‘The Last of Us’ Recap: ‘Look for the Light’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season One Finale of ‘The Last of Us’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Are we worth saving? That is the central question that has hung heavy over the HBO series, The Last of Us, and rightfully so. Because in the real world, we see ourselves at something of a crossroads. After all, there is political unrest everywhere to be found, courtesy of a battle over ideology vs. decency and war has returned. One that has dredged up Cold War/World War III fears and of course… the pandemic was a moment in our history where ideology and a personal need to be in the right, trumped science, and outright human decency. Leaving all of us to wonder if we can make it as a species and of course if we are indeed worth saving. 
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A question that the show itself… has explored in a fascinating manner. For it has taken the time to point out… that we have a right to be concerned about our worth. By putting the darker side of us on display in several episodes, such as the horrors we were privy to when Joel and Ellie made their way to Kansas City. Since they were witness to a revenge plot for the ages, one motivated by one person’s inability to let go of their anger at a time when it needed to be buried, and that feels all too familiar. Plus, we’ve explored the true darkness we harbor and the cruelty we are capable of through David’s storyline, a darkness that just seems to be growing as the days roll on.

But at the same time… the show has also explored the other side of the coin. Since we’ve seen the love, we are capable of, and how that love heals and lifts people up, courtesy of the wondrous story of Bill and Frank, and how their love got through them the darkest hour this alternate world has ever known. Not to mention that was wonderfully bookended by Ellie’s exploration of what her heart desires courtesy of her time with Riley, and their storyline also explored the majesty of our modern world and how we create beautiful little moments that are uplifting and powerful and can drive a person forward during tough times. Which indeed speaks to good reasons as to why we should push ahead and survive and thrive, since we are capable of real beauty.

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But in our minds… those little rays of light, aren’t enough to truly convince anyone that we should fight to save all that we’ve built in these troubling times. Which is why this saga saved, the final word on the matter for the season one finale. To bring all those examinations together to point out… that we are indeed worth fighting for and worth saving, and it brought forth that answer… by getting Ellie and Joel to Salt Lake City in ‘Look for the Light’. Where a bevy of wonderful moments came into play. For instance, this leg of the journey featured an opportunity for Ellie to really experience the actual majesty of Mother Nature, and not just her cruelty. Since they were able to feed giraffes that found a new home in the city center, and… to a magnificent moment involving Joel.   
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For when he and Ellie had a little downtime, Joel finally spoke to his journey, and how he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue along after losing Sarah. But that he was glad he did because he finally found a way to heal through Ellie. Which brought a long and winding, and powerful arc for Joel, to its end. But of course… while it was wonderful to remind us of how we are capable of appreciating beauty and how we bounce back from dark times stronger… that’s still not enough to convince us that we are worth fighting for, and that’s why… a horrible and controversial twist had to come into play in this story. One that would truly hammer home the point of this tale.

Because eventually in their travels, they encountered the Fireflies, and after a case of mistaken identity, they were taken to the hospital they were looking for and Joel learned… some unsettling facts about what was to come. For the doctors in this place, decided that the only way to get a cure from Ellie’s unique immunity involved removing her entire brain. A move that in the eyes of the Fireflies would be a necessary sacrifice for the betterment of mankind. But Joel vehemently disagreed, and believed this was a horrible use of resources and a waste of a young life. And that revelation, combined with Joel’s newfound fire and desire to protect young Ellie, motivated him to go to extremes to protect her.

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To the point where anyone that worked to stop his quest to save Ellie, died terribly. Simply because… it was obvious that Joel felt the Fireflies lied and were motivated by panic over logic and science, and the thought of this world robbing another young life of a chance at something better… such as the life Tommy found in Jackson, was too much to bear. And through a brutal sequence of storytelling, Joel did indeed save Ellie, and offered up some lies to smooth over the chaos and devastation he created, on their way back to Jackson, to begin to live a new chapter in their lives, one with far less worry and terror in their hearts. 
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Which is an ending that doesn’t seem entirely noble or perhaps worthy of salvation since the chance to cure Cordyceps appears to be gone and cruelty and outright cold-blooded murder had to come into play to save Ellie. Ergo, a controversial finale that is mired in blood. But at the same time… there were no guarantees that a cure would have come from this experiment, and it was in many ways… cruel. For to cut open a child to try and save everything is indeed reckless and worrisome, and had it failed… what was the point of sacrificing a life? Which is why what matters more… are the reasons regarding why Joel did what he did here. Because that… and the opening of this tale, are what offer up the answer in question.

For instance, the prologue involving Ellie’s mother Anna, reinforces the show’s observations on the transformative nature of love and Joel’s actions here… speak to the reality that what makes us worth salvation and worth more chances in this life… is because we can change. Because this is a man that went from caring little about anyone or anything, to valuing life again and if Joel, a man utterly broken, can come back from that… so can we. Which were a beautiful set of messages to find in this harrowing story of a harrowing world. One that we aren’t done exploring yet, thanks to the fact that season two is coming, and truly… it will be interesting to see what comes next… now that a broken father and a lost soul have been granted a second chance. Until next year.

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