Warning! This article contains spoilers for both The Last of Us episode 4 and the original game.The Last of Us episode 4 featured a brand-new faction of enemies for Joel and Ellie to face in the Hunters, a group that will be important going forward. After tragically finding Bill and Frank dead in The Last of Us episode 3, Joel and Ellie continued their journey toward Wyoming to find Joel's brother Tommy. Their journey, greatly aided by Bill's supplies obtained from Lincoln, took the duo past Kansas City, with the highway being blocked forcing them to reroute through the city's heart.
While driving through Kansas City's downtown area, Joel and Ellie encounter an injured man whom Joel deduces is not injured at all. Their truck is then damaged in an ambush set up by the man, kickstarting Joel and Ellie's conflict with the Hunters after their significantly less dangerous outing in the amazing The Last of Us episode 3. With a whole host of new characters, escalating conflicts, and the promise of danger on the horizon, here is everything viewers need to know about The Last of Us episode 4's new enemies.
The Hunters Are A Faction From The Original Last Of Us Game
Firstly, the Hunters are an enemy faction taken directly from the original The Last of Us. In the game, the Hunters are encountered by Joel and Ellie in Pittsburgh, something that has been changed for HBO's The Last of Us. In The Last of Us episode 4, the Hunters are found in Kansas City, though they still take inspiration from the game's faction. The Hunters in the game initially revolted against the FEDRA regime in the Pittsburgh QZ, taking their name due to their tendency to kill anyone who enters their territory with little to no diplomacy.
In the game, Joel and Ellie - the latter played by Bella Ramsey and the former Pedro Pascal in HBO's adaptation - fight through the hordes of Hunters sent against them as they make their way through Pittsburgh. On their journey through the city, the duo befriend Henry and Sam, two brothers whose group was also attacked by the Hunters on their way through Pittsburgh. This section of the game ends with Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam destroying a military Humvee and besting a Hunter sniper before escaping Pittsburgh completely.
How HBO’s Hunters Are Different To The Last Of Us Game
One thing that is immediately different about HBO's Hunters in The Last of Us episode 4 is the added depth they receive. In the original game, the Hunters have little to no depth, simply serving their function as nameless often faceless enemies for players to fight against. Something that HBO's adaptation has made increasingly evident - especially with The Last of Us episode 3's ending - is how the medium of TV enables the creators of The Last of Us to add extra depth and character in ways that gaming cannot allow. This is proven to continue with The Last of Us episode 4 and the exploration of the Hunters.
In their short screen time in The Last of Us episode 4, the Hunters are already given more development than was offered in the original game. From the introduction of Melanie Lynskey's Kathleen and Jeffrey Pierce's Perry to the brief details divulged about the Hunters' wider motivations, The Last of Us episode 4 is proving to continue the show's trend of expanding on the original game in the best ways.
Melanie Lynskey’s Kathleen Explained
One of the main vehicles for developing the Hunters in The Last of Us episode 4 is Kathleen, the faction's leader played by Melanie Lynskey of Yellowjackets fame. Shortly after Joel and Ellie escape the Hunters in The Last of Us episode 4, the focus switches to Kathleen who is clearly portrayed to call the shots in Kansas City. In an interrogation scene, Kathleen is seen asking a doctor - with whom she clearly has a history - for information on a group of people the Hunters are searching for. This scene provides a lot of details about the Hunters, their motivation, and how Kathleen is at the center of it.
Kathleen makes it clear that the Hunters overthrew FEDRA by showing her disdain for the militaristic oppression shown in the Kansas City QZ. Kathleen highlights that while FEDRA promised certain rights for prisoners detained in the cell where she is now holding the doctor, they did not follow through on this and beat her brother to death. This also provides hints about both her and the Hunters' motivations - following Last of Us episode 3’s game changes - when Kathleen reveals that she is looking for the aforementioned group of people as they were instrumental in turning the revolutionists in to FEDRA, something not featured in the game.
Who Are The Hunters Looking For? Last Of Us Episode 5 Set Up Explained
The motivation for the Hunters is therefore linked directly to the set-up of The Last of Us episode 5. One of the people that Kathleen regularly singles out throughout the episode is a man named Henry, who was apparently responsible for FEDRA finding and killing Kathleen's brother. Due to this, Kathleen is hellbent on finding Henry and believes Joel and Ellie to be allies of his, hence their hostility towards The Last of Us' central duo. While Kathleen has many people she is insistent on the Hunters catching, it is evident that she has an extra desire to find Henry above all others.
With Henry and Sam - after having many Last of Us Easter eggs in episode 4 setting up their arrival - finding Joel and Ellie in a cliffhanger ending, it is clear their involvement greatly establishes The Last of Us episode 5's main plot. While in the game, Henry and Sam are being hunted for the same reason as Joel and Ellie (simple trespassing on the Hunters' territory), The Last of Us episode 4 ties them into the Hunters' story in a much deeper way. This will make the story of the conflict that is bound to continue in The Last of Us episode 5 much more compelling.
By introducing the Hunters as the same ruthless, violent group they were in the game though this time with the added element of depth and motivation, The Last of Us is making them a much more engrossing presence through the characters as with Bill and Frank in episode 3. This was evident through the Hunter Joel kills begging for his life, already making the conflict and the "enemies" of such much less black and white than the game presented them. It will be interesting to see how The Last of Us episode 5 further develops Kathleen's character while delving into Henry and Sam's side of the story.
New episodes of The Last of Us release every Wednesday on HBO.