**Contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5**

The fifth episode of “The Last of Us” was a roller coaster filled with excitement, shock, and heartbreak.

One thing the show seems to be excelling at is expanding on characters that were smaller in the games. It makes their deaths all the more sad because you actually get to know and become attached to them, whereas in the game you only know them briefly. The details of making Sam deaf was great representation, and making him much younger made it all the more heartbreaking.

The best aspect of this episode, however, was the infected leaving the hole and the bloater reveal. The build up to this scene was tense and had viewers on the edge of their seats, and it did not disappoint. The infected all escaping and running was crazy enough, but when the bloater came out it was such a hyped moment for fans. It was scary and thrilling at the same time.

Furthermore, the developing bond between Ellie and Joel was so compelling to watch. The way Joel didn’t let a single infected touch Ellie despite being a distance away and her being in a swarm of them was a beyond cool scene, and the trust they put into each other was just endearing and sweet.

So much can be said about Sam’s death scene. There were so many sad factors to it, such as Sam turning himself away so he wouldn’t see and attack Ellie (he couldn’t hear her), Henry being the one who had to shoot him, Ellie’s note at the end, etc. Ellie’s “I’m sorry” note she left hit viewers especially hard: Sam was another friend Ellie lost, and her being sorry seems like she has guilt that her blood couldn’t save him. Overall, this episode was another tragic yet amazing one.

Rating: 5/5 stars.