‘The Last of Us’ Recap: ‘Endure and Survive’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘The Last of Us’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this article contains discussions of suicide, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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It has often been said; that the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, and there is a lot of merit to that line of thinking. Because time and time again, we’ve seen people take part in the same acts repeatedly and hope and wish and pray, that this time they will get it right, only to be disappointed. Not to mention, we’ve taken part in such foolishness ourselves. After all, we too have been in their shoes and have oft found ourselves in a sour place when we too discover… we basically made the same mistake, twice, or thrice… or more. All of which means… we should learn from this saying and this reality and begin to alter our behavior so that we don’t repeat the same goofs time and time again. 
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But what’s fascinating about the person we look at in the mirror and humanity as a whole, is that we don’t make those changes. We continue to push for the same result time and time again, somehow thinking one little wrinkle and one little decision will change the outcome. But it does nothing more than continue a cycle, one that extends well beyond intimate acts since we see violence and suffering continue to be propagated in our world through the same hopeful line of thinking. Which leads all of us to wonder… how do we break the cycle as a species? How do we learn to start trying new things and embracing change so that our world finally changes for the better and so do we? Well, it just so happens… that the next episode of The Last of Us on HBO pondered upon this deeply, after filling in the blanks regarding Kansas City. 

Because in the last episode, we were only privy to the city in the moment. Wherein we came to learn that Kathleen badly wanted a man named Henry and was willing risk real danger to have her revenge. But why was she so hell bent upon a vindictive quest? Well, that is what ‘Endure and Survive’ explored in amazing detail. For we came to learn through flashbacks and interactions between Joel and Ellie and Henry and Sam… that Kansas City was a brutal place in the days following Outbreak Day. Where FEDRA agents abused their power and their standing and made life hell for people who just… wanted to survive and enjoy some semblance of life without fear. And that brought forth the rise of a resistance in this city, one that exploded when its enigmatic leader was handed over to FEDRA, courtesy of Henry. 

All because Sam was dying of leukemia, and with medication supplied by FEDRA he could be saved. So, Henry did the unthinkable and traded a life for a life, and that life was Kathleen’s brother and his subsequent end, pushed her to end FEDRA. Which she did and of course… that act opted her to indulge in revenge after. Despite being asked to forgive and forget by her brother. She simply had to have to justice in a world that robbed her of a life and robbed her brother of one as well and that… oddly tied into the theme in question. Because this is the kind of destructive cycle that exists in our world. Where people hold grudges and make hard choices that exist because of cruelty, and somehow hope along the way, that their actions will bring peace to their lives and the world… when it merely creates the definition of insanity. 

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Which once again brings forth the question… how do we break that cycle? Well, the show theorized that perhaps seeing the cycle and its destructive nature in action… might be enough to hammer the point home. A feat that this story accomplished, by taking us upon one hell of a journey. One that also gave us a lot of time to get to know Henry and Sam… through their voyage alongside Joel and Ellie as they all worked to escape Kansas City. In part by going through a clear tunnel underneath the city, which revealed an underground sanctuary that let the kids be kids and let two men ponder upon the trauma they experienced and how hard a hold it had upon them, before finding themselves in the midst of a harrowing situation. Because despite the fact they did indeed evade the rebel forces, Kathleen did think ahead and guessed as to where they might emerge, so she could capture them.
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One that she guessed correctly about and that put everyone in a tough spot. Where they found themselves under weapons fire to delay them long enough… to bring Kathleen to Henry to finally have her revenge. Which in turn… led to disaster. Because in the middle of the fight, a plow truck that crashed into a home, created a breach to the structures underneath the city, and that… is where the Infected were hiding and once unleashed, they wrought havoc upon the just and unjust alike, in a violent and terrifying manner. Where bites spread the infection yet again and where the wildest iteration of the Infected yet, the Bloater, had no qualms with ripping people to shreds to ensure the safety of its brethren. And of course… this chaos cost Kathleen her life as she knew it and the life of an innocent.

Because shortly after our heroes escaped, with Sam and Henry… it was revealed that young Sam was bitten and slowly turning. A reality that prompted Ellie to try and heal him with her blood, to no avail. Which in turn… brought forth the end of Sam at his own brother’s hand and seeing all that effort to keep him alive and keep him thriving, go to waste in Henry’s mind, prompted him to take his own life. That of course brought forth a powerful, tearful ending, one that saw Kansas City be brought to utter devastation since the Infected headed into the city proper after spreading the spore amongst the Rebels and one that truly did show us… how the cycle of madness we take part in, can and will destroy us and why it is important we change it.

After all, all this infighting and all this revenge and personal agenda… ended the last vestiges of hope in a city, and it likely ended humanity twenty years ago. But had everyone in this town, thought about protecting one another, and worked to fight the real enemy, the path would have been different. For Kansas City and the world no doubt. And that is a sobering lesson to learn here, one that really does hammer home the point… and oddly, the darkness here… found a way to give us hope. Since Ellie expressed the importance of valuing life and caring for one another… and if she can continue to express that and inspire others… perhaps the cycle can be broken. If anything, this was just a brilliant story when all is said and done. One that did an incredible job of taking us on a complete journey through this broken city and well… now that we’ve dried the tears from our eyes and learned plenty about change… it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Ellie and Joel as they resume their journey toward Wyoming. Until next time.   

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