Kansas City is a graveyard. By the time we hit the midpoint of the first season, HBO’s adaptation of Naughty Dog’s masterpiece had already broken our hearts with Bill and Frank, but nothing quite prepared us for the sheer, suffocating weight of Henry and Sam. It’s brutal.
If you’re looking for a The Last of Us episode 5 recap, you’re basically asking for a play-by-play of a tragedy that feels inevitable yet remains shocking. This episode, titled "Endure and Survive," isn't just about the Infected. Honestly, the Bloater—as cool as that practical suit looked—is the least interesting thing happening. The real story is about the lengths people go to for the people they love, and the horrific cost of that devotion.
We start by rewinding.
While Joel and Ellie were busy getting ambushed in the previous episode, Henry and Sam were already hiding. Henry, played with a frantic, protective energy by Lamar Johnson, is the most wanted man in the city. Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) is hunting him with a zealot’s intensity. Why? Because Henry turned in Kathleen’s brother, a local resistance leader, to the FEDRA authorities in exchange for medicine to save Sam’s life. It’s a classic The Last of Us moral quagmire. There are no "good guys" here, just people trying to keep their family breathing in a world that wants them dead.
The Underground Alliance
Henry and Sam find Joel and Ellie. It’s a tense standoff at first—Joel isn't exactly the "making friends" type—but they realize they need each other. Henry knows the way out of the city through the maintenance tunnels, and Joel has the firepower.
Sam is younger here than in the game. He’s deaf in the show, which adds a layer of vulnerability and communication that feels deeply human. He and Ellie bond over a comic book, Savage Starlight. Watching them be kids for five minutes in a dark tunnel is a gut punch because you know, deep down, this show doesn't do happy endings. They talk about the motto of the comic: Endure and Survive. It’s a mantra that feels less like a choice and more like a life sentence.
Kathleen’s obsession with Henry is what ultimately brings the walls down. She’s not some cartoon villain; she’s a grieving sister who has let her trauma turn into a scorched-earth policy. When her right-hand man, Perry (played by Jeffrey Pierce, who actually voiced Tommy in the games), tells her the basement of a building is "breathing," she ignores it. Big mistake.
The Suburbs and the Sniper
The escape leads them to a quiet residential street. It looks peaceful, which in this universe is code for "something is about to go horribly wrong." A sniper starts taking shots from a top-floor window. Joel, being the tactical beast he is, circles around and takes the guy out, only to realize it was just an old man who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.
But the noise? The noise brings Kathleen’s militia. And then, the ground literally gives way.
The sequence that follows is peak television. A massive sinkhole opens up and a literal tide of Infected pours out. This is where we see the Bloater. It’s a massive, fungal-armored nightmare that rips Perry’s head off like he’s a paper doll. In the middle of this chaos, Ellie is scrambling to save Sam and Henry, who are pinned under a car by Clickers.
The spectacle is incredible, but the episode keeps its focus on the small moments. Ellie saves them. They get away. Kathleen is tackled by a child Clicker—a terrifyingly agile "stalker" type—and that's the end of her revolution. The group makes it to a motel on the outskirts of the city. They’re safe. Or they should be.
The Morning After
This is where the The Last of Us episode 5 recap gets difficult to write because it’s so quiet and so mean.
Sam shows Ellie his leg. He was bitten during the chaos at the cars. He asks Ellie if the people who turn are still "in there." Ellie, in a moment of desperate, childish hope, rubs her immune blood onto his wound. She thinks she can save him. She stays awake as long as she can, but eventually, she drifts off.
Morning comes. Ellie goes to check on Sam. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, back turned. When he turns around, he’s gone. Not dead, but gone. He lunges at Ellie.
The noise wakes up Joel and Henry. Henry reacts on pure instinct. He grabs his gun. Joel tries to intervene, but Henry fires. He kills Sam. The silence that follows is deafening. Henry realizes what he’s done. He realized he killed the only thing he was living for. He ignores Joel’s pleas to "give me the gun" and kills himself.
Just like that, two of the most compelling characters in the series are erased.
Why Episode 5 Matters for the Rest of the Series
If you’re tracking the emotional arc of the season, this is the turning point for Joel. He sees the mirror version of himself in Henry. He sees what happens when you care too much and the world takes it anyway.
- The Loss of Innocence: Ellie’s failure to "cure" Sam with her blood is a massive moment of disillusionment. She’s a kid trying to be a savior, and she realizes she’s just a girl with a burden she can't control.
- The Brutality of Revenge: Kathleen’s entire arc proves that the pursuit of "justice" often leads to total annihilation. By focusing on Henry, she let her entire community get wiped out by the Infected.
- The Bond Tightens: As Joel and Ellie bury Henry and Sam, the bond between them changes. It’s no longer just a job. It’s a shared trauma.
Key Differences from the Game
For those who played the Naughty Dog title, you probably noticed the shifts. In the game, Sam isn't deaf, and they spend more time in the city streets rather than the tunnels. The sniper sequence is also much longer and more of a "boss fight" mechanic.
The biggest change, though, is the backstory of Henry and Sam. In the game, they are just survivors trying to get out. Giving them the connection to Kathleen and the resistance movement made the stakes feel personal. It wasn't just bad luck; it was a series of choices that led to that motel room.
The show also emphasizes the "childhood" aspect more. The scene with the crayons and the "Infected" drawing Sam makes is a show-only addition that makes the ending hurt five times more.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you're revisiting this episode or watching for the first time, pay attention to the sound design. The use of silence during Sam's scenes—reflecting his perspective as a deaf child—is a masterclass in immersive storytelling.
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- Watch the background: In the tunnel scenes, the "nursery" where the children used to hide contains drawings that foreshadow the fate of the community there. It's world-building that rewards people who aren't just looking at the center of the screen.
- The Savage Starlight Connection: The comic book quotes aren't just flavor text. "Endure and Survive" becomes the unofficial motto for Ellie’s entire life.
- Check the lighting: Notice how the episode moves from the pitch-black tunnels to the bright, blinding explosion of the fire at the sinkhole, and then back to the gray, muted tones of the morning at the motel. The color palette tells the story of fading hope.
The episode leaves Joel and Ellie walking away, headed toward Wyoming. They’re alive, but they aren't the same people who entered Kansas City. They've seen what happens when "protecting your own" goes wrong.
To get the most out of your next viewing, compare the way Joel handles the sniper in this episode to how he handles the final encounter in Salt Lake City later in the season. You'll see a man who is slowly regaining his lethal edge, not for himself, but for the girl he’s no longer calling "cargo."
Take a moment to process the Henry and Sam arc. It's meant to be uncomfortable. It’s meant to make you question if anyone can truly "survive" this world without losing their soul. The next step is to head straight into Episode 6, "Kin," where the emotional stakes shift from the loss of a new family to the complicated reunion with an old one.