'The Last of Us' Made Flashbacks Work, But Episode 7's Doesn't

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from Episode 7 of The Last of Us.When it comes to telling a story, time jumps are tricky. HBO’s The Last of Us, however, has proven that its creators have a mastery of this kind of narrative – from opening the pilot with a flashback to a 1960s talk show to Episode 3 following a love story between two characters in the past we'd never met before, it seems that when The Last of Us takes us on a journey to the past, it knows exactly how to balance it with the present. So, why did Episode 7 feel so unbalanced? Well, in this series, the trick to time jumps is all about getting the timing right, and this latest episode was timed all wrong.