Perhaps the most action-packed episode of The Last of Us HBO series so far, “Hold to My Hand”, delivered in spades. The episode had a good balance of emotional characterization as well as some heart-pounding encounters with other survivors. We finally begin to see the ice thaw between Joel and Ellie as the former begins to step into his role as Ellie’s protector. This was the first 2-parter in the series, meaning, that most of its plot threads will likely be closed in the next episode.

The episode ended with the pair in a pretty delicate position with Sam and Henry pointing a gun at their heads. Joel and Ellie must now find a way to make it out of Kansas alive and get back on track to Wyoming. As is the case with every episode so far, there are a lot of interesting details and implications that fly under the radar. Here, we take a look at some of the most crucial details, easter eggs, and references that you might have missed on the first watch.

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Ellie’s Travis Bickle moment

Right at the top of the episode, we see Ellie playing around with the gun she sneaked away from Bill’s house. We see her point the gun at a mirror, much in the same way as Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. At this point, Ellie seems pretty cavalier about the instrument of death she now holds in her hand. It isn’t until we see her use the weapon as a human being that we see Ellie truly realize the potential of the damage it can wreak. This reference to Taxi Driver may not be drawing too many parallels between De Niro’s troubled cabbie and Ellie, but maybe there is some common ground between them.

At this point in the story, Ellie is fascinated by the idea of being able to wield a gun, minus the responsibilities of it. It is later in the episode that Ellie finally realizes the horror it can unleash and the impact it truly has on another human being. In a bid to avoid spoilers, all we will say is that this was not Ellie’s first kill and far, far, from her last.

Joel really needs his coffee

Joel from both the game and the HBO series have a lot in common, especially their love of coffee. It was revealed in the game that Joel would often go to considerable lengths to get his hands on some coffee. This seems to be the case in The Last of Us HBO series as well as we see Joel enjoy a hot cup of joe first thing in the morning. This was also an important piece of information as it was quietly revealed that Joel stood guard all night instead of sleeping, and thus, really needs that cup of coffee.

Even though Joel tells Ellie that he considers her “cargo”, it is clear from his vigilance that he is truly stepping into his role as Ellie’s protector. This is the first episode of the series where we see Joel warm up to Ellie. It will be interesting to see how the next couple of episodes play out and exactly what fate has in store for the pair.

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Henry, Sam, and Kathleen

Kathleen was revealed in this episode to be a surprising force of nature as she guns down the doctor who had delivered her and sets the entire militia after Henry and Sam. It is revealed that Henry played a part in the death of Kathleen’s family. It is suggested that Henry may have snitched to FEDRA about the location of Kathleen’s family. This ultimately resulted in Kathleen probably leading an uprising against FEDRA, and from the looks of it, winning.

Henry is a new character for the series who makes an appearance at the end of the episode along with his brother, Sam. The pair are on the run from the militia and it appears that the militia often comes under attack from mercenaries. After Kathleen discovers the dead bodies left by Joel and Ellie, she figures it is the work of “mercs” sent by Henry. This implies there is another force at play here which will probably have a say in things in the next episode.

The elephant under the room

Perry (played by Jeffrey Pierce) informs Kathleen of the giant crater inside one of the buildings in the QZ that seems to be a result of some kind of Infected trying to make its way to the surface. This will likely be revealed in the next episode as fans finally get to see what is cooking underneath the surface. While Perry would much rather tell the rest of the group of the danger that lurks, Kathleen decides to keep it under wraps. This will likely be something that strains their relationship in the next episode. 

Sam the superhero

One of the things that seem to catch people off guard about Sam’s appearance at the end of the episode was the makeup around his eyes. This shouldn’t really be a surprise to the audience as it was revealed earlier in the episode that Sam often draws superheroes and the eye makeup is probably to fashion himself as one. Sam and Henry are two of the most interesting characters in the game and their dynamic will likely be a major focal point of the next episode. Sam and Ellie have a lot of common ground seeing as they are both around the same age.

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