Episode 3: “The Path” (aired 4.27.25)

Following what is undoubtedly The Last of Us’ equivalent to The Walking Dead’s “Glenn moment” was going to be difficult. The shocking death of Joel certainly did one of two things for viewers; either kicked their attention into high gear or caused them to drop off because there will be no more Pedro Pascal (we’ll see about that). 

In the video game, players are treated to a few sequences (primarily cutscenes) that depict Ellie’s discovery of the WLF in Seattle, her meetings with Tommy and Maria about going off to seek vengeance, and after are immediately brought into Seattle, where the game really begins. In typical HBO fashion, these relatively brief moments in the game are stretched out in this episode, turning a conversation between Ellie and Maria into a full-blown town hall meeting, which furthers the dynamics of the citizens of Jackson. The character of Tommy is written differently than in the game, here depicting him as nervous about the fallout of hunting people down whereas in the game he is off to the races almost immediately. 

Character-wise, “The Path” is a very interesting episode, quietly exploring different perspectives on how to enact vengeance. Ellie is very much like Joel, in that she is willing and ready to go as soon as she is finished healing her wounds. Dina approaches this differently, instead focusing on the importance of surviving the journey there before the action starts. Tommy, who you would think would be the first one out into the fray, is conflicted with his desire for revenge and his responsibilities as a leader. Seth, the homophobic man featured in episode one, says that they need to eradicate all of the invaders, otherwise they will come back (a timely example of fear mongering). 

However, despite the fact that this was an extended episode, much of this ultimately falls flat because for players of the game, we know that Ellie is going to get to Seattle no matter what, and first-time viewers should already assume that it is the story direction. The character moments work well, but it unfortunately doesn’t serve much purpose. Catherine O’Hara’s Gail, who was featured brilliantly in the premiere, returns as a way to examine the psyche of Ellie and Tommy specifically, which again, works for furthering the characters, but what we “learn” about them through these interactions can already be assumed by watching the events of the previous episode play out. 

Aside from that, the other major development this week was the introduction of the Seraphites, a group that Ellie will eventually encounter in Seattle. While the sequence that plays out in the episode effectively establishes the state of conflict between the WLF and the Seraphites (or “Scars”), it *might have ruined the introduction that we get in the game. The sequence in the game comes during Seattle Day 2, when Ellie is on her way to the hospital camp and is forced to cut through a park, before she is suddenly shot in the shoulder with an arrow and has to fight her way through a Seraphite patrol. It’s an intense scene that serves as a natural introduction to another faction that will become especially important in the game’s latter half, but doesn’t feel like a diversion from the story that the audience is there to see. The issue with the show’s scene is not that it is inherently ineffective, it’s simply that there exists a superior sequence in the source material. However, this has the potential to sway either way from positive to negative. 

While the episode is not a “bad” episode, it unfortunately feels like it’s trying to create new plots simply for the sake of drama instead of continuing the story. One of the good new plots, however, is the use of Seth, who has an expanded role rather than just being a catalyst for tensions between Joel and Ellie. The scene where Seth gives Ellie his rifle can be interpreted a few different ways, as a sign of mutual forgiveness between the two, or as a peace offering, but what it does is it serves as foreshadowing for the story’s eventual close, and is a surprisingly mature and hopeful scene that stands out amongst all of the anger and misery that our characters are enduring. 

“The Path” was in no way a bad episode, and is full of interesting concepts, character moments, and foreshadowing, but it unfortunately suffers from trying to stretch out a brief segment of the game into an hour-long episode. Perhaps the series will pick up the pace this week.