Joel and Ellie have been fighting off the harsh weather, the infected, and bandits together so far, with Joel hiking more kills. But in episode 8, Ellie proves that she can take care of herself as David and his cannibal group keep her prisoner. Ellie stopped David from taking advantage of her and even managed to kill the leader and his second-in-command.
Joel made his way to her after torturing and killing David’s men at their last camp, and the two reunite as Ellie stumbles around in shock about what happened. Joel leads her away from the burning building, and that’s where we leave them in this week’s episode. So, what can we expect in episode 9?
1. Episode 9 Synopsis/Speculation
The finale is next week, and the penultimate episode has set high stakes for the last episode. Episode 8 was the most watched of the entire season, and it only makes me more excited for the new episode – which, in turn, saddens me that it will be the last for a while.
But series star Bella Ramsey has teased that the season finale will be “divisive,” and the fandom will find itself divided in terms of how the show deals with the events of the game.
Ellie and Joel will close in on the Fireflies’ base, finally very close to achieving what they set out for – to use Ellie’s humanity to rid them of the Cordyceps virus. But the following week’s preview suggests something goes wrong, and after much action, Joel and Ellie will move on to finish what they started.
Rumors about Joel’s death have been flying around. There is a chance of that happening which will tie with the events of the second game where the old man bites dust. I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to Pedro Pascal’s character, though, so keep your fingers crossed.
Game fans are ready to see Joel’s more raging side in the next episode, which will mark the final showdown against the infected, but we still have to wait to see if the show takes the same path.
So when are we getting the season 1 finale of The Last of Us?
2. Episode 9 Release Date
Chapter 9 of the The Last of Us series, titled “Look for the Light”, has been released on Sunday, Mar 12, 2023 at 6:00 pm PDT.
3. Season 1 Schedule
| The Last of Us Season 1 Episode No. | The Last of Us Season 1 Episode Title | Direction | Teleplay | Release Date |
| 1 | When You’re Lost in the Darkness | Craig Mazin | Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann | January 15 2023 |
| 2 | Infection | Neil Druckmann | Craig Mazin | January 22 2023 |
| 3 | Long Long Time | Peter Hoar | Craig Mazin | January 29 2023 |
| 4 | Please Hold My hand | Jeremy Webb | Craig Mazin | February 5 2023 |
| 5 | Endure and Survive | Jeremy Webb | Craig Mazin | February 12 2023 |
| 6 | Kin | Jasmila Žbanić | Craig Mazin | February 19 2023 |
| 7 | Left Behind | Liza Johnson | Neil Druckmann | February 26 2023 |
| 8 | When We Are in Need | Ali Abbasi | Craig Mazin | March 5 2023 |
| 9 | Look for the Light | Ali Abbasi | Craig Mazin | March 12 2023 |
4. Where to Watch The Last of Us
The Last of Us is streaming exclusively on HBO & HBO Max in the US.
5. Episode 8 Recap
The episode opens in a desolate town, and during a funeral, we’re introduced to David, the leader of this grieving community. He senses doubt in his number two, but other matters take precedence, like how people are running out of food. They go out to hunt in the same woods where Ellie has gone out searching for the same.
Ellie shoots a deer, which David and James try to commandeer, but Ellie stays adamant and points her gun at them. David strikes a barter, Ellie asks for medicine for an infection, and the leader agrees, sending James to fetch it for the teen. They converse, and she asks him if he’s a cult leader, to which he reluctantly agrees.
Mid-conversation, David reveals he’s looking for a crazy man who killed one of his own, and Ellie realizes he means Joel. Now returned, James aims a gun at Ellie’s head, but David lets her go with the medicine, and she rushes back to inject Joel. David returns to his people eating suspicious meat, and that’s where we see his kind demeanor crack as he reprimands Alec’s daughter.
David’s men come for Ellie and capture her while Joel gets left behind, and the leader sends his men to end his life. Joel manages to gain consciousness, tortures the two to get Ellie’s location, and heads there.
Meanwhile, the teen wakes up in prison, where she also figures David has been feeding his community their own dead. The leader then explains he would’ve told her the truth because he sees a reflection of him in her and asks her to come by his side. In reply, Ellie breaks off his finger and the leader retreats.
When he returns with James, determined to chop Ellie up and use her for the community, Ellie bites him and then tells him she’s infected. In the confusion, she breaks free and kills James; David realizes that she isn’t infected and promises that he’ll be the father she needs to set her straight.
He tries to force herself on her, but she grabs the knife and kills him, and leaves the burning building only to crash into Joel. She screams and pushes him away until she realizes it’s him, and then she holds onto him while he consoles her, just like he used to with Sarah.
Joel wraps her up, still in shock about what happened, and they leave the town behind.
6. About The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is an HBO TV series adaptation of the award-winning video game of the same name originally developed by Naughty Dog.
It is set in 2033, as a fungal infestation plagues humans, turning them feral and blind before finally finishing them off. The series follows Joel’s journey to escort an immune 14-year-old Ellie to the Fireflies, who hope to study her to procure a vaccine.
The cast comprises Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, both famed for their roles in Games of Thrones, along with Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, and Nico Parker. The show was renewed for season 2.
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