Contains spoilers for episode 5

Episode 5 of “The Last of Us’” is a perfect halfway point of season 1. We meet two new characters; a deaf boy named Sam and his older brother, Henry. These two characters and others that joined the cast in episode 4 start to build a strong foundation of a crew beside Ellie and Joel. Henry and Sam find their way through Boston at the same time as Ellie and Joel. The two pairs meet in an abandoned building and agree on a plan to leave Boston through tunnels. This episode delves into the idea of trust in an apocalyptic world, which I think is a core value of every character. We see the undying trust of the resistance group to their leader, Kathleen, and we also see the hesitation from Joel in trusting Henry and Sam. 

One factor I really enjoyed in this episode was the family-like feeling from the team of four. In the beginning of the escape plan, Ellie steps into a big sister role for Sam and provides fun and laughs amidst the frightening situation. Sam uses a notepad to communicate that he wears around his neck, which Ellie also uses to bond with him. The inclusion of a deaf character and actor, Keivonn Woodard, also provided diversity in the cast and episode. This episode has further proved my love for cinematography and screenwriting. One of my favorite screenwriting moments was Sam teaching Ellie sign language for “endure and survive” which is the slogan for their favorite comic book. 

After “Long, Long Time”, an episode telling Frank and Bill’s love story, I wasn’t expecting another episode to end in heartbreak. But after Sam gets bitten in an attack from the infected, we see, in my opinion, the saddest death so far. Although an amazing episode, it left me with a heavy feeling in my heart. Episode 5, “Endure and Survive,” ends with the graves of Henry and Sam, with Sam’s notepad laid across with Ellie’s words of “I’m sorry.”