The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 8 When We Are in Need

Ellie crosses paths with a vengeful group of survivors – and draws the attention of its leader. A weakened Joel faces a new threat.

Following last week’s flashback-focused detour, The Last of Us returns to its main narrative path, much to the relief of anxious fans waiting to learn Joel’s fate. Picking up sometime after Ellie (Bella Ramsey) stitches up Joel (Pedro Pascal), the pair are just barely surviving in the suburbs of Colorado, where a monster scarier than the infected waits.

Titled “When We Are in Need,” the penultimate entry in the series’ nine-episode first season faithfully adapts the events of the game’s Lakeside Resort chapter; in fact, those who’ve played the PlayStation entry will recognize scenes and dialog pulled directly from the source material. While the show sticks closely to the original storytelling, however, it continues to be more interested in fleshing-out characters than piling-up corpses.

So what does this less deadly, TV-friendly take add to the story? And where does it leave our Utah-bound duo ahead of the finale? Let’s brave Colorado’s bitter cold and find out.

This week’s biggest addition is also the series’ most significant Easter egg. Actor Troy Baker, who voices Joel in the PlayStation series, stars in the episode as James, a side-character from the first game. A glorified henchman in the interactive action-adventure, James is given more prominence – and lines – in the show.

Despite the slightly expanded role though, the character still plays second fiddle to creepy cannibal leader David (Scott Shepherd), who’s also far more nuanced in the series. Yes, he’s a creepy cannibal leader – who’s also deceitful and conniving – in both versions, but he’s given far more depth in the episode.

Everything involving his backstory, including his past in Pittsburgh, finding God post-pandemic, and his path to becoming a preacher is all new. In fact, save for the handmade sign in the restaurant, reading “When we are in need he shall provide,” the game doesn’t include any of the religious overtones present in the episode or surrounding the character.

David doesn’t even have a “flock” in the game. Instead, it’s just him, James, and dozens of faceless bad guys, many of which meet the business ends of Joel and Ellie’s weapons (more on that in a sec). While both versions of the story include David revealing to Ellie that he knows her traveling partner previously killed some of his people – well, one person in show – the episode goes much further. We meet the victim’s young daughter and are given the opportunity to empathize with her and even appreciate her need for vengeance.

The Last of Us

Season Number: 1

Episode Number: 8

Episode Title: When We Are in Need

Air Date: Mar 5, 2023

Language: English

Subtitle Language: English

Source: The.Last.of.Us.S01E08.1080p.WEB.H264-CAKES

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