'The Last of Us' Season 2, Episode 5 recap: Return of Tati Gabrielle and more surprise appearances

Yahoo

12-05-2025

We've reached the final three episodes of The Last of Us Season 2, as we follow Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) on their quest to find Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Travelling through Seattle amid the feud between the Washington Liberation Front (W.L.F.) and Seraphites, also called Scars, things get even more gruesome on the show this week.
But continuing a pattern we've seen in multiple episodes now, Episode 5 starts with a look back at the past. Specifically with Hanrahan, played by Alanna Ubach.
Where to watch The Last of Us: Crave in Canada, HBO and Max in the U.S.Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Rutina Wesley, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey WrightNumber of episodes: 7
The episode begins with Hanrahan, arriving at a hospital controlled by the W.L.F., noticing a stairwell boarded up. She then questions Elise Park (Hettienne Park) about why she killed some of her own men by doing so, "including Leon."
Elise explains that her unit was responsible for securing the hospital, which they did without trouble, and all that was left was the basement. But with components of the building collapsing, there was only one stairwell with access to the three basement levels.
After B1 was clear, Elise sent a team to B2 the next day, led by Leon, who she highlights was particularly skilled. Leon was able to radio back an update that there were Cordyceps, then five minutes later he communicated again, but could hardly speak. Elise thought he had been bitten, but Leon said, "It's in the air. Seal us in." Elise and the rest of the team did as Leon said.
That's when Hanrahan reveals the most devastating part of the story, saying "I'm sorry about your son."
Continuing with Dina and Ellie, it's Day Two in Seattle and Dina is trying to figure out a route to get to the W.L.F. occupied hospital, as she's been listening to the Wolves communicate through the radio they were able to get their hands on. That's not really Ellie's strength, so she's spending her time playing the guitar in the empty theatre where they've found shelter.
Ellie starts to sing 'Future Days' by Pearl Jam with the line, "If I ever were to lose you." While that may not mean much to those who just watch the show, video game fans know how important that song is to characters Ellie and Joel. It's a moment we see in the game where Joel is really trying to express his love for Ellie, that he loves her like a daughter.
But back to Dina and Ellie's journey, Dina found a gap in the W.L.F. patrol setup, identifying a building they can travel through, but the concern is that the Wolves don't have eyes on it because it's filled with infected, making it a "reckless" move, as Dina describes. But one they take anyways.
Dina also highlights that the Wolves are talking freely through the radio, which makes her think the Scars are like the Amish, choosing to live without technology, allowing the W.L.F. to communicate knowing their enemies aren't listening.
As they continue to try to get to the hospital, they see dead bodies, which makes Ellie question why Dina is coming along, especially because she's pregnant. But Dina responds by telling Ellie about the first time she killed someone.
When Dina was little she lived with her family in a cabin in a forest, north of Santa Fe, and she would beg her mom to let her play outside. One day when Dina was eight, she went outside alone, defying her mom's wishes. When she got back to the cabin there was a raider there and she could hear her family screaming. She was too late to save her family, but she shot the raider.
Dina tells Ellie that if he had gotten away, she would have hunted that raider down forever. That's enough for Ellie to agree to continue the journey as a pair. She knows Dina understands her need to find Abby.
As Ellie and Dina arrive at the building Dina scouted, they come in contact with the "smart" infected, who strategize and hide.
Both Ellie and Dina are attacked by the infected stalkers and they're saved by Jesse (Young Mazino). Jesse and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) snuck out of Jackson to try to find Ellie and Dina, and Jesse was able to track them to the theatre, where he saw Dina's map.
Jesse, Ellie and Dina get to a park, an area the Wolves won't go. But they see Scars murdering a W.L.F. member, hanging him and cutting open his torso, just like the bodies they saw earlier in their journey.
But then an arrow hits Dina, with Ellie telling Jesse to get Dina back to the theatre.
Instead of following Jesse and Dina, Ellie sees the hospital and takes her chance. She finds Nora (Tati Gabrielle) and tries to get her to reveal where Abby is, by holding her at gunpoint, but it doesn't work. Nora says she's sorry Ellie saw Joel die, but "the little bitch got what he deserved," and Nora tries to flee.
As they both run down the hallway, Nora jumps into an elevator shaft, which leads to the dreaded B2 basement level Hanrahan and Elise were talking about at the beginning of the episode.
Ellie climbs down to B2 and sees the walls and floor full of Cordyceps, with spores in the air, and one person stuck to a wall with Cordyceps. The badge on his shirt says, "L. Park," it's Leon, Elise's son, stuck in pain between life and death.
As Ellie continues exploring the basement, she hears Nora coughing and wheezing, who says now they're both infected by breathing in the spores. But Nora then realizes that Ellie is "the immune girl."
Ellie once again asks where Abby is, Nora won't tell her, but says Joel killed everyone in the Fireflies hospital, including the only person who could develop a cure, Abby's father.
"Joel shot him in the head. That's what he did," Nora says.
Ellie puts away her gun, kneels down and again, asks where Abby is, but Nora still refuses to tell her. Ellie then picks up a metal pipe she sees on the ground and asks one more time, before beating Nora.
To end the episode, we cut to the past with Ellie asleep in her bed, being woken up by Joel saying, "Hey, kiddo."