After a romantic and mournful episode 3 ofThe Last of Usthat dug deeper into the relationship between Frank and Bill, episode four takes us back to the game’s familiar territory. While the two were at odds and traveling with one another before, Joel starts to feel compassionate for Ellie and begins to see her as more than a means to an end for a mission.
After reading the letter that Bill left behind for Joel in episode three, Joel and Ellie establish some ground rules before they pack up for a road trip together.Both agree to travel together to find Tommywhile En route to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies. While on their way, they listen to another cassette in the truck (after showing some appreciation for Linda Ronstadt last week).
Related:The Last of Us Episode 4 Ending Explained
What happened in The Last of Us episode 4?
Life in a Cordyceps-infested world is always filled with surprises for the two as they travel together. While the two begin to grow closer in a world that offers no laughter and is constantly fraught with life-or-death situations, Joel is kept in check by Ellie’s uplifting and spry personality. While in Kansas City, Kathleen’s adversaries attack Joel and Ellie, who are hunting down FEDRA, and a deadly battle ensues. While Kathleen andher guerilla group have dealt with FEDRA before, they also mean to destroy those associated with them. Those who have played the game will remember Henry and Sam fondly. In the game, Henry and Sam are both on the run, as Henry is a lone survivor that has left the Hartford quarantine zone after FEDRA has left. Located in the Pittsburgh section of the game and also one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments that fans of the game experience, these characters will be of vital importance in the series.
This sudden and violent attack not only demonstrates how close they have come to risking their lives for one another but also raises the question of who is good and who is evil in a conflict between these two groups when survival is at stake. While Joel and Ellie survive, Ellie is not free from the residual effects that the battle causes her after shooting the gun. While it is learned this isn’t the first time she has shot a gun before, the trauma of having to relive such memories still haunts her. Fans of the game and viewers alike perceive her as someone who exudes confidence, and she frequently does so, but the character learns that she is not yet prepared to handle the horror the world has dealt her. No relief is given even towards the end of the episode,after they escape Kathleen’s guerilla groupand decide to rest on the 33rd floor of a building, Joel and Ellie are met with more restless chaos as guns are pointed are them by what happens to be Henry and Sam.
More significantly, the new introduction of Kathleen’s character strengthens the plot for upcoming episodes. The leader of a group of non-infected citizens in Kansas City, Kathleen’s obsession with finding her brother’s killer takes priority over those she is supposed to be protecting, producing a new level of selfless violence to the show. It is a gorgeous unalloyed addition of grim foreshadowing for what will come within the season.
The episode’s ambiance is a perfect example of a world that is in suspended animation. The abandoned and derelict nature of its scenery leads credence to feel as if time itself is stagnated but gets juxtaposed byviolence and an overpowering will to stay alive. Though the world itself is quiet seems quiet on the surface, the ruthless and cruel nature of its survivors lends itself to anything but.
What is the song in episode 4?
Episode four of The Last of Us, which features Hank William’s “Alone and Forsaken,” transports us to 1955 as the show’s incredible soundtrack continues to grow with each new episode. Using a different song to relate to the game’s themes, Ellie discovers a pornographic magazine and a cassette tape of Hank Williams' singles from the 1940s and 1950s in episode four while Joel and Ellie are traveling.
They pop the tape in where Joel and Elliehear the last song Bill would have played in his track, “Alone and Forsaken.” There is also a sense of somber sense of duality in which one feels the pain still of Bill and Frank’s loss from the last episode while still feeling for what Joel and Ellie have to go through still.
In the game, Joel and Ellie put in the same cassette while driving to Pittsburgh. While the show changes the locations, the song still fits in like a glove. However, the scene starts with another one of Williams' songs, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” Akin to the show, Ellie falls asleep, and when she wakes up, the song that is playing is, Williams' “Alone and Forsaken.”
While “Alone and Forsaken” is a song initially about heartbreak,its soundscapes are a pensive and gloomy atmospherethat fit the backdrop of the show and game so well. It also captures the heart and soul of his music in one scene, showing the attention to detail Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann put into the ethereal tension of their scenes.
Who is Hank Williams?
Hank Williams was born on June 16, 2025. He was one of the first big country artists in the 1950s and one of the industry’s most talented country singers and songwriters. Hank Williams, a brilliant songwriter with even better vocals, would go on to become one of pop music’s biggest acts as well as a country music legend. By the age of 29, Hank Williams had achieved iconic status, as his music was able to touch people’s hearts with its candor and vulnerability.
Williams began playing the guitar at the age of eight, learning from street performer Rufus Payne. At the age of 13, he had his first radio success, and at the age of 14, he formed his first band, Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboys. During WWII, Williams worked at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, and at Montgomery, he began his music career.Williams began drinking at this timedue to back pain, a habit that would follow him for the rest of his life and career.
In 1946, Williams signed his first songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Publications and started writing songs for Molly O’Day. Later, he signed his first record deal with Sterling Records. At MGM, he would record “Move it on Over,” his debut hit. Because of “Lovesick Blues,” he became famous all over the world in 1949. During his lifetime, he recorded over 66 songs, many of which he wrote himself.
Williams enjoyed commercial success throughout his career thanks to songs like “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Your Cheatin' Heart,” “Hey, Good Lookin,” and “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” Williams' life tragically ended too soon at the age of 29, but while he was alive, many reached the top of the Billboard Country and Western Sellers Chart.Remembered for his poignant lyricism, unique musicianship, and sincerity in his music, Hank Williams continues to be an icon today in pop and country music.
The Last of Usairs Sundays at 9:00 PM EST on HBO.
More:The Last Of Us Episode 5 Promo Confirms Early Premiere Date, Teases New Infected
