Alone and Forsaken

Ellie and Joel hit the road alone, but in a fully stocked truck that’s definitely going to get them all the way to Wyoming.

We’ve seen some formative moments in Joel and Ellie’s relationship, but this week we can see the trust blossoming between them. They are drip-fed experience of each other’s gifts and talents as events unfold, and respect follows in the wake of each new piece of evidence they share. Evidence of their resilience, their post-apocalyptic life-skills, their quick thinking, their hope, and their humour.

I’m looking at Ellie for that last one, because it turns out she’s a fan of the good old-fashioned pun, and if I wasn’t in love with her before, I certainly am now. She wears Joel down with her Christmas-cracker level Dad jokes until we get a beautiful bonding moment – into each life, a little sun must shine, and Ellie is clearly Joel’s.

It feels very organic, this relationship building we’re being treated to. To add another layer to this, it’s clear how they’re learning about their new partner and how their abilities and needs complement one another. After an edge-of-your-seat showdown, Joel checks on Ellie and she’s quick to say – and show – that she’s fine. Clear, concise, and exactly what Joel needed. Likewise, he shows some vulnerability in an honest and endearingly awkward way that she accepts for what it is, and she is rewarded for it. The face on the ‘little shit’, seriously. It’s both sinister and gorgeous at the same time!

That lovely stocked truck with its built-in coffee maker doesn’t last and there’s a timely reminder in this slightly slower-paced episode that people can be just as scary as the infected, and there are multiple threats in this new world order that breed ruthlessness and tenacity. As for what’s lurking under that cracked floor? Nope, nope, nope, nope.

Verdict: Left standing in a world – or city – that’s so demanding. 8/10

Claire Smith