The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Emotion and Thrill in Equal Measure

The last episode of The Last of Us gave us a devastating end for Joel, as Abby takes revenge for murdering the Fireflies, leaving Ellie devastated as she sees her loved one getting stabbed to death. Meanwhile, the townspeople fight a horde of infected who seem to have awoken from the dead and must fight to live another day.

The episode has a runtime of 56 minutes.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 Recap

The episode opens with a shot of the burnt infected lying dead on the streets. However, Tommy must come to terms with Joel’s heartbreaking and barbaric murder before anything else, while Ellie seems to be suffering from PTSD in the aftermath. Three months later, the town rebuilds, and so does Ellie, who is asked to talk to Gail after getting a clean bill of health. They talk about Ellie’s last moments with Joel, but it’s clear that she knows how to cheat the system.

Of course, getting over someone’s death isn’t an easy feat, and Ellie is still going through the motions of her feelings. After being discharged from the hospital, she comes back home to take in the house without her father figure, as everything reminds her of him. She goes through Jeol’s belongings from the day that he died and takes his gun, and then sobs while holding his jacket. Dina arrives in the middle of this and tells her all the information about the Fireflies, including their names, that she wasn’t allowed to divulge at the hospital.

She further tells Ellie about where they were headed and that they belonged to the Washington Liberation Front. Ellie takes this information to Tommy, who tells her they have to take the information to the Council and do it properly since the town is still recovering. Although Ellie isn’t happy about this, she does listen to him as she prepares to go to Seattle.

We then see a group walking down the forest path. Although it starts out peacefully, soon the group rushes to take cover as an unknown threat comes after them. Back in town, Jesse advises Ellie to write down her thoughts about the vote in the upcoming meeting in order to have a calm discussion and have more of an impact. At the meeting, however, people are clearly scared and talk about forgive and forget, until Seth calls them out on their behaviour.

When it comes time for Ellie to talk, she reads off a paper and asks for justice, clearly having taken Jessie’s advice. Her words are impactful and thoughtful, which leaves everyone warmed. In the end, however, the proposal gets rejected, leaving Ellie heartbroken. Tommy talks to Gail to get some insight into Ellie, who tells him that Ellie is a liar, and so understanding what she is about to do next would be impossible. Tommy shares that he doesn’t want her to do something stupid and take after Joel, but Gail tells him that it’s not Joel’s influence that is making Ellie into who she is – Ellie and Joel have more in common than he thinks.

That night, Dina breaks into Ellie’s chaotic plan to take revenge alone and tells her a more reasonable plan that doesn’t get her killed. At 3 AM the next morning, they set out on her adventure after bidding goodbye to Seth. But before that, as promised, she goes to Joel’s resting place to meet him and say goodbye. The two then go on their way while conversing a ton, including about their New Year’s kiss and about Jessie.

The next morning, they come across the remains of the party from earlier and come across a mysterious symbol. Meanwhile, Dina gets sick after stumbling into something inside the forest, which turns out to be several murdered bodies, including that of the young girl from earlier. The two of them are overcome with emotion, especially at the thought of Abby and her crew having done such a horrible thing. They continue on their journey and are left surprised at the remnants of Seattle in front of them and at not being shot at by anyone!

In Seattle, however, there’s an army on the ground, one that Dina and Ellie are probably not aware of.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 3 Review

Another fantastic episode that balances the action, anticipation and the deep emotions of losing a close one all too well. Bella Ramsey, as always, is fantastic as Ellie and continues to shine with her nuanced and balanced performance. Resilient and hot-headed, she showcases Ellie’s emotions and heartbreak beautifully as well as her conflicting feelings for Dina. Plus, the anticipation of what lies ahead for the two women fills one with excited anticipation as the thrill and tension are overwhelming. With what might await them clearly defined thanks to the slaughter in the forest, one can only pray that things go well for our leading ladies.

Other than that, fantastic cinematography and special effects. The path to Seattle is absolutely beautiful and haunting in equal measures and will leave viewers hooked. All in all, thoroughly impressive and immersive experience through and through.

Also Read: The Last of Us Season 1 Review