The Last of Us episode 4 review: ‘Welcome to Kansas’

4/5

Story: Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) collect whatever Bill and Frank them, including a functional vehicle, they set on a road trip to Wyoming. But they must cross Kansas City where survivors who are willing to kill anyone who crosses the city are waiting to ambush them.

Review: The showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have done a remarkable job in recreating a beloved story and making just the right amount of tweaks to make it appealing to new audiences and legacy fans. The outstanding episode three is followed up by an equally compelling episode four, which essentially sets the tone for an action-packed second half of the season. In the video game, Joel and Ellie’s next destination after their pit stop at Bill’s town is Pittsburgh, but in the TV series, they have opted for Kansas City instead. The rest of the story is identical to the Pittsburgh storyline in the game, but with the addition of new characters created for the series.

Melanie Lynskey essays the role of a new character named Kathleen, the leader of a group of armed survivors who overthrew FEDRA at the Kansas QZ. And to the delight of the video game fans, Jeffrey Pearce, who voiced Tommy Miller in the games, also plays a new character in the series called Perry. The addition of these new characters provides this part of Joel and Ellie’s journey with a new dimension. It helps establish a father-daughter dynamic between the pair, and the writers have used humour and trauma to excellent effect to flesh out this dynamic.

The narrative also gives a glimpse into Joel’s past – one that paints him as a man capable of even killing innocents for his own survival. These scenes and conversations are similar to the ones shown in the game, but Ellie’s reactions in these scenes are given significant emphasis as an exposition of Ellie’s psyche. Fans of the franchise will be more than well aware of what this will lead to if the TV series were to follow the story of The Last of Us: Part II.

The final scene in the episode introduces two memorable characters from the game – Sam and Henry. The next couple of episodes are almost certainly going to be packed with action, emotion and drama. Sam and Henry’s arc mirror Joel and Ellie’s arc in some ways, and it is probably one of the compelling subplots of The Last of Us.

Verdict: The Last of Us continues to maintain its lofty standards with yet another engrossing episode. While the episode’s main function is to serve as an appetiser for what’s to come in the next episode, it explores the dynamic between Ellie and Joel on a deeper level. The fifth episode which will be released on Friday instead of Sunday, to avoid clashing with the Super Bowl weekend in America, will feature the live-action debut of the dreaded bloater.