We can't have nice things... *THE LAST OF US* Ep 7 Reaction 

The shot of Joel slowly entwining his fingers with Ellie's has to be one of the tenderest and most powerful shots I've ever seen in any show or film. No hyperbole. It made me SO happy and broke my heart at the same time. This show is just phenomenal, and Pedro and Bella are amazing actors.

Without getting into actual game spoiler territory, this episode is SO CLOSE to what happens in the game, it's beautiful how much they were able to directly adapt. And again it shattered my heart... Oh, and a little heart-breaking easter egg in relation to them playing Mortal Kombat 2 - in MK universe lore Baraka (Ellie's player) and Mileena (Riley's player) were lovers, so the ending of that fight where Baraka impales Mileena kinda foreshadows the likelihood that Ellie would have had to use her knife on Riley once she turned...

Speaking of survivor’s guilt, Ellie also got bit at the same time as Tess while they were smuggling her, and she tried to use her blood to cure Sam before Henry killed him to save her. She wants her immunity to help people, but so far people have only died because of it, while she gets left behind.

Everyone has been praising Bella Ramsey's performance in the show, and rightfully so. But the "Don't go." moment, for me, is her strongest bit of acting yet. The amount of longing, fear, sadness, and love she puts into that moment is just perfect.

9:33 Notice, as the mall lights come on, all the shades of orange, pink, and white. The lighting designers are not being subtle here. 😉(Then again, Ellie & Riley were _literally_ roommates...)

I thought the dead guy in the hallway was a callback to ep3 as well. "Did he know you can't mix that with pills?" "I think he knew that. "

one thing i just want to say about the parallels between ep 3 and this ep. frank wanted to go alone but bill joined him willingly, Ellie and riley wanted to go together but ellie didn't against her will. something i literally just noticed lol

"Ellie has survivor's guilt" Oh boy if that isn't the understatement of the century

Jacqui you are the first reactor to connect Ellie's treatment of the infected in the store in episode 3 to this flashback. Thank you.

I love the choices with music they made. “I got you babe” by Etta James was published in 1968. 60s meant new stuff, basically saying they developed “new” feelings for each other (platonic to romantic). While the other songs were 80s music meaning danger, already signaling that they were indeed in danger while the songs were happy, the danger was always there. I (as a now no longer closeted queer) really enjoyed the accurate representation of the teenage queer experience. The longing glances and everything. Neil druckmann always consulted a lot of women and people in the LGBTQ+ community to give an accurate representation.

Think about it too, once Ellie realized she was immune, imagine her guilt in realizing/thinking she could have saved Riley. Then, she tries to save Sam because if she couldn’t save Riley at least she could save her friend. And then it doesn’t work. The amount of guilt and helplessness she probably feels kills me

The color Palette of this episode is a sutil easter egg that maybe only the Lesbian Community has noticed. The colors of the Lesbian flag (Orange, white, purple) is all over the episode since Riley show up in Ellie´s bedroom. I'm sure that is not a coincidence.

I want to comment on something I didn't see a lot talking about - Ellie holding Joel's hand at the end, and Joel trying to hold her back. I know this episode's plot from the DLC in the game of course, and as much as this episode broke me (as expected), what completely sent me crying my eyes out was this little moment. He stopped shivering, and its like he's tries to tell her "I'm here, I'm fighting this the best as I can to stay with you". And when she stitches him, he is in so much pain, but he tries to stay as quiet as possible, so she wouldn't get more scared than she is.

Great episode with a lot of character depth for Ellie. If you pay attention, the episode shows you exactly how the story with Ellie and Riley ends. They don't have to show that explicitly. Riley played Mileena in Mortal Kombat II and Ellie played Baraka (last game). Both were Lovers in the game. Baraka skewered Mileena with his blades as finisher. That was the metaphorical endgame. That's how Ellie killed Runner-Riley. I think it's clear she stabbed her. That's why Ellie asked Joel in episode 2 what it was like for him to kill an infected, knowing that they once were human. I think she needed a comparison to her own feelings because she couldn't classify them. That's why she tortured and stabbed the stalker in episode 3. She first wanted to see if he felt something and then the anger broke through in her because an infected bit her friend and killed him. Ellie kills Riley and because Riley didn't get in touch with Marlene the next day, she showed up at the mall and took Ellie with her. At least that's what I think. There are hardly any other options. Mortal Kombat was supposed to be the game in the game, but Naughty Dog didn't get permission. So they invented a game. Now HBO has rights to both games and that's how it became possible. The escalator can also be seen metaphorically. No matter how much Ellie runs against it (sometimes everything stays the same, sometimes there are highs), it still goes further and further downhill for her. Also, we've learned that Ellie's first impulse is to leave when she feels pushed away or is pushed away, but she keeps coming back. This is one parallel between Joel and Riley. Another parallel is, both are Ellie's protectors. And don't forget Ellie's greatest fear of ending up alone. In the end, she will try everything possible to save Joel, which she was not able to do with Riley. Ellie has lost Riley and Sam to the fungus. She is the cure. She wants her survival to have value. Here it is shown no matter Fedra or Fireflys, for both you are just a number. They tell you what you want to hear and what benefits them, to achieve the respective goals. And there are always only 2 options to choose from. And both are manipulated into thinking there are not more. There is only one clearly good or one clearly bad choice. The officer at the beginning is not nice, he is manipulative. This can be seen in Riley who is allowed to supervise the sewage work. The Fireflys are no different. Everyone comes in quickly, they made you feel you belong to a family and you are important to them. In fact, Riley is parked alone in the mall with bombs. These also kill civilians, as we saw in Episode 1 on Tess when one of these bombs exploded, killing two teenagers. Lives that are stuck. Eat or die. The series in general is all about the number 2. Bill and Frank, Ellie and Joel, Ellie and Riley, Sam and Henry, Joel and Tommy, Kathleen and Daniel, two choices, Mortal Kombat 2, joke book volume 2, red or green. T(w)ogethernes I actually thought Ashley Johnson (OG Ellie) would have her cameo here. Obviously, this was not the case, but it comes later in another memory. Most likely in the season finale. Next episode Troy Baker (OG Joel) will get his cameo.

One of the things that I am surprised that everyone missed is that Ellie receives the 2nd volume of the book of puns from Riley. Her willingness to annoy Joel with it's contents speak volumes about her opening up and show you the exact moment that she starts to love Joel. Not romantically, but the love of a father and a daughter. And it is not until he finally laughs that you have Joel opening his heart in the same fashion.

“This is going to rip my heart out.” Not only did my heart get ripped out, it also got: stomped on, thrown against a wall and thrown off a cliff. This show really wants to cause permanent trauma to all of us. 😂

This episode had really good representation for adolescent lesbians which was such a breathe of fresh air, like how Ellie was constantly giving Riley pining glances and how she got insecure when Riley made that joke In front of the lingerie store. It felt so realistic and natural and also comforting at the same time. I was a sobbing mess by the end of the episode

This episode is based on the DLC, also I love that they played a rendition of Just Like Heaven by The Cure when they rode the carousel.

This episode was pulled straight out of the game and it was honestly surreal how well it was adapted. The DLC this was based on meant the world to me as a young queer girl, and seeing it again, adapted and portrayed with so much care years later is beyond what I can put into words. My favorite episode alongside episode 5 for sure.

I loved ScreenCrush's interpretation that the wonders of the mall are the stages of childhood she's leaving behind. It really fits.

The fun thing is that you actually have it the other way around haha! This episode is almost shot for shot how the DLC plays out and it was just as heartbreaking back then, Neil really went "hmmm this gay couple flashback destroyed so many souls why don't I make some changes to Bill and Frank's story in the show to the same effect, hahahaha I'm so brilliant and evil"

Actually this is nearly 1 to 1 the DLC "Left Behind" so it is in the game, the line "We can be all poetic and lose our minds together" is straight from the game.

A couple of very telling things about Ellie is that when she heard the screams from the Halloween decoration and thought Riley was in danger, she didn't hesitate. Also, when Joel told her to leave him and go north to find his brother, she refused. There are a lot of similarities between Ellie and Frank, just as between Joel and Bill, and it's really a shame that the two never got to meet.

left behind is such a short yet very emotional game, i'm so happy they found a way to insert it in the series

The one scene with ellie holding his hand really touched my heart it's kinda like a child holding hands with their parents

We needed this episode to prepare us for next week's episode. If you know, you know.

Maybe unintentional but I think it's kinda poetic that the show has a song from The Cure in an episode centered on Ellie considering she is possibly "The Cure".

When they kissed, my heart broke and I cried. It's so tragic. :/ They had all of 5 seconds to enjoy being truly in love. And I think any alloromantic person has been in that situation, of desperately wishing the other person would see you that way, wondering if you dare open up... sooo poignant.

I don't think this is a show spoiler. But yes this part was content released at a later date after the game came out. Joel gets heavily injured in a different way (he defends himself against one of the people who roam the campus only to falls of a ledge and gets impaled by a piece of rebar) after Ellie helps him get back to the horse he faints followed by a cut to black and the end of the chapter. The reveal that Joel is still hanging in there doesn't come as quickly in the game. Some events happen before it. (Which I won't spoil) The game dlc takes place right after Joel faints and before the begin of the next game chapter: Ellie and unconscious Joel find cover in a mall and we follow Ellie exploring the abandoned building in order to find something she can use to help Joel. (medicine first aid kids etc) During the search the game interjects and parallels with the events that you see in the show of Riley sneaking into Ellie's room and go on from there. The events in the flash back are pretty similar. Except that in the game Riley doesn't get to ride the carousel. She turns it on for Ellie and after a bit of conversation Riley decides to jump on and the moment she gets on a horse the carousel breaks down. The photo booth in the game is not fully functional and doesn't print out any photos. The arcade console is broken in the game and Ellie gets to pretend play the game with Riley commentating what would be happening on the screen. There are some more dialogue differences and so on but there is no need to bring those up without proper context. So people who played the game got this context to Ellie's character much later after the story of the first game concluded and the name Riley popped up for us much later in the Story. While viewers of the show were privy the name since Episode 1. Oh yeah and Riley herself was a little bit different in the game. There she comes across as a bit more of someone who needs to appear strong for the people she cares about. So there is a bigger difference in how lines are delivered. Personally it's tough to say which one I like better. Though I'd say I prefer the game version but maybe just because that to me is how it was originally written. Nonetheless this was a fantastic episode and I can't wait for next week.

Such an amazing episode. Love every bit of it! It made me think and talk about what we take for granted. My mom and I talked about, the video stores, the magazines of games that I still have. The joy on Ellie her face as she sees the wonders of the mall. Absoluty amazing, the connection between Riley and Ellie, and Ellie and Joel. Listening to the podcast after watching the episode made me smile. This show is amazing. I love it so much❤️

11:18 “this is going to rip my heart out” 20:14 naughty dog writers “ mission accomplished“

@ 18:14 "Her 'mask acting' is on point" -- of course! She has Papa Pedro to teach her the nuances straight from the Mandalorian School of Acting. 😋

The fact that Ellie was dancing with a mask on and you know exactly what was going through her mind at that moment is a testament to what an incredible young actress she is.

This episode was based on the "Left Behind" DLC (downloadable content) explaining how she got infected. The song they danced to was the exact same song that was in the game as well. Beautifully done.

To me, the most heartbreaking thing about this episode is that Ellie most likely needed to shoot infected Riley

Between the heartwarming cute moments showcasing Ellie and Riley finally being able to act like kids again for once, if only for a little while...... only to rip it all away again for the seventh time in a row (damn you, show), this never ending river of tragedy that follows Ellie is emblematic of not just the shows central theme but why Ellie continues to fight, to carry on. It showcases her and Riley on opposite sides of an ideological, real and tribalistic conflict before they lay down their arms and come together to just be close for a little while because they're each others purpose in this moment; a fascinating parallel to the Bill and Frank love story and why it matters greatly when Ellie continues to lose and lose. And now that she finally does have someone again who looks after her, who she can depend on, who matters to them, she’ll be damned if she loses that kind of meaningful connection again. For Riley’s sake and everyone else who died, Ellie will finish this journey……even if it kills her.

this entire episode was based on a dlc expansion to the first game. we didnt get to see the story of how ellie got bitten until SIX MONTHS after the game originally released. this chapter also had a framing device of ellie searching for medical supplies, not in a house, but in another abandoned mall (this likely being what triggered the flashback in that version of the story)

the determination on ellie's face in the last scene never fails to get me. she couldn't save riley but she can sure as hell try to save joel

Something I noticed (no idea if it was intentional or not) was in the end when Riley is holding Ellie, it's a lot like someone holding on to a scared child. I feel like the directors have tried to draw attention to Ellie's childishness in more ways than just actions, but also in the way positions/situations they put her in. In addition to the scene of Riley holding Ellie, the one in episode 2 where Ellie was laying in the fetal position of the floor was very symbolic of a child. Another thing I noticed (that I'm also not sure was intentional) was in this episode wafter Ellie in Riley get bitten. Ellie is holding on to Riley's arm in the exact same place that Ellie was bitten (same arm and everything), and Riley was holding Ellie's hand which is where Riley got bit. I feel like this was less likely to be intentional than my first statement but I thought it was cool nonetheless.

I also think that filling in the blanks between that last moment we see with Riley and Ellie together to when we first see Ellie in episode one makes it all so much more heartbreaking. We know that Ellie either had to kill Riley when she turned or had to watch the other fireflies do it, which could explain even more why she wanted to save Sam when he got bitten in episode 5 and why it hurt her so much more. She didnt know that she could potentially save Riley, but she knew that she was somehow the key to save Sam, but it still didn't work 🥹

I just love your way to fell and sense things. Your emotions and the way you guess what is about to happen it’s incredibly amazing. Thanks for sharing all of this with us ❤

I wish I liked anything as much as Ellie loves the escalator.

Another heartbreaking episode... Just curious, have you been listening to the podcast? Hosted by Troy Baker (game Joel), Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. They give great insight into each episode. It's a little heavy on plot/story discussion, but they do sometimes discuss the set design and cinematography, especially in this episode!

So this was the only flashback that was in the game. It did come after the fact though since it came out after the game was released. And since they knew Ellies back story they could seed it in earlier like they do with elements of Part 2 with Jackson. To the stabbing of infected, it's a call to the game since if one grabs you, the way to get out of its grips is to stab it in the head.

Haha, that moment at 9:24 was actually nostalgic, because you have to deal with the same damn thing in the game! You literally have to slap the controller in your palm to get the friggin' flashlight working again...

Okay, well done, you are the FIRST reactor I have seen that has caught that the song is Just like Heaven. Every other has either not even noticed, or thought it was still A-Ha. You're also the first one to seem to put all the clues together about Riley and such from the previous episodes, no one else seems to remember any of that.

This ep is so good. THis was a DLC which was released about a year after the original. glad they put it in the show in the correct order. Things where different a little bit in the game, but this is all pretty much the same. We can assume they stay together while they turn, problem is Elle doesn't turn. So yeah Elle has to shoot Riley once she realized she never turned. The mall was a Firefly base (they thought there were no infected there). So once they came to check on Riley they found her dead with Elle. Remember Marline said that she is the reason Elle was put in the fedra school cause she promised her mother to watch over that. This is why when Riley asked Marlene is Elle can come she said no. This is also why the Fire flies didn't shoot Elle on site after realizing she was bitten. The reason we don't see Rilye's end is because this is a memory for Elle. She doesn't want to relive it even in a memory so the audience never sees it. She even tells joel she doesn't want to talk about it when she explains that she has shot someone before.

On their way to the mall Riley and Ellie have that conversation about Ellie getting into a fight with Bethany. Riley prefaces the conversation by saying "since you're so interested in self-preservation all of a sudden, stop f*cking with Bethany". Ellie tells Riley that Bethany needed 15 stitches, and Reillys responds with "you can't fight everything and everyone, you can pick and choose what's important." Ellie responds with "Oh, are they teaching you this at Firefly university?". The foreshadowing to Joe getting "into a fight" (albeit in self-defence to protect what was important to him, Ellie) and getting stabbed outside the "firefly" lab at the "university", then needing stitches is brilliant script work and phenomenal television. Give em all the awards.

Another great episode, they did a good job of exploring Ellie's crush on Riley. Bella is a fantastic actor but this episode was on another level, even when she was wearing a mask, you knew exactly what she was thinking. I wasn't particularly convinced with Storm's portrayal of Riley though, maybe it's because there's such a contrast in acting styles. Troy Baker in the next episode, be cool to see him in the show. (Joel's Voice actor in the game)

Your reviews help me get through the 1 week grief and wait until the next episode 🤧

The irony in your USC plaque/diploma in the back when Storm (Riley) goes to same school for acting. Pretty cool

Yay let’s gooooo! I friggin LOVED this episode. This episode is soooo close to it’s in-game counterpart. Edit: So this story was DLC (Downloadable Content) for TLOU it came out a year after the main game came out

No one that I've seen talk about this episode has mentioned the music at the end of it. Its a variation of the same song used at the end in the game's DLC which this episode is based on

Rewatching these reactions because I miss this show so much. When we cut back to Joel and he was shivering so hard his teeth were chattering-my heart broke. It was probably so cold in that basement, he has a fever from infection, and he’s probably terrified he’s dying. It’s only when Ellie comes back and holds his hand that he stops shivering. 😢🥶 I hoped Ellie would have given him her winter hat. I was thinking, “Can we please bundle Pedro up a little more? Our internet dad is chilly!”

Well this episode is actually a real part of the game, the Riley flashback is the downloadable content for the game which explains much of what Ellie had to go thru how they explained her experience with being infected and having one of the closest person in her life get infected, was hoping they show what she had to do when Riley turned wc was not really shown in the game as well. Excellent video as always looking forward to your next video on episode eight its going to be very... interesting 😊

I was waiting for your video because of how analytical you are. I saw a lot of comments calling this episode a filler and it irked me a bit. The episode was definitely not a filler at all. First the beginning ties with last episode and Ellie's abandonment issues. Last episode she said "everyone I cared for has left me except for you", so obviously they were going to explain that. But they tied that neatly by having Joel asking her to leave, which for her is him abandoning her, forcing her to move on and (*cues title card*) leaving her behind. For a moment she accepts that, but then she remembers what she has lost and refuses to accept being (cues title card: left behind) once again. So she stays, and at that point Joel doesn't try to fight her, accepting her decision, allowing himself to be vulnerable for once, something we haven't seen since episode one when we clearly saw how Sara held his hand at all times (telling him what to eat, fixing the watch, etc). This shows their bond and dependency for each other in what is almost, ironically, a symbiotic relationship where both benefit. At the risk of sounding pedantic, it seemed like a pretty straightforward and almost on the nose narrative and yet I saw so many talking about filler or unnecessary at this point when in reality it moves the plot so neatly. The narrative is right there, on the nose!

The thing that gets me about the Walkman is that Sony kept updating it into this century. It's far more likely a more modern model would last into the apocalypse than a 40-year-old collector's item. I was born a couple years after the original release, and I had never seen the original until, I wanna say Stranger Things, and now this. The one I grew up with in the 90's had auto-reverse and a radio. The last cassette model I used only needed a single AA battery.

The show is truly a masterpiece

Your reaction videos are a LOT of fun to watch!

I know this reaction was from a year ago, but if you played the second game, you would catch so many extra details that show up in it that they referenced in this first season. The attention to detail and nods to the games is massive throughout.

You didn't catch the foreshadowing of the dead guy in the hall that self deleted, then the floor falling out from under him...

This is the kind of reaction channel I love. You pull out so many things that I never even notice!

if jacqui thinks part 1 is anxiety inducing WAIT TILL PART 2 (i’m expecting a breakdown counter)

Hopefully you were able to catch Ellie holding Joel’s hand and Joel squeezing back right before looking away from the stitching.

9:28 A little detail I've seen others point out- when the mall lights up, it resembles the colors of the lesbian flag (my profile pic lol). Lots of this color palette throughout the episode actually

The flickering flashlights was a nod to the game. While playing your flashlight would start to flicker and you’d have to shake the remote to get it working again.

Loving the apprehension right out of the gate, Jacqui. It is well-earned and quite warranted (even if they did kind of telegraph the tragic end of the episode early on). I watched a few reactions to episodes one & two, a bunch for three, but this has been my channel from number four onward, your reactions are just excellent. 👍✌❤

Like, remember in Ep4 when Ellie told Joel it wasn’t her first time to hurt someone but refused to say more? The writers could’ve hurt us more by adding the part where Riley turned and Ellie didn’t, now Ellie had to kill Riley otherwise she would died too. And then all the helpless and guilt and emotions hit Ellie again.

Having played the game so many times i know wat happens and still love show and jaqui reaction. Thanks

5:25 this shot with Riley on the ground and the lighting is on her face and the hand she gets bit on, a little subtle foreshadowing maybe

Jacqui's reactions are amazing! 👌

Love your reactions 😍

The moment where Ellie pleads with Riley to stay and she does and they kiss is done better in the game imo, BUT when they find out they're bitten is absolutely better in the show. Most episodes are like this, the game is so good most of the scenes are perfect already, but every so often these actors one up the game with phenomenal performances.

Not only was it "Just like Heaven" playing. But that's a song from... THE CURE. (get it?) (Also 80s... trouble)

This is pretty much what happens in the game. Very spot on how they did the whole mall thing.

Hi, I admire your eye for details. Your the only one who noticed "Just like heaven" at the carousel. And I've seen a bunch of reactions.

Great flashback. Really informs Ellie's motives

Had a blast watching your reactions from ep 1 to 7 today! Legend. I love the “swearing”! It’s like you’re reacting from The Good Place! Lol What a treat! 🥰😘

this is actually identical to the DLC Left Behind content in the game , but base on how u mentioned Ep3... maybe they made 3 that way because of this flashback

Some people think that's new, but lol that's a DLC from the game

Another really nice tension-building detail... this kind of Infected in this episode is a Stalker, it's the halfway point between a Runner (normal infected) and a Clicker. When Stalkers spot their prey, they hide out of sight and, as the name suggests, stalk them, following them out of sight, observing their behavior patterns, and attacking them when their guard is down. So after the Stalker wakes up at around 15:00 , a lot of the shots of Ellie and Riley could well be implying that the Stalker is following them and preparing to attack. Just an amazing way the show builds tension if you have game knowledge to back it up.

Fun fact it’s the only episode Neil directed alone :)

you gotta ask a friend to go through the comments first to avoid spoilers!!

This episode really surprised me, especially how effective it was because you generally know what's going to happen. Ellie says it's not the first time she's killed someone throughout the show and Riley is mentioned in past tense the whole season but it was still so beautiful and still impactful and your just waiting for the other foot to drop. Ellie is gay in the game so again, nothing was surprising in this episode other than how good the final result was. I think it's a huge feat in my eyes.

Connection with episode 3 infected revenge you can thank Mazin for that. For all that trauma game or tv series you can blame Neil Druckmann.

I too thought a Walkman with cassette tapes was a little out-of-date even for 2003, like a CD player would be more appropriate but CDs can break a lot easier than cassettes.

As others have said, this episode is based off of the DLC for the game. It was actually released on Valentines Day 2014, which is so sweet considering the content of the DLC. Also this episode is written by Neil Druckmann, as was the DLC and the story of the Last of Us (barring a few things from his co-lead at the time Bruce Straley, who doesn't get enough credit for tempering Neil's darker story beats with more humour). So when you curse the show for giving you trauma you should probably throw it towards Neil more than Craig.

I've been really surprised at how many people buy the fakeout and think that Ellie is leaving Joel at the beginning. I get that Joel would believe it (he just told her to and he's not at his best), but why does anyone else buy into it? It's not just that it would be out of character for her, it makes no sense given what she's doing at that moment. Does she pack up her stuff and take the horse? No - she climbs the steps into the house. Even if she were going for help (where? Tommy is 5 days away and Joel isn't going to survive on his own for the week or so it takes to get there and back) rather than just leaving him to die, she'd still take the horse. It's not like Joel could use it in his current state.

Well, only two episodes left, and you know this is going to hurt. I recommend having a stiff drink ready when watching.

The carousel was so perfectly like the one in the game that I almost checked to see if my PlayStation was on.

everyone who hasn’t played the game is so paranoid every episode it’s so funny to see everyone on edge all the time 😂 love your reactions keep at it !🎉

I'm watching this now in case it gets taken down. 😉

Oh man! Next episode you are in for a ride!

i love the continued use of 80s songs to indicate trouble.

"wait, the last of us is a story about love, hope and family?" "always has been"

i am at work right now watching all of your reactions and i love them. also, you kind of look like a mix of amy adams and ashley johnson (ellie's game VA) honestly...

You remind me SO MUCH of Alexandra Breckenridge from Virgin River! That copper color looks so good on you. 😀

Oops 😬 I meant Ellie actually met Bill! My Bad!

Riley was trying to leave because she was falling in love with Ellie just like Joel just tried to do out of fear of his fatherly love

Thanks for another great video!