Episode Grade: (8.0/10)
Joel and Ellie survive an ambush in Kansas City, Missouri. They’re forced to sneak around the city in search of a way out as the locals hunt them down.
Plot (41/50)
The introduction of the Kansas City subplot was a good way to give us more than just Joel and Ellie. After all, it was only a matter of time before they ran into non-friendly humans. Joel was reluctant to enter the city to begin with, but a blockage on the highway forced him into the city where they ran straight into an ambush. A spike strip rendered their truck useless and forced them to continue on foot in what was a necessary development to keep them in the city, otherwise they could’ve just drove away after fighting off the ambush. Speaking of the ambush, Joel handles things like a pro and manages to take out both attackers, or so he thought. It turns out there was a third man who attacked from behind, but because Joel can’t hear well in his right ear, he wasn’t able to adjust in time. The subsequent scuffle was not looking good for Joel until Ellie stepped in and shot the attacker in the back, effectively paralyzing him in the process. Joel finished him off and they regrouped at an abandoned building before the rest of the locals could arrive. The people of Kansas City have overthrown FEDRA and have set up a new regime with Kathleen as their leader. Kathleen is hunting Henry and Sam down because she blames Henry for the death of her brother after he allegedly gave him up to FEDRA. She quickly concludes that Joel and Ellie are allies of Henry, so she adds them to her most wanted list. One of Kathleen’s men finds an infected under some rubble in one of the buildings, but Kathleen tells him to seal off the building and keep it under wraps until they find Henry and co. Obviously, that poor decision isn’t going to end well for anyone. The episode ends with Henry and Sam holding Joel and Ellie at gunpoint on the 33rd floor of some building. This is almost certainly setting up a team-up moving forward as both parties look to escape the city. There was a good fake-out in the forest earlier in the episode that gave this ambush a bit of added legitimacy, although it’s still quite the coincidence that two pairs would run into eachother like this. It’s not an egregious stretch, and this is TV, so no harm done. Finally, this was good on the survival and adventure front with the subplot in Kansas City adding drama as well.
Character Development (12/15)
Joel and Ellie are finally starting to bond. Joel talks about his relationship with his brother to emphasize that family is the only thing worth fighting for. He considered Tess family, and at this point, it’s only a matter of time before he considers Ellie family whether he wants to admit it or not. Relationships are built on experiences, and after the ambush, Joel starts to see Ellie in a new light. He feels guilty that Ellie had to shoot someone at her young age, but he is obviously grateful that she was there to help him out of a tough spot. He finally recognizes her grit and accepts that she can be of use. With that said, Ellie is initially shaken by what she’s done, so Joel steps in to finish off the attacker. I don’t think Ellie would’ve been able to finish off the attacker herself, especially given how quickly his tone changed. She would’ve likely fell for his act and got herself into trouble with the locals, but she’s a kid, so this shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. Joel, on the hand, has plenty of experience in these types of situations (both as the ambusher and the one being ambushed), so he knows what must be done to ensure their survival. Interestingly, Ellie reveals that this isn’t the first time she’s hurt someone, but she refuses to elaborate. Is she referring to the infected she killed in the previous episode? It seems like she’s referring to something else, but we don’t really have a clue at this point. Moving on, Kathleen’s desire for revenge against Henry is clouding her judgement. A good leader would prioritize the safety of her people against the greater threat of the infected with all other issues coming after that. Unfortunately for the people of Kansas City, she isn’t a good leader, and they will all suffer from her poor judgement soon enough.
Theme/Messages (3/5)
- How should kids who have been through adult experiences be treated to ensure their development isn’t disrupted?
Acting (12/15)
The chemistry between Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) continues to grow with each passing episode.
Cinematography (12/15)
- Cool shot of the rundown gas station in the middle of the desert (3:52)
- Nice color-contrast with the bright blue truck against a backdrop of broken-down moldy cars (5:48)
- “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” by Hank Williams plays as Joel and Ellie drive through an abandoned city in what is an excellent choice of music for this scene