The Last of Us season 1 episode 7: How did Riley die?

We knew that The Last of Us season 1 episode 7 was going to be a heartbreaking story with Ellie and Riley at the center of it. We learned a lot about these two characters and in the end, there was a tragedy at the center of it.

Riley’s death is a huge, transformative part of Ellie’s life, and it greatly informs who she becomes down the road. Even if Riley was not open with her about everything concerning the Fireflies, she did set up this wonderful last night before she was set to depart. It was a time of brief innocent and peace, and there was some legitimate fun in here for fans of the old-school Mortal Kombat II arcade.

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Unfortunately, the two were eventually attacked by a member of the infected, and this is when Ellie eventually learned that she was immune. Meanwhile, Riley succumbed to the virus and is gone. Ellie clearly didn’t trust a lot of people after that, but Joel is one of the few who managed to connect with her on some level. It is why she is working so hard to keep him alive. He’s not gone as of yet, but there is a concern that he may not be able to last that much longer, either.

As for some other Easter eggs, this episode gave us a sense of where Ellie learned a lot about silly jokes, the Fireflies, Marlene, and the slightest bit about life outside the quarantine zone. We almost expected more of Bella Ramsey’s character at the school when in reality, that was just a tiny fraction of the overall story. Instead, a lot of what transpired was really based elsewhere with Riley.

Related – Dive further into the future of Joel on the show

What did you think about the story of Ellie and Riley on The Last of Us season 1 episode 7 overall?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, come back for all sorts of other updates down the road. (Photo: HBO.)