She encounters a group of survivors led by a preacher, David (Scott Shepherd), who wants vengeance against Joel and shows interest in Ellie.

The episode received positive reviews, with praise for its direction, cinematography, and performances of Ramsey and Shepherd, though some critics found its pacing rushed.

He caresses her hand through the bars of the cage, and tries to convince Ellie they should begin a relationship, but she breaks his finger in an unsuccessful attempt to steal his keys.

[6] Mazin chose to open the episode with David reading Revelation 21 as it relates to the new world exceeding the old one, and dealing with grief and tragedy.

[13] Upon being approached by Mazin and Druckmann, Baker did not initially remember James from the games;[14] he was surprised by the character's significance upon reading the script.

[15] He felt James was likely preparing to enter law enforcement when the outbreak occurred, supporting his experience with weaponry and demonstrations of morality.

[20] Druckmann felt the series allowed a deeper look into the character's complexities than the game;[21] he and Mazin wanted to humanize David in his initial interactions with Ellie, before revealing more of his true actions when he slaps a young girl.

[22] Production took place in Okotoks, Alberta, in early 2022, with preparatory work from January 31 to February 6, including the addition of trees, grass, and snow.

[1] Production moved to Waterton Lakes National Park from February 14–18,[30] with on-set vehicles featuring Colorado license plates.

The website's critical consensus reads "Scott Shepherd coolly underplays the personification of evil to chilling effect in ... a horrifying chapter that goes to prove that fungal zombies aren't necessary for this series to instill terror".

[40] IndieWire's Steve Greene praised the episode's cinematography, particularly the added tension of the close-up shots and the focus on Ellie's reaction while killing David.

[41] IGN's Simon Cardy compared the cinematography to picturesque Westerns and modern horror films, and lauded Gustavo Santaolalla's score during Ellie's horseback escape and the production design of David's camp.

[38] CNET's Sean Keane called Shepherd's performance "charismatic",[44] and IGN's Cardy considered him an effective adversary opposite Ramsey.

[2] Bleeding Cool's Tom Chang felt Ramsey and Shepherd were unable to match the performances of the game's Ashley Johnson and Nolan North as Ellie and David, respectively, due to the pacing of the script, but wrote they "do their best with what they had to work with".

Club's Cote lauded the episode's horrifying construction, attributing it to Mazin's writing and Abbasi's direction;[2] Push Square's Aaron Bayne appreciated the grounded and barren depiction of David's group.

[47] Several critics considered the episode rushed;[48][49] Bleeding Cool's Chang felt it would have been more effective as a two-parter to allow more time to build David's personality.

[45] Total Film's Bradley Russell found the final 15 minutes suffered from the rushed pacing, as it effectively remade the scenes from the video game.

[50] Den of Geek's Boo opined the story lacked the dramatic impact of the game, considering the religious overtones unnecessary, David's characterization incongruous, and the cannibalism reveal too heavy-handed.