Warning: the following article contains massive spoilers for The Last of Us episode five, “Endure and Survive.”
Even though we’ve yet to recover from the emotional scars left by Bill and Frank’s story back in The Last of Us episode three, the conclusion to the fifth episode, “Endure and Survive,” delivered yet another enormous emotional gut-punch by way of killing off both Henry and Sam in rapid succession, and in the most awful way.
Amidst the chaos in the outskirts of Kansas City, Sam unfortunately gets bitten by one of the infected.
When the brothers along with Joel and Ellie find shelter for the night and turn in, Sam keeps this information from his brother, but confides in Ellie when the pair are alone. Knowing she is immune, Ellie attempts an exercise in futility by infusing her blood with Sam’s wound, but it is already too late. The following morning, Sam succumbs to the cordyceps infection and attacks her. Henry’s knee jerk response is to put his younger brother down before Ellie can be seriously harmed. The reality of what he has just done quickly grips him. In his grief and shock, Henry turns the gun on himself and pulls the trigger.
Joel and Ellie bury their companions, and exchanging barely a word, press on towards Wyoming. A piano plays the pair off as they approach the horizon and the credits roll along with some haunting vocals.
What song plays at the end of The Last of Us episode 5?
The song which sends the pair on their way after the devastating conclusion to “Endure and Survive” is “Fuel to Fire” by Agnes Obel. The song’s lyrics speak volumes as to what must be going through Joel and Ellie’s minds as they digest the traumatic event they just witnessed. Whether they need to discuss it or whether they treat Henry and Sam like Tess, they never bring them up again.
Agnes Obel, born in 1980 is a Danish singer and songwriter who released her debut album, Philharmonics, in 2010. The song used in the credits is from her sophomore album, Aventine, released in 2013. A few of her other most popular songs include “Riverside” and “Familiar,” but something tells us that the stats on her most-listened songs on Spotify may start skewing towards “Fuel to Fire” over the next week. Just a hunch.