If there's one thing that ? ??? ??Last of Us'Ellie values more than the one-liner humour of Will Livingstone, it's comics.
In episode 5 and episode 7, the HBO series tips its hat to our teen protagonist's favourite thing, seeing Ellie (Bella Ramsey) connect with her beloved Savage Starlight comics. As Joel (Pedro Pascal), Henry (Lamar Johnson), Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Ellie are escaping Kansas City through its underground tunnels in the series' fifth episode, Sam finds an issue in an abandoned settlement kindergarten.
SEE ALSO: How 'The Last of Us' successfully translates the game's best mechanics to TV"No way! I love these!" exclaims Ellie, as they excitedly trade details over which issues they each own. "To the edge of the universe and back, endure and survive," they quote the comic's catchphrase together, as Sam teaches Ellie the sign language. The issue Sam discovers is Savage Starlight#6 "Accretion" — one of the titles both Ellie and Sam own, so they know it almost by heart — and can be found in the game in a crumbling hotel lobby bar in Pittsburgh (the HBO series swapped Pittsburgh for Kansas City for episodes 4 and 5).
Sam (Keivonn Woodard) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) obsess over "Savage Starlight" #6 in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO In Naughty Dog's game, collecting this fictional series of sci-fi comics for Ellie isn't a survivalist necessity, it's just a rewarding, fun thing to do, as the tough teen can't get enough of the intergalactic adventures of protagonist Dr. Daniela Star and Captain Ryan amid the gloom. They're pure escapism from her bleak reality. Like Ellie's jokes, the comics scattered around dilapidated bedrooms, inside rusting cars, and sitting within drawers are a form of collectible in the game, and finding all 14 of them will earn you the aptly named "Endure and Survive" trophy, which is also the title of episode 5.
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In the series, creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin expand Ellie's love of comics to the character of Sam. Earlier in the episode, Sam has kept himself busy in hiding by drawing superheroes, and Henry even paints Sam's own superhero mask to empower him before their next dangerous move through the city.
In the episode, "endure and survive" becomes a sort of motto for the new foursome, despite the tragic circumstances for Sam and Henry ahead.
"What's that comic book say? 'Endure and survive?'" remarks Joel.
"'Endure and survive.' That shit's redundant," responds Henry in jest.
"Yeah, it's not great," replies Joel.
After the episode's major battle with the sniper, Kathleen's militia, and newly ripped Infected, Sam and Ellie get to be actual kids for a second, thwarting their guardians' request to go to sleep by gleefully continuing to read Savage Starlight. Sadly, their time is limited.
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Ellie reads "Savage Starlight" #8 in her FEDRA academy dorm room. Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO In an excellent Easter egg moment, the exact scene Ellie is reading with Sam in this episode appears to be the page that Ellie is reading in episode 7, in the flashback to her dorm room in FEDRA military school. As Ellie is distractedly flicking through Savage Starlight#8 "Negentropy," you get a good view of the comic itself, where a panel shows Star holding a massive gun. She asks, "Should we knock?" When Ellie turns the page, Star and her companion have barged their way into their destination.
Ellie reads this very line from #8 to Sam before Henry walks in, which means they either found another issue in the kindergarten besides issue #6, "Accretion," or Sam or Ellie had their own copy of "Negentropy" stashed in one of their backpacks. Either way, the comic was important enough to them to bring along and drag through the encounter with Kathleen's militia and the Infected horde. In the game, you can find issue #8 playing as Ellie near the Lakeside Resort, an area that promises to feature in the next episode according to the trailer.
For a few brief moments, Mazin and Druckmann both expanded the emotional significance of these collectibles for players and gave Ellie a glimmer of joy in the dark. "Endure and survive" is all anyone can aim for in The Last of Us, but for the most part, it doesn't work out.
The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO Max.New episodes air every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
Topics HBO Streaming The Last of Us