5 best moments from HBO’s The Last of Us (and the 5 most devastating)

Fourth best moment in The Last of Us: Ellie and Riley’s night at the mall

Episode 7, “Left Behind,” spends most of its time filling in the blanks of Ellie’s backstory, introducing us to her best friend/first crush Riley. We learn how they were both bitten by an infected while sneaking out to a mall. Thanks to her immunity, Ellie survived. Riley did not.

There are few reasons I think Ellie and Riley’s night out was one of the best parts of the series. In terms of how it adapted the source material, “Left Behind” was one of the most faithful episodes of the series to date, and that goes way beyond just recreating events. Beyond that, it helps us get to know Ellie better. Bella Ramsey turns in a stellar performance, and Storm Reid is perfect as Riley.

There are many emotional crescendos during the mall sequence. My personal favorite is the moment when Ellie and Riley stand in awe before Raja’s Arcade; it’s a wonderful nod to the love of video games, which hits differently in a series based on one.

Fourth most devastating moment in The Last of Us: Sarah’s death

Just as The Last of Us ended in devastating fashion, so too did it begin. The TV expands on the game’s opening with a compelling 45-minute sequence that shows how the cordyceps outbreak hit Austin, Texas, where Joel lives with his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) and brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna).

While the entire sequence is excellent, the devastating moment where Sarah dies in Joel’s arms stands out. After evading infected and carrying Sarah to safety, the soldier that Joel is hoping will help them ends up opening fire on him and his injured daughter. While Tommy shows up in time to save Joel, Sarah’s gunshot wound is mortal.

A lot of what makes this scene such a gut punch is how long it goes on, and how powerful the performances are from Parker, Pascal and Luna. Sarah does not die a clean death, and Joel is utterly shattered. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it.