The Last of Us gets very Yellowjackets for its worst twist yet

If Last of Us introduces us to David, the preacher leading a congregation of survivors through a harsh winter, it’s legitimately hard to figure him out. Scott Shepherd is an excellent actor, adding a Midwestern touch to the role. His character exudes warmth and awe to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who must find food for Joel (Pedro Pascal). There’s reason to suspect him, because there’s reason to suspect everybody — Joel and Ellie have generally not had a great time when it comes to dealing with other people. David is trying to get to know Ellie through David while he holds him captive at gunpoint. His desire to be connected with her.

They have conversations about survival and faith, which allows them to discuss the classic question: Does everything happen for a reason? This is how they learn. Last of Us seems like it’s going to delve into a genuinely complex and human space, telling a story about people who’ve lost much and clung to things they might not have otherwise in order to find purpose and meaning. Then, 40 minutes later, the show reveals David’s secret, and abandons all of that. Again.

[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for episode 8 of The Last of Us.]

David, the series eventually shows, is nothing but a simple tyrant. He uses faith to harness the hopes of his community and gain power, respect, and even more. Under his leadership, the congregation have also become unwitting cannibals, as he and a small group of collaborators have turned to killing people outside of the community and butchering them to feed David’s followers, telling them it’s venison.

Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

It’s a familiar area for those who have survived in such dire circumstances. This allows us to ask what the fall of society is for our beliefs about what makes us human. There are many questions that can be explored from this perspective. They should they? Is there a reason they should be abandoned? How should we set new standards? Is it possible to create community around new standards?

Episode 8 reveals the truth. The episode makes David into a fundamentalist leader of cults who wants to be in the top tier. Then the script introduces a cartoonishly evil late-episode twist where David imprisons Ellie, says he sees her — a child — as an equal, and expresses a lecherous interest in her.

This is clear. David doesn’t find himself in a position where he is unable to make tough decisions. He doesn’t believe in any creed. All that makes sense is violence. The TV program portrays him as adding complexity.

It’s a well Last of Us writers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann can’t stop drawing from. Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), the similarly petty tyrant in Kansas City who imposed a fascistic regime of absolute loyalty after overthrowing the previously fascist federal government; the poorly defined Firefly faction of guerrilla terrorists; the faceless FEDRA goons themselves — Last of Us This world is filled with dictators and zealots. It’s the kind of world that can only imagine violence as the only meaningful way to have impact on the world, and it’s notable that its only two exceptions — the survivalist couple Bill and Frank and the Jackson settlement — are exclusionary communities where no one seems to believe in anything beyond a mistrust of outsiders.

Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

Blunt Force Trauma is the only story-telling tool this show appears to use in its greatest moments. This shows a desperate leader turning to horrific means of survival in an attempt at saving humanity. As in episode 8, where the desperate leader uses horrific survival methods to survive. Could result in a compelling story, the limits of violence as expression is potentially fertile ground — if the show’s writers were interested in it as anything more than a means to an end. Instead, however, Mazin and Druckmann believe they’re telling a story about Joel and Ellie, about trauma and love and the surrogate bond between them that the viewer, weirdly, has not even spent that much time seeing.

Last of Us is presented as a story that’s interested in something more complex than the pulpy genre fare it’s riffing on. This is what all the statements about it being “the greatest story in gaming” and “not being about zombies” really amount to: a sincere belief that genre storytelling automatically equates to a deficit of depth, complexity, or relevance in character or theme. This is a position of insecurity, certainly, but it’s understandable, and the reputation of Last of UsThe videogame suggests that the original story was successful in reaching that goal.

David is an incredibly evil and obvious character, which undermines everything about the show. The characters that obey him and are in on his secrets, the community that he leads — they are nothing but objects to exploit. Ellie, who is the show’s heartbeat, can be exploited by men. In abandoning zombies, Last of Us’ Creators believe they’re not creating a show about zombies. It’s hard to believe them, when all that they’re interested in is men and their appetites.