In the bittersweet seventh episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, viewers get a glimpse of Ellie’s backstory and history of being ‘Left Behind.’ With outstanding performances by both Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid (Riley), this episode is yet another success for the beloved adaptation.
*The rest of this article contains spoilers for the above-mentioned episode, as well as some aspects of The Last of Us: Part I video game.
Ellie and Riley’s story was not originally part of The Last of Us: Part I. In 2013, game players only ever heard Riley’s name in passing and knew only as much about Ellie’s history as Joel. One year after the game’s initial release, though, Naughty Dog produced a DLC called Left Behind, breathing life into Riley’s character while both expanding Ellie’s tragic experiences and confirming her queerness. While the show stays largely true to the DLC, it does weave some important connecting threads between two of Ellie’s most important relationships.
A Date with Riley
Before there was Joel protecting her, there was Riley. In the first part of the flashback to Ellie’s FEDRA school days, it is clear that Riley is someone who takes Ellie’s safety and well-being seriously. She sticks up for her and fights for her. That does not keep her from leaving her, too.
Riley’s absence is something Ellie brings up a lot throughout the episode – both her initial absence from school and her decision to join the Fireflies and leave Boston. It is easy to see Ellie’s fear of ending up alone starting with Riley, even before the character’s unfortunate fate.
When Riley tries to explain her decisions to Ellie, she says “You don’t know what it’s like to have a family. To belong … maybe the Fireflies aren’t what I think. But they chose me.” Unlike Ellie, Riley knew her biological family. She watched them die and was forced to live a life after them, searching for the feeling of belonging she once had. While Riley deeply cares for Ellie, she doesn’t seem to realize what Ellie just skirts around telling her: Ellie does know what it feels like to belong … because she belongs to Riley.
Left Behind
This conversation is also all too similar to ones Ellie has had with Joel. Just before they arrive in Kansas City, Joel tells Ellie that in this world, “you keep going for family.” When she asks if she’s included in that, he reminds her that, to him, she’s cargo. A few episodes later, he insists, rather unfairly, that Ellie has “no idea what loss is”.
Though Riley searches for connection while Joel tries his hardest to avoid it, in the process, they both initially miss what is right in front of them: Ellie’s incredible ability to love. This similarity only becomes more painful the further we get into the story.
When Ellie kisses Riley and asks her stay, Riley finally understands. She agrees to figure things out with Ellie, to perhaps even give up her place with the Fireflies. She chooses Ellie because she realizes that Ellie has always chosen her. They experience one moment of happiness and excitement about a future together before reality comes crashing down. Riley chooses Ellie, but she still becomes infected and Ellie is still left behind.
Again, this is heartbreakingly similar to Ellie’s experiences with Joel. In the previous episode, after months of resistance, Joel finally chooses Ellie and accepts that she will always choose him. They have five days of existing in this new era of their relationship before, once again, reality makes itself known. Suddenly, Ellie’s words, yelled at Joel in frustration and hurt, carry new weight. Every person she has ever cared about has either died or left her. Even if it’s not by choice.
The difference in these two moments comes down, as stories in The Last of Us often do, to choices.
Two Minutes or Two Days
After discovering their bites, Riley tells Ellie they have two options. Either they kill themselves before the infection takes over or they live whatever time they have left together. Others might have chosen the first option, but for two teenagers who had only just come to understand their love for one another, Riley’s next words are all that matters: “Whether it’s two minutes or two days … I don’t want to give that up.”
These are the words that would, unbeknownst to Riley, save Ellie’s life. They’re also the words that are the final connection between this story and Joel’s in Ellie’s mind. Even though he tells her to ride back to Jackson, to leave him and save herself, Ellie won’t. It is therefore fitting that both Riley’s and Joel’s words can work together to make a new mantra: whether it’s two minutes or two days, you keep going for family.
Ellie chose Joel and he chose her. As long as there is still a chance, she will never give up hope. In that way, maybe Riley does live on. Maybe neither she nor Ellie were ever truly left behind.
The Last of Us airs every Sunday at 9pm (EST) / 6pm (PST) on HBO Max.
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