Lee is a supporting character in the first season of HBO's The Last of Us. He was a soldier working under FEDRA in the Boston quarantine zone who would make secret dealings with the smuggler Joel Miller.[1]
Biography[]
Background[]
Sometime after the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Lee made his way to the Boston quarantine zone. He also joined FEDRA at some point, working as a soldier for them in the zone, notably monitoring civilian presence, patrolling outside the wall and fighting against Fireflies and infected.
Before the summer of 2023, he discovered the zone's smuggling group and infiltrated it, allying with Joel Miller. Lee would regularly meet with Joel, trading ration cards for drugs that Joel obtained from another smuggler, Bill. Through his role in FEDRA, Lee was also aware of other active quarantine zones, such as Atlanta, and could convince other soldiers to support Joel's smuggling trade for a share of the supplies.[1]
Events of HBO's The Last of Us[]
In the summer of 2023, during a daily execution of civilians breaking FEDRA protocols, Lee secretly met with Joel in an alleyway to trade supplies. Joel sold him "hydro" tablets, which Lee speculated came from Atlanta given FEDRA has a factory that makes nothing but "pills and bullets", to which Joel retorts that Lee must need a lot of pills to sleep after shooting a lot of people. However, Lee is short five ration cards, five dollars, so he trades confiscated handmade cigarettes to receive the entire bag of drugs Joel offered. He jokes about arresting Joel instead, but Joel again retorts that he wouldn't have anyone to get the drugs for him if he did.
Joel then asked Lee about another deal they were working on to obtain a truck from FEDRA, as only the military still had working motor vehicles. Lee replied that he managed to get everyone assigned to the motor pool in on the deal and needs $600 worth of smuggled goods to pay them all off. Joel agreed to the high cost since he was expecting more smuggled goods soon and just needed to sell them. The two parted ways, though not before Lee warned Joel to stay off the streets as FEDRA were conducting more police sweeps in response to increased Firefly activity.
Lee detaining Joel, Ellie, and Tess around the perimeter of the Boston QZ.
That evening, during Joel's attempted breakout from the quarantine zone with Tess and Ellie, he accidentally stumbled across Lee urinating while assigned to guard the zone's perimeter. Shocked, Lee trained his rifle on them and ordered them to submit to an infection check per FEDRA guidelines. He then mused about how he expected a larger cut of Joel's next deal in exchange for turning a blind eye. Not wanting her infection to be revealed, Ellie stabbed Lee in the leg with her switchblade. An enraged Lee tried to shoot her but Joel tackled and beat him to death. Joel then took Lee's rifle and escaped with Tess and Ellie.[1]
Appearance[]
Lee wore a standard FEDRA soldier's uniform, with a forage cap and boots. He had short black hair that was graying. He carried standard FEDRA and US Military gear, including a radio, bulletproof vest, infection scanner, M4A1 carbine, M9 handgun, and protective riot helmet.[1]
Personality[]
Lee, like many of his fellow FEDRA soldiers, had a grim and detached attitude from living in the quarantine zone, the constant fear of infection, the stresses of battling the Fireflies, and the fact that most survivors either feared or disliked him because he was a soldier. He coped with his dissatisfaction by obtaining black market pills and other prohibited items from smugglers, and used his position to enrich himself by taking bribes and illegally selling FEDRA property.[1]
Relationships[]
Joel[]
Joel and Lee worked together, each trading goods the other wanted. Though he and Joel had a mutually beneficial relationship, neither man fully trusted the other as evidenced by Lee demanding an extra payoff not to report Joel for trying to leave the zone. Despite Lee trying to be reasonable with Joel, the man still did not care much about him and had no qualms killing him for getting in the way of a smuggling mission he was undergoing.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- Lee is portrayed by Canadian actor and director Max Montesi.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 HBO's The Last of Us episode 1: "When You're Lost in the Darkness"
