We were briefly introduced to Henry and his little brother Sam in the final moments of last week's episode of The Last of Us, but "Endure and Survive" brought us up to speed with these new faces by giving them a backstory that wasn't in the Naughty Dog video game, linking them to Kathleen and her freedom fighters in the process.
Spoilers ahead.
This was a welcome change as it fleshed out the characters and allowed us to get to know them better, but it also made the tragic events of the game even more heartbreaking to witness.
We soon learn that Kathleen is searching for Henry because he betrayed her brother to FEDRA in order to secure some medicine for Sam, who has leukaemia (the character is also deaf in the show, and communicates through sign-language). Joel is not too happy about joining forces with a "rat," but soon comes to understand Henry's actions, while Ellie and Sam bond.
And they all lived happily ever after? Not in this show.
Our heroes make it through the tunnels in one piece, but find Kathleen and her forces approaching on the other side. The ruthless resistance leader is about to gun Henry down when a sinkhole forms and hundreds of Clickers - and an enormous Bloater - emerge (an awesome recreation of the sniper scene from the game follows).
Kathleen is taken out by the infected, and Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam make their escape. Unfortunately, Ellie soon discovers that her young friend has been bitten, and cuts herself in a futile attempt to "heal" him with her blood. She promises to stay up with him until morning, but falls asleep, and Sam has turned when she awakens.
Sam attacks Ellie, and Henry is forced to shoot his beloved brother dead. Unable to cope, he then puts the gun to his own head and pulls the trigger. In the game, it cuts to black, but showing Ellie's devastated reaction is all the more effective.
Joel and Ellie bury their companions, and the latter leaves Sam's Etch A Sketch board on his grave with the words "I'm sorry."
Not an easy watch, but another stellar episode of a superb adaptation (check out our full season review here).
What did you guys make of "Endure and Survive"? Drop us a comment down below.