The choice of Bella Ramsey for the role of Ellie Williams was unanimously applauded. After all, his quick participation in Game of Thrones was so remarkable that his character gained even greater participation, with the right to a sad and brave farewell as one of the heroes. However, with the release of The Last of Us, kind of in the shadow of Pedro Pascal‘s (Joel Miller) charisma, there was a lot of criticism of her performance. Unfair.

Ellie’s personality, a foul-mouthed, rebellious, and confused teenager is what comes from the game, Bella has delivered a precise American accent and her acting has been, well, perfect. Yes, she gets even bigger when she demands fear and ferocity, but the sweet scenes of her growing bond with Joel, as well as her love for Riley (Storm Reid), show her versatility. In the final stage of the 1st season, there is only ONE episode left, your role is necessary. We will have more and more Ellie.

The penultimate episode of the series is violent in everything: scenes, words, and history. With a dying and isolated Joel, Ellie knows he depends on her to survive and that she has done more than she can with what she has at her disposal. She knows that more than the infected on the loose there are even worse risks, something Joel warned her about early on, and, even so, she has to go out in search of food. With this problem, she stumbles upon one of the worst predators in history: desperate humans and… cannibals. And it gets worse!!!

That’s right, the leader of the group that puts Ellie and Joel at risk is David (Scott Shepherd), a pedophile who not only survives the apocalypse but becomes the leader – spiritual and real – of a group of desperate people. In one of the most violent episodes of the season, Bella’s acting growth is thrilling. She’s an incredible heroine, and a survivor and her shift between fear and courage is incredible. Ellie manages to escape being eaten (literally and metaphorically, excuse the rudeness) while Joel, miraculously recovered within hours of Ellie’s shot of penicillin before being captured, has turned into a killing machine after the girl. Joel’s cruelty is obviously justified, but the world won’t be easy on the weak, really.

The end of the episode – the emotional reunion between Joel and Ellie – is more exciting for those who know what lies ahead. Joel has completely let his guard down: Ellie is now his daughter. Ellie sees him as her best friend and the only person she can trust and rely on (she doesn’t seem to have any references to what a “family” is). Anticipating that the season will end with Joel making a difficult choice that ultimately will paradoxically put him both near and far from Ellie. See you next week!

Ah, this was the first episode in which there was no use of songs in the narrative. And yes, there is a remarkable and brief participation of Joel Miller from the game, actor Troy Baker, which is an extra affection appreciated by fans.