HBO Max has released their weekly “Inside the Episode” behind-the-scenes featurette for The Last of Us, the latest looking at the show’s brutal eighth episode, titled “When We Are in Need.” No clickers this episode, but there were was certainly a monster.
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) was truly put through the wringer in this chapter. With Joel (Pedro Pascal) injured, Ellie was on her own and caught in the sights of David (played by Scott Shepherd), a “preacher” who, as the episode progressed, we learned was anything but holy. For those familiar with the game, it’s the winter segment that first allowed players to play as Ellie, after having played as Joel for most of the game.
“This sequence is the thing that inspired me or, like, made me want to make the game,” says Neil Druckmann, the game’s writer and co-director, as well as executive producer on the series.
The episode also features a big nod for game fans, with actor Troy Baker, who played Joel in the games, starring as one of David’s followers, James. “Playing any character is an upgrade from what I thought I was going to do,” says Baker. “I thought I was going to be, like, a clicker.”
It was a brutal, exhausting chapter – one that left poor Ellie a changed person; an incredible performance by star Bella Ramsey. Audience expectations were subverted as Ellie fought for her life, with Joel seemingly not far away from a rescue. “We are rooting for Joel to save her, but that’s not going to get it done,” says series creator, writer and executive producer Craig Mazin. “In the end, the only person that can save Ellie is Ellie. And how? Violence.”
Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video below.
