'The Last of Us' episode 4 clip explains Kathleen's militia group

"An abrupt shift in power."
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
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Episode 4 of The Last of Us introduced us to a new villain in the form of militia leader Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) — but as she's a new character that doesn't feature in the game, there's only so much we know about her so far.

HBO Max's "Inside the Episode" video does reveal a little more, though.

"When there is an abrupt shift in power from a repressive regime being overthrown by a revolutionary force, history is full of examples where the revolutionary force is just as bad as what was there before," says co-creator Craig Mazin in the clip. "And here, in Melanie Lynskey, we have that embodied."

Co-creator Neil Druckman describes Kathleen as a ruthless leader who clearly has the respect of the militia group she leads, while actor Jeffrey Pierce, who voiced Tommy in the games and plays Kathleen's righthand man Perry in the show, explains that his character is willing to follow her lead because of his military past.

Lynskey herself, meanwhile, offers the most ominous description: "Kathleen is a tough woman, she's a very principled woman, but she definitely has a dark side."

The Last of Us episode 5 premieres Friday at 9 p.m. on HBO Max. Episodes usually premiere on Sunday.

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.


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