Every episode of The Last of Us, ranked worst to best

7. Episode 2, “Infected”

Episode 1 ends with Joel, Ellie and Tess braving their way into a ruined Boston, which the show does a great job of making feel foreboding and alien. The image of a collapsed skyscraper leaning against another is spectacular, as are the craters left by bombs dropped long ago when the government thought they could contain the cordyceps outbreak. Flooded hotel lobbies, crumbling museums…The Last of Us cost a lot to produce and you can see the money onscreen in “Infected.”

“Infected” also better acquaints us with our characters. Ellie stands out, vacillating between the hard-bitten survivor who faces down these two adults who may kill her if she starts twitching like a zombie, and the innocent kid who rings the bell at the hotel desk over and over because it’s just so much fun.

This is also the most time we get to spend with Tess, who sacrifices herself at the end of the episode to ensure that Joel can continue to watch over Ellie. In the end, we don’t know Tess well enough for this moment to feel as powerful as the show wants it to, but there’s no forgetting the sickening kiss an infected gives her right before she blows up the whole building.

The infected in general are a highlight here, especially the clickers, whose designs are grotesque and beautiful all at once. In a way, Joel and Ellie’s journey really begins here.

6. Episode 8, “When We Are in Need”

This Ellie-centric episode comes late in the season. Joel is recovering from a stab wound and must rely on Ellie to keep him alive long enough for him to recover. She fends for the two of them in an abandoned neighborhood in Colorado, where she happens to come across members of a cult who offer her medicine. But the leader, David, has ulterior motives; he wants Ellie to join the cult and serve as, essentially, his right-hand woman. Also they’re eating their own members because they’re running out of food.

“When We Are in Need” is a tense episode and important for Ellie’s growth. She goes through the wringer here; not only does she have to take care of her ailing father figure, but also face down this creepy preacher guy who wants to do…what, exactly? One of the things that put me off a bit about Episode 8 is David, who all but invites Ellie to come rule hell with him. I thought it came a bit out of nowhere. Why is this guy so intent on seducing Ellie over to the dark side of the force, especially when she’s so clearly resistant?

Still, it’s great to see Ellie think on her feet to escape David’s clutches, and very disturbing to watch her brutally kill him later. Ellie is traumatized by this experience. Episode 8 also marks the first episode where Joel fully accepts Ellie as his surrogate daughter, which sets up the endgame.