The much-anticipated second season of HBO’s The Last of Us continues to air on Sunday nights, with recaps provided by Kyle Orland, a player of the original games, and Andrew Cunningham, who approaches the series without prior game knowledge. These discussions provide insights but contain heavy spoilers, so viewing the episode beforehand is recommended for those wishing to experience it unspoiled.
Kyle: This episode opens with a group of heavily armed FEDRA agents in Seattle, 2018, making casual conversation during their transport ride, somehow still equipped with functioning gasoline. Given the current political landscape, the nonchalant references to “voters” as a twisted joke about ordinary citizens struck me in a deeply unsettling way.
“LOL, like we’d ever let them vote, amirite?”
Andrew: Our brief interactions with FEDRA since the show’s early episodes may have made it easy to overlook why almost everyone in the story’s world despises this former government organization. This moment serves as a stark reminder, showcasing their inherent cruelty and authoritarian mindset.
With Jeffrey Wright’s appearance, it’s clear he will play a significant role. His character betrays and detonates the transport full of FEDRA agents, signaling his complexity—a man of principles, yet one to be feared.
Kyle: Isaac’s backstory was only hinted at in the games, so seeing this pivotal moment in the series was compelling.
However, I found Ellie’s performance of an A-Ha cover upon discovering an abandoned guitar room less engaging here. In the game, it provided a refreshing break from intense sequences, paired with an enjoyable guitar mini-game. Here, it felt prolonged, with disproportionate focus on Dina’s somewhat unsettling adoration.
Andrew: I appreciate the show attempting to explain the guitar’s unexpectedly pristine state after three decades. While I’m not entirely convinced that silica gel packets could preserve it that long, at least Ellie doesn’t treat it like an untouched relic from the wall. Those strings would degrade, and the neck would warp!
The choice of an oddly lighthearted song attempts to convey soulful emotion, even if it feels out of place given the series’ context. But it’s a testament to the acoustic guitar’s unique ability to resonate on such levels.
Kyle: The show is tapping into the ’80s nostalgia that Joel has passed down to Ellie, which resonates with me as a fellow child of that era.
Andrew: It also aligns with what beginner guitarists might realistically choose. If I stumbled upon a guitar in a post-apocalyptic setting, you’d only hear my rendition of early 2000s radio hits with simple chords. Unfortunately, society didn’t survive long enough to give us “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”
Kyle: Not to divert from “Guitar Talk,” but the episode takes a dark turn when Isaac discusses premium cookware with an unseen associate on the floor, leading to a scene of torture that feels more visceral and disturbing than anything seen in the games— which are known for their displays of violence and suffering!
Andrew: It does feel a bit excessive! However, it serves a narrative purpose. To position Isaac as a significant antagonist leading up to a climactic confrontation with Abby, highlighting his capacity for brutal acts is crucial. While eliminating a group of disliked adversaries is notable, the act of torturing a defenseless individual distinctly reinforces the dangers Ellie and Dina face, especially now that they’ve confronted his men.
Ellie and Dina unwittingly find themselves amidst a civil conflict in Seattle, caught between Isaac’s militarized WLF members and the cultists introduced in the previous episode. Despite WLF’s advantage, we learn that defections to the cult are occurring among their ranks.
Kyle: I appreciated the well-articulated tension between the factions explored during the torturous dialogue, adding depth to the world-building.
Yet, we soon revert to the expected infected attack, a convention that feels obligatory. At this stage, these large-scale zombie encounters would benefit from being a more subtle element rather than a recurring central focus.
Andrew: Seattle’s inhabitants appear to have a knack for awakening dormant swarms of infected! I’m curious about the newly introduced, strategic infected from the first episode, rather than the chaotic throngs seen here. Also, the suspense feels artificially inflated through Ellie’s peculiar escape plan, which takes them through several dead ends before they narrowly evade danger.
But as you noted, a zombie show must include zombies! This episode also brings to light Dina’s discovery of Ellie’s immunity, although Dina seems preoccupied with her own situation to fully process its implications.
Kyle: I’ve been keenly aware of hints regarding potential “morning sickness,” which could explain Dina’s repeated vomiting—subtly embedded amidst the trauma of witnessing gore.
Andrew: It offers clarity on a few aspects! However, it feels like a narrative shortcut to intensify Ellie’s emotional stakes surrounding Dina’s well-being, and I worry that this subplot could serve simply to inflict further trauma on Ellie rather than explore the complexities of parenting in dire circumstances. Nevertheless, it’s heartwarming to see Ellie so invested from the get-go.
As for the story’s direction: are we still primarily following the game’s plot? We’ve seen some backstory expansion for Isaac, and events are slightly out of sequence, leading me to ponder if we’re still firmly rooted in the game’s narrative.
Kyle: At this stage, it feels more like a jazzy reinterpretation of the game’s events, with some translations being strict, others reimagined, and plenty of fresh elements interspersed. I’m not among those who hold the games as strictly canonical, but the deviations can be jarring. For instance, Dina’s pregnancy revelation is met with considerably less immediate joy in the games. Yet, the moment Ellie and Dina share here carries a similar emotional weight to a prior scene in the game that the adaptation hasn’t fully covered. It feels like free association— an interesting creative choice!
The show also spends a great deal discussing the logistics of pregnancy tests in a post-apocalyptic world, which pushes the boundaries of world-building into over-explanation. Sometimes, it’s okay to let things simply be.
Andrew: It’s jazz, man. It’s about the zombies left behind.
Regardless of the rearrangements, the essence of a video game adaptation remains, evident through stealth kills and critical information conveyed via messages scrawled in blood. I continue to enjoy the experience, with slightly less longing for Joel than I felt in the previous episode.
The episode concludes with Ellie and Dina overhearing a name linked to someone who knew Abby via a WLF walkie-talkie, which sets their next objective in motion. However, they now face the challenge of navigating through an active war zone to achieve their goal—though from afar, it’s unclear who is fighting whom at this particular moment. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Kyle: Personally, I’m looking forward to the moment when the newly out-and-proud bisexual Dina figures out the significance of the rainbows around her. Embrace your post-apocalyptic pride!
