Episode 5 of The Last of Us HBO centres around the heart-wrenching story and wider introduction of Henry and Sam – two brothers Joel and Ellie encounter in the first game, portrayed on screen by Lamar Johnson (Henry), and Keivonn Woodard (Sam).
This episode also showcases the motivations of a new faction audiences met previously in Episode 4, the Might Militia, delving into the backstory from the group's resistance leader Kathleen (Melanie Lynksey), and exploring the dynamics and characterisation of her right-hand man, Perry (Jeffrey Pierce).
In this recap of HBO's The Last of Us Podcast Episode 5, we'll recount a few of the core behind-the-scenes efforts that went into producing the series, as well as this episode's more emotional and impactful moments as discussed by Showrunners Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), Neil Druckmann (Creative Director on The Last of Us Part I & II), and host of the podcast Troy Baker (Joel's original voice and motion capture actor on The Last of Us Part I & II), as well as assess the HBO adaptation to the base games.
For further analysis and reading around the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, you can check out the next articles:
- A spoiler-free review of the whole first season of The Last of Us HBO TV series
- The Last people HBO TV series: Cast and Character Guide
- The Last of Us interview: Henry and Perry actors examine their work
Episode recaps and analysis:
- The Last people HBO – Episode 1 Recap – 'When You're Lost within the Darkness'
- The Last of Us HBO – Episode 2 Recap – 'Infected'
- The Last people HBO – Episode 3 Recap – 'Long, Long Time'
- The Last of Us HBO – Episode 4 Recap – 'Please Hold to My Hand'
- The Last people HBO – Episode 5 Recap – 'Endure and Survive'
Behind-the-scenes podcast recaps:
- HBO's All of the Us Podcast – Episode 1 Recap – 'When You're Lost in the Darkness'
- HBO's All of the Us Podcast – Episode 2 Recap – 'Infected'
- HBO's The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 3 Recap – 'Long, Long Time'
- HBO's The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 4 Recap – 'Please Hold to My Hand'
The Last of Us has become streaming on HBO Max in america, and Binge around australia.
HBO's The Last of Us Podcast – Episode 5 Recap – 'Endure and Survive'
- Representing Sam as a deaf character in the HBO adaptation
- Deviations from gameplay sequences & The inclusion of Ish's storyline
- Visual effects efforts and technical aspects
- Kathleen's death and her moral compass
- Additional analysis and notable quotes
Representing Sam as a deaf character within the HBO adaptation
The Last of Us HBO portrays Sam (Keivonn Woodard) as a deaf character, and also the team spoke to the efforts made in representing this correctly, in addition to what inspired the decision to include this deviation for the series.
Mazin explained the modification came from an initial worry he'd that the mode of communication shown between Joel and Ellie could be repeated in other relationships, which led to conversations by what Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam's conversations would look like in isolation – as in the first game, the player doesn't spend time with these characters outside of their interactions with Joel and Ellie.
The team wanted Henry and Sam's mode of communication to distance itself in the theme of 'exasperated father figure' and 'concerned child figure', as well as spoke towards the need for portraying Sam as slightly younger within the series, to convey that, 'Ellie would have somebody that could idolize her- the way in which she researched to Joel.'
Mazin said he'd been taking into consideration the themes presented in This Close (created by Shoshannah Stern and Joshua Feldman) – a sequence which centres on two best friends, who are both deaf, because they navigate love, family relationships, work life in La, and approach situations as deaf people encompassed by hearing individuals.
The team went on to employ Shoshannah Stern to review scripts on HBO's The Last of Us, as a way to make certain they 'weren't making mistakes' concerning how Sam was represented. Mazin pointed out a similar 'cultural review' he'd undertaken when creating Chernobyl, as he had shown instances of the show to individuals who had developed in Soviet Ukraine – the establishing which the series is based – for feedback.
Mazin asserted before casting Keivonn Woodard, they'd found little luck using their initial casting call, as not everyone who responded met every requirement of as being a black child between the ages of 8-11, shorter in height than Ellie (Bella Ramsay), deaf, fluent in ASL (American Sign Language), capable to act on the watch's screen. Mazin also explained that some actors were more fluent in BASL (Black American Sign Language), or lip reading, and mentioned the very first casting call spoke to a 'pipeline problem' in finding young actors instead of children being unsure of the skills.
They then chose to take the casting call to Twitter and received five auditions in reaction, including the kind of Keivonn Woodard. Mazin said:
'Keivonn wasn't just the best of the five, he was astonishing- I have never experienced a circumstance where a kid, who may never have really acted on film before, turns up and it is so naturally good at it and is a joy to have around. He was just an aspiration, still to this day I'm kind of puzzled by it.'
Mazin spoke to Lamar Johnson's efforts in learning sign language for the series, as he mentioned among the opening moments in Episode 5 – where Henry and Sam are hiding in an attic – was filmed on the Monday, and Johnson had learned sign language for those scenes over the past weekend.
Mazin also explained that CJ Jones – who's a deaf actor and acting teacher they had met through Shoshana Stern – seemed to be hired because the 'sort of head of ASL.' Jones acted as both a communication liaison between your crew and Woodard, and an acting coach to both Woodard and Johnson, after reviewing takes would direct Johnson regarding how to attain the proper speed and fluidity to effectively communicate what was being signed.
Mazin added, 'It really was vital that you Lamar that anyone watching this who had been deaf and fluent in ASL, or otherwise deaf and fluent in ASL, wouldn't point their finger and go “nope, fake”. And [Lamar] just was that smart and that good, it had been almost scary.'
Deviations from gameplay sequences & The inclusion of Ish's storyline
One from the more emotional deviations from the games depicted in Episode 5 was shown throughout a scene by which Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam are evading a sniper who's aiming through the window of a house inside a cul-de-sac.
Druckmann explained that whenever they had originally written this sequence within the first game, the sniper was written as a more antagonistic foe, and would yell at the player 'riling' them up, so that when Joel did eventually go into the house he'd don't have any qualms with unleashing on him.
Mazin explained that changing this character to an elderly man with terrible aim because of his wherewithal to see clearly wasn't completed to subvert expectations, but instead brought a sadness towards the moment, plus they understood they 'weren't going to get exactly the same value from presenting the action the way in which the gameplay did.'
They also spoke to the inclusion of an impactful side storyline told in the first game through environmental clues – the storyplot of Ish and his safehouse.
Druckmann explained that while there are many moments within the series that expand on and enrich the game, this was a example 'where the game enriches the show'. He explained that whilst the adaptation couldn't tell the storyline in the same manner, 'we wanted to honour that this place existed also it felt such as this would be a method to reflect back on these characters and the journey they are going through now.'
Mazin also added that whenever playing the very first game, 'I remember being so surprised and delighted by discovering that- abandoned underground colony within the tunnels, there was no question that we needed to view it, it was vital.'
'The fact that Ellie and Sam can play soccer and that Joel and Henry are able to have a “Dad Talk” within this weird, brief respite of safety and sanity was vital in my experience. I needed to determine it.'
'We could absolutely perform a standalone Ish episode, but I think where we landed was it's easier to tip our hats to Ish.'
Visual effects efforts and technical aspects
The team also spoke to the extensive visual effects which were undertaken for that HBO adaptation, as the crew had built a large majority of practical, actual life sets for that series.
Mazin explained that there would be a large, empty lot next to the main stages where these were filming at CFC Calgary Film Centre, plus they knew that they would want 'total control' from the space in order to choreograph gunfire, burns, automobile stunts, in addition to extras around the scenes.
They had shown rough images to people in the art and construction department – taken from both the gaming and actual life Kansas City neighbourhoods – as inspiration for that cul-de-sac they desired to build, and Mazin explained the team worked at 'light speed' to create this, onboarding actual home builders for that undertaking.
The team also spoke to the incredible efforts of New Zealand based digital effects company Wētā FX, and Mazin noted VFX Supervisor Alex Wong became a vital person in the team during the period of production. Druckmann added that Wong had created a previous project to commence focus on The Last of Us HBO due to the love he'd for the game.
Mazin added: 'Right now the world is kind of handling a visual effects shortage- everyone is using more and more visual effects to help produce and tell stories to the point where there's not enough artists on earth to fulfil all the demand of content, especially as content is growing on tv.'
'When you get in touch with these companies you are not necessarily just haggling over price, at some point you're just like “do you need to focus on this?” Simply because they get their choice, and then there obviously are amounts of expertise within companies.'
Mazin also spoke towards the 'phenomenal' work Wētā FX produced in creating scenes depicting the infected, as well as the surrounding moments that centred around the creatures.
Mazin explained they knew they wanted to incorporate a massive set piece involving all the infected in Episode 5, which found life in the form of every person in the infected – who were driven underground into tunnels by FEDRA – busting from the ground inside a climactic scene.
He added that Kathleen's (Melanie Lynkey) faction were also area of the threat during this moment, as the audience had 'come to know that even though FEDRA was terrible, these were providing that one service', now that the Kansas City Militia had effectively eliminated them, it had been a moment to speak this threat even further.
Mazin took inspiration from ant colonies when considering the infected living in the tunnels, saying that it was a terrifying prospect that if one spot within the colony was popped open in one place, all the ants would essentially start tunnelling using that new area. Also, he referenced a minute in The Lord from the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in which thousands of goblins come skittering down massive columns 'like spiders' within the Mines of Moria, and also the concept of the infected 'belching forth' out of the earth was attractive to him.
The team also spoke to the introduction of the 'child clicker', a new variant of infected presented in Episode 5. Druckmann added that certain from the original designers who worked on allowing the clickers at Naughty Dog was triggered to help design this new variant for the adaptation.
Mazin praised the job from the young contortionist actress Skye Cowton, stating it had been a mix of her performance and Wētā FX drafting off of that which was already given prosthetics that communicated this character so effectively. Mazin also suggested the 'child clicker' wear a Blues Clues shirt, because he loved 'the contrast of innocence and horror'.
Mazin also pointed for an 'overly ambitious' visual effects idea he had when it comes to Perry's death, because he initially envisioned a bloater would rip Perry apart in the waist, instead of beheading him. He explained that the further the VFX team done this, they quickly realised it had not been physically easy to emulate, which 'Neil [Druckmann]… was correct in suggesting that something which felt more grounded anatomically could be more effective.'
Either way- gross!
Kathleen death and her moral compass
Lastly, the team elaborated around the character of Kathleen, how her faction was represented, and the moral ambiguities behind her actions.
Mazin discussed the quiet terror Melanie Lynskey accessed in her own portrayal of Kathleen, and how this quality was her ultimate sense of power, saying:
'What if a kindergarten teacher were responsible for the terror from the French revolution- Simply because you're sweet on the outside doesn't mean you do not have the capacity for terrible anger and vengeance inside your heart.'
The team also spoke to Kathleen's success in freeing her faction, as despite her arguably dark motivations, she still managed to build trust within her community, with Mazin explaining:
'[The Kansas City Militia] have the freedom because somebody with darkness in her own said, “we're gonna do whatever it takes”, so when somebody frees you want that you simply have a tendency to have confidence in them and also you tend to follow all of them the way to the bitter end.'
Druckmann added: 'It also type of sets the rules with this world of like, fundamental essentials people that survive. Fundamental essentials somebody that has the tools to outlive nowadays which is why Joel lives.'
Mazin also spoke to the surrounding people in the Might Militia, saying that 'the perception of tribalism is always there' but it was essential for him and Druckmann not to 'NPC-ise' (talking about non playable characters inside a video game) these folks, as they desired to prevent them being depicted as just 'bad guys.'
Mazin added: 'When you are making television there isn't the gameplay aspect, we wanted as well as we're able to to provide these people a sense of justification.'
Druckmann also mentioned the way the series explores the aftermath of FEDRA being overtaken by this new faction, which by presenting these moments outside of Joel and Ellie's perspective – as that's the just one they were able to draw from within the gaming – it elevated the motivations of other character's inside the world and storylines for example Henry and Sam's.
When speaking on Kathleen's death and her justifications for hunting Henry and Sam, Mazin referenced the infamous Westworld quote – 'these violent delights have violent ends', adding:
'I think it's important to reveal that when you are dead set on using violence to settle the score and win the day, you will probably get subsumed with that yourself. And also the truth is Kathleen is a moral criminal, she's done terrible things. Does she should die? I do not really enter into that. I just realize that the chances that you are going to die through the sword increase dramatically if you reside because of it.'
Mazin also mentioned the poetic nature and need for Kathleen's demise staying at the hand of the child clicker, as just moments before, she had shown little remorse in wanting to kill Sam after Henry was attempting to protect him. Mazin said:
'The thing is, lots of what we discuss when we're referring to the moral conundrum of The Last of Us is, why does my kid's life matter a lot more than yours?… And so the concept that she ultimately is killed with a kid felt sort of just like a circular completion of that story. You aren't designed to feel great, you're not supposed to feel below par. If people struggle a bit with how they feel about that moment then I think we probably did it correctly.'
Additional analysis and notable quotes
- The title of Episode 5 – 'Endure and Survive' – originates from a fictional comic book series entitled Savage Starlight, and copies from the comics are available in Ellie's inventory within the first game.
- Druckmann mentions the Savage Starlight comic books written for the games were inspired by Watchmen – while there is an imagined comic book within that series that reflects back on what is going on for the reason that world. Naughty Dog wanted to create an in-game sci fi comic that spoke towards the same themes of love and relationships which were presented in The Last of Us, and decided it should have a catchphrase the main hero says. After typing the term 'survival' right into a website, the term 'endure' then turned up amongst a shortlist, and 'Endure and Survive' was officially born. I guess this counts his or her Childish Gambino Wu-Tang Name Generator moment.
- Druckmann had previously made pacts while developing The Last of Us Part I & II to get a tattoo symbolising the sport and had backed from them previously. Mazin mentions in this episode from the podcast he and Druckmann had designed a similar pact to both get tattoos of Ellie's switchblade early on in pre-production, promising to undergo by using it if the series was successful. With the evidential critical success the series has accumulated, audiences will have to wait and find out if any permanent ink arises from this new deal.
- Craig Mazin – (Referencing Kathleen's character) 'What if your kindergarten teacher were responsible for the terror of the French revolution- Just because you're sweet on the outside does not mean you don't have the capacity for terrible anger and vengeance inside your heart.'
- Craig Mazin – '[Sam's] story, in our show, wasn't about him being deaf. In fact, the biggest factor to his character was that he had, had leukaemia. Which was a larger deal for Sam. And I hope that individuals in Hollywood consider casting Keivonn again – and never in stories about being deaf, but simply in stories about people, cause he's, boy is he good.'
- Craig Mazin – 'I think we were always scared either to be too near to the game or too far away from the game and the best way to get around the fear was too ask, what would get the best story and also the best scene.'
- Craig Mazin – 'We could absolutely do a standalone Ish episode, but I think where we landed was it's better to tip our hats to Ish.'
- Craig Mazin – (Referencing Kathleen's death) 'I think it's important to show that when you're dead set on using violence to stay the score and win your day, you will probably get subsumed by that yourself- I just know that the odds that you are going to die through the sword increase dramatically if you reside by it.'
- Neil Druckmann – (Referencing Sam and Henry's burial at the end of Episode 5) 'Joel is such a pragmatic survivor, he wouldn't spend some time burying someone. He's not doing the work for himself, he's doing it for Ellie- The father-daughter bond has become there.'
