The following contains full spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3.
“Some people just can’t be saved”. This line that Gail says to a grieving Tommy is a sentiment that runs through the whole of The Last of Us. Joel couldn’t be saved from the violent clutches of Abby, which is, ironically, a result of him saving Ellie back in Salt Lake City. But that rescue only delayed the inevitable of this world. Ellie is beyond saving now – this time from herself – as episode 3 of season 2 of The Last of Us focuses on her refusal to conform to the wants of her larger Jackson community and instead follow her broken heart. It’s a quieter chapter, but one that successfully sets the course towards another oncoming storm.
One versus the many is a theme that percolates through The Last of Us. It’s a tale of selfishness versus selflessness – a conflict once warring inside Joel that now burns within Ellie. She’s forever changed by the events of “Through the Valley,” and Bella Ramsey does a superb job of displaying that devastation at multiple points: Ellie’s mournful walk around Joel’s empty home is incredibly affecting, as is her tearful burying of her face into Joel’s jacket – a moment that can’t help remind me of the heartbreaking finale to Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.
This is a shared grief, though, and the whole community of Jackson finds itself recovering not just from Joel’s demise, but from the ferocious infected attack that tore down its walls. Gabriel Luna – who has perhaps secretly been the season’s MVP to this point – delivers the line “give Sarah my love” with an aching tenderness in the episode’s opening moments and offers a quieter acceptance in comparison to Ellie’s fiery response.
Tommy doesn’t want Ellie to follow the path that Joel took, and it all comes to a head at the episode’s central town meeting, where the fate of Joel’s murderers is decided. What was previously only a scene that took place offscreen in the game has been expanded here to grant us a fascinating look into Jackson politics as remnants of the old world refuse to die. The result of the ballot is devastating for Ellie: only three votes go her way, but who sided with her is left as a tantalising mystery. Jesse’s refusal to commit prior to the vote is followed up by a sheepish look and reluctance to meet Ellie in the eye, suggesting he voted in favour of protecting Jackson, and it wouldn’t be too far to stretch to believe Tommy thinks similarly. Ellie may be insisting to herself that she wants justice, not revenge, but those closest to her know where this road leads.
Everyone, aside from Dina, that is. A combination of being present (albeit unconscious) for Joel’s murder and a simmering affection for Ellie leads her to join in this vengeful mission. Isabela Merced continues to add a plucky charm to the show, offering some much-needed light relief in the face of solemn recent events. But in amongst the playful flirting, there’s a moment of vulnerability from her as she and Ellie settle into their tent for the night. When I was watching all seven episodes of season 2, I was definitely intrigued to see where her character went from here, and curious if Ellie could tear down her quippy walls (much like Joel did with Ellie eventually).
An approach to one character that slightly confuses me is Seth, who, via his desire for violent repercussions and steak sandwich gift, has seemingly been forgiven by Ellie for his drunken, bigoted outburst. It’s somewhat ironic that the person shutting down Ellie and Dina’s romantic moment is the one who opens the gate for them to follow their hearts, and it’s slightly heavy-handed in the way it displays Seth as not only a fundamentally morally flawed human, but one that Ellie eventually seeks help from. It joins the scenes containing Catherine O’Hara’s Gail as being a little too on the nose when it comes to telling the viewer how to feel, rather than leaving spaces to fill in the gaps ourselves. The masterstroke of The Last of Us Part 2 is that it fully lets you decide how you feel about the characters. I fear this adaptation would rather present emotions as fact, rather than letting us interpret the events ourselves – the early reveal of Abby’s motivations being a prime example.
Once outside of Jackson’s walls, we’re treated to some truly gorgeous photography as echoes of sweeping Western-like landscapes return to the show. As ever, production values are of the highest order here as we make our way to Seattle and get our first look at two very different-seeming communities. It’s here where the theme of nurture-versus-nature rears its head again as we see a hammer handed to a young girl with an almost gleeful look on her face. No child is born with violent intentions, but it’s a grim display of how the world of The Last of Us has warped the survival instincts of its inhabitants. It’s no mistake that the same young girl and her father are later found gruesomely murdered, a grim reflection of both Ellie and Abby’s past and perhaps futures. It’s also a nice touch to have Ellie assume Abby was behind this bloodshed, building up the WLF soldier as a monster in her head, much like Abby did with Joel all of those years.
The final shot of the episode is a dominant display of power by the WLF. This isn’t a small militia group waiting for Ellie and Dina, but an army capable of heinous violence. It’s a great, menacing way to close out a largely solemn episode, acting as a riveting tease for more action to come as well as the challenge that faces these two young women. Alone in Seattle after rejecting the wishes of their own tribe, they are now faced with a new, heavily weaponised one. Ellie and Dina are now one, but as the camera pulls up over a Seattle warzone, we get a better look at the vast ranks of the many they face.
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