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 unhappiness 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 have been in all probability the spotlight of the primary episode — their chemistry didn’t instantly hit Joel and Ellie ranges, however Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced have 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 strong counter to Ellie’s dry humor and impulsive nature.

An ideal instance is their journey to Seattle on horseback, as Dina challenges Ellie to call one of the best band she will consider for each letter of the alphabet, one thing Ellie ultimately has fairly sufficient of. Dina says she will provide you with one other sport, and Ellie instantly quips they might simply journey in silence, one thing Dina ignores and makes Ellie inform her concerning 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 carry 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 will’t spare the folks. Naturally, Ellie is able to go rogue and go on her personal, however she’s probably not prepared. Dina exhibits up at her place, teases her for not planning to carry 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 will not be the brains of the operation, however she’d nearly definitely be in bother with out Dina.

Past her sensible abilities, Dina flirts with Ellie continually all through the episode, asking Ellie to price their kiss on the New 12 months’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 talk about that NYE kiss — Ellie says Dina was excessive, Dina says Ellie was drunk, and so they 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 way wanted. Though there isn’t a lot actual motion, the fallout from Joel’s dying and the Contaminated siege is throughout this episode. It begins with Tommy slowly cleansing Joel’s physique earlier than the digital camera 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. Preserve the tissues helpful.

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 will not be the off-the-cuff anger that Jesse inspired her to keep away from, however you possibly can 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 conceal her remedy platitudes behind a veneer of perception.

Oddly sufficient, it’s Seth (the bigot who bought greatly surprised by Joel in episode one) who says what Ellie is admittedly 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 group and thinks they need to pursue justice at any value. It’s removed from essentially the most measured take, however it definitely seems 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 together with them aside from catching some pleasant fireplace through the Contaminated battle, to which Ellie replies “are you certain 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 supplied hand as they journey 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 high-quality with me after final week’s showdown.

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