Summary
The Last of Us Season 2 makes some smart and logical changes in Episode 3, giving the story some fresh texture that, for once, I think really works.
There’s usually a calm before a storm, but The Last of Us Season 2 provided enough storm in its previous outing that everyone spends Episode 3 reeling from it. There’s a three-month time skip following the battle of Jackson and Joel’s death that picks up in a period of profound mourning, both for everyone who was lost in the fight and the life that Ellie, Dina, and eventually Tommy (more on this later!) are leaving behind.
In many ways, you can consider this the true beginning of The Last of Us Part II. Joel’s death is the inciting incident that kick-starts a momentous trek across America, which constitutes the bulk of the game. The HBO show is clearly adopting a different structure — we discussed some of the immediate changes right at the beginning, and they continue here, tweaking key details and introducing other elements and characters that the game saved for much later — but the thrust of that journey should remain more or less the same, for better and worse.
Three Months Later
Unlike in the game, wherein Tommy sets out to avenge Joel’s death pretty much immediately and Ellie and Dina (and then Jessie) follow behind, there’s a three-month time skip here between Ellie waking up in the hospital, screaming at visions of Joel’s demise, and her eventually setting out for Seattle. Surprisingly, I like virtually all of these changes, even if they raise some questions.
For one thing, Jackson is still reeling from its defence against the infected, which gives the townsfolk solid, logical justification to not support sending out several of their best people with vital resources to go after Joel’s killers. It also gives Tommy, who has a senior role in Jackson’s leadership, a reason to remain behind, which he does. This is crucial, since without his trail to follow, Ellie and Dina’s journey is going to look a little different from how it does in the game.
The elapsed time has also allowed the grief to settle in. There are lovely, understated scenes of Ellie roaming through Joel’s house, retrieving his watch and revolver, and then later silently leaving coffee beans at his grave. Bella Ramsey is really good in The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 3, where she’s asked to be in real emotional pain instead of settling into her default obnoxious mode. It’s interesting to see her blag her way through her psychological evaluation with Gail – she claims not to have spoken to Joel on the night before he died, which we know isn’t true, but it’ll be a stinger for later in the series – and have softer scenes with Dina, Jesse, and, weirdly, Seth, who is the most vocal supporter of avenging Joel.
Michael Abbott Jr. in The Last of Us Season 2 | Image via WarnerMedia
The Journey to Seattle (And the Seraphites)
Dina fully supports Ellie’s mission to get justice for Joel – this is how she frames it in her ultimately fruitless pre-written speech to Jackson’s council, but it’s clearly a revenge mission – and helps her plan the route. Ellie was ready to go with a bag full of guns and nothing else, and would probably have died of an infection on the way. Isabela Merced’s Dina remains really good, and because of the change last week with Ellie going to Eugene’s place with Jessie instead of her, they still have some romantic bonding to be doing.
This occurs on the way, after Seth helps them sneak out of Jackson and provides them with supplies for the trip. Ellie even shakes his hand! These intimate scenes, especially the one in the tent, are very important, because they’re progressing Ellie and Dina’s romantic connection and sowing seeds for later. I won’t spoil anything specific, but pay attention to every line. A lot of this stuff will come to matter.
This stretch, as well as being truly beautiful to look at, also gives us a very vague introduction to the Seraphites. Again, I won’t give away too much, but in summary, Abby’s group, the militarized Washington Liberation Front, is in a brutal conflict with the Seraphites, whom they refer to as “Scars”, a primitivist woodland cult with some ritualistic leanings. They’re generally not good guys, just like the WLF aren’t exclusively bad guys, but the show isn’t playing into this ambiguity. Viewers already hate Abby, and the clear implication here is that the WLF are just brutally executing women and children. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops, since, as mentioned, the Seraphites very much are not good guys.
Gabriel Luna in The Last of Us Season 2 | Image via WarnerMedia
Whatever Next
Generally speaking, it’s easy to see the trajectory that the show will take relative to the game, despite some specifics having been changed. Since we’re obviously skipping all the stuff that in the game would be pure gameplay, Ellie and Dina have made it to Seattle pretty quickly, but a lot of stuff needs to happen elsewhere, and I’m very curious after The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 3 how it’s going to look.
For one thing, what’s going to make Tommy leave Jackson? How will the story change given he’s now following the girls, instead of vice versa? I suspect Jesse will just follow how he usually does, but this seems vital, because several key moments from both Ellie and Abby’s perspectives only work with Tommy’s involvement.
Speaking of Abby’s perspective, we don’t see her in this episode. We barely see the WLF at all except for a brief moment at the very end when an entire garrison marches through the middle of Seattle, complete with a tank. I forget, sometimes, that TV-only audiences don’t know the scale of this organization, so the moment is intended as a shock. Given how the show has already woven a lot of Abby’s backstory into the early episodes, the question I’m most interested in is whether that trend will continue or the season will now proceed as the game does, with an extended focus on Ellie and Dina until a crucial point and then an extended focus on Abby after that.
It remains to be seen. Either way, this is, despite its lack of action and “big” drama, the episode I think I enjoyed the most, since it’s the one that seems to be making logical changes that actually improve the story instead of proving distracting and confounding. Long may that continue. But even if it doesn’t, hold on to these charming little moments and slumber party tent sessions and horseback games. There’s a lot more misery to come.
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