The Last of Us shows off the worst cannibalism I’ve ever seen

polygon.com:

When The Last of Us introduces us to David, the preacher leading a congregation of survivors through a harsh winter, it’s legitimately hard to figure him out. Actor Scott Shepherd (nice touch) brings a grounded Midwestern charm to the character, exuding weary warmth to a desperate Ellie (Bella Ramsey) who needs to find food and medicine for an injured Joel (Pedro Pascal). There’s reason to suspect him, because there’s reason to suspect everybody — Joel and Ellie have generally not had a great time when it comes to dealing with other people. But when David tries to connect with Ellie while she holds him at gunpoint over a campfire, she wants to believe him. To connect with him.

So they start to have conversations about faith and survival, to debate a classic question of whether or not everything happens for a reason. In this, The Last of Usseems like it’s going to delve into a genuinely complex and human space, telling a story about people who’ve lost much and clung to things they might not have otherwise in order to find purpose and meaning. Then, 40 minutes later, the show reveals David’s secret, and abandons all of that. Again.

[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for episode 8 of The Last of Us.]

David, as the show eventually reveals, is a simple tyrant: using faith to exploit the hope of his community for power and respect. Under his leadership, the congregation have also become unwitting cannibals, as he and a small group of collaborators have turned to killing people outside of the community and butchering them to feed David’s followers, telling them it’s venison.

This is familiar territory for grim survival stories in this mold, a way to interrogate what the collapse of society means for what we believe makes us human.