In this week's episode of The Last of Us season 2, "Day One," Ellie and Dina narrowly escape from a horde of infected, with Ellie taking a bite in the arm in order to protect the woman she loves.
Of course, Dina had been kept in the dark about Ellie's immunity, and was fully prepared to shoot her in the head to prevent her from becoming a ravenous killer. Fortunately, Ellie is able to convince Dina that she will not turn, and the latter expresses her relief by first telling Ellie that she is pregnant with Jesse's child, and then instigating their first roll in the hay.
The episode also featured a recreation of what has become almost an iconic moment from the game, as Ellie plays a rendition of Ah-ha's "Take On Me" for Dina after discovering a guitar in a run-down music shop.
"[In the show], it's like, I'm fully embracing not only the love I have for her, but also I'm feeling the love that she has for Joel," Isabela Merced explains to GQ. "And that's why it's so emotional. It's a moment of beautiful grief, happy grief, that is so delicate and fragile, and expressed so beautifully through music, and music is such a big component of the game. That song will never be the same. I will never hear it and not think of [Dina and Ellie]."
HBO has now released a promo for next Sunday's episode, "Feel Her Love," and it teases the introduction of one of the game's most lethal elements: Spores.
The footage shows Ellie and Dina continuing their search for Abby and the WLF when they stumble upon an infected corpse. In the game, an infected person can still transmit the virus to others after death as the fungus inside them continues to grow, releasing spores that infect anyone who inhales them.
Check out the promo along with the guitar scene from this week's episode below.
New cast members for season 2 include Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) as Abby, Young Mazino (Beef) as Jesse, Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) as Manny, Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) as Mel, Tati Gabrielle (You) as Nora, and Spencer Lord (Heartland) as Owen.
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 1's cast also featured Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence, Ashley Johnson as Anna, and Troy Baker as James.
Filming took place in Vancouver, since a significant part of the story in The Last of Us Part II game is set in the Pacific Northwest.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and Druckmann. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam also executive produce.
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