Left Behind

"Left Behind" is the seventh episode 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 (Bella Ramsey) searches for supplies to save Joel. A flashback follows Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley Abel (Storm Reid) in Boston. The episode is adapted from The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), a downloadable content expansion to the video game on which the series is based. Johnson, who played the game after being assigned to direct, was encouraged to take an original approach. The episode was filmed in January and February 2022 in Calgary, Alberta. It received positive reviews, with praise for its writing, direction, cinematography, and performances of Ramsey and Reid; the latter received nominations at the Black Reel Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It was watched by 7.7 million viewers on its first day. Plot Ellie tends to Joel's wound. Joel demands Ellie abandon him to die. As she begins to walk away, Ellie stops and recalls the events that led up to her getting bitten. Several months earlier, in Boston, Massachusetts, Ellie is an orphaned student at a military boarding school run by the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA). After Ellie gets in a fight, Captain Kwong encourages her to follow the rules to eventually become a FEDRA leader. Later that night, Ellie's best friend Riley Abel sneaks into her room. Ellie is angry with Riley for joining the Fireflies—a rebel group opposing FEDRA—and leaving her alone at the school for weeks.