was worried about reading too much into. I didn’t get to kiss the boy though, and when I was much younger, scenes like that in movies either didn’t exist or didn’t turn out that way. I’m just happy that a young queer girl somewhere can see this.
What’s more - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a TV show that has TWO separate and well-written queer stories that DOESN’T make it a marketing gimmick. There was no lead up or hint that this would be a show with queer characters, it really just treats us like people, and doesn’t pander at all. This show will always have my respect for that.
Ellie staring at the Victoria’s Secret display is the most relatable queer kid moment ever.
The same way I would always find myself the underwear aisle, staring at the models on the Fruit of the Loom briefs packages.
This episode was definitely *needed* for Ellie.
I always say that an episode isn't filler if it establishes important information about a characters background or personality.
A note on **SPOILERS**: Please do **NOT** discuss or refer to the **games** in this thread **AT ALL**. Do not post your reviews/comparisons in this thread if you've **played the games**. For that, use the **[game spoilers thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThelastofusHBOseries/comments/11d0tfv/game_spoilers_the_last_of_us_1x07_left_behind/)**. Violation of this will result in a **BAN**. Click **[HERE](https://forms.gle/M16hn66JkVf748ak8)** to take the post episode survey! Results will be posted on Thursday. **Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/tloutv) community!**
80s music in the mall = trouble. A-HA and that adorable Cure cover really triggered that sense of dread so that you’re always waiting for the trouble to start and ruin the wonder. Really loved how they used 80s music=trouble in this episode.
Ellie has an A-HA hits tape , seen early in the episode. I knew it was going to pop back up later ,meaning shit was going dowwwn. There’s also an Etta James tape 😻
Imagine being 14 and being subjected to some insane level of stimuli you’ve never been subjected to before, you then have your first kiss and proceed to kill a zombie 5 minutes afterwards and cap that off thinking you and your best friend are going to die. And it’s a school night.
And then she had to see her friend/love turn and most likely had to kill her. Ellie said a few episodes back that she killed someone before so I assumed the infected is not what she meant by that so she definitely had to shoot her
EXACTLY!!! I was already filled with dread the whole episode waiting for something horrible to happen (pausing constantly, covering ears, etc) and when they showed that they were both bitten, all I could think about was what Ellie would have to do when Riley turned.
I genuinely took breaks throughout the episode. I remembered that Ellie said she got bit in a mall in one of the earlier episodes, so even though I knew how things were going to end for Ellie and Riley, I found the episode extremely suspenseful. Ugh... and here's yet another character (Riley) that the show immediately got me attached to and just as quickly took away.
Okay, but Riley saying that the Fireflies have successfully overthrown Fedra in other QZs and put things to right in those places compared to Marlene admitting to Kim in episode one that they haven't beaten Fedra anywhere in 20 years. Maaaaaaann, the Fireflies are FULL OF SHIT and that was totally propaganda they fed their child soldier recruit.
They were also sending her to Atlanta. As far as we know the only thing happening in Atlanta is the manufacture of drugs and bullets. Why send a 17 year old kid? Marlene said she was impressed by her dodging FEDRA guards- I assume they were going to make her a smuggler.
I'm super curious to hear more of Ellie's story in getting caught up with them. My guess is that she waited there until Riley turned, and Marlene shows up to find Ellie hasn't, thus realizing Ellie may be immune and leading to Ellie we saw in the first episodes. But I could be wrong. Will be interesting to see if they show that or just leave it open.
I don't think it will be shown, it's told the story already by implication.
We might see what happened when Riley turned. That would be a pivotal moment, especially if Ellie is the one who had to put her down. There could be another flashback - or she may simply tell Joel about it. Like Ozlin said Marlene probably showed up looking for Riley and found Ellie there.
Removing recruits from their home turf is actually in pretty common strategy in terrorist/freedom fighter groups. It takes away the temptation of running away back home, partially.
No good guys in the last of us. Everything is very grey.
Shoutout to the set designers/makers for this episode cause ***holy shit***
Hey thanks! We took over a shut down mall and spent 2 months busting our ass on it. It was the most fun build of the show plus we rode our skateboards around everywhere in there! The arcade was fully built from scratch and we re did like 30 stores. It was a ton of work but we got er done!
I feel like you should do an AMA at some point! Saw this and your other comment about the hotel lobby pool -- such cool insights as a fan, thanks for sharing. :)
AHH yall did an amazing job on the arcade! That sounds so fun skateboarding around an empty mall <3 thanks for taking the time to comment :)
That's what I thought about the hotel lobby that was filled with water in episode 2. I mean how expensive was that to create. They're really going all out for this series.
That's what you get when you have 10 - 15 million dollar budget per episode. Almost every show from HBO is great, many of them are among the shows that are considered the best of all time. They have a lot of money, and they know how to spend it to make a show great.
Right? The arcade was gorgeous - I loved all the neon lights.
*Sees new character on episode preview screen* Internally prepares to be emotionally tormented
The parallel between the captain giving Ellie two options for her future at the start of the episode and Riley giving Ellie two options for how they should spend their remaining time together… Ellie never gets a choice, she’s forced into a third option
Joel finally gave her a choice though in staying with him
Really puts into perspective Ellie’s instantaneous decision last episode when Joel says “You get to choose..”
But what do you call an alligator in a vest?!? No but seriously I loved the exchange of “I’m sorry” and “For what?”
An investigator
Her smile after that moment killed me (in a good way). That was genuinely the smile of someone finding out their crush likes them back and I felt that fluttery joy in my bones
The episode began with Ellie giving Bethany stitches in anger and ended with her giving Joel stitches out of love!
It’s clear after this that Ellie and Joel can’t afford to lose each other. The holding of the hands spoke volumes.
Definitely. I'm really digging the way this show is handling the found family trope. I mean the parallel between Riley and Ellie sort of developing trust for figures in their lives they don't fully understand is nice. And it kind of feels like this bond between Joel and Ellie has become more grounded and authentic, whereas before it seemed like Ellie has become a surrogate for his unresolved trauma surrounding the loss of his daughter.
so true. while obviously Joel sees Ellie as a daughter it's also been the only constant in his world for four plus months in a world where people die all the time. it's likely that the only other people he'd spent more time with since the outbreak are Tommy and Tess. even without the daughter aspect this is someone he absolutely loves and has spent an immense amount of time bonding with which I feel like adds a whole other layer to their relationship
Was Ellie fixing her hair for Riley? That was so cute
It was adorable. That's when I knew *for sure* she loved her, but even before then Ellie was indicating as much with more subtle hints. Like the question "you planned stuff?" But the very first hint for me was when Ellie was self-conscious about undressing in front of Riley. Riley reaction indicates that normally that sort of stuff is no big deal between girls, especially roommates, especially best friends, especially in a military/boarding school. That made me go "yeah, Ellie likes her" lol
I thought there was something when the FEDRA girl, who got beat up, said “your FRIEND does the fighting.” The way she accentuated friend made me think that she suspected something more
And back again, we head to the withdrawal phase of the week
What are you talking about, I can quit The Last of Us whenever I want! *Scratching forearms*
also can we talk about Joel returning Ellie's hand embrace <3 ... ***i cri***
What got me is him gripping her arm when she is stitching him up. Such a moment of vulnerability for him and she is his only rock in that moment.
I could not, her refusing to leave him and him finally accepting that she was taking care of him was the sweetest moment
Kudos to Bella Ramsey for portraying, for a second time, a young woman I would follow to hell.
He was fully prepared to die alone... the few tears and the look of fear were very intense.
Did anyone else just have really high anxiety until the infected showed up? Lol
I was tense and really nervous the whole time because I knew it was coming!
I was so stressed the entire episode. I finally was able to breathe again once he finally showed up.
Bella’s eyes do so much
The way she expresses all her emotions in her eyes. Unbelievable
That expression when the mall lights up for the first time. Perfection.
You know what hits hard? Remembering that Ellie meets Joel and Tess only three weeks after the night in the mall.
And spends most of that three weeks chained to a radiator. The Fireflies likely found Ellie the next day as they would’ve gone to pick up Riley to go to Atlanta.
Yah I was thinking the same thing. Ellie never makes it back to FEDRA camp. She figured out that Riley was posted at the mall to guard the bombs, so it’s likely the Fireflies will come looking when she doesn’t report back. And they’ll find Ellie with a bite on her arm and a dead turnt Riley. I don’t think they need to show it, but it’s pretty clear this is how Ellie ended up with Marlene.
She’s wonderful. Kid’s an absolute revelation.
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so what do y'all think happened after the end of the flashback? we know that ellie does not develop an infection and we have to assume that riley did. did riley start to show symptoms and try to attack ellie, like sam? did ellie have to kill riley? did the fireflies show up (since they had riley posted in the mall) and find the two of them? ellie is wearing the same outfit that she was wearing in episode 1 so we have to assume that she goes straight from the mall to the fireflies but i really want to know what happened in that first 24 hours after they both got bit.
>**Ellie:** So you leave me, I think you're dead. All of a sudden, you're alive. And you give me this night, this amazing fucking night. And now you're leaving again— forever— to join some cause I don't even think you understand. Tell me I'm wrong. >**Riley:** I think... that you don't know everything. You don't know what it was like to have a family, to belong. I mean, I didn't have them for long, but I had them. I belonged to them... and I want that again. Maybe the Fireflies aren't what I think they are, but they chose me. I matter to them. >**Ellie:** You mattered to me first. Goddamn I want to punch you so bad right now. >**Riley:** If it makes you hate me less. This was such a pivotal conversation that explained so much about Ellie's character and how she relates to the world (especially Joel). Props go to both the writing and acting for making sure it never feels like a soulless exposition dump. Bella and Storm performed the hell out of this scene with such warmth, regret, and subtlety
One of the best scenes of the episode. That idea of belonging in relation to Ellie really packed a punch.
This episode brings a new weight to that scene in episode three where Ellie stabbed the trapped infected in the head. I bet she was thinking that if she had known how to kill them properly in the mall, she could have saved her friend.
It was also interesting to me that she was stabbing the side like you would if you were attacked by a human. I think this shows that FEDRA school only teaches you/ trains in human to human combat?
Didn’t Ellie specifically reference that earlier in the ep, where she’s training to kill Fireflies. Infected seem to be basically a background existence at this point in the QZ inhabitants’ lives, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the focus around infected is less “here’s how we kill them,” and more “please stay away and don’t get bit thx”
When she’s talking to that principal or whoever after the fight with Bethany and he’s listing off the way FEDRA grunts die he mentions Fireflies, drunken mishaps, and getting tangled up in military hardware, and doesn’t mention infected. The fact that he considered all 3 of those to be more likely fates than being bit suggests to me that the average FEDRA soldier is rarely if ever dealing with infected. 20 years in I’m guessing any QZ still standing has more or less cleared them out, or at least driven them back like in KC
Yeah, I thought about that. I wondered what reason she had for telling Joel her school was really shitty. Failing to teach its students how to kill infected would certainly qualify.
To be fair most fedra does is probably fight and kill people rather than infected
Yeah but if they actually cared about more than maintaining their control, they surely would have added a semester of "the types of infected and how to kill them".
Hey, Ellie’s only 14. Maybe they do zombie killing in the junior year curriculum
Great catch, that tracks for her having survivors guilt.
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Thank you! I didn’t notice he still used his eyes. He just looked infected for so long that I guessed he was a clicker.
I was hiding behind a pillow the entire episode for this exact reason.
The Boston mall looks like that today. Great job from the set designers!
Those were American Girl dolls in there with the infected guy, and one was the 2021 Girl of the Year. Needless to say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. Really though, I can't get over how good the sets are on this show! It's amazing to me the extent they were willing to go for single episodes.
Hahaha I love that you could tell that! The set decorators were probably like “it’s too hard to find 2003 accurate American Girl dolls…nobody’s gonna know…”
Definitely had Cambridgeside Galleria vibes.
This is definitely what they were going for. And it would be the only mall in walking distance besides the Prudential Center which does not have the structure of a typical mall (like we saw in the episode). The Square One mall is in Saugus and would be too far away.
I say this every week but man Bella rules. Her and Storm did so great.
Storm crushed it. The post episode breakdown “we needed someone at her talent level” she delivered
Her GRIN after they smooched almost made me cry. It was so genuine. Truly encapsulated that giddy feeling of a first kiss, especially at that age!
I really liked this episode not just for some of Ellie’s backstory, but also the little things we learn about FEDRA and the QZ. It also finally hit home how culture was just frozen in 2003 because of the outbreak. And now we know that Ellie was lying to Tess when she told her that she broke into the mall by herself in the second episode. I’ll admit that I laughed when they revealed that the infected that would eventually bite Ellie came from the American Girl store.
Love seeing kids just being able to be kids. Finding love in an abandoned shopping mall and having their futures extinguished by a shroom zombie. There's a simplicity in that we can all relate to.
As a Halloween enthusiast, falling in love in an abandonded knock off Spirit Halloween is kinda my dream.
I started to think how weird it was that a mall had a permanent halloween store, but then I remembered the outbreak was in late september and it’s like oh yeah that was probably an out of business radio shack until about 9 days before the outbreak
Radio Shack was kicking ass and taking names in 2003.
Ellie's amazement at something as seemingly mundane as an escalator was really touching to me. Just shows how much these kids have missed out on.
I grew up in a small town without them, so when we took trips to big cities it definitely threw child-me for a loop.
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I was so sure they were going to get jumped in the photo booth.
This is a big mood. I spent the entire episode just anxious waiting for it.
That carousel version of just like heaven?? SWOON!
Such a shame that '80's means trouble. That look on Ellie's face! I'm so glad they got to share their feelings with each other though.
THERE IT IS! As soon as I heard 80’s tunes my brain went into trouble mode. Was hoping others saw the same thing.
Wait .. Wait ...... And Ellie is The Cure.
I know, that was awesome. I thought the song in the photobooth was a cover too, it sounded familiar but I couldn’t hear it well enough to place it.
The way this show makes my Apple Watch notify me that my heart rate is too high
May be a weird thought, I saw a “little” Ellie. The super young girl. The Ellie we know now is a bit hardened, older. I don’t know if I only just noticed it or if they do it a lot but a lot of the camera angles on Bella were pointed downwards. Making her seem even more little next to Riley. Just gave me the “Ellie was a kid-kid” vibe. Bella is just phenomenal.
Even wilder considering she meets Joel only 3 weeks later.
Having to kill your best friend will age you
There was the tiniest amount of innocence left in Ellie in this episode -- her reaction to the escalators, the looks she was giving Riley all episode, and the kiss that they shared. To have that all vanish in the course of a few weeks is just devastating...
Not surprising how it ended up but it was still sad. With a wound like that, I’m not sure just stitching the external wound is gonna do much.
And clean that mo fo. You're just sewing in a likely infection at that point. But, it's a show. Though (having not played the games before) watching Joel slowly die from an infection over the next 2 episodes doesn't feel like it's off the table lol.
“Don’t go” these gays are trying to murder me, my heart can’t take it Real talk though, Bella is phenomenal. She knocks it out of the park.
*They're trying to murder me for my money, so they can decorate their house or some shit!*
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It's actually a quote from the Queen of Sicily
That unspoken "dialogue" between Ellie and Joel right as the sewing began...
Look at what these apocalyptic homosexuals have done to me Michael.
I mean it’s one photo booth film Riley, what could it cost, $5?
The gay agenda finally makes itself known Death by broken hearts for all
Well, cool, the trend of odd number episodes ripping my heart to shreds continues. Can't wait for the finale, Craig.
The bar is really low but this is probably one of the happiest endings of an episode so far. See you guys next Sunday to be emotionally devastated again!
Joel laughing at the diarrhea joke feels like ages ago...
Loved the computer and screenshots joke this episode tho and it was even better that they didn’t get it lol
> this is probably one of the happiest endings of an episode so far i know joel got stabbed last episode but seeing two young people in love get bitten by infected is a little sadder to me. unless you mean the very end then yeah that's fair lmao
Riley broke my heart with her "I'm sorry." As far as she knows she got her best friend and crush killed. Yet even then she tried to make the best of the time they had left. Damn, what a cruel world.
Nothing is going to top Frank and Bill for happy endings
I like that the infected waited until the relevant dialogue was complete.
So polite
Hey, he may be an infected but that doesn't mean he can't be an LGBTQ ally, he let them have their moment.
Not only is he considerate and an LGBTQ ally, he seems like a Fungi.
You're no Will Livingston
Yeah, but who is?
This comment has BodiesBodiesBodies vibes
Infected are romantics at heart, just think about how they welcomed Tess
Ah Tess. RIP. She was such a fungal!
Americans have access to really high level Halloween masks, I’ve never seen a creepy clown like that in my country.
Americans take their Halloween very seriously.
Halloween is the American Holiday par excellence.
Ellie gave Bethany stitches, Ellie gave Joel stitches
And Ellie and Riley had each other in stitches (with those puns)
Omfg
The tension was so strong waiting for the Infected to pop out knowing the mall was where Ellie got bit….
All I could think is where’s some goddamn rubbing alcohol when you need it. Survive that stab wound only to be taken down by a germ. I guess not that different from the fungus!
For real, it really bothered me mentally that she didn’t sterilize the needle first.
My anxiety throughout the episode waiting for the clicker to pop out 📈
My anxiety was 📈 when Ellie was jumping on the glass counter…
I literally couldn't enjoy ANY of the sweet moments during this episode because I was so stressed waiting for what i knew was coming. also I can't get over fact that ellie and riley probably were just sitting in there while riley slowly turned, and ellie had to watch her best friend disappear while nothing was happening to her. I'm SICK to my stomach rn
Seriously! After they showed the infected my heart rate sky rocketed and stayed there until the end of the episode. I was *so stressed*! And then we didn't get to see the conclusion, my body is struggling lol
you were stress-free until then??? i was stressed out beyond belief as soon as they entered the mall!
Yes, every time they got me with their fake outs. “No, don’t get out the carousel, it’ll lunge at you as you turn the corner.” “No, don’t lock yourselves in the photo both! There’s no escape!” “No, all that noise at the arcade that’ll be like a clicker magnet!” “Oh, no Ellie dont’ follow that scream. Run!” I spent the whole time stressed as hell. The show runners definitely took Quentin Tarantino’s advice on just leaving the bomb in plain view and letting the scene go on and go on and go on.
Joel is alive. He’s not bleeding to death. He’s getting stitches. No one else died (yet) other than a clicker. This is the happiest ending we’ve had so far! Edit: stalker, not clicker. Thanks to those who corrected me. Tbh, I don’t really know if the difference has been explained in the show yet, and I haven’t played the game. I’m just trying to enjoy a good show here lol
Happy in the current timeline. Flashback wasn’t too happy
Euphoria ruined any and all scenes with merry go rounds for me. All I could think about lmao but solid episode all around
Wasn’t that Rues little sister as well in this ep
OH MY GOD THANK YOU. Literally all episode I was like damn where have I seen her in this show. Didn’t even think about the fact it was in euphoria I saw her
Also maybe it’s because Storm Reid was on screen but the cinematography really reminded me of Euphoria. The neon lights and all.
The whole mall set was fucking magical. That's some award winning cinematography right there.
it felt like a dream
That set was phenomenal
Not sure which tension was the heaviest: 1. The sexual tension between ellie and Riley 2. The narrative tension of when the zombie will come out 3. The tension of whether the glass they were dancing on will break
It was the glass for me, for sure.
All the tight shots of their feet on the glass made me so damn nervous.
Two tragically beautiful love stories? In my zombie apocalypse show? It's more likely than you think.
Was Bill and Frank actually tragic though? Their relationship flourished until they were both ready to go. I just felt it was simply beautiful.
Is that Rue's sister?
Oh man having myself been a love sick teenage girl once I can fully say our girl Bella absolutely nailed the feelings of *yearning* The sideways glances! The long pauses! The flirty smirks! Hats off for sure.
Ellie came full circle and gave two different people stitches!
Bella Ramsey is friggen incredible. Holy
Love how Victoria’s Secret can still make women self-conscious even 20 years into the apocalypse!
I had to rewind and rewatch the scene of her freak-out panic when she notices her bite mark. So perfect.
“Facial” acting was stellar in this one. Bella looked genuinely smitten all episode, I almost forgot she was performing
That moment on the carousel when she almost reaches out for Riley, but then just re-grips the horse/pole.
Eyes so bright and for what Bella?! For WHAT?!
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I may be overthinking, but the use of “Take on Me” was definitely intentional right? 80’s mean danger right?
So you’re telling me that the mall escalators in the Last of Us zombie apocalypse work, but not in my local mall?!?!?
I wonder if we're going to get to see what happens with Ellie and Riley after being bit? Do they wait things out and eventually Riley turns and Ellie has to put her down?
This is probably what Ellie meant when she told Joel it wasn’t her first time shooting someone
Ellie did say she has had to kill before. I bet Riley turned, tried to attack Ellie, and Ellie had to put her down, and that is the life Ellie referred to taking.
I almost hope they don’t show it. We know at the end of it, only Ellie makes it out of the mall, and she’s said she’s had to use a gun before. We know exactly what happens already.
I don’t want to know :(
All my homies hate Carol.
And Bethany
Bitches get stitches.
Bella Ramsey, as always, was phenomenal in this episode.
Bella acts with her eyes the same way Emilia Clarke uses her eyebrows. They're way more expressive than anyone else's I've seen.
Those looks at Riley when Riley was looking elsewhere. Bella is phenomenal and my gay heart can’t take it.
Never entered an American Girl Doll store, never will now
I really love that this show is willing to have not one but TWO queer love stories! And I didn’t see either one coming! I love that they actually let them have a kiss, I thought it would be an unspoken thing that was left up to debate whether or not Ellie might be crushing. Nothing felt forced, it was just sweet and genuine. This really hit me. As a gay man, I remember having moments like those with boys (even at the mall!) - lingering glances, jokes, moments I was worried about reading too much into. I didn’t get to kiss the boy though, and when I was much younger, scenes like that in movies either didn’t exist or didn’t turn out that way. I’m just happy that a young queer girl somewhere can see this. What’s more - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a TV show that has TWO separate and well-written queer stories that DOESN’T make it a marketing gimmick. There was no lead up or hint that this would be a show with queer characters, it really just treats us like people, and doesn’t pander at all. This show will always have my respect for that.
I liked that they did the drunk computer pun and how they wouldn't know what a screenshot was.
Stellar from Bella.... Again.
Bellar
especially that scream when she realized she was bit
Ellie staring at the Victoria’s Secret display is the most relatable queer kid moment ever. The same way I would always find myself the underwear aisle, staring at the models on the Fruit of the Loom briefs packages.
She was willing to try that thong for Riley lol
I thought she was about to snatch it off the rack tbh
Riley: I’m imagining you in that Ellie: 🏳️🌈?
Sears cataloges must've been worth gold
I’m so glad all of us queer kids had the same pivotal moments in our lives 😭😂
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For me it was making Riley turn around when she got changed.
The Cure on the merry-go-round was a cute touch.
The song was nice too 😉
Ellie obviously had to watch Riley die and I really felt that when her and Joel look at each other before she gave him stitches.
Bethany deserves 16 stitch’s. Don’t mess with someone’s music…
Especially Eddie Vedder/PJ!
This episode was definitely *needed* for Ellie. I always say that an episode isn't filler if it establishes important information about a characters background or personality.
Probably get one more flashback with how they resolve this, and then Marlene discovers she’s got the magic blood
That’s what I assumed as well. Marlene finding her hours later not getting sick and that brings us to Ellie being quarantined in that same outfit.
Great ep but ffs DON’T MAKE NOISE, SO MUCH NOISE, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING SO MUCH NOISE ALWAYS THATS THEIR PRIMARY SENSE
Ellie parked the horse in the garage lol. It makes sense, but it’s a funny image.
Bella and Riley not knowing how to pose for a picture. Brilliant.