The Last of Us Episode 7 Star Storm Reid Unpacks Relationship Between Riley & Bella Ramsey’s Ellie

Amidst the blue, purple, and pink arcade lights reflecting off of the two teens’ faces, The Infected are an afterthought. Riley and Ellie leave the looming specter of death and danger on the doorstep of the mall (or so they think). For a night, Ellie isn’t training to become part of FEDRA, and Riley isn’t part of the Fireflies rebellion whose entire mission is to overthrow FEDRA.

“They’re not worried about this thing going on outside,” Storm says. “They’re not worried about this apocalyptic world. They are worried about each other, and they’re finding the beauty in the time that they’re spending together.” 

But these ghosts don’t stay away for long. They resurface at different points in the episode: the dead man Ellie and Riley take a bottle of good liquor off of, the pensive moment on the carousel where Ellie and Riley fall quiet, and Ellie’s discovery of homemade bombs in Riley’s food plaza lair.

Storm says this is one of the most memorable scenes in the episode to her, other than, of course, “the absolutely earth-shattering and heartbreaking” final scenes. Riley’s activity in the Fireflies has been, up until this point, not super visible to Ellie. It’s not until Ellie realizes Riley’s, y’know, actually making weapons that can kill people do the two talk about the simmering tensions between them. 

It’s a turning point in the episode, with Ellie leaving Riley behind and storming out of the food plaza after the argument. Ellie’s hangup isn’t so much that Riley is making DIY bombs, but that Riley is leaving Boston due to her Fireflies obligations — leaving Ellie behind. 

Speaking more on the bond between Riley and Ellie, Storm says, “I think they’ve been in situations where Riley has had to stand up for [Ellie]. And of course, you create a bond where somebody is standing up for you, speaking up for you, being a true friend and companion. I think that’s what Riley showed Ellie very early on, and she’s not really used to that. So I think they both clinged onto the love that they show each other, even though that love is shown in different ways.”