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Jun 18, 1980 · The second installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, featuring Luke Skywalker's Jedi training, Han Solo's rescue, and the Empire's pursuit. IMDb provides cast and crew information, user and critic reviews, trivia, goofs, quotes, and more for this classic sci-fi adventure.
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- Escape from Kansas City
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- The Last of Us: Episode 5 Review
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By Simon Cardy
Updated: Feb 19, 2023 4:11 am
Posted: Feb 11, 2023 3:00 am
This review contains full spoilers for episode five of The Last of Us, now available to view on HBO Max. To stay spoiler-free, check out our The Last of Us Season 1 Review.
Very much the second part of last week’s Kansas City adventure, episode 5 of HBO’s The Last of Us is equal parts thrilling and distressing. Fugitive brothers Henry and Sam add a welcome layer of warmth to Joel and Ellie’s relationship, helping our protagonists progress on both their physical and emotional journeys, as well as leading them to one of the action high points in the series. It’s an unforgettable and explosive end to a powder keg of a chapter whose fuse steadily burned throughout this and the previous episode.
This ending comes in two segments, each presenting the two distinctly different horrors of the world of The Last of Us. The first plays out over an extended action scene that rides crashing waves after a spell of calm(er) sea. Joel’s sniper standoff is a sequence ripped straight from the game and presented with an equal amount of tension. The tight, scrambling cinematography that follows him really helps to reflect the scene’s taut atmosphere, only to be later broken by a single gunshot and the rumble of Kathleen’s trucks. Melanie Lynskey’s sinister turn as Kathleen continues superbly, which persists even after we are shown a softer side to her as her motives are revealed. Once again the show refuses to pigeonhole humanity into columns of good and evil.
Below the surface, though, lies something distinctly post-human. The Last of Us has kept its infected cards relatively close to its chest so far, and it's a surprise that it has gone over two and a half episodes without much more than a glimpse of them at this point. When the horde does emerge, however, it's to great effect. Infected erupt from the earth and flood the screen like orcs from Moria mines before a monstrous Bloater makes its troll-like entrance. The frenzied cutting from close to wide shots gives a great sense of scale and terror, as the trademark chattering of Clicker throats is met with that of gunfire.
Memorable images aplenty are painted, but none as harrowing as the arrival of a young girl Clicker who flings herself around the car that Ellie finds herself trapped in. It’s a moment of pure terror matched only by the look on Joel’s face as he’s rendered unable to help her. Interestingly, in a twist of fate, it’s that young Clicker who ends up saving Ellie when faced with the threat of Kathleen’s pistol. The theme of children saving children, which unfortunately won’t continue for too much longer is a sad reflection of the innocence this new world has taken away. It’s one of the season’s standout action scenes, full of horrors beautifully silhouetted against a fiery backdrop.
It’s one of the season’s standout action scenes, full of horrors beautifully silhouetted against a fiery backdrop.
“
For the most part, though, this isn’t an overly adrenaline-fuelled episode, but one that focuses on Henry, Sam, and their relationship with Joel and Ellie. Lamar Johnson shines as Henry, exuding charisma and a smile that settles his brother. In contrast to the game, Sam is now portrayed as deaf, something that Henry uses in an attempt to shelter him from some of the horrors of the world. It helps maintain a fleeting level of innocence, as well as delivering some heartbreaking final moments. In sharing with Sam only the most positive of information, Henry protects his younger brother; it’s neat symbolism that reflects Sam’s own superhero paintings.
Ellie and Sam instantly bond due to their shared innocence of youth. There’s a natural lack of judgement and therefore an increased sense of trust. Sam’s willingness to open up to Ellie almost gives her a sense of responsibility and her first taste of what it’s like to be in charge of someone's safety - an important step towards her understanding what it’s been like to walk in Joel’s shoes for the time they’ve spent together. Previously Ellie has only had to think and worry about herself, much like Joel did for the best part of twenty after divorcing himself from any emotional ties to the world. Now halfway through their journey together, though, they have gained strong connections to each other and regrown one back to the human experience itself.
Episode 5 of The Last of Us is an excellent closing to a chapter packed full of memorable moments – some thrilling, some haunting. A standout flurry of action followed by a shocking snap of violence delivers Joel and Ellie yet another broken friendship, but not before moments of kindness and warmth are allowed to grow. It’s another fantastic episod...
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Episode 5 of The Last of Us is an excellent closing to a chapter packed full of memorable moments - some thrilling, some haunting.
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A thrilling and distressing episode of HBO's The Last of Us, featuring fugitive brothers Henry and Sam and a shocking ending. Read the full review of episode 5, which adapts the Kansas City section of the game and adds some new twists and details.
- Simon Cardy
Sep 8, 2021 · A zombie apocalypse in the MCU? Sounds like a fun diversion, but Episode 5 of What If...? suffers from tonal inconsistency and lazy writing. Read IGN's review to find out why this episode needs more brains.
Feb 11, 2023 · Henry and Sam, two characters from the game, face a brutal resistance in Kansas City. Ellie and Joel encounter them on their journey across the post-apocalyptic world.
Feb 11, 2023 · The Last of Us episode 5 makes you think they are trying to break our hearts. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO) Now that The Last of Us episode 5 has finished painting and passing us...
Ellie and Joel encounter a deaf brother and his sibling in Kansas City, and learn about their tragic past and present. The episode explores the backstory of the characters, the FEDRA-Kathleen conflict, and the fate of a sewer community.
Feb 10, 2023 · Henry and Sam, the brothers who betrayed the resistance leader, join Joel and Ellie in their journey through Kansas City. They face dangers from FEDRA, the infected, and their own pasts in this episode.
