The Final of Us season two 'The Path' recap: The calm after the storm earlier than the storm

There’s an comprehensible and plain pall hanging over The Final of Us after final week’s shocker. And it’s the calm earlier than the storm that’ll make up the remainder of the season: Ellie and Dina’s journey to Seattle to trace down Joel’s killers. However amid the disappointment of that loss and the frustration of Ellie not getting the help of the city in her revenge plan is absolutely the delight of seeing extra of Ellie and Dina collectively.

They had been most likely the spotlight of the primary episode — their chemistry didn’t instantly hit Joel and Ellie ranges, however Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced had been doing nice work collectively proper off the bat. Right here, we get to see much more of them collectively, and Dina’s mixture of playfulness and planning is a stable counter to Ellie’s dry humor and impulsive nature.

An excellent instance is their journey to Seattle on horseback, as Dina challenges Ellie to call the very best band she will be able to consider for each letter of the alphabet, one thing Ellie ultimately has fairly sufficient of. Dina says she will be able to give you one other sport, and Ellie instantly quips they might simply journey in silence, one thing Dina ignores and makes Ellie inform her in regards to the first particular person she needed to kill. Simply the sort of lighthearted street journey companion Ellie wants proper now.

{Photograph} by Liane Hentscher/HBO

Dina is at her greatest on this episode when she barges in on Ellie planning for a midnight escape from the town to convey Abby to justice on her personal. Earlier within the episode, the Jackson city council votes down her proposal to assemble a big crew to go after the WLF group — primarily as a result of the city was so ravaged by the Contaminated horde the identical day Joel was killed that they’ll’t spare the folks. Naturally, Ellie is able to go rogue and go on her personal, however she’s not likely prepared. Dina exhibits up at her place, teases her for not planning to convey something however weapons, and lays out precisely what they want and what they don’t. Oh, and she or he already has all of it able to go. It’s a little bit too imply to say Ellie just isn’t the brains of the operation, however she’d nearly definitely be in hassle with out Dina.

Past her sensible expertise, Dina flirts with Ellie consistently all through the episode, asking Ellie to fee their kiss on the New Yr’s Eve dance, teasing her about eager to put on her Converse on a prolonged journey, whispering in Ellie’s ear that she is a badass after Ellie makes a dorky, motion movie-style proclamation. However maybe essentially the most telling remark she makes is after they very briefly focus on that NYE kiss — Ellie says Dina was excessive, Dina says Ellie was drunk, they usually each agree it didn’t actually imply something. They then flip off the sunshine of their tent, and Dina can’t assist however say she wasn’t that excessive. Ramsey and Merced’s model of “will they, gained’t they” brings some much-needed levity to their scenario.

Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us season two

And to be clear, levity is far wanted. Regardless that there isn’t a lot actual motion, the fallout from Joel’s loss of life and the Contaminated siege is throughout this episode. It begins with Tommy slowly cleansing Joel’s physique earlier than the digicam pulls out and exhibits a complete room of our bodies coated with sheets. That’s adopted by Ellie awakening in a hospital with a tube popping out of her chest; she then screams bloody homicide at remembering what occurred to her. That’s to not point out the dawn go to to Joel’s grave the place Ellie briefly smiles as she places some espresso beans by his aspect, or her stroll by means of his empty home the place she finds his signature watch, revolver and jacket. Maintain the tissues useful.

Whereas Ramsey’s Ellie is at her greatest when partnered with Dina, she additionally does some nice work on her personal — the aforementioned hospital scene is chilling, however my favourite Ellie moments on this episode are when she’s making an attempt (and failing) to persuade folks she’s okay. Her speech to the city meeting encouraging them to go after the WLF just isn’t the off-the-cuff anger that Jesse inspired her to keep away from, however you may inform Ellie is simply making an attempt to placate the lots as an alternative of claiming what she actually needs. The identical goes for her dialog with Gail the therapist when she leaves the hospital, although Ellie doesn’t even attempt to disguise her remedy platitudes behind a veneer of perception.

Oddly sufficient, it’s Seth (the bigot who acquired greatly surprised by Joel in episode one) who says what Ellie is absolutely feeling, interrupting the assembly when somebody objects to the plan to go to Seattle. Seth is enraged by what occurred to a member of his neighborhood and thinks they need to pursue justice at any price. It’s removed from essentially the most measured take, but it surely definitely appears like essentially the most trustworthy.

Thus it’s not an enormous shock when he’s prepared to assist Ellie and Dina as they slip out of city, providing them a load of provides and insisting Ellie take his higher rifle. He says he’d go along with them apart from catching some pleasant fireplace through the Contaminated battle, to which Ellie replies “are you positive it was pleasant?” She’s clearly not able to forgive him for his phrases, however a greater gun, some provides and a shared need for revenge will get her shut sufficient. She shakes his provided hand as they experience out of city.

Contaminated Rating: 0/10

The showrunners say season two could have extra Contaminated than season one — let’s see in the event that they’re sticking to their phrase.

No Contaminated to be seen right here, except for some charred corpses round Jackson. That’s simply superb with me after final week’s showdown.

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