The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 “Day One” is the best episode of the season so far. And of course it has to do with Ellie and Dina. In a lot of respects, this feels like Season 2’s version of the Frank and Bill episode in season 1. This episode is a pointed look at two people and the life that they’re heading towards, not the one they have already built. And it becomes very clear in this episode how much these two young women care for each other but also how much they’re willing to fight for each other. That distinction makes the pain of losing Joel a little bit more bearable. Because he’s not here anymore to have Ellie’s back. But Dina is here to have Ellie’s back. And she proves time and time again how much of a capable partner she is to Ellie.
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The Soft & Tender Moments Between Ellie and Dina
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 is my favorite episode of the entire show because of how many soft and tender moments we got. Yes, the action was top-notch and the development of the story is kind of terrifying. But we got so many moments that were just Ellie and Dina being. And some people might feel like I’m making a big deal out of this, but we don’t get these moments as queer people. Too often our experiences are centered around the trauma and drama of our experiences and lives. And seeing two queer people laughing, teasing each other, and enjoying a cuddle in the morning, it’s priceless.
Even the moment where Dina was holding a gun to Ellie, there was a tenderness there. There was a feeling of “I don’t want to do this because I care for you so much.” And then when it became evident that Ellie wasn’t going to turn, Dina let her walls down, told Ellie that she was pregnant, and then kissed her. The sex, morning breath, and talking about their future together, felt intimate. There was no confusion or “will they, won’t they.” They’ve already gone through the worst of it and instead of drawing out the drama, The Last of Us had them cement who they are and where they’re going. And with the way that TV likes to drag out drama, this feels like a rare unicorn that I want to hold onto for as long as possible.
The final moment for me that felt really tender in this episode was the rooftop scene. Again, they’re surrounded by a bunch of craziness, death, and the infected. And they both know that things have changed because they’ve basically agreed to spend the rest of their lives together and raise this child together. But also Dina is pregnant and things are about to get even more dangerous. But instead of Ellie running away and leaving Dina behind to protect her, she asked her to think about it. And Dina does. She takes a moment in the middle of all of this chaos and thinks about what she’s going to do. We don’t see these moments on TV. It’s either abandoning or not thinking things through and then it explodes in their faces.
The fact that Ellie and Dina respect each other enough to have these conversations puts them leagues ahead of other couples on TV. And for that, and the tender moments included, I know they’re going to survive all that’s to come.
Ellie Would Be Dead Without Dina
As much as I think that Ellie and Dina are really really good partners to each other, I have to acknowledge that Ellie would be dead without Dina. At every single turn, Dina proves how level-headed and precise she is. Back in Jackson she was fun and flirty. And we’ve seen that kind of girl before. She’s the one the hero fantasizes about and who doesn’t get as much development as they deserve. After all, they are an ideal. That’s not what Dina is. Dina is a fully formed character who has her own motivations, fears, and hoys. And with every second that I see of her, the more that I like her to the point where she might be my favorite character in season. Above Ellie. Above Joel.
A lot of the success of Dina is down to Isabela Merced. And I’m not even just talking about the chemistry between Merced and Ramsey. That’s a given. They’re doing great. I’m talking about Merced by herself. She hits every single expression, emotional beat, and line with an absolute certainty that, again, transports you into The Last of Us. And just like we felt Ellie’s pain when she lost Joel, I felt Dina’s pain when held Ellie at gunpoint, devastated that she’d have to kill her best friend. I felt that moment. I felt her despair and her sorrow. Also, I felt her love. And I don’t think they could have chosen a better Dina than Merced.
When it comes to her character, there are many moments I want to talk about, especially in this episode. But the one that really sticks to me is the quiet conversation she had with Ellie about compulsory heterosexuality. It goes to show you that even at the end of the world, parents push onto their children such arbitrary things like a man can only be with a woman and a woman could only be with a man. And with the way that things are going right now in the world in general when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, we needed this conversation and we needed this moment. Because it’s okay to be bisexual or pansexual or gay. And that’s true now and that’s true at the end of the world.
The Scars Versus WLF
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 makes it very clear to the viewer that Ellie and Dina have walked into something bigger than they’ve ever expected. And it kind of puts the entire world of this show in a new light. We’ve been focused on the journey of Ellie and Joel crossing the country in season 1. Then there’s been this focus of Jackson and the community built there with the only enemy being the infected. But this episode makes it very clear that there are factions of humans fighting amongst each other everywhere. Like it isn’t enough that we need to be fighting the infected. There are communities fighting in circles with each other and the infected.
First, we have The Scars or the Seraphites. They are the religious fanatics of The Last of Us. Every show has to have one and this is The Last of Us version. It’s an end of the world classic where survivors find a sense of hope and liberation by following some higher purpose or God. I was sure that they would be the ones hunting in the night when I first saw them. And then when I saw them hiding, I thought there was something even more savage hiding in those woods that we should be afraid of. Turns out it’s just the Western Liberation Front, who kills indiscriminately when it comes to these Scars. And why do they do that? Because they’re stuck in a circle where The Scars and WLF are killing each other because the other is killing each other in preparation of one killing the other.
On the WLF of it all, I’m not surprised that they’re the worst. FEDRA is an oppressive regime who ended up calling the citizens “voters” because they took away their rights and wanted to mock them. And here comes this Isaac who ends up being in the same vein of terrible as FEDRA because they kill anyone, including children, and torture for information. Basically, when it comes to militarized groups, I know there’s always something foul in the water and they shouldn’t be trusted. Question is, where are Ellie and Dina going to fall into this? And furthermore, what is Ellie going to do if The Scars are the real enemy and she has to team up with Abby?
Either way it’s going to be a bloodbath.
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Watch the preview for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 5 below:
The Last of Us airs new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.
