Posted by Episode 4 of The Last Of Us finally introduced the character of Henry, who shares an integral part of Joel and Ellie’s journey in the video game. The episode ends with a young boy pointing his gun at Ellie, and if the viewers know nothing about the original game that inspired the HBO TV series, they would be unaware that the boy is Sam, Henry’s little brother. Since the TV series often changes the events in the video game, in this article, we will explain the full story of Henry and Sam as it takes place in the original story, allowing the viewers to understand the differences between the show and the game.
You can watch HBO’s Inside the Episode 4 video here on Youtube.
The Last Of Us: the story of Henry and Sam in the video game
Henry and Sam are two brothers who share a part of the adventure with Joel and Ellie in the video game The Last of Us. Henry is 25, while his brother Sam is 13. Sam is the boy who points the gun at Ellie at the end of Episode 4 of the HBO series.
Henry and Sam are survivors, exactly like Joel and Ellie. In the video game, Henry and Sam were part of a group that left the quarantine zone in Hartford, Connecticut, and tried to enter Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In Pittsburg, they are ambushed by a group of hunters who owns the city, and that’s where they meet Joel and Ellie, who are also trying to hide from the hunters.
The location is a difference between the video game and the series: in the video game, the encounter between Henry, Sam, Joel, and Ellie takes place in Pittsburg, while the TV show sets it in Kansas City. Joel and Ellie’s journey is the same in both cases, from Boston to Wyoming, where Joel will meet his brother Tommy, but while Henry and Sam cross their path quite early in the game (Pittsburg is just 9 hours by car from Boston), the series sets this part of the story much closer to the end of the journey (Kansas City comes after 21 hours driving, 9 hours before Wyoming).
When Henry and Sam discovered Joel and Ellie in the building where they were hidden, they attacked them, assuming they were enemies. After the first fight, the group starts talking, and they soon understand that they all want to escape the city: it’s an opportunity to help each other. Joel, as usual, is suspicious, but in the end, they agree to plan the escape together.
In the video game, Henry, Sam, Joel, and Ellie act together to breach a gate guarded by the hunters. The mission is not easy, and although the group succeeds in opening a way, Joel remains behind, and there is a crucial moment where Henry has to decide whether he should save Joel or run away, securing the escape for him and Sam. He chooses to leave Joel behind, surprising Sam with his behavior.
After they escape, Henry sees Joel and Ellie in the river and saves them. Once Joel wakes up, he attacks Henry for what he did, but Henry explains that his decision was driven by the fact that Sam’s safety comes first. The group finds a common understanding again and moves out of the city.
The way the story continues in the video game has a tragic end: Henry, Sam, Joel, and Ellie fight against many groups of infected, always struggling, until reaching a safe place where they spend the night. However, the morning after, they realize that Sam has been infected the day before: Sam attacks Ellie, and Joel tries to shoot Sam, but he’s blocked by Henry. In a moment, Henry decides: he will be the one shooting his brother Sam in the head. After that, in shock, he points the gun at Joel, accusing him of being the cause of all this, but at the last moment, instead of shooting Joel, he points the gun at his own head and kills himself.
The journey will therefore continue as it was before, with Joel and Ellie as protagonists. And another painful memory that will come up in their head for a long time.
