Episode four is titled, Please Hold on to My Hand. So far the series has been amazing. Screw the a-holes who review bombed Episode 3 because they are so insecure about themselves. Let’s see how the fourth episode holds up.
Spoilers Below
I give detailed, blow by blow details as I review. If you want to skip the spoilers jump down to the Scoring!
If you have watched Please Hold on to My Hand let me know if you agree with my scoring below.
Ellie & Her Gun
Ellie is fascinated by her new toy. Cough, I mean firearm. Bella Ramsay really shines here. You can feel Ellie’s excitement at holding the small pistol.
Outside, Joel is scavenging gas. Ellie tries to cheer him up but Joel resists.
I love the road scenes. The run down highway and the remnants of a society that is dead. Just so well done.
When they pull off to rest for the night Ellie begs for a fire. It’s cold. Joel doesn’t care, there are people about who aren’t friendly. The two eat canned food and settle down in sleeping bags for the night.
There is a cute scene as Ellie tries to make Joel laugh. It is a very sweet father daughter moment.
Just before Ellie falls asleep she asks Joel nervously if they are safe. He promises her they are – but you can see he’s nervous. A short time later we see him standing watch as Ellie sleeps.
The Car Ride – Next Day
Joel makes some coffee before the two of them head back out. Ellie is not a fan of the way coffee smells. As they drive Ellie gets Joel talking. Joel gives Ellie his and Tommy’s story. Ellie asks Joel why he continues, and he says for family. This leads to a brutal reality check for Ellie.
The road becomes clogged with vehicles. Joel weaves his way through before they come to a block in the road. Joel gets out to investigate. The road on the other side of the overpass is clear. They just need to find a way around.
Ambush
It’s not long before Joel and Ellie are lost in the city. As they search for the highway they are ambushed by survivors. The truck looses its tires to nail strips before it swerves into a laundromat. The scavengers open fire on the truck before Joel picks them apart. At least until the last one gets the drop on Joel and Ellie gets to use her new gun – saving Joel.
The kid is still alive. Ellie shot him in his spine. The kid begs for his life as Ellie hides. There is a brutal thump and the begging stops. Joel and Ellie are on the run.
Scavenger Base
An old man is being held captive. He is being interrogated by a young woman who is not happy with the old man. The old man betrayed her family. She wants information on where Henry is. Who is Henry? We don’t know yet. After she see’s the bodies of the men Joel killed she gives a simple speech. Find and kill who did it.
Joel and Ellie watch from inside an abandoned building, watching as the scavenger search parties search building to building. They share a moment as Joel feels bad for forcing Ellie to have to shoot someone to save him. Ellie admits it wasn’t her first time. Joel clears the small pistol and gives Ellie a brief handgun training session. Afterwards he hands her the weapon and tells her to put it in her pack. Of course Ellie ignores this order and puts the gun in her jacket pocket.
Ellie is now packing heat.
Scavenger Queen
The female lead of the bandits looks over an attic hideaway. Henry was there. More importantly we learn a bit about who Henry is and why the Scavenger Queen is interested in Henry. Henry has Sam with him. Sam is clearly this woman’s son.
They are in the basement when the Queen and her soldier find a broken floor. Whatever it is – its bad. They both exit the room in a panic. Her soldier wants to tell the rest of the scavengers but she forbids it.
Breaking And Entering
Joel lifts Ellie up to squeeze through an air vent. They have entered what looks like an apartment building. Joel wants to get up high so he can see the city around them and figure out how to escape. As they work their way up endless stairs Joel admits that he’s been one of the Ambushers in the past. Ellie asks him if he’s killed innocent people and he ignores her.
They climb as high as they can before Joel calls it. He spreads broken glass out on the floor as an impromptu alarm system. Joel asks her who else she’d shot but Ellie doesn’t want to talk about it. He tries to tell her he feels bad for her growing up in their world but it creates some friction. It’s all okay though. Ellie tells a joke about diarrhea and they are both shortly laughing and giggling.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger. Ellie has a gun pointed at her head as she calls for Joel who starts awake just before the episode ends.
Please Hold on to My Hand Scoring
Please Hold on to My Hand had a lot to live up to. The first three episodes were off the charts amazing. Episode 4 is a great episode. There was some action, but it was all people versus people. It needed a few more Zombies in my opinion. Still, it carried the story forward and the bond between Joel and Ellie is very nicely matured. They share jokes as they learn to care about each other. It was very touching.
It just didn’t have quite the weight of the first three episodes. Or at least on Sunday night this was how I felt. After rewatching it I have to give Pedro and Bella more credit. The interaction is just so on point. I can feel Joel’s walls slowly falling as Ellie continues to be a light his life. I’ve updated my original score from a 80 to a 94/100.
This episode is Worth Your Time no matter how you rank it.
| Season | Episode | Episode Name | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | When You’re Lost in the Darkness | 100 |
| 1 | 2 | Infected | 100 |
| 1 | 3 | Long Long Time | 95 |
| 1 | 4 | Please Hold on to My Hand | 94 |
| 1 | 5 | Endure and Survive | 100 |
| 1 | 6 | Kin | 90 |
| 1 | 7 | Left Behind | 90 |
| 1 | 8 | When We Are In Need | 100 |
| 1 | 9 | Look for the Light | 100 |
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