There is little doubt that The Last of Us Episode 5 was an action-packed episode for the HBO series but it also delivered one of the most shocking and heartbreaking moments so far. When Sam gets infected, Henry is forced to shoot his own brother and immediately kills himself over the guilt. It was a truly emotional scene and Lamar Johnson explains why Henry acted the way he did in Endure and Survive.
In The Last of Us Episode 5, Joel and Ellie helped Henry and Sam escape Kansas City, or at least they tried. After being followed by Kathleen and her army to the suburbs and escaping the attack of the Infected, the quartet hides out in a motel where Sam reveals to Ellie that he was injured by a Clicker. Although she tries to cure him with her blood, Sam becomes infected and attacks Ellie in the morning.
Henry initially tries to stop Joel from shooting Sam then kills his brother himself. When he realizes what he has done, the guilt-stricken Henry commits suicide. According to Lamar Johnson, Henry's actions were those of a person in shock.
“If I can sum that up in one word, I would just say ‘shock.’ There was a wave of emotions that were hitting him all at the same time. It was actually very hard to process for him in that moment,” Johnson told Variety. “It’s so much for him, especially after everything that he’s gone through to protect Sam and everything that they have gone through that night, for Sam to die by his hand. It’s a tough thing to stomach.”
“He was like, ‘You are my purpose. You are my will to live here, the reason why I’m living, and the fact that you’re no longer here. I can’t be here. I’m gonna go join you,’” he concluded.
It's understandable why Henry reacted the way he did but it's still one of the most heartbreaking moments in the show so far.
The Last of Us Episode 5 is now streaming on HBO Max.
Related: The Last of Us Finally Debuts First Terrifying Giant Clicker
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