{"id":94237,"date":"2025-05-05T02:38:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T02:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/last-of-us-season-2-episode-4-recap-u-haul-lesbian-road-trip\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T02:38:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T02:38:49","slug":"last-of-us-season-2-episode-4-recap-u-haul-lesbian-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/last-of-us-season-2-episode-4-recap-u-haul-lesbian-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Of Us Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: U-Haul Lesbian Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Well, y\u2019all, this week I decided to give <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/kotaku.com\/last-of-us-season-2-hbo-max-show-review-joel-ellie-abby-1851774661&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/last-of-us-season-2-hbo-max-show-review-joel-ellie-abby-1851774661\"><em>The Last of Us<\/em><\/a><\/span><em> <\/em>showrunner Craig Mazin a break. I\u2019ve been pretty harsh toward the show\u2019s second season for fundamentally misunderstanding so many of the bold creative decisions of the game on which it\u2019s based. This week\u2019s episode, however, was the best\u2014or at least the least frustrating\u2014one yet. We\u2019re firmly in Seattle for Ellie\u2019s revenge tour, and while she doesn\u2019t quite get to any of her targets this week, we do get plenty of time to see her and Dina be cute and gay together, as well as an explosive intro to one of the best characters in the show, and some new details about the war between the Seraphites and the W.L.F.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-1 gRtQsx\">\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-0 dccRTD instream-native-video instream-permalink instream-native-video--mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-1h0epat-0 crfeiW\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-4 kDKXjm video-html5-playlist\" data-playlist=\"197551,197550,197547\" data-current=\"197551\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-0 hAZDOz video-html5-loaded\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-1 jShsAa video-html5-player\">\n<div class=\"sc-lhhce6-0 ldLvgq video-html5 autoplay muted mobile\" data-video-id=\"197551\" data-monetizable=\"true\" data-position=\"sidebar\" data-video-title=\"Minecraft Movie Song Sets Record as Shortest Track Ever on Billboard Hot 100\" data-video-blog-id=\"9\" data-video-network=\"kotaku\" data-video-duration=\"121\">\n<div class=\"sc-lhhce6-2 emBeiF video-top-bar\">\n<p>Minecraft Movie Song Sets Record as Shortest Track Ever on Billboard Hot 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><video disablepictureinpicture=\"\" muted=\"\" playsinline=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" preload=\"none\" style=\"max-height:none\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/197551\/197551_240p.mp4\" label=\"240p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/197551\/197551_480p.mp4\" label=\"480p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/197551\/197551_720p.mp4\" label=\"720p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><track kind=\"captions\" label=\"English\" src=\"https:\/\/kinja.com\/api\/videoupload\/caption\/23075.vtt\" srclang=\"en\"\/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">I\u2019ll still have critiques to get into, but overall I enjoyed Ellie\u2019s first day in the Emerald City. Don\u2019t get too comfortable, Mazin. I\u2019ll see you in the ring again next week, probably.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h157108\"><strong>Sic Parvis Magna<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Oh, hi, Josh Peck. This episode opens with a flashback to 2018, roughly 15 years after the outbreak begins in the show\u2019s timeline. A FEDRA squad is riding through the Seattle quarantine zone, sharing jolly stories about their time enforcing the will of the fascist military organization. Peck\u2019s unnamed soldier is the focus of the scene until someone asks why FEDRA calls citizens \u201cvoters,\u201d then the real star of the scene makes himself known: Isaac (Jeffrey Wright).<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">In the corner of the car, Isaac has been mostly quiet through all the hooting and hollering. But then he gives them a history lesson. He explains that the \u201cvoter\u201d pejorative comes from FEDRA\u2019s fascist rise, in which the military took away citizens\u2019 right to vote, and started using the term to mock people\u2019s newfound powerlessness under their regime. Peck\u2019s character, clearly unsettled by Isaac\u2019s interruption, says he \u201cdidn\u2019t mean anything by it.\u201d To which the sergeant replies that of course he didn\u2019t, because he\u2019s \u201cthoughtless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">As the truck moves along the Seattle streets, it comes across a blockade. The FEDRA squad prepares their guns, but Isaac insists that he\u2019ll go out and talk to the approaching civilians alone. As he exits the truck, he tells the FEDRA soldier who inquired about the \u201cvoters\u201d to come along with him, saying he might \u201clearn something\u201d from the interaction. And what transpires is certainly instructive, though Isaac\u2019s conversation with the civilians\u2019 leader ends up being pretty short. After verify each other\u2019s identities, Isaac lets out a sigh and casually tosses two grenades into the back of the FEDRA truck. He guns down the driver and then nonchalantly shakes the civilian leader\u2019s hand as she says, \u201cWelcome to the fight.\u201d He looks at the FEDRA rookie and tells him to make his choice.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Isaac wears a set of FEDRA armor.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"Isaac wears a set of FEDRA armor.\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Isaac wears a set of FEDRA armor.\" data-chomp-id=\"e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"Isaac wears a set of FEDRA armor.\" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Image<!-- -->: <!-- -->HBO<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/e50b0e9a59d65f99b816c805fda5c36a\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Isaac wears a set of FEDRA armor.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Isaac is far and away one of the best parts of <em>The Last of Us<\/em>\u2019 second season, and not just because they got Wright to reprise the role from <em>Part II<\/em>. In the game, he got remarkably little screen time for as much impact as he has on the events of Seattle, and the show makes great use of him with new scenes illuminating his role as the Washington Liberation Front\u2019s top dog. From this scene alone, I was immediately drawn in by Wright\u2019s unsettling but charismatic performance and genuinely could not wait to see how the show would make the most of our extra time with him.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h157109\"><strong>\u201cI\u2019ll be comin\u2019 for your love, okay\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Back in the present day, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) are scavenging the remains of Seattle for supplies. The pharmacy they\u2019re looking through doesn\u2019t have much, but it does have one thing that catches Dina\u2019s eye. She grabs a box off one of the shelves and shouts to Ellie that she\u2019s gonna take a quick pee break. Considering her sudden stomach issues last episode, you can probably see where this is going.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">When Dina reunites with Ellie and their horse Shimmer, Ellie senses something is off and asks if she\u2019s alright. Without missing a beat, Dina says everything\u2019s good and reminds her they need to get moving. They\u2019ve got \u201cpeople to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">As the two ride around, they note that Seattle is surprisingly well-preserved for a city that was bombed at some point during the outbreak. They also note there are a lot of \u201crainbows\u201d around this part of the city. Ellie theorizes the Pride flags\u2014for which she has no context\u2014were a sign of optimism within the city before the infection tore it asunder. This moment has an equivalent in<em> Part II<\/em> in which Ellie and Dina enter a queer bookstore and note the rainbow flags and gay literature, but don\u2019t know what any of it is. I still find this to be one of the most compelling examples of<em> The Last of Us <\/em>acknowledging that culture is just as much a casualty of the apocalypse as people are, as these two queer girls are standing in a place which, at one time, would have likely held some significance to them, but no one ever taught them what a Pride flag was in a quarantine zone.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Dina looks lovingly at Ellie off-screen.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"Dina looks lovingly at Ellie off-screen.\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dina looks lovingly at Ellie off-screen.\" data-chomp-id=\"001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"Dina looks lovingly at Ellie off-screen.\" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Image<!-- -->: <!-- -->HBO<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/001decacf5b0fd891d43c4136423f864\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Dina looks lovingly at Ellie off-screen.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Any notion that the rainbows were indications that Seattle was a happy place immediately goes away when the pair turns a corner and finds the aftermath of a FEDRA battle. The bodies that are decaying on the street have been here for a long time, and the aftermath tells Ellie that FEDRA might have been dealing with infighting in the city. As she looks inside a molded-over tank, she finds burnt bodies and says it\u2019s like the Apollo 1 disaster, as she gets to flex her astronaut knowledge. \u201cAt least they died for something worthwhile,\u201d Dina says. Ellie agrees and says these FEDRA corpses are just \u201cassholes killed by other assholes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Dina then notes W.L.F. graffiti on a TV station a ways out, which Ellie nearly starts booking it toward before Dina points out that barreling on horseback to an uphill station in the middle of the day is an easy way to get themselves killed. The show does a good job of illustrating the contrasts between Ellie\u2019s blind rage and Dina\u2019s more considered approach. Ellie would probably have gotten herself killed on the way here if not for Dina\u2019s thinking. Now, if only she could apply all that consideration to her love life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">The two take Shimmer and hide out in an abandoned record store. Ellie looks through some of the old selections, from Bob Marley to Tears for Fears. Most of the instruments in the store have been destroyed by the elements, but Ellie finds an acoustic guitar remarkably preserved in its case. It just needs a little tuning. Then she starts singing an acoustic rendition of A-ha\u2019s \u201cTake On Me,\u201d now iconic from its use in the game. Dina hears it from downstairs and heads up, then urges Ellie to keep playing. Just like Ashley Johnson\u2019s rendition in <em>Part II<\/em>, Ramsey\u2019s performance is understated, and Ellie doesn\u2019t come off as a vocal powerhouse or anything. But it\u2019s incredibly earnest, and you can see Dina falling in love with her as she performs it. She says her skills with the gee-tar are from all the lessons Joel gave her over the past few years.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h157110\"><strong>Fake wars about real ones<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Well, now that we\u2019ve had a healthy helping of cute gay shit, it\u2019s time to go back to The Horrors. We see a slightly older Isaac cooking in a kitchen and telling someone off-screen that when he would try to impress women in his younger years, he\u2019d cook for them. He wanted better tools, though, and dreamed of owning fancy Mauviel cookware to make the most of his culinary talents. He finally achieved that dream of having Mauviel at his fingertips here in Seattle, though what he\u2019s using them for in this scene is quite different from what he probably imagined all those years ago. We finally pan over to see who it is Isaac\u2019s been regaling with romance advice, and it\u2019s a chained-up, naked, bloody Seraphite. Or \u201cScar,\u201d as the W.L.F. call them. In the back and forth, we learn that the Seraphites follow a prophet, but there seems to be some disagreements within the cult about whether she was just a person or a Christ-like figure capable of miraculous feats. Isaac\u2019s not interested in debating this, however. All he wants to know is where the Seraphites will attack next. When the man refuses to answer, Isaac tells him to put out his hand before he presses the hot Mauviel frying pan against his skin.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Isaac looks at something off-screen in a kitchen.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"Isaac looks at something off-screen in a kitchen.\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Isaac looks at something off-screen in a kitchen.\" data-chomp-id=\"1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"Isaac looks at something off-screen in a kitchen.\" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Image<!-- -->: <!-- -->HBO<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/1ef1f73d637cc24f98f2f7ee86b75aa8\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Isaac looks at something off-screen in a kitchen.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Annoyingly enough, the <em>Last of Us<\/em> show does what it does best and ensures that we know this is bad. Outside of Isaac\u2019s torture chamber, we see one W.L.F. lackey say to another, \u201cThis is so fucked!\u201d only to be told to shut up because Isaac knows what he\u2019s doing. You know, in case you didn\u2019t realize that torturing people with scalding hot cookware is not very cash money. Isaac is a bad guy, just so we\u2019re clear. Are we all on the same page now? Do we all understand that, as compelling as Wright is on screen, he\u2019s playing a bad dude? Great. Mission fucking accomplished, <em>Last of Us<\/em> show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">These asides, in which <em>The Last of Us <\/em>clarifies what you\u2019re supposed to feel, are somehow more frustrating when the episode was doing a great job of just letting characters talk to each other like they don\u2019t know a camera is in the room. Isaac\u2019s introduction is a no-nonsense character moment that tells you everything you need to know about him through his actions, and his gleeful, torturous monologue puts Abby\u2019s ridiculously overwrought one from episode two to shame. But then we get to see this nameless dude be like, \u201cHey, are we the baddies?\u201d instead of letting the audience figure that out themselves. Just cut that shit out. (They won\u2019t. It\u2019s going to get so much worse.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">After Isaac removes the pan from his prisoner\u2019s skin, the Seraphite prays to the prophet, asking her to \u201cfill [his] soul.\u201d Isaac asks if the prophet was \u201cfilling his soul\u201d when he shot a W.L.F. child. The two then go back and forth about where all this violence between the two factions began, and it becomes clear that this has been going on for so long that these two can\u2019t even pinpoint who started the fight in the first place. The Seraphite says that the W.L.F. will lose this war either way. Isaac isn\u2019t convinced, given the cult is using archaic weaponry against their heavily militarized militia. But the cultist doesn\u2019t believe that this war will be won by force; he believes that eventually the wolves will see their prophet\u2019s light. When it becomes clear that his conviction can withstand another round with the scalding hot frying pan, Isaac pulls out a handgun and kills the cultist. We then get another cutaway to the W.L.F. lackeys, in which one dude is uncomfortable with what\u2019s transpired while the other is hardened to the violence because Scars are \u201canimals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">In a vacuum, the Seraphite and W.L.F. conflict is meant to serve as a large-scale reflection of the cycle of violence Ellie and Abby are caught in. Isaac and the Seraphite can\u2019t even pin down when this whole war started, and they\u2019re both so devoted to their cause that it doesn\u2019t matter anymore. This is the tit-for-tat these two women are inflicting on one another, on a scale that goes far beyond dead dads and sad daughters. But beyond its use as a thematic mirror reflecting the inevitable self-destruction that comes from the cycle of violence the protagonists are engaged in, the Seraphite\/W.L.F. war is also <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/time.com\/7275781\/the-last-of-us-controversy-israel-gaza\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7275781\/the-last-of-us-controversy-israel-gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inspired by the ongoing real-world conflict between Palestine and Israel<\/a><\/span>. And there\u2019s no escaping the fact that <em>Part II<\/em>\u2019s vision of its two warring factions is mostly centrist in a way that points fingers at both sides, suggesting both are equally misguided in continuing their pointless war with each other, rather than presenting a situation in which one faction is struggling for survival and the right of freedom and self-determination against an infinitely more powerful oppressor. And as the general public has become more aware of what\u2019s happening in Palestine in the years since <em>Part II <\/em>released, it\u2019s become impossible to reconcile the game\u2019s, and now the show\u2019s, fictional war, which we\u2019re meant to believe both sides are equally complicit in perpetuating, with the real-world conflict that inspired it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">In the case of Ellie and Abby, the \u201cboth sides\u201d framing is a kindness that the narrative extends to its two leads. It meets both women where they are, acknowledges how they got to places of such violent retribution, and frames them both as victims and perpetrators worthy of sympathy in this cycle of violence their fathers started. When it comes to entire factions of people being swept up in a war, sanding down all the people within them into the arms of fanatical forces who can\u2019t even tell you when this war began, the \u201cboth sides\u201d framing loses nuance. Given the real-world inspiration, it\u2019s naive and irresponsible at best, and could be condemned as straight-up propaganda at worst. It may not be explicitly pro-Israel, but fence-sitting is still making a choice. What are we meant to take away from a story inspired by a real-world event, but so divorced from the reality that it doesn\u2019t actually say anything about it?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h157111\"><strong>Now, kiss!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Back to Dina and Ellie\u2019s big gay murder party. As the pair makes a game plan for infiltrating the TV station, they make a pact that they\u2019ll kill any wolves, even if they weren\u2019t part of Abby\u2019s crew. But as luck would have it, they won\u2019t have to, because the wolves in the station have already been taken out by Seraphites. Their bodies have been strung up and gutted, and one look at the carnage sends Dina\u2019s stomach churning. Ellie verifies that none of these are members of Abby\u2019s crew, and realizes that the group they saw slaughtered in the woods was responsible for this violent display. Dina finds a working walkie-talkie on one of the corpses that they might be able to use to intercept W.L.F. comms, but unfortunately it was also used to call for backup, which arrives fully armed. Dina and Ellie hide, but overhear the wolves giving a kill-on-sight order for whoever\u2019s left in the station, so it\u2019s time to skedaddle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Ellie manages to make it to the upper floors, but the windows are locked and there\u2019s seemingly no way out. Just when it seems like she\u2019s been cornered by a pair of wolves, Dina comes in with the save, shooting the window which they promptly jump through, though they\u2019re not out of the woods yet. As they run away from the station, they crawl into the public transit tunnels, but they\u2019ll have more than wolves to deal with in the subway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">As the wolves throw out flares and fan out to find our little lovebirds, we hear the distant screeching of infected. The W.L.F. squad didn\u2019t expect to see any infected in the Seattle subway, much less an entire horde, and though this situation puts Ellie and Dina in danger as well, they try to use it to their advantage. The two take shelter in one of the subway cars, only to find it littered with bodies they have to crawl over. The infected trample over each other in their mindless fervor, giving the girls a chance to escape through the emergency exit hatch. With the horde on their heels, Dina and Ellie push through a rusted revolving gate. Ellie makes it to the other side, but the gate gets stuck as Dina\u2019s trying to push through. If she were here with anyone else, Dina might have met her end right here as an infected darts towards her with teeth at the ready, but Ellie puts her arm through the grate and lets the infected take a big ol\u2019 bite out of her so Dina can fire one good shot into its stomach. As the two try to collect themselves, Dina can\u2019t help but stare at the bloody bite mark next to Ellie\u2019s tattoo. Even though the two are still running away from wolves and infected, Dina is more focused on the fact that she\u2019ll probably have to kill her best friend before the end of the night.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Dina aims a gun at Ellie, who has her hands raised on the other side of a theater lobby.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"Dina aims a gun at Ellie, who has her hands raised on the other side of a theater lobby.\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dina aims a gun at Ellie, who has her hands raised on the other side of a theater lobby.\" data-chomp-id=\"cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"Dina aims a gun at Ellie, who has her hands raised on the other side of a theater lobby.\" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Image<!-- -->: <!-- -->HBO<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/cdb2890f9b07df2fc04077a9e2b961a3\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Dina aims a gun at Ellie, who has her hands raised on the other side of a theater lobby.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">It\u2019s here that Ellie and Dina find what becomes their base of operations in Seattle: an old theater. Ellie is so fixated on finding shelter and barring the door that she doesn\u2019t even notice Dina keeping her distance until she finally pulls out her gun. She\u2019s distraught that Ellie seemingly sacrificed herself for her and asks her not to make this any harder than it has to be. Ellie says that she would die for her friend, but that isn\u2019t what happened here. She finally has to give up the facade and tell Dina that she\u2019s immune to the cordyceps infection. That sounds like nonsense to Dina, but she\u2019s already hesitating, so she\u2019s open to delaying the inevitable as long as possible. Ellie suggests that she sleep on the other side of the room while Dina keeps her gun trained on her, and if she doesn\u2019t turn, she\u2019ll know she\u2019s telling the truth. This reveal was something the show was always going to have to handle differently than the game because of the changes it made to how the infection spreads. HBO\u2019s version of the cordyceps isn\u2019t spread in the air through spores, and Ellie\u2019s immunity was revealed without any room for doubt in the games because she was able to breathe in the fumes without it affecting her respiratory system. Here, the show has to work within the lines it drew for itself so that it wouldn\u2019t have to cover Pedro Pascal\u2019s face with a gas mask half the time, and I was really pleased with how it took this chance to illustrate how Dina cares for Ellie, even when that care takes the form of hesitating to do what she\u2019s been trained to do for her entire life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Morning comes, and of course Ellie doesn\u2019t turn. She\u2019s completely asymptomatic, but Dina hesitates to put her gun down until Ellie shows her that the bite isn\u2019t showing any signs of infection. Dina slowly walks over to Ellie and, rather than say another word about the post-apocalyptic miracle happening before her eyes, she drops another bomb: \u201cI\u2019m pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">All of these feelings collide, and Dina, with no intoxication to explain it away, kisses Ellie and then the two have at it on the theater lobby floor. There\u2019s been some understandable concern around the cadence of Dina and Ellie\u2019s relationship in the show, given that Dina has gone back to Jesse (Young Mazino) in the time since Joel\u2019s death, seemingly to make sense of the pregnancy storyline given the show\u2019s elongated stretch of time between the inciting incident and Ellie\u2019s departure from Seattle. It does color Dina and Ellie\u2019s extracurricular activities here differently, as it paints Dina as a far messier bisexual woman figuring her shit out. It works in the show\u2019s favor in some cases, giving us the catharsis of the two finally doing the deed after four episodes of will they\/won\u2019t they tension, but I wouldn\u2019t blame anyone who wasn\u2019t thrilled that Dina\u2019s new arc ends up playing into some shitty stereotypes around bisexual people as cheaters, and moves her away from the confident, self-assured queer woman she was in the game. If nothing else, we did get all the important pieces of <em>Part II<\/em>\u2019s <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=03IN0mtmC7s&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=03IN0mtmC7s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">weed scene<\/a><\/span> over the course of a few episodes, but once someone pointed out that the \u201crate our kiss\u201d scene from last week\u2019s episode no longer passes the Bechdel Test, it was hard not to feel like something special had been lost in translation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">This feeling that we might have lost the plot only grew with the pillow talk scene that came after. As the two wake up and make out a little more, Dina inspects the bite wound, then asks about the first time she was bitten. The original bite mark that started it all is barely visible anymore because Ellie burned it off, ostensibly so she could wear short sleeves again. I had always imagined that Ellie\u2019s self-inflicted burn also came from a place of not wanting the painful reminder of the cure she didn\u2019t get to be, so I\u2019ll chalk her explanation here up to flirty banter. But then shit gets serious, Ellie asks why this is finally happening now. Dina explains that seeing someone get bit in this world puts things in perspective, and if you have a second chance to say or do something, you\u2019d be a fool not to take it. She also apologizes for taking so long and reveals that she knew Ellie had feelings for her, but says she was unsure of herself after her mother flatly said \u201cno, you like boys\u201d when Dina was questioning at a young age. Even after her death, it took until now for Dina to shake off her mother\u2019s dismissive words.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">This is where the<em> Last of Us <\/em>show\u2019s take on homophobia differs from that of the games. In <em>Part II<\/em>, Seth\u2019s bigotry is treated as an obvious fringe case by everyone around him. It\u2019s an uncomfortable relic of a time before that no one even considers until they\u2019re face-to-face with it. We\u2019re trying to survive in an apocalypse where mushroom-faced monsters use echolocation to hunt humans down, and you\u2019re worried about who\u2019s swapping spit with someone of the same gender? It is so trivial and petty that everyone around him is like, \u201cWhat the hell is this guy doing?\u201d and his beliefs aren\u2019t given any credence because they\u2019re so obviously archaic. Why would you put any energy into being this brand of shitty in the post-apocalypse?<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Jackson\u2019s relative normalcy and small-town America feel might have made people like Seth more comfortable in going back to their old ways. It\u2019s a status quo that Maria, as the town\u2019s leader, is clearly willing to uphold for the sake of keeping the peace. But in general, the <em>Last of Us<\/em> games haven\u2019t held up queerphobia as a prevailing belief in a post-cordyceps world. At least, not the boring, old school \u201cAdam and Eve, not Adam and Steve\u201d shit that Seth touts (the Seraphites are a conversation for another day). He felt like the smallest man who ever lived because everyone saw how ridiculous it was that he would harass two young women for kissing in the middle of a dance floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">The show\u2019s approach, however, is different, as evidenced by the reveal that, in this continuity, Dina was actively told to suppress all her gay thoughts by her mother, even amid the outbreak. It implies that such thinking isn\u2019t merely some bullshit Seth dragged with him through the decades since the pandemic began, and there will be another example of this to talk about down the line as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">In the games, Dina and Ellie not knowing what a Pride flag implied a collective loss of culture for everyone in a post-cordyceps world. Jackson is, as best as we can tell, a settlement with a broad shared culture mostly lacking in the kind of distinct elements and signifiers that members of certain subgroups once would have known and clung to before society fell apart, elements seemingly lost in the collapse or left behind in evacuations and trips from one safe haven to another. That tragic loss of culture and history seemed to apply to everyone equally. But now, as the show weaves prejudice into the post-apocalypse, the loss of queer culture feels like a more targeted one. I had long assumed Ellie knew fuck all about queer history because a FEDRA military school wasn\u2019t about to teach anyone anything that didn\u2019t have to do with survival or killing Fireflies. Hell, she doesn\u2019t even know what Halloween is in <em>Left Behind<\/em>. But in the show, the continued presence of homophobia has larger ramifications for the worldbuilding that I don\u2019t know if Mazin and company thought through. Yes, it\u2019s well-meaning, and queer kids in the real world are still facing the shit Dina\u2019s mother said to her as a child. But in trying to replicate a real-world queer experience, <em>The Last of Us <\/em>may have inadvertently undone one of the more compelling and quietly devastating anthropological phenomena of its post-apocalyptic world.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Ellie and Dina look at something off-screen in the distance.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"Ellie and Dina look at something off-screen in the distance.\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ellie and Dina look at something off-screen in the distance.\" data-chomp-id=\"6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"Ellie and Dina look at something off-screen in the distance.\" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Image<!-- -->: <!-- -->HBO<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/6bcb9af48e5a8283334bafcb03b344ab\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"Ellie and Dina look at something off-screen in the distance.\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">After all the heavy shit, Ellie asks how Dina knows for sure she\u2019s pregnant, and she says that after barfing at the bloody Seraphite aftermath, her period being late, and peeing on four pregnancy tests, she\u2019s pretty sure there\u2019s a bun in the oven. Despite her doubts, Ellie seems pretty on board with a three-person co-parenting situation between the two of them and Jesse, which contrasts greatly with how this revelation nearly caused a rift between Dina and Ellie in the games. She even says, \u201cI\u2019m gonna be a dad,\u201d which I\u2019m sure will just thrill anyone who already viewed this storyline as an example of heteronormative nuclear family dynamics in the game. I don\u2019t count myself among them, to be clear. The joys and stresses of having children shouldn\u2019t be exclusive to breeders who make them, and queer parents have every right to child support checks, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">The tender moment is interrupted by radio chatter and explosions. The wolves on the other side of the walkie-talkie mention that Nora (Tati Gabrielle) is at the Lakehill Hospital and will likely know where Abby is. The girls head to the roof to get a better lay of the land and figure out where to go, but Ellie asks Dina to consider staying behind because things are different now that there\u2019s another life on the line. Dina hesitates, but agrees and holds Ellie\u2019s hand as the two reaffirm that they\u2019re in this together. They\u2019ve come this far; time to get a taste of the revenge Ellie\u2019s been craving. But will she bite off more than she can chew? Find out on the next episode of <em>The Last of Us: U-Haul Lesbian Road Trip.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"sc-gcp5ez-1 cvXwRv\"\/>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">New episodes of <em>The Last of Us <\/em>premiere on Max on Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/last-us-season-2-episode-4-dina-ellie-isaac-seraphite-1851779062\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well, y\u2019all, this week I decided to give The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin a break. I\u2019ve been pretty harsh toward the show\u2019s second<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}