What is a collaborator in The Last of Us?

The Last of Us Episode 5 was a big one. At the heart of things were Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard), brothers who are trying to make it out of the ruins of Kansas City. This goal is complicated by the fact that the armed revolutionary force which controls the area is hunting for Henry, on account of him selling out their former leader Michael.

Joel (Pedro Pascal) is initially very reluctant to trust Henry. But things between them escalate when Henry admits that he is a “collaborator.” This immediately sends Joel backpedaling, claiming he doesn’t work with “rats.” But given the direness of the situation, he comes back around.

If you’re wondering what exactly a “collaborator” is in The Last of Us, we’ve got you covered.

What’s a collaborator in The Last of Us?

The first thing to know is that a “collaborator” is not a terminology specific to The Last of Us, like clicker or bloater. When Henry says he was a collaborator for FEDRA, the fascist militia which ruled Kansas City before the revolutionaries overthrew them, he means it in the very literal sense: he helped them by providing information or other favors. All those people Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) gunned down at the beginning of the episode, as well as Doctor Edelstein, were also FEDRA collaborators. Kathleen accuses them of ratting their neighbors out to FEDRA for various  perceived crimes in exchange for promises of safety.

But Henry went one step further: he not only collaborated with FEDRA, he sold out Kathleen’s older brother, who was the previous leader of the revolutionaries and generally considered a just and kind person. In exchange, FEDRA gave Henry medicine for Sam’s leukemia. This is what set events for the overthrow in motion, with Kathleen taking control of the revolutionaries and deposing FEDRA in her quest for revenge.

The brutal reputation of the Kansas City FEDRA force also makes Joel’s reluctance a lot easier to understand. Remember: he was living under FEDRA in Boston. During the same conversation where Henry reveals that he was a collaborator, the two discuss how FEDRA fell. Henry explains that the Kansas City FEDRA’s reputation for being “monsters” and “savages” was well-earned.

"Monsters? Savages? Yeah, you heard right. Raped and tortured and murdered people for 20 years. And you know what happens when you do that to people? The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you."

This helps paint a fuller picture of why it was considered such a crime to be a FEDRA collaborator, especially in Kansas City.

The Last of Us premieres Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

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