"Please Hold to My Hand" | |
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The Last of Us episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Jeremy Webb |
Written by | Craig Mazin |
Featured music | |
Cinematography by | Eben Bolter |
Editing by | Timothy A. Good |
Original air date | February 5, 2023 |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Please Hold to My Hand" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us . The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It aired on HBO on February 5, 2023. In the episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) encounter an ambush in Kansas City, Missouri. Elsewhere in the city, bandit leader Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), her second-in-command Perry (Jeffrey Pierce), and their group search for Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his brother Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard).
Kansas City replaced Pittsburgh, as seen in the video game on which the series is based, as Mazin found the production location in Calgary more closely resembled the city and the distance to Kansas City justified additional character development. The writers felt adapting to television allowed an opportunity to explore characters like Kathleen and Perry, who were not in the game. The episode received positive reviews, with praise for its writing, direction, cinematography, and performances of Lynskey, Pascal, and Ramsey. It was watched by 7.5 million viewers on its first day.
As they drive to Wyoming, Joel tells Ellie about his past with his brother Tommy: after the outbreak, they became close to a group of survivors traveling to Boston, where they met Tess and Marlene; Tommy, always looking for something to fight for, was easily recruited to the Fireflies, but later gave up on their cause and struck out on his own. Camping in the woods for the night, Joel warns Ellie not to trust anyone they meet. The next day, they reach the ruins of Kansas City, Missouri. The highway is blocked, forcing them to take a detour into the city. Ellie sees a man begging for help, but Joel drives at him. A brick breaks the truck's window, a spike strip punctures the tires, and gunfire sends the pair careening into a laundromat.
Ellie hides as Joel kills two men with a rifle. A third—Bryan—gets the drop on him. As Joel is being choked, Ellie takes the handgun from her backpack [lower-alpha 1] and shoots Bryan in the back, paralyzing him from the waist down. Joel confiscates her gun and sends her away before fatally stabbing Bryan as he screams for mercy. Joel and Ellie escape as more bandits—part of a group that overthrew the government and took control of the city—find the bodies. Their leader, Kathleen Coghlan, is informed of the events. She openly postulates her enemies—including Henry Burrell, who she believes ratted out her brother to be executed—are responsible for contacting the killers, and orders her followers to search the city. Meanwhile, Joel teaches Ellie how to properly hold her gun and agrees to let her carry it.
Kathleen's second-in-command, Perry, shows her a vacated room where Henry had been living. The floor of the basement-level storage room is buckling, and underground something is moving. Perry insists they deal with the problem, but Kathleen orders him to hide the evidence until they find Henry. Joel locates a high-rise building where they can get a good view of the surrounding area and find an escape route. Lying down to sleep in one of the apartments, one of Ellie's jokes makes Joel laugh for the first time. Abruptly awoken by Ellie's voice, Joel finds a man and his younger brother [lower-alpha 2] holding them at gunpoint.
"Please Hold to My Hand" was written by The Last of Us series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. [7] [8] The Directors Guild of Canada revealed Webb was assigned to direct for the series in January 2022. [9] In the episode, Kansas City replaces Pittsburgh as seen in the video game on which the series is based. Mazin found the production locations in Canada more closely imitated Kansas City and felt Pittsburgh was not important enough to the story to justify the difficulty in manufacturing it. Co-creator Neil Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the video game, considered it a superficial change as the characters are more important than the location. He and Mazin felt the additional distance to Kansas City justified the story beats and character development. [1] : 11:14 Mazin enjoyed the use of Ellie's joke book in the game and felt its inclusion in the series allowed effective development between her and Joel. [10] Mazin found Joel's decision to allow Ellie to use a gun demonstrated his trust in her, and considered it "the most father-daughter moment they've had". [1] : 26:03
In August, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard's casting as Henry and Sam was announced alongside the confirmation of Kansas City replacing Pittsburgh. [11] [12] Jeffrey Pierce's casting as Perry was announced on July 15; Pierce previously portrayed Tommy in the video games. [13] He reached out to Druckmann to offer his support for the series and "was lucky that something came up that fit"; [14] he auditioned for a different role three times but Mazin and Druckmann felt his performance was unbelievable "as a victim", ultimately offering him the role of Perry about a week later. [15] Perry is an original character in the show who, according to Pierce, "has huge implications for things" that occurred in the game. [16] The script described him as a former military member. [14]
Melanie Lynskey's casting as Kathleen was announced alongside a teaser trailer for the series in September 2022. Kathleen is an original character [17] created by Mazin as the leader of a group of hunters who appeared in the game. [18] Druckmann found following antagonistic characters made the story more interesting, allowing an understanding and justification of their actions, [1] : 16:44 as opposed to being seen as "obstacles" like in the game. [19] : 2:42 Mazin compared Kathleen to Madame Defarge from Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities (1859): a revolutionary who becomes terroristic due to cruel circumstances, which allows the audience to empathize. [1] : 19:49
Mazin, who was friends with Lynskey, [1] : 20:13 reached out to her about the role and described the character as "a war criminal". [20] She was initially hesitant until Mazin pitched more about the character, describing her as someone who was forced into a role after the death of her brother, who "was basically Jesus". [21] She could relate to the character's motivations due to her relationship with her four siblings. [22] Mazin and Druckmann felt her casting was unusual as she has a "sweetness" that conflicts with Kathleen's position in the episode, an intentional decision to intrigue the audience; [1] : 23:58 Lynskey wanted to play the character as "soft spoken and delicate" to juxtapose her violence. [21] She felt Kathleen was likely less intense prior to her brother's death but was forced to become hardened due to her circumstances. [20] In response to a comment from Adrianne Curry stating Kathleen's "body says life of luxury...not post apocolyptic[ sic ] warlord", Lynskey wrote the character was meant to be intelligent rather than muscly. [23] She later added she wanted to portray the character as "feminine, and soft-voiced, and all the things that we've been told are 'weak'", noting she was hoping to subvert expectations. [23]
The episode's title references the lyrics of "Alone and Forsaken" by Hank Williams, [1] : 1:01 which Joel and Ellie play on the radio. The song was used during the same scene in the video game, as well as one of the series' trailers. [24] GameRevolution 's Daniel Falconer recognized the lyrics represented Ellie's promises to Joel and foreshadowed her apparent immaturity. [25] The credits use Lotte Kestner's cover of "True Faith", [26] which itself was covered by Ashley Johnson in-character as Ellie in a 2020 trailer for The Last of Us Part II . [27] Madeline Carpou of The Mary Sue felt its inclusion reflected Ellie's character arc: her actions in the episode set her down a path towards the events of Part II. [28] Following their use in the episode, "True Faith" and "Alone and Forsaken" ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, on Billboard 's Top TV Songs chart for February. [29]
Eben Bolter worked as cinematographer for the episode. [30] Some of the early scenes were filmed at the Lethbridge Viaduct. [31] For the scene of Ellie testing her gun in the mirror, a hole was added to the ceiling with natural sunlight; Bolter wanted it to illuminate Ellie "without being too perfect". [2] Calgary was used to recreate Kansas City in the episode. [1] : 11:14 The scene in which Joel and Ellie hide from the hunters was filmed in an old bar in Calgary, though the location changed several times before filming. It was one of the few times an interior in the series was filmed on location instead of a soundstage; the production team wanted the visuals of trucks driving past, which they found difficult to imitate on a soundstage. The walls were colored a "vivid" red emphasized by stained glass near the ceiling. [32] Bolter requested newspapers on the windows to create a diffused, soft light and make the scene feel more intimate and safe. [32] Additional photography took place on October 4 near Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, and on Interstate 435 in Kansas City, Kansas. [33]
The episode aired on HBO on February 5, 2023. [34] The episode had 7.5 million viewers in the United States on its first night, including linear viewers and streams on HBO Max—an increase of 17 percent from the previous week and 60 percent from the premiere. [35] On linear television, it had 991,000 viewers on its first night, with a 0.26 ratings share. [36]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Please Hold to My Hand" has an approval rating of 100 percent based on 33 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critical consensus called the episode "a terse chapter that's preoccupied with setup over payoff" but "an absorbing watch all the same thanks to Joel and Ellie's budding chemistry". [39]
Lynskey's performance received praise. [5] [37] [40] Den of Geek 's Bernard Boo wrote she "does a fantastic job of coming across as formidable and vicious while letting her character's humanity seep through just enough". [4] The Escapist 's Darren Mooney lauded her juxtaposition of a "domestic archetype with something more primal and violent beneath it". [41] Total Film 's Bradley Russell felt Lynskey's performance lacked the necessary intimidation, [3] and The A.V. Club 's David Cote considered her "a counterintuitive choice" for the role, adding he is "waiting to be convinced". [6] Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's performances as Joel and Ellie were praised; [37] [38] [42] Den of Geek's Boo lauded their nuance in quieter moments. [4] The A.V. Club's Cote enjoyed Pascal's warmth and humor, particularly in scenes in which he teaches Ellie, [6] and Push Square 's Aaron Bayne felt Ramsey's performance would win over viewers who doubted their casting, lauding their portrayal of both trauma and humor. [43] The Washington Post 's Gene Park similarly wrote the episode was "Ramsey's time to flex those muscles" of humor. [44]
Push Square's Bayne found the pacing effectively blended character moments and action sequences, and wanted the episode to be longer as a result. [43] IndieWire 's Steve Greene praised Mazin and Druckmann for showing the quiet successes of Joel and Ellie's journey alongside the setbacks. [26] IGN 's Simon Cardy enjoyed the humorous moments between Joel and Ellie, though noted the episode was generally weaker as it primarily stands to set up the following one. [37] Total Film's Russell found the character moments provided "just the right amount of levity". [3] Den of Geek's Boo considered Kathleen and her group less interesting than the previous episode's Bill and Frank, but acknowledged their stories remained unfinished. [4] Rolling Stone 's Alan Sepinwall wrote the narrative setup, while less engaging than the previous week, was necessary considering the events of the following episode.
IGN's Cardy compared the cinematography during the ambush sequence to Emmanuel Lubezki's work in Children of Men (2006), calling it demonstrative of "the classiness on display in every aspect of the show's production". [37] He praised the use of handheld camera movements and close-up shots to follow Joel and Ellie's movements. [37] Push Square's Webb lauded Webb's direction for focusing on quieter moments, [43] and The Escapist's Mooney applauded his decision to keep the camera on Ellie and Kathleen when they fire their guns. [41] The New York Times 's Noel Murray commended John Paino's production design, "from the trashed gas stations to the wreckage-strewn Kansas City streets". [38]
Neil Druckmann is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He is the studio head and head of creative of the video game developer Naughty Dog, and is best known for his work on the game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter.
The development of The Last of Us, an action-adventure game, began after Uncharted 2: Among Thieves' release in October 2009. Sony Computer Entertainment published The Last of Us for PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013. The three-year development, led by studio Naughty Dog, was kept secret for the majority of development. In the game, players assume control of Joel, a middle-aged smuggler tasked with escorting a 14-year-old girl named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure against the world-ending infection to which Ellie is immune. Creative director Neil Druckmann was inspired to include the Infected as a main enemy in the game after discovering the Cordyceps fungi. Set 20 years after the outbreak has destroyed much of civilization, the game explores the possibility of the fungi infecting humans.
The Last of Us, a 2013 action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog, deals with the relationship between smuggler Joel, and Ellie. Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure against an infection to which Ellie is immune. The relationship between the two characters became the basis of the game's development.
Ellie is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog. She is portrayed by Ashley Johnson through motion capture and voice acting; in the television adaptation, she is portrayed by Bella Ramsey. In the first game, The Last of Us (2013), Joel Miller is tasked with escorting a 14-year-old Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a cure for an infection to which Ellie is immune. While players briefly assume control of Ellie, the artificial intelligence primarily controls her actions. Ellie reappeared as the playable character in the downloadable content prequel The Last of Us: Left Behind, in which she spends time with her friend Riley. In The Last of Us Part II (2020), players control a 19-year-old Ellie as she seeks revenge on Abby.
The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set four years after The Last of Us (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apocalyptic United States whose lives intertwine: Ellie, who sets out in revenge for a murder, and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The game uses a third-person perspective; the player must fight human enemies and zombie-like creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.
"Endure and Survive" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It was released online on HBO Max and HBO on Demand on February 10, 2023, ahead of its broadcast on HBO on February 12. In the episode, Joel and Ellie agree to escape Kansas City, Missouri, with Henry and his brother Sam, who are being hunted by bandit leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry.
Joel Miller is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog. In the games, he is portrayed by Troy Baker through motion capture and voice acting; in the television adaptation, he is portrayed by Pedro Pascal. In the first game, The Last of Us (2013), Joel serves as the main protagonist and is tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure for an infection to which Ellie is immune. He also appears briefly in the downloadable content campaign The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014). Joel is killed in The Last of Us Part II (2020) by a woman named Abby, whose father he had killed in the first game, prompting Ellie to seek revenge.
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and causes the collapse of society. The first season, based on the 2013 game, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The second season, expected to partly adapt the 2020 sequel, is set five years later and introduces Abby.
Abigail "Abby" Anderson is a character in the video game The Last of Us Part II (2020) by Naughty Dog. She is portrayed by Laura Bailey through motion capture and voice acting in the game, and Kaitlyn Dever in the second season of the television adaptation. A soldier of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), Abby seeks to avenge her father's death by killing Joel Miller. Her alliances later become unsettled when she befriends two ex-members of the Seraphites, a religious cult with which the WLF is locked in a war. Abby is one of two main playable characters in the game, alongside Ellie.
The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.
"When You're Lost in the Darkness" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. Written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and directed by Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on January 15, 2023. The first episode of the first season, it introduced Joel and his daughter Sarah during the chaos of a global pandemic outbreak caused by a mutated form of the Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into bloodthirsty attackers. Twenty years later, Joel and Tess set out to find Joel's brother Tommy and are tasked with smuggling the young Ellie in exchange for supplies.
"Infected" is the second episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. It was written and directed by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the 2013 video game on which the series is based. The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. In the episode, Joel and his partner Tess escort the young Ellie through a biological contamination area in Boston to reach the Massachusetts State House.
"Long, Long Time" is the third episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Peter Hoar. It aired on HBO on January 29, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Lincoln, Massachusetts, to find Bill. Flashbacks follow Bill over twenty years as he survives in his town and meets his partner Frank. The episode's title is taken from the 1970 song by Linda Ronstadt, which plays an important role in Bill and Frank's relationship.
"Kin" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. It aired on HBO on February 19, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Jackson, Wyoming, where they find Joel's brother Tommy and his wife Maria.
"Left Behind" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Neil Druckmann and directed by Liza Johnson. It aired on HBO on February 26, 2023. In the episode, Ellie searches for supplies to save Joel. A flashback follows Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley Abel in Boston.
"When We Are in Need" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 5, 2023. In the episode, Ellie attempts to protect Joel. She encounters a group of survivors led by a preacher, David, who wants vengeance against Joel and shows interest in Ellie.
The first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us was originally broadcast on HBO between January and March 2023. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The first season, based on the 2013 game The Last of Us, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The second season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO in 2025. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The second season, based on the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II, follows Joel and Ellie five years after the events of the first season, and introduces Abby.
"Look for the Light" is the ninth and final episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 12, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah, in search for the hospital run by the Fireflies, led by Marlene. A flashback follows Ellie's mother, Anna, as she gives birth.
The Last of Us, an American post-apocalyptic drama television series for HBO based on the video game franchise, focuses on the relationship between Joel and Ellie. The first season, based on the 2013 game, is set in 2023, twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. Joel, a smuggler, is tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.