The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 5 Live Blog Watchalong: I'm Reacting To Ellie And Dina's Hunt For Nora, Seraphite Carnage, Spores And More
On the road again.
Welcome, Faithful Survivors!
Last week's preview for tonight's episode teased all kinds of mayhem, but I know I'm most ready to see how the live-action series brings SPORES into the mix.
Also, WTF, the episode is now live on Max, five minutes ahead of schedule!
A Predictably Depressing Introduction To Spores
It's our second appearance from Alanna Ubach’s WLF leader Hanrahan, and is thankfully a meatier one for the actress as opposed to last week's debut opposite Jeffrey Wright's Isaac.
We're also meeting Hettienne Park's Elise Park as she shares a troublesome story about the latest hiccup in humanity's survival against cordyceps, namely the discovery that bites are no longer the only way for the outbreak to get passed from one organism to the next. Somebody call Phil Collins, because it's in the air tonight, baby.
We're talking MOTHERFUCKING SPORES!
And yes, I do feel awkward about celebrating this concept in the face of the reveal that Elise was talking about sending her son to his doom. But...spores...hell yeah?
Dina Does Math Good, Ellie Does Math Bad
The "non-school-oriented" Ellie is clearly better at aiming for a target whose presence she's alerted to as opposed to trying to find that target herself through math and shit. Which means anytime Dina isn't around, Ellie probably won't be operating from the best foundation of planning.
Ellie Gets Too Close To Joel's Memory
The gorgeousness of the theater's setting, along with all of the instruments it offers, aren't quite enough to completely pull Ellie into the present and away from the memory of Joel, as evidenced by how quickly her emotions are rattled as soon as she starts playing the song so key to her relationship with Joel.
There's sadly no "if" when it comes to losing him these days.
Mysteriously Avoided Buildings Are Never Good Omens, Guys
I love seeing Dina and Ellie's strategizing about the WLF's communication, and what it means for both that group and the relatively tech-free Scars.
But anytime one stumbles upon an unknown that one quickly refers to as "The Big Fucking Something," it's not gonna be a treat to experience. So of course they're running into it headfirst.
WLF Soldiers Are Too Brutal
Are we to assume every one of these people deserved this fate? Not likely.
Dina's Big Backstory Change
Holy shit, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann just upped the ante when it comes to how much support Dina has for Ellie avenging Joel's death. Isabela Merced nails this expository sequence, revealing that she walked in on her family being murdered at just eight years old, and that her immediate impulse then was the same as it is now. She's in until the end.
I need more time to think about how this could be a gigantic branching point from where things go for Ellie and Dina's endgame in the source material. Because I'll just keep saying "holy shit" over and over again.
Love Is In The Air Before Spores
Is it just me, or does it seem ill-advised for Ellie and Dina to keep flashing their lights even within a building that they assume isn't populated by active threats? There are still windows and shit.
Still, not even unknown threats can stop these two from being ultra cute, and I love Dina accurately calling Ellie out for having a heavy trigger finger before dropping the L word into the scene.
- "You love me?" - Ellie
And now for whatever love-hating things await them.
The Big Fucking Something = Building Full Of Stalkers
Gotta love a deadly enemy that largely keeps its victims centrally located, so that others can explore other rooms in the building without realizing they're no more than 100 ft. away from various people's leaking intestines. But that's about as complimentary as I can get when it comes to those freaking fucking Stalkers.
Seriously, their higher-pitched moaning is enough to bring even make the most positive experience to a halt. Few scenes in this show have been as inherently horrifying as Dina realizing how surrounded they were. Although seeing one of them rip fencing apart like it was paper wasn't far behind.
Jesse's Heroic Return
Woo! Despite having played Part II multiple times, I still thought it was going to be WLF soldiers that saved Ellie and Dina from the Stalkers, but it was thankfully Jesse!
I'm shocked that Jesse revealed Tommy is also out there somewhere, as I honestly didn't expect the live-action character to leave Jackson. Which no doubt means that he's going to run into a heap of trouble, but fingers crossed it's just a stubbed toe or a paper cut.
The Scars Are Also Too Brutal
Just in case anyone thought the TV studio hangings were a one-off maneuver for the Scars, this episode proved that wrong with a scene that mirrored the source material quite successfully. The Scars brought a sordid end to one WLF foe that left the dude's guts all over the damned ground. I hope nobody just cleaned their shoes.
A Familiar Seraphite
After last week’s surprise cameo from Nickelodeon vet Josh Peck, The Last of Us once again appealed to viewers of a certain age with this appearance from Laine MacNeil, best known for playing Greg’s rival Patty in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film trilogy. At least MacNeil’s unnamed Seraphite survived her first scene.
Dogs And Their Sniffers!
One of the more interesting threats that one has to avoid while playing The Last of Us Part II are dogs, which can pick up on Ellie's scent. They didn't play too heavily into this episode, but I hope more is on the way.
Ellie Vs. Nora: The Chase
Ellie made the seemingly ill-advised move of striking out on her own as the trio were running away from the whistling Scars. But she did manage to evade guards and find Nora all by her lonesome. But instead of striking first and then asking questions, Ellie allowed herself to be shocked into inaction by Nora twisting from empathy to malice with this game-sourced line:
- "I'm sorry you saw it happen. No one should ever have to see something like that. At night sometimes I still hear his scream. It was a terrible thing the way he died. Yeah, the little bitch got what he deserved." - Nora
Ooooh, that line made me clench my fists and want to start swinging.
That chase was very close to the sequence in the game where players are only required to keep up with Nora as she dashed from room to room. But this is where things changed a bit, because SPORES!
Nora? More Like SPORE-A
Ellie and Nora's conversation was every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be. Tati Gabrielle's character did a formidable job of trying to drop an info-bomb on Ellie by telling her exactly why Abby murdered Joel, but it turns out our hero was already clued in on that information.
At least Nora learned that the rumors about a fabled immune girl were actually legit before she presumably died at the hands of a rage-fueled Ellie.
All The Sobbing For That Last-Second Joel Appearance
Ohhh, you sons of bitches behind the scenes of The Last of Us. I was so ready to throw my hands up in aggro-solidarity with Ellie after that moment cut to black. But no...
Instead of credits, we were given a quick jolt, or is it a Joel-t, of Pedro Pascal's beloved character in a long-distant memory of him walking into Ellie's room and uttering his signature greeting:
- "Hey, kiddo."
Ellie's couldn't-be-more-comforted smile in that moment was very nearly enough to make me forget about the myriad lows and woes that have taken place thus far. This is absolutely a "Christmas morning, but I get to open a couple of presents in bed before falling back asleep until noon" face. Or a "work was canceled because of cold weather and I'm under three blankets" face.
Or perhaps an "I'm talking to the person I owe my life to without any clue that my survival will guarantee his grisly death" face. Sigh.
"Feel Her Love" Rating: 3.5 Out Of 5 Spore-Filled Exhalations
For all that I was enthused about all things spores-related, and was indeed impressed by the horrific way those moments were depicted, I can't ignore the feeling that this episode didn't feel quite as vital or immediate as its Season 2 predecessors. Which isn't so much a knock on it as it is a glowing view of what we've seen so far.
By and large, though, "Feel Her Love" didn't introduce any major over-arching characters (either from the game or otherwise), and by logistically limiting the spores' impact on the outer world, even that arrival was more central to Ellie's story than the world at large. Plus, for as haunting as the Stalkers sequence was, that was just upping the ante for a threat we've already witnessed.
If anything, I think Dina's orphaned origin story may be the episode's most impactful scene, given the potential ramifications down the line. So while a surprising admission may not be the most valuable Last of Us takeaway for some fans, I'm hoping it pays off in a way that does indeed make this episode that much more important in hindsight.
Also, in case my voice cracked awkwardly earlier, or if there was background noise at any prior point in the live blog: HUZZAH FOR DOGS AND SPORES! And for Joel-inspired smiles.
I Cannot Handle This Joel-Filled Trailer For Episode 6
The penultimate Season 2 installment will apparently deliver on the numerous and extremely meaningful flashbacks that players experience in the video game sequel. So in a way, Pascal's arrival at the end of this week's installment was a stepping stone into Ellie's memories. Check it out below!
Joel and Ellie's non-combat-related flashbacks are some of the game series' most memorable and emotionally poignant scenes, despite coming after Joel's death. So I can only hope the live-action interpretations will be on the same weep-worthy wavelength. Until next week!