By Sean Gallagher

Wait, didn’t The Last of Us just start? How are we already at the penultimate episode? I guess that’s a sign of good television though when the end sneaks up on you and you’re already dreading the end, as it means you won’t have a new episode to look forward to. While last week’s episode was about hope and love, this week’s episode was dripping with evil and violence. But despite the darkness, there’s always a bit of light to be found.

Remember those guys who attacked Joel and Ellie at the end of episode six? Well, they’re part of a community out in the snowy wilds, having taken up residence at an old resort. Leading the flock is David, a preacher man (a deviation from the video game) committed to keeping everyone safe and fed. At first glance, David seems like a total yuppie. Pious and seemingly meek, David doesn’t quite scream strong leader type, especially in a post-apocalyptic setting where alphas tend to be the leaders.

But as the episode goes on, we begin to learn more about David, who’s played with menace by Scott Shepherd. There’s something off, in the community and having played the game, I was seeing all the flags early on. From shots of food to David’s flock forging themselves on dinner, I was internally cringing. This is because David and a select few members of the group, including James (played by Joel voice actor Troy Baker), are cooking deceased members of the group, without knowledge or consent, to keep the rest of the survivors alive. Yeah, this episode gets dark. Which is a bit of a running theme in the show; despite the fungal infection that’s plagued society, it’s humanity that’s done the deliberate acts of violence and evil. The infected are only interested in spreading, but people like Kathleen and David show that it’s people who have done the most harm without civilization. David, once a school teacher, descended into the very heart of darkness, showing us perhaps the lowest people can fall yet despite this, not appearing evil on the surface.

In an attempt to lure the hunters away from Joel, who are seeking justice for the member Joel killed at the campus, Ellie gets captured, which puts her right in the lion’s den. Trapped and confined, Bella Ramsay’s Ellie finds herself face to face with her most fearsome adversary to date. David attempts to lure Ellie into the inner circle, using calming words and insight to try and lure Ellie to his cause. She’s a natural leader yes, but she’s also violent, like David and would make for a critical ally. Being a preacher, David also wishes to see himself as her father figure, but one whose a taker (in many horrific ways) rather than a giver like Joel has evolved into.

Joel started this journey seeing Ellie as nothing more than cargo, but when he finds Ellie covered in David’s blood (after having tortured some goons for directions), he comforts her and calls her “baby girl”, which is what he said to Sarah as she died in his arms in the premiere. Joel has now accepted his role as father to Ellie and she’s developed a love for this man who would do anything to keep her safe, including the brutal torture and killing of two captives, our first look at the kind of man Joel used to be and how far he’s willing to go to save the person he loves, an emotion he hasn’t felt in twenty years.

Episode eight of The Last of Us was brutal, harrowing and touching. As always, I still wish we had more time for growth shown on-screen between Joel and Ellie, which could have made scenes like their reunion at the end of the episode hit even harder. But the show is still making us care and believe in their relationship and it’s built a world that seems to be conspiring against them. Yet despite the odds, they’ve grown on their journey. Next stop, the finale.