Latest news with #Scars
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Last of Us' Reveals a New Traumatizing Way to Die
(Warning: Spoilers ahead.) Being immune doesn't mean Ellie (Bella Ramsey) can't die in one of the innumerable other ways humans can inflict pain—like bullets and arrows, or being hanged and disemboweled. But her unique medical condition does come in handy when yet another cordyceps danger presents itself on The Last of Us. Seattle continues to throw up dangerous obstacles that emphasize how this virus adapts over time, such as the intelligent infected like the one Ellie encountered in the Season 2 premiere, and airborne spores that are a new addition to the menu. You don't need to get bitten to succumb to the parasitic fungus. Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) started this quest to find and kill Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) by slipping out of Jackson at night. Yes, they are experienced and skilled fighters, but woefully unprepared against an army of the living and undead. It is another outing with tense standoffs and seemingly impossible odds. But Ellie and Dina aren't alone, and the arrival of Jesse (Young Mazino) is welcome, as it was impossible to imagine how the pair would escape the 'big f---ing something' without him. I don't always love the 'guy comes in to save the day' narrative, but Ellie's immunity does make her cavalier when coming up against the impossible. Dina admits that Ellie being a little crazy is one of the reasons she loves her, even if it almost gets her killed. Of course, this isn't to say that Ellie isn't thinking about Dina or Dina's pregnancy. Yet agreeing to use only knives or run away (because bullets will attract both human and infected attention) never felt like a real option. Sure enough, they have to shoot their guns. It is immediately concerning that the Wolves don't follow the fleeing trio into a park. More infected? Nope, this is where the Scars are spilling literal blood and guts in their ongoing conflict against the Wolves. The Jackson trio becomes the Scars' new targets after witnessing a live-action version of the dead Wolves that Ellie and Dina saw with their intestines on display last week. In the melee, an arrow hits Dina in the thigh, and Jesse carries his ex-girlfriend, hopefully, to safety, and to rendezvous with Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who also came on this unsanctioned rescue attempt. Ellie ends up alone in Wolf territory, and her petite stature allows her to slip into another small hole. It hasn't gone according to plan (does it ever?), but Ellie has found her way into the hospital. Perhaps luck is on Ellie's side because she locates Nora (Tati Gabrielle), who was part of Abby's Joel (Pedro Pascal) hunting crew, and Ellie's ticket to revenge. Okay, it isn't as easy as that, as Nora isn't going to give up her friend in the blink of an eye. Joel's screams still haunt Nora, but she doesn't regret that he is dead, using this moment to throw chemicals at Ellie and sound the intruder alarm. Ellie gives chase, dodging the bullets and objects thrown her way. Nora knows the layout, which should put her at an advantage. However, she ends up in a ward that has been blocked with Ellie close behind. Nora has minimal options, prying open the elevator door as her only means of escape. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Nora falls to the floor marked B2. The level would look innocuous enough if it hadn't been for the opening scene. Episode 5 opens with a Wolf superior, Haneraton (Alanna Ubach), checking in with Elsie Park (Hettienne Park) about the recent deaths of a patrol unit sent to clear the basement levels. The patrol expected the worst because it is a ripe environment for a cluster or horde. Instead, B1 was empty. A different squad went to B2, where they found cordyceps on the walls and floors. Squadron leader Leon struggled to breathe when he radioed with a status report. However, it wasn't a typical case of getting bitten. Elsie determined the spores were in the basement air but not the vents because no one else was sick. To protect the rest of the population, Elsie made an impossible decision to lock the doors to B1 and B2, with Leon telling her to seal the patrol in, including him. It is even more devastating to learn that Leon is Elsie's son. In this case, a parent was part of a decision to sacrifice their child to preserve a valuable medical resource (in this case, the hospital), which is something Joel could not do. It all comes full circle because Ellie follows Nora down to B2 and encounters a thriving mushroom landscape unlike she (or we) have previously seen. It is stunning in that 'nature that can also kill you' way, and the mushrooms are growing out of the still-breathing men and women. It is a beautiful nightmare reminiscent of Hannibal, which did have a mushroom episode (and Last of Us guest star Park had an equally memorable death on the Bryan Fuller adaptation). Spores shimmer in the air, which would be pretty if it weren't so perilous. Well, perilous to everyone but Ellie. The teenager cranks up the drama by turning on the emergency lights that bathe the whole place in red. If anyone was unclear about what emotion Ellie is feeling, then this color scheme underscores the rage. 'You stupid b---h,' Nora says, thinking that they are both damned. Ellie revels in her gift with zero fear that someone else will find out. Nora realizes the 'immune girl' isn't just a story or a myth. However, Ellie doesn't want to chit-chat and instead asks where Abby is. Ellie emphasizes that she doesn't care what Joel did, so Nora reveals the ugly truth. 'I know,' says Ellie. These two words will always make me think of Harrison Ford in The Empire Strikes Back; in this case, it is Ellie saying she still loves Joel. It is confirmation (not a surprise) that Ellie found out Joel's deep, dark secret at some point in the five-year time jump, and in his death, she has forgiven him. What Ellie does next is take a page from the Abby torture handbook, picking up a pipe and using it to break Nora's leg. When Nora refuses to spill Abby's location, Ellie hits her again. Earlier, Dina revealed who her first kill was to highlight that she understands why Ellie needs to avenge Joel. It is this thread that ties Ellie to Abby, with both women seeking to spill blood for a dead father. To cut from Ellie bathed in red light enacting violence to a sun-dappled bedroom in the past is like whiplash. When Joel says, 'Hey, kiddo,' it feels like we have seen a ghost. Seeing delight on Ellie's face at Joel's presence is equally odd. Buckle up: it looks like that flashback episode is coming!
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Last of Us' Reveals Ellie and Dina's Life-Changing Secrets
(Warning: Spoilers ahead.) There is nothing quite like nearly dying to move a relationship to the next level. Sure enough, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) become more intimately acquainted after dodging death at human and infected hands in an action-packed The Last of Us. It is a revelation-filled episode that sees both young women revealing secrets—and themselves. Venturing into Seattle opens with a pleasant hangout in the city's now-abandoned gay neighborhood, Capitol Hill. Ellie and Dina have a moment to breathe before horror nips at their ankles—and arm. Ellie finds a guitar in perfect condition and plays an acoustic version of A-ha's 'Take on Me,' moving Dina to tears and showcasing both Ramsey and Merced's range as actors. It serves as a poignant reminder of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and what he taught Ellie, beyond just survival skills. Still, it doesn't take long for the pair to locate the militia that Joel's killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), belongs to. While they don't find Abby, Ellie and Dina have an eye-opening encounter in which they learn they are not the only ones hunting the Washington Liberation Front, also known as the Wolves. What begins as gathering intel descends into a subway ride from hell. After last week's zombie-free outing, The Last of Us goes all out with a sequence that had my heart in my mouth. It begins with Ellie and Dina discovering a gory tableau; several Wolves have been gutted. 'Feel Her Love' is written in blood next to the same symbol worn by the massacred group that Dina and Ellie found on their journey. The duo has stumbled upon a turf war. Oops! Last week, I incorrectly assumed the group known as Seraphites (or Scars) were pacifists, and didn't think it was Abby's militia that did this. It turns out I was very wrong as the Scars have shed a lot of Wolf blood—and vice versa. 'What the f--- is wrong with Seattle?!' Dina says after throwing up a second time—and I start to wonder if she is pregnant. There is zero time to assess the situation before a team of Wolves arrives on the scene. The pair hides, but needs to find a way out of the building and is at a disadvantage because they are unfamiliar with this location. However, they are experienced in escaping difficult situations. When the patrol gives chase, they can't squeeze through the same gap into the subway system as Dina and Ellie. The soldiers know another way, soon lighting the transit tunnels with red flares. It is a good news/bad news situation as one flare lands on a parasitic fungus, immediately attracting a swarm of infected to their location. At first, it sounds like a few are coming their way, but Dina will run out of fingers, toes, and body parts if they wait to do a head count. The Wolves are quickly overwhelmed, leaving Ellie and Dina with the undead. A derailed subway train proves to be a reprieve, but soon the zombies are punching their way through windows. The tight space and sheer volume add to an already edge-of-your-seat sequence. The pair escapes the train, but hits another obstacle that can be a pain even without a horde on your heels: the iron maiden turnstile. Not having a card to swipe through isn't the issue. Instead, the exit hasn't been used in over two decades, and barely moves. To buy Dina some time, Ellie pulls her immunity trick out of the bag. But when the infected bites her arm, Dina has zero idea that Ellie hasn't sacrificed her life. Unlike a flimsy fence, the turnstile keeps the infected at bay. Above ground, an old movie theater offers shelter. Or rather, a place for Dina to shoot an infected Ellie. 'I would die for you, but that's not just what happened,' Ellie says. Ellie's immunity is a closely guarded secret, and no matter how flippant she seemed in the premiere when she was teasing Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Ellie has stuck to this code of silence. However, getting bitten could lead to death by gunshot instead. It is another tense situation, which Ellie tries to defuse by telling Dina to let her go to sleep, and if she turns, then Dina can kill her. Of course, Ellie is confident it won't happen, but Dina looks terrified. When Ellie wakes up later, the bite shows zero sign of infection. One revelation down, another to go. 'I'm pregnant,' says Dina. Honestly, I am shocked at myself for not calling it last week when Dina puked (the tell-tale TV pregnancy trope). Dina kisses Ellie, and all thoughts of babies and bites slip away as they go much further than New Year's Eve (thankfully, there are no homophobes, Wolves, or infected to interrupt). The following morning. Dina looks at the fresh bite and then the tattoo-covered scar. It is open confession season, as Dina admits that thinking she had lost Ellie made her confront the attraction she has long denied. Dina knew Ellie had feelings for her and that Jesse (Young Mazino) wasn't the one. 'No, you like boys,' Dina's mother insisted when her daughter said she was into boys and girls. Dina thinks Ellie is brave for being out, and Ellie jokes that she's 'just obvious.' By the end of the episode, Dina and Ellie are even more united. Ellie wants to raise the baby with Dina (and Jesse), but gives Dina an out in this fight because of her pregnancy. The radio they lifted from one of the dead proves handy as they hear gunshots and recognize the name of one of Abby's team members. Dina insists she will join Ellie on this mission. But who are they facing? Well, for starters, Jeffrey Wright as former FEDRA soldier Isaac. The episode opens with a flashback to 2018, when Isaac killed his FEDRA unit, including Josh Peck (from Drake & Josh), sparing only young soldier Burton. (As a Guilded Age fan, I was thrilled to spot 'Clock Twink' Ben Ahlers with another HBO gig under his belt.) This introduction shows Isaac becoming a Wolf, joining Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach, another HBO mainstay), and he remains a commanding force in the present, giving a tutorial about Mauviel copper pans as an instrument of torture rather than fine dining. The interrogation scene highlights that the Scars are impossible to break, and some Wolves have switched sides. Can Ellie and Dina use this ongoing bloody war to their advantage? All of Ellie and Dina's cards are on the table with no secrets left to tell (other than what Joel did to the Fireflies), and they are more united than ever before. Perhaps the two of them versus an army isn't such bad odds after all.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Last of Us' Season 2, Episode 5 recap: Return of Tati Gabrielle and more surprise appearances
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 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."
Gizmodo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Seattle Brings Huge Revelations in The Last of Us
After a solid but largely muted third episode, The Last of Us got back on track with this week's fourth episode. We learned more about the war happening in Seattle between the WLF and Scars, while Ellie and Dina continued their search for Abby. That pair also faced their biggest challenge yet, one that will change the course of their relationship and The Last of Us forever. Let's dive in. Whenever The Last of Us gives us something totally out of the blue, it's usually a good sign for what's to come. So when the episode started with the words '2018 – Seattle Quarantine Zone,' I was stoked. The show loves a good flashback, and this was a very, very good one. Inside a military vehicle, a group of FEDRA soldiers is joking around and telling stories. One played by Josh Peck (yes, of Drake and Josh fame) tells a gross story about one of his dumb colleagues to the delight of almost everyone. One person in the back of the shot has their face guard down but is, clearly, not enjoying the story about three 'voters' who got messed with. 'Why do they call citizens, 'voters?'' a soldier, who is clearly new, asks. That's when the group's Sergeant, played by Jeffrey Wright, chimes in. He says FEDRA calls citizens 'voters' because FEDRA took away the citizens' rights. So the term 'voter' is to mock them for having no rights. It's a chilling claim and a strong suggestion that the character isn't happy about something. The FEDRA transport runs into a blockade and, despite the soldiers' desire to jump out and attack, Wright's character tells them not to. He's going to talk to the 'voters,' and asks the new guy to come along with him and learn something. The group's leader, played by Legally Blonde and Sister Act 2 star Alanna Ubach, asks if Wright's character is named Isaac. He asks if she's named Hanrahan. When they both agree, Isaac takes two gas grenades, throws them into the back of the transport, and locks the door, killing all the soldiers. He then shoots the driver and asks the new kid, played by Ben Ahlers, to make a choice. 'Welcome to the fight,' Hanrahan tells Isaac. We'll learn later that we've just seen the origin story of the current leader of the WLF, Isaac. A FEDRA soldier who defected from that group to one that was more about humanity and people than military control. All of which will become very, very important to the overall message, not just in this episode, but later ones too. Plus, that was just a hell of a cold open to an episode. Eleven years later, in the present day of the show, Ellie and Dina are scavenging an old pharmacy. It's 'Seattle, Day One,' according to the on-screen text, and this demarcation of time and place is beyond important. Remember it, live by it, write it down if you have to. Ellie and Dina are in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle, very confused about all the rainbows around with the word 'Pride' on them. Ellie thinks maybe the people here were just optimists. We know it was much, much more than that, and the cheeky juxtaposition of the LGBTQ women not knowing about LGBTQ support speaks volumes to how uninformed the characters on this show are about the world as it once was. Exploring the desolate streets, which are littered with dead bodies in FEDRA gear as well as a tank, Ellie and Dina spot a WLF building. But they realize they can't approach it until nightfall, so they kill time in a place many of us would choose to go to in Seattle: a music store. Here we get a little break from the world and a charming moment where Ellie finds a guitar that hasn't rotted and plays a little tune. It's the 1980s classic 'Take On Me' by A-ha, but acoustic, and we learn it's something Joel taught her. It brings Dina to tears, and will delight fans of the game, as it's a direct lift from that. Here on the show, it helps us to see the relationship between Dina and Ellie deepening, and that there's still some beauty in this messed-up world. Something that was much needed before everything that follows. First up, modern-day Isaac is giving a speech to someone off-camera about how he used cooking to impress women. He lauds the qualities of French cookware before mentioning how they aren't great for interrogation. That word, 'interrogation,' flips the scene on its head and we see a totally nude member of the Scars has been captured and is being tortured by Isaac. Isaac wants to know where the next Scar attack is. The Scar wants him to call them by their preferred name, 'Serephites.' We learn that this Scar killed a child, but he says he only did it because the WLF kills their children. On and on the one-upsmanship goes, letting us know the war these two groups are fighting is incredibly violent, largely pointless, and without a clear good guy or bad guy. They're kind of both the bad guys. The difference, though, according to the Scar, is that members of the WLF defect to become Scars, but no one from the Scars defects to the WLF. So, despite the WLF's advantage in technology and resources, eventually they'll lose. This hits Isaac particularly hard, considering he did exactly that to his former group—and when he realizes the Scar won't budge, kills him. This gets a strong seal of approval from the guard at the door; it's the same soldier who 11 years ago was just starting his career and defected with Isaac. Now, so far in this episode, a lot of interesting things have happened. A lot of character development has taken place. But there hasn't been much action. Knowing that, when Ellie and Dina decide to sneak into the WLF building undercover of nightfall, and silently agree to kill any WLF members who get in their way whether they were in Jackson or not, you knew shit was about to go down. The pair stumble into a room with several WLF members hanging from the ceiling with their intestines bursting out. It's a sight that once again makes Dina gag and, quickly, they realize a) the Scars, the group of people they saw slaughtered on the trail to Seattle, did this, and b) one of the final WLF survivors called for backup. Backup arrives quickly and despite orders from Isaac to keep any captured Scars alive, this group is out to get revenge for their literally gutted friends. They're going to kill on sight. Dina and Ellie do their best to escape quietly, but fail. They kill two people and make a run for it, eventually taking refuge in a subway station. The WLF follows and throws flares everywhere to light up the space. Except, we know the vegetation linked to the fungal virus that took over the world senses that kind of thing and, very quickly, dozens upon dozens of clickers arrive. A massive battle erupts, distracting the WLF enough so Ellie and Dina can escape. But not before several close calls, including Ellie having to put her arm in the path of a biting zombie, saving Dina in the process. Instantly, Dina's demeanor changes. Ellie has been bitten. She needs to be killed. And by the time the pair find a good hiding spot in an old theater, Dina pulls her gun on Ellie. At first, Ellie is confused. She was acting out of instinct, not even thinking about the fact Dina has no idea she is immune. So, Ellie begrudgingly reveals this but Dina doesn't believe her. Which, you totally understand. It would be like someone coming up to you and saying, 'The sky is orange.' You've been led your whole life to believe one thing and now they're presenting something completely contrary to that. In Ellie's case, however, the sky is orange. She is actually, impossibly immune and convinces Dina to let her rest and prove it. Hours later, Ellie awakens just as she was. Just as she promised. A shocked Dina approaches and tells Ellie what we could pretty clearly tell from the clues in the past few episodes: Dina is pregnant. The intensity of the moment and the highly emotional revelations between the two burst into a lustful exchange, and the two make love. It's worth taking a moment here to applaud how incredible both Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced are in these scenes. Ellie's desperate pleas for Dina to trust her and believe the impossible. Dina's deep conflict about throwing away her beliefs. Both filled with angst, fear, and love. The actors brought the whole thing to another level. It was incredible work. In fact, that continues into the episode's final scenes, where it's finally revealed that Dina loves Ellie just as much as Ellie loves Dina, but her upbringing made it hard for her to admit. As a child, Dina told her mom she liked both boys and girls but her mom told her to only like boys. That stuck with her and now, only when she thought she lost everything, can she finally be who she is. She wants a family with Ellie and their baby, which brings up Ellie's sure to not be misinterpreted line 'I'm going to be a dad!' Just then, explosions echo from outside. Ellie and Dina, who stole a walkie-talkie from the WLF, go outside to get their bearings. The explosions are far in the distance, but they need to check them out. Ellie tells Dina she can stay back because things are different now, but Dina grabs her hand and says, 'Together.' Dina may be pregnant, but nothing is different in her eyes. If the episode only had the moment of Ellie revealing her secret to Dina, it would've been solid. But to start to build out Isaac as another formidable force, to see more about the war in Seattle, and get a taste of what life could be like for these characters, that just brought it all home. If you can believe it, we are now more than halfway through The Last of Us season two. Talk about it below.
The Review Geek
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Last of Us – Season 2 Episode 4 'Day One' Recap & Review
Day One Episode 4 of The Last of Us season 2 begins in 2018, at the Seattle Quarantine Zone. A whole bunch of Fedra soldiers are heading out, calling civilians 'voters' as a way of mocking them, given they took away their rights to do just that. The leader of this lot happens to be Isaac, and he oversees a tense meeting on the road when a whole rabble of people show up. It would appear that these are the WLF rebels, led by a woman called Hanrahan. After exchanging who they are, Isaac suddenly theows a bunch of grenades inside the police van and shuts the doors. The one soldier he saves, a man who questions the morality around authoritarian rule, is spared. He stands alongside Isaac as they both join the rebel cause. Back in our present timeline, Dina and Ellie scavenge for resources. Dina finds something but she doesn't tell Ellie, which we later find out are actually pregnancy tests. Together, they head deeper into Seattle, questioning the rainbow flags and the Pride mural up on the wall in the process. The pair find a satellite at the top of one of the buildings with graffiti reading WLF. Ellie wants to go in all guns blazing, but Dina talks her down. After all, charging in like that is absolutely suicide. Instead, they decide to wait it out in a record store until dark, then pick their way inside. Whilst there, Ellie finds a guitar and decides to sing 'Take On Me', reducing Dina to tears. This whole sequence feels like the calm before the storm, because as they head inside the building, they find a whole bunch of people dead, with blood scrawled up on the wall reading 'Feel her love'. This is, of course, the Scars' doing. As WLF guards show up, they fan the room, unaware that Ellie and Dina are there. Ellie heads up to the second floor while Dina waits behind cover, as she chokes a guy out. Dina catches up and the pair flee, straight into the transit tunnels after killing another soldier, squeezing through a small gap to evade being caught. Meanwhile, Isaac starts interrogating one of the cultists from last episode, presumably the only remaining guy from the forest massacre. The man is naked, chained to the wall and tortured with a hot frying pan, as Isaac is determined to find out where the Scars are heading next. The hostilities between these two groups come from their tenuous truce being broken. We don't see exactly how this has happened, but with the discussion turning to the taboo topic of both sides killing kids, it's basically destroyed any possibility of the two groups working together. Back with Dina and Ellie though, they're stalked by the soldiers who head into the subway tunnels. The guys make lots of noise and throw flares, prompting the infected to attack en-masse, buying the pair precious time to escape out the tunnels and into an abandoned hotel. However, Dina is shocked when she finds out Ellie has been bitten. She thinks it's over but Ellie reveals that she's immune. After trusting Ellie and allowing her to sleep it off, Dina reveals that she's pregnant. With secrets unveiled, the pair suddenly throw themselves at each other and start kissing, eventually making love before falling asleep right there on the floor. Dina discusses her feelings for Ellie in the middle of this and settles on the fact that she's bisexual. Dina does like Jesse but knows he's not the one for her, so Ellie steps up and decides to co-parent instead. In the middle of talking, they get a ping on their walkie and realize the WLF are nearby. An explosion and gunfire in the distance shows exactly where Abby's group are, but Dina is determined to stick by Ellie as they march into this together. The Episode Review So The Last of Us returns and the best part of this show is ironically the moments that don't involve Ellie and Dina. The gravitas shown from Isaac is enough to elevate this episode, as we learn more about the WLF and their ongoing feud with the Scars. This part of the show works really well and is fleshed out nicely to add more nuance to the world. Unfortunately, when we cycle back to Ellie and Dina, there's this weird tonal clash where the show can't quite decide whether to constantly throw comedic quips out or go full-on with the melodrama. Seeing Bella Ramsay's Ellie all smiles and care-free, happy about being a parent before switching over to revenge mode at the end feels jarring. In the game, for all its flaws, we see Ellie as an angry, bitter person who's determined to get revenge no matter what and then realizing the cost of her actions afterwards because she's the villain and Abby is just the misunderstood hero. There's also A sheer lack of situational awareness in this episode too. Dina and Ellie just fall asleep right there on the floor together and while yes, this is a tender moment, it also comes 10 minutes after realizing that they're not safe, they're surrounded by Infected and brutal soldiers, and they're exposed in a hotel where anyone or anything could break in at any moment. So while this episode is an improvement over last week's chapter, it's also a far cry from the heights of season 1 too. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
