In the episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah, in search for the hospital run by the Fireflies, led by Marlene (Merle Dandridge).
The episode received positive reviews, with praise for its direction, cinematography, score, and performances of Pascal, Ramsey, and Johnson, though some critics found its pacing rushed.
Joel proposes that they return to Tommy's community in Jackson, Wyoming, and forget about their destination; Ellie counters, after all they have been through, she wants to finish their journey.
Joel lies, telling her the Fireflies had found other immune people but were unable to create a cure, and that he escaped with Ellie after the hospital was attacked by raiders.
[10] Mazin stepped in after Abbasi contracted COVID-19, directing some scenes with Johnson as Anna and Joel discussing his suicide attempt;[11][12] the latter was the antepenultimate day of production for the season.
[12] The writers always intended to include Anna's scenes in the finale's cold open; Mazin felt it had more impact after following Ellie's journey—particularly after her actions in the previous episode—and provided more context to Marlene's decision later in the episode.
[14] At the request of executives at HBO, an alternative ending was filmed to set up the second season, focusing on Joel's face before following him and Ellie as they walk towards Jackson.
[15] She watched videos of natural births to prepare for the role,[15] and recreated an in-game letter from Anna to Ellie and kept it in her pocket as a reminder of the character's origins.
He added construction lights to "give a dark and moody vibe" and demonstrate the hospital was powered by portable generators, as well as plastic barriers to reflect the isolation of the infected immediately after the outbreak.
[1] The crew helped the zookeepers place green screens within the enclosure to aid in visual effects; this was done gradually over a month-and-a-half to ensure the giraffes remained comfortable.
[29] Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who portray Joel and Ellie, stood on a balcony in the enclosure, and the zookeepers acclimated the giraffes to being fed by strangers.
The website's critical consensus called the episode "swiftly paced to the point of feeling needlessly abbreviated", ending "with a morally ambiguous about-face that will give viewers plenty to contemplate".
[3][41][42] The New York Times's Noel Murray commended Ramsey's unique portrayal of Ellie's emotional shutdown, noting she "is clearly lost in her own thoughts, but she is never entirely unresponsive".
[42] Den of Geek's Bernard Boo enjoyed Johnson's inclusion as Anna,[37] and Total Film's Bradley Russell lauded her simultaneous portrayal of "pain and maternal instinct".
Club's Cote highlighted the framing of the Firefly ambush and favorably compared the action sequence to the game's third-person camera.
[7] The Escapist's Darren Mooney lauded Abbasi's decision to anchor the camera on Joel's perspective during the action scene, making it more brutal and unsettling.
[4] /Film's Rafael Motamayor lauded the use of practical sets in the military medical camp but found the visual effects of the giraffe scene underwhelming.
[37][44] The New York Times's Murray praised Ellie's fragility in her opening scenes,[43] and Total Film's Russell enjoyed the vulnerability depicted in her relationship with Joel.
[47] Los Angeles Times's Lorraine Ali considered the episode rushed;[48] Push Square's Bayne felt the pacing resulted in a lesser emotional impact than the game.
[38] Den of Geek's Boo bemoaned the lack of a final action sequence against infected,[37] but Bleeding Cool's Tom Chang found this omission an improvement.