Editor’s Note: The following are spoilers for Episode 4 of The Last of Us. One theme common to dystopian and/or creature-based media is the concept that real people are much worse than brainless fictional monsters. In a new episode of HBO Last of us, Joel (Pedro Pascal) indicates the same amount; he explains to EllieBella Ramsey) that they camp for the night in the woods, not to hide from the roaming infected, but from autonomous people who would do the couple much more harm than a robbery. Indeed, the enemies of Episode 4 are a guerrilla group of people. Thus, the fourth episode doubled down on the image of zombies in the media and gave it additional nuances.
Upon Joel and Ellie’s arrival in Kansas City, Missouri (replacing Philadelphia in Naughty Dog), the localized group ambushes and attempts to kill them. Ellie saves Joel’s life in an ensuing fight, and the trail of their bodies makes the rest of the company realize that strangers have infiltrated the city. Unlike the Boston Quarantine Zone, which is overseen by the pro-fascist FEDRA (and other similar zones around the country), this rebel militia has successfully toppled FEDRA officials, disbanded QZ, and laid claim to the area’s resources. And this episode was not long in coming to illustrate that this revolutionary regime is not much superior to that imposed by the government.
The hunters in The Last of Us are more humanized than the hunters in the game
Nicknamed “The Hunters” Last of us In the game, these antagonists were mostly nameless obstacles meant for players to fight. Without any real stat or personal time, the Hunters were an empty threat to overcome before moving on to the next phase of gameplay. Episode 4 positions the Hunters as a sympathetic - if not forgivable - threat, primarily through their leader, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey, a character created for the series). Kathleen is purposeful, determined and judicious, clearly commanding the respect of others. In a way, her skills summon the ghost of Tess (Anna Torv) presence - except when Tess harbored cold exhaustion, Kathleen is possessed by a contained volcanic fury.
Viewers quickly learn that Kathleen is hunting a man named Henry (Lamar Johnson). She holds him responsible for her brother’s violent murder at the hands of FEDRA, claiming that the information given to Henry led to her brother’s death. Other leaders may destroy Henry for their own personal gain or protection; as if tying ends to ends. For Kathleen, this vendetta is personal. The other Hunters, having discovered the people killed by Joel, prompt Kathleen to suggest that Henry called for outside help, and she galvanizes the assembled group into action, blaming Henry for their deaths. She states that this person won’t stop killing Hunters unless they kill him first, which is practically the definition of an “us versus them” mentality.
Intentionally or subconsciously, Kathleen hides her thirst for revenge under the guise of punitive actions against the enemies of the Hunters. If anyone was ever a FEDRA accomplice, well, of course they compromised the safety of the entire group. It doesn’t matter that Henry is a sibling looking after his younger brother Sam (Keyvonne Woodard) is a child small enough to draw drawings of the brothers as superheroes with crayons. Kathleen brother is all that matters. The discovery that Henry and Sam are close to starvation is a tactical advantage that allows them to be smoked out, not a fact worthy of sympathy. Kathleen doesn’t hesitate to use the full power of the Hunters against two less fortunate people who are just trying to survive. Her words “find all collaborators and kill them all” start a manhunt with all the QZ benefits at their disposal, raiding houses and driving armored tanks through the streets. Kathleen also pursues Henry instead of addressing the mysterious and apparently dangerous threat to all of the Hunters; she considers this decision a reasonable prioritization.
Kathleen’s motives are human and fallacious, just like the other characters in The Last of Us.
Kathleen’s motives further highlight some of the Last of usKey Themes: Imperfect characters committing sympathy violence and how the desire for vengeance crowds out morality. Revenge corrupts just as clearly and absolutely as power corrupts, which will undoubtedly play a significant role in Last of us Season 2. Without disclosing spoilers, in a video game The last of us part 2 both protagonists struggle with the remaining shreds of their humanity before, during, and after, as they seek to avenge the death of the one they loved. In addition, Kathleen’s selfish decisions foreshadow (in a less direct way) Joel’s future actions and the difficult moral questions that follow. How far is too far to avenge a loved one? How far is it before the soul cannot be redeemed? The doctor interrogated by Kathleen in her first scene claims that she has indeed “went too far” and should stop. Kathleen scoffs, arguing that other people dying in FEDRA custody were not a moral issue for the doctor as long as he was comfortable and safe from the consequences.
It all happens in tandem with Joel and Ellie’s bond growing into something substantial. Lonely souls are not quite a loving partnership yet, but they are slowly moving towards an existence that is more than just cargo and accompaniment.
In The Last of Us, humans are worse than monsters
Like FEDRA and the Fireflies, the Hunters are another example of humans acting in a way that mimics and undermines the interconnected Infected from Episode 2. The Infected are inextricably linked to each other through the fungus, and they are a hive mind of violence. for the sole purpose. There may be little difference in distance between FEDRA, Fireflies, Hunters and Infected, but people with free will and action are much worse than husks controlled by the parasitic cordyceps. The former prefer to do terrible things to their fellow men. “They’re not FEDRA,” Ellie remarks from hiding, “and they’re not fireflies. Who are they?” Loaded with experience, Joel replies, “People.”
New episodes Last of us Premieres every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max. Episode 5 will air two days early on Friday, February 10th.
Source: Collider
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