I know what you’re thinking when you read that title. Yes. It’s actually “Please Hold To My Hand” with the “To.” I initially thought it was a typo, too, but I would have learned that if only I just Googled a song that HBO used in the past.
The episode title is taken from the Hank William song that’s played in the episode and in the official teaser HBO released on September last year.
But we have no time to break down the meaning of the song. Instead, we’ll break down populism, pun-ishment, and pushing to survive in episode 4 of “The Last of Us.” Please also check out my previous posts by clicking any of the buttons below. As always, there will be spoilers ahead. Read only if you have seen the episode.
Table of Contents
Populism
The most important theme in this episode is its tackling of populism through the Hunters, the resistance group separate from the Fireflies. They are led by Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), the disturbed Kansas City resident who just wants to know her brother’s whereabouts (check out my theory in this previous post). My theory is that the doctor she killed in the episode was her doctor in an asylum.
Before we discuss populism, let me first say that this episode, written by Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webber, did a great job humanizing the Hunters. In the game, they were just obstacles that Joel and Ellie had to overcome. Sure, as a group and as individuals, the Hunters were ruthless, but the episode gave them dimension. “Please Hold To My Hand” humanized them in two ways: giving their leader Kathleen a real motivation and by showing us that Bryan scene. He’s sorry, he just wants to go home to his mom, and he’ll give you his good knife if you just let him do that.
Or you can just use his knife to kill him if you’re Joel (Pedro Pascal).
I think the reason why Joel had to stab his heart is because he said he’s “been on both sides,” meaning he has done what the Hunters in Kansas City are doing. He knows there’s no way Bryan was going to keep his mouth shut if they let him go. Knowing that the important goal here is to keep Ellie (Bella Ramsey) safe, he’d do a lot better if he neutralized the enemies’ potential informant.
Now back to populism. We’ve established that the Hunters, especially their leader Kathleen, have a real motivation. But they have unfortunately resorted to the same ways of the very enemy they overthrew. The Federal Disaster Response Agency (Fedra) is nowhere to be found in the quarantine zone in Kansas City. This meant that the Hunters have successfully ousted and replaced them.
By definition, populist leaders—in this case Kathleen—need an enemy so they can consolidate support from anyone that’s willing to listen. We’re introduced to Kathleen in the second half of the episode. A doctor is in the Hunters’ custody and Kathleen is somehow convinced that he knows who were responsible for ratting out her brother to the Fedra, which then beat him to death. She mentions the Bergquists, Mark Anthony Halpin, Carrie Schreiber, the Chans, and Henry Burrell—names on a note that we don’t know the origin of. Kathleen knows that the doctor knows Henry’s whereabouts.
When the Hunters then see the bodies of the Hunters Joel and Ellie encountered, no one knew who the real killers were, but Kathleen was quick to use the opportunity to blame it on Henry, a strategy used by populists worldwide in the real world. Despite knowing that the killers might have been outsiders, Kathleen was still able to make it about here:
“Well, if Henry has a radio, maybe he found someone out there. Maybe he called these guys in… This is Henry’s work. Understand? And he won’t stop until we stop him.”
— Kathleen, “The Last of Us” episode 4
She even ignored that real problem just so she can have her way. When Perry (Jeffrey Pierce) showed her that in one of the buildings’ basement, a problem was brewing, she said, “Let’s just handle what we have to handle. We can deal with this after.” Perry was visibly surprised by this answer and the theory I offered in my previous post seems more plausible now.
Pun-ishment
In this episode, we finally see Joel laugh. It’s thanks to Ellie’s joke book “No Pun Intended: Volume Too” by the author Joel can’t escape Will Livingston. We would have been saved from all those terrible puns if Joel only let her wander. As a punishment, Ellie had to.
This isn’t actually original to the show. The joke book also appeared in the games, sometimes when Joel and Ellie don’t do anything.
The puns also showed Joel’s funny side when Ellie asked him why the scarecrow received an award and he knew the answer. Ultimately, though, while Tess’ line, “Save who you can save,” and BIll’s letter may have convinced Joel to protect Ellie, Will Livingston’s biggest contribution is bringing the two closer.
Pushing to Survive
Last but not the last, let’s talk about pushing to survive. This applies to everyone, including Joel, Tommy, and Tess from the past. The three have done things in the past similar to what the Hunters do in Kansas City. They’ve done shitty things in the past, Tess said in episode 2.
There was also a quick scene in which Joel couldn’t sleep so he just stood there on the lookout while Ellie was comfortable sleeping. He knew what people were capable of so he did not wanna risk sleeping and being vulnerable.
The Hunters, too, are pushing to survive. By ousting the fascistic Fedra, they did what was necessary for them to live the way they wanted. They have, however, become just like Fedra. The most interesting character amongst the Hunters for me though is Perry. I also mentioned in my theory in the previous post that I suspect that he will betray Kathleen because he would not see her as someone capable of leading them. (At least not anymore, I think). In the show’s official podcast, the question about why he follows Kathleen was raised and the showrunners just said that we should just keep watching. I suspect that he is already planning a coup and he will overthrow her the moment he’s sure she’s in her most vulnerable. Pretending to be a loyal follower to her is keeping him alive for now.
Ellie, meanwhile is addicted with her gun. The opening of the show reminds us of Travis in the 1976 film “Taxi Driver.” She was finally able to use the gun she got from Bill’s town. She was able to save Joel with it, and Joel was sorry that his carelessness forced her to use it.
“You’re just a kid. You shouldn’t know what it means to—It’s not like you killed him, but shooting or… I know what it’s like the first time you hurt someone like that.”
— Joel, “The Last of Us” episode r
And then we learned from Ellie that it wasn’t her first time “hurting someone like that,” something we’ll surely learn about in the episodes to come.
Now, the two most important characters in this part of the story are the brothers Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard). The two have been in Anne-Franking from the Hunters, living off of canned goods while entertaining themselves with superhero illustrations. The two are on the run from the Hunters and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next episode.
Episode 5 will air early on HBO Max, but there’s no word from HBO GO whether or not it’ll be the same for us here in Asia. Speaking of pushing to survive, the next episode’s title is “Endure and Survive” and it’s directed by Webb again.
As always, I’ll upload spoiler-free photos before the episode drops.
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