1x07 Left Behind

The acting, directing, and production design of this show continue to be amazing. Unfortunately, at times, including for this entire episode, the writing falls back on tired zombie apocalypse tropes to drive its story forward. Flashbacks are all well and good; they help flesh out characters and can provide nice diversions from the main storyline. But Joel's predicament in Episode 6's cliffhanger needs no diversions, and there are no surprises offered in Episode 7. (Well, maybe except for Ellie's apparent queerness, which is a definite plus, though it doesn't do much to inform, flesh out, or provide insight into anything else that we've seen so far.) From the time that the show's trailer premiered we knew that the scenes in The Mall would be coming. And anyone who has ever watched more than one episode of The Walking Dead fully expected that the person Ellie shared those happy scenes with would be a close friend, and that they would die in a heartbreaking manner. What I didn't expect - especially after the triumph of storytelling that was Episode 3 - was that the writers would spend 50+ minutes telling this tale, and/or that there would be no surprise twist. It could have been done in 10. Fleshing out Ellie's pre-Joel story could have been spread out across multiple episodes. Instead, this week's installment felt like wasted time. Even worse than time, it wasted magnificent performances from Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid on an hour of TV that I kept wanting to fast forward through.

(814-word review) The fourth episode was the weakest one for me up to this point, and this one, more or less, tied it in that department. It felt like an intentional commercial break, just like the third episode, from progressing the story. That also reminds me of the second game, plagued and dominated by flashbacks upon flashbacks, seemingly incapable of writing and structuring a story differently; no surprise that Neil Druckmann wrote this episode.

And before you instinctively react to that, I know that Ellie's backstory with Riley isn't new; I know about the first game's DLC and what happened. So, I'm aware that this was "necessary," not just because it's part of the source material but also for the sake of adding to Ellie's character, especially for those watching this who haven't played or seen the DLC/games.

But there are only two episodes left; those are the ones a critic or two mentioned rushed. I wonder why; nothing to do with this one, no way. I get that this was a DLC and not in the original game; they'd have to find a way to incorporate it into the original game's story. There was more potential here regarding this backstory. That's what I mean.

For one, its unveiling could've been sooner, except apparently, professional writers with experience thought the seventh of nine episodes was the best choice. That was all for parallel's sake, presumably: losing someone in the past and now trying to save someone in the present. As if we don't know Ellie cares about Joel, in particular, because of the previous episode's ending. And another problem relating to already knowing that is the rushed progression and development to that place, making that "reality" we have no choice but to go along with seem fake/insincere.

But the third episode (decent, didn't need an entire episode) took priority, right behind the creation/establishment of Kathleen and her group: a waste of time. These decisions are odd. They're affecting the future, and not in a good way. You start to see it with each episode, the overall season, from the perspective of the complete picture.

Secondly, Storm Reid was miscast. I didn't buy her performance, much less her performance as Riley. It was not convincing whatsoever. Her acting was decent at times, at the very least. Beyond that, however, I wasn't feeling much chemistry between her and Bella Ramsey. It seemed like Ellie's all for that/swings that way, beyond a shadow of a doubt, which is a no-brainer; on the flip side, it seemed like Riley went along with it out of affection and care, not to the extent of Ellie. I doubt that was intentional, given the romantic correlation.

It would've been a nice change of direction if Ellie's gay but not Riley. The writing didn't seem to indicate that: the lack of chemistry between Storm and Bella did, and I doubt good ol' Neil would do something so controversial; in THAT direction, I mean, since, ironically, I bet most people wouldn't like that particular change: "No nuance allowed when it concerns something with which I don't agree, but everything else is fine."

At the same time, despite my view that their chemistry was lacking and that Storm was miscast, Ellie and Riley's story had some effect towards the end, which is appreciated, although, for the most part, everything leading up to it was so-so. Some of the dialogue was also so-so, maybe worse.

Also, the fight sequence had a questionable moment or two. Ellie jumps off the countertop and falls over, which most people will attribute to the nature of the situation. I attribute it to a cop-out; that was an addition for buying time, aka plot convenience. Then Riley gets barely tackled/knocked (out, apparently) down and is out cold: another instance of buying time, aka plot convenience. And lastly, Ellie laughs after the situation's over instead of immediately checking on Riley to see if she's okay.

On the plus side, some of the cinematography by Ksenia Sereda looked good, and some of Bella's acting was good; however, there's still more to be desired, especially concerning her overall performance as Ellie. And the music during the final scene and into the credits was Metal Gear Solid-esque, which was a pleasant surprise. Neil must be trying to channel his supposed inner Hideo Kojima. And in case you're wondering...no, that doesn't balance things out.

So, I grant this episode my lowest rating for any episode: 6/10; even the fourth one, which I said this one's tied with, more or less, and the weakest one up to this point, I gave a 7/10. We got the Left Behind DLC and the origin of Ellie's bite, so people unfamiliar with the source material will likely like this episode; it may even be in the Top 3 for some people. Good for them.

“Left Behind”, an episode that is best left behind? Not quite, but it is undoubtedly the most disappointing one so far.

One of the major missteps was telegraphing the fate of one of the main characters, a decision that weakened the story’s impact and disconnected the viewer from the unfolding drama. Even the attempts to build suspense in the lead-up to the characters’ fates proved disappointing. Was the episode mere filler? Not exactly. It did offer a bit of depth to Ellie’s character, but it did so at the expense of the show’s near-flawless track record.

Unfortunately, neither Storm Reid nor Bella Ramsey possesses the necessary screen presence to truly captivate and hold the audience’s attention. The writing and direction both fall short of alleviating this fact, which further detracts from the overall quality of the episode.

The strength of the show has always been its ability to develop complex and engaging characters, and it’s disappointing to see it falter at such a crucial juncture, especially after delivering back-to-back brilliance.

Despite its missteps, “Left Behind” doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the show. With two episodes still left in the season, I remain hopeful that this misstep is just a minor hiccup in an otherwise stellar series.

01x07 - Left Behind: 6.9/10 (It Gets the Job Done, Slightly Flawed)

Oh man.

I will just say few things here. Whoever played the game and says that the show stays true to the game or that Bella's portrayal of Ellie is spot on, go back and play the game again.

One of the things that bothered me in this episode was that Joel was awake there, in that house they end up in. The stress that contributed to this whole section in the game was that we had no idea if Joel will pull through or not. Not just us as audience, but Ellie had no idea if what she was doing for Joel would even make a difference. She had no idea but still she stuck by him and never even thought of leaving him. This was just one of million little details special about that story in the game. This show keeps missing the mark and for some reason people who apparently played the game, love it. Don't get me wrong, I am glad this show was made and the story was brought to the TV screens in a form of a TV show. But man is it underwhelming.

To people who never played the game, go ahead and play it. Comes out on PC soon so no excuses :) Thank me later.

I normally don't care too much long diversions from the main plot of a show because oftentimes, especially in the case of shows like The Walking Dead, they feel like filler in the supposed service of "character development." But in this case, although we obviously knew about the pain that Joel has suffered in the past, we didn't know much about Ellie's story, so it was important, given that she is one of the two main characters after all, to relive part of her past. As it turns out, teenagers in the quarantine zone have to deal with many of the same things - bullies, crushes, hormones, etc - that kids in the real world experience. One could argue that this episode lingered too long in the mall - essentially Ellie and Riley were just hanging out for much of the show - but the bond that already existed and the one that grew stronger over the course of the night had to be told with a certain pacing or else it would have felt rushed. This would also make what happens near the end all the more crushing, and, as Ellie gets lost in her memories and nearly opens the door to leave Joel behind, she becomes desperate to save him because he is essentially her father at this point, and she couldn't bear to lose him. As for the acting, it's almost staggering to realize how good Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid, both 19, are at this point in their young careers. The episode really felt like we were watching two best friends have the night of their lives, which again, made the ending all the more devastating.

Neil wrote a really beautiful episode here.

Storm Reid was excellent casting for Riley. A great combination of the snark, sarcasm and magnetic energy Riley needs, while still hitting the emotional chords of the story. She played off Bella really well.

The “Take On Me” inclusion made me smile.

(Also love all the just general set dressings that allude to the game. Savage Starlight. Dawn of the Wolf. Macho Nacho. The wolf/clown mask.)

A small part of me wishes we got some sort of confirmation of whether or not Ellie had to actually kill Riley herself when she starts to turn (while also recognizing that she is not turning) or if she just left her behind. It’s always been one of those mysteries I’ve been morbidly curious about. I took Ellie’s comment a few episodes ago about “not her first kill” being reference to her first human kill, and her having to say goodbye to Riley is such a relevant moment in Ellie’s life that adds layers to her survivors guilt and reasons for why she so desperately wants to believe in the cure. I certainly understand the reasons behind why they leave the story on a more poetic ending, instead of showcasing the brutality of what actually happened on screen, but it is undoubtedly one of Ellie’s saddest and most impactful moments of her lifetime so I’ve always wondered if we’d ever learn how exactly Ellie had to leave her.

EDIT: Also loved Craig’s commentary on how Ellie’s first experience with “loss” manifests in rage and anger. An interesting viewpoint and foreshadowing considering what’s to come in the adaption of Part 2.

EDIT 2: Gustavo’s score felt especially poignant in this episode, too. So good.