The Last of Us Walks a Thin Line Between Being Just Scary and Outright Disturbing
HBO's new hit has never been the best show to fall asleep to, but things are starting to get out of hand.
Warning: the following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 8.
Episode 8 of The Last of Us introduces us to one of the scariest monsters of the first season. This new episode shows a cannibalistic religious cult — but the real horror is in the details.
In the middle of the snowy north of the US, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) faces a difficult task: Joel (Pedro Pascal ) is seriously injured after a fight.
Ellie is temporarily left to her own devices, and so she sets off alone — in search of food and medicine.
As she chases a shot deer, she meets David (Scott Shepherd) and James (Troy Baker), seemingly friendly strangers. She receives penicillin from David.
The men then follow her to the safe house and take her hostage. When she wakes up in a cell, she finds out something horrifying: David feeds human flesh to his followers so that nobody starves.
The scariest thing, however, is that he has a sexual interest in the 14-year-old and wants to make her his partner. Ellie manages to break free but is overpowered by David.
When the teenager finally gets the upper hand, she madly hacks at David with a knife. In front of the restaurant she meets Joel, who takes the trembling girl in his arms.
This is a traumatic experience from start to finish for those on and in front of the screens. Mostly, because the staging and acting performance are terrific.
The Playstation game only hints at what David really wants from Ellie, while the show has it acted out explicitly. This horrifying scene shocked many fans while providing a sobering perspective on sexual assault.
"Pretty sure a murderous cannibal trying to rape a child in a burning building was the most graphic thing in the whole show," Redditor StylistDenali says.
Fans also called it "the most violent episode" to date, noting that this particular scene "was dark as ****." But there may be even more shocking surprises up HBO's sleeve.
The Last Of Us season 1 finale airs on Sunday, March 12, on HBO max.