The Last of Us character almost survived episode 5’s brutal ending

**Warning: Major spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5 ahead.**

By Louise Griffin

Published: Saturday, 11 February 2023 at 12:00 am

**Warning: Major spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5 ahead.**

HBO’s The Last of Us has left us in tears once again with the gut-wrenching end to episode 5.

After Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) befriended young fugitives Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard), the four of them hoped to continue their journey across the States together.

However, it wasn’t to be. After a horrifying escape from the hunters involving a swarm of infected and our first bloater, Sam is bitten. While Ellie desperately attempts to cure him, he wakes up the next day as a fully-fledged infected, forcing his brother Henry to shoot him – and then, wracked with guilt, to turn the gun on himself.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the tragic scenes, director Jeremy Webb revealed there could have been an alternative story in which Henry survived.

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Kevionn Woodard and Lamar Johnson in The Last of Us
Liane Hentscher/HBO

“Yes, there was some conversation about whether Henry should survive,” he explained.

“It’s just more Shakespearean… ultimately it’s just more dramatic and awful [that he dies]. And I guess in drama, you’ve got to make life as hard for your protagonist as you possibly can.

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“It’s awful. But in order for them to go on, they’ve got to overcome the most extraordinary obstacles and I think if we let him live, we’d be going against that. So that’s why we decided, I’m afraid, Henry had to die.”

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about the emotional scene, actor Johnson explained: “That was a tough day. We shot that scene for most of the day, so it was just very emotionally draining as well.

“Keivonn and I, we built such a great relationship building up to that point so to see him like that was really tough. Jeremy and I, we were at the monitor watching the Sam and Ellie scene together and we both had tears in our eyes. Ultimately, what Henry was going through – if I was going to say one word, I would just say shock.”

He added: “Of course I wish that they were to survive, because what would that look in the next episode? What would that look like with Joel and Ellie and Sam and Henry? What would the dynamic be able to build into?”

However, he continued: “With the way that it ended, I’m OK with it. Because I think, even though it was very traumatic, I think ultimately, it was out of love. So I’m OK with that.”