In “The Last of Us” recap, Ellie and Dina continue their hunt through Seattle but run into obstacles and we meet Isaac, the leader of the Western Liberation Front for the first time…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Everything is complicated during a fungal infected apocalypse.
Just like the complex relationship at the heart of “The Last of Us” between Joel and Ellie that largely drives the narrative machine for the show, the characters outside of that relationship are all trying to find a way to survive with some determined to do it by any means necessary.
We learned very early on that FEDRA — the Federal Disaster Response Agency — was the last remnants of a broken government and they were anything but sympathetic while existing in a volatile and hostile world. Then there were the Fireflies — the rebel group tasked with bringing down FEDRA while simultaneously trying to save the world. In Jackson, Wyoming, a group survived by learning to work together for a greater good but even they were flawed.
Then in season 2 we’ve been introduced to the WLF — the Western Liberation Front — another militant survivalist group tasked with destroying FEDRA and instilling order in a chaotic world. And there are the Seraphites — also known as “Scars” — a pack of religious fundamentalists recognized by the self-inflicted scars across their faces who believe in a female prophet tasked with saving them all from this post-apocalyptic hellscape.
Who has the best ideology? Who has the best chance to survive? Who still retains some remnants of humanity in this savage wasteland?
These are all questions that we as viewers are left to decide but what we do know for certain is that for Ellie to get her revenge on the person responsible for killing Joel, that she’s going to have to go through all of them at one point or another.
That’s where we pick up this week with Ellie and Dina still on the hunt for Abby and her group but for the first time we’re introduced to Isaac Dixon — the leader of the WLF — and the ongoing war he’s waging with the Seraphites while simultaneously trying to survive the fungal apocalypse. There’s a lot going on in a war torn world without many survivors left!
With that said, let’s recap the latest episode of “The Last of Us” titled “Day One”…
Voters
The episode opens with a flashback 11 years earlier to 2018 when the Seattle quarantine zone was still a thing and FEDRA was the ruling force. Inside an armored vehicle, soldiers joke about abusing citizens that they now refer to as “voters” while telling funny stories about past interactions.
When a younger soldier, clearly new to the group, asks why they call citizens “voters,” the loudmouth (played by Josh Peck) tells him it doesn’t really fucking matter. That’s when the sergeant of the group speaks up — and this is when we’re first introduced to Isaac Dixon (played by the incredible Jeffrey Wright).
“Because we took away their rights. Took away their right to vote and somebody started calling them voters to mock them. So now you know.”
~ Isaac
A moment later, the vehicle comes upon a school bus blocking the road and from behind a group of people starts approaching them. The driver asks what they should do but Isaac speaks up to say he’ll go talk to them and try to calm the situation down without bloodshed. He even invites the newbie soldier to join him during the conversation.
Outside the vehicle, Isaac meets the leader of the group named Hanrahan and she remarks that he must be Isaac. The soldier watching all of this unfold is confused but his eyes nearly pop out of his head at what happens next when Isaac returns to the vehicle, tosses in two grenades and locks the doors.
The explosion nearly kills everyone inside except for the driver, who dives clear of the vehicle but his survival is short lived after Isaac guns him down. When Isaac returns and Hanrahan cracks a smile, the shocked soldier doesn’t know what to think.
But Isaac tells him that it’s time for him to make a choice — the same one he obviously already made when he decided FEDRA was broken and needed to be destroyed. He’s now joining the fight with the WLF and the young soldier has an opportunity to join him.
Back in the present day we find Isaac in a kitchen talking about the way he used to cook for women as a way to impress them. He was shy and not particularly skilled with flirting but Isaac could cook and so he would use that to his advantage whenever finding dates.
But even in the old world, Isaac wasn’t a wealthy man so he could never afford really expensive cookware. In fact, Isaac used to go to Williams-Sonoma — a luxury store that these young kids never remember — and he would stare at expensive cookware sets that he dreamed of owning one day.
Now in the apocalypse, Isaac has finally gotten his wish — he’s standing in front of some truly fine copper cookware — but he’s not using it for cooking this time. Instead, we see that Isaac is torturing a naked man, who’s already been beaten severely and he’s marked by those signature slashes across his face signifying he’s part of the same group of religious survivors we met back in episode 3.
The group that communicated through a series of whistles who Ellie and Dina found slaughtered on the side of the road are known as Seraphites — or as “Scars” — a nickname bestowed upon them by the WLF. Sound like history repeating itself?
Isaac wants to know the location of the next attack from the Scars but the hostage isn’t talking so he uses that fine cookware in hopes of getting some answers.
“Copper’s a bit of a pain in the ass, you have to polish it a lot but it heats faster than anything. Highly conductive. Of course, this means it doesn’t retain heat the way cast iron does, which of the two makes copper the inferior choice for interrogations but if you own Mauviel, you use Mauviel.”
~ Isaac
Despite being badly burned, the Seraphite refuses to talk and he even tells Isaac that it’s only a matter of time before the WLF loses. Of course, Isaac reminds him that the WLF has automatic weapons and hospitals while the Scars have bolt-action rifles, bows and arrows and follow a fairytale prophet that doesn’t actually exist. Isaac even mentions that not all Scars even believe that prophet was anything more than a person — and the hostage calls them heretics.
Remember when we first met the Seraphites, the father talking to his daughter mentions that the prophet they follow was just a woman, not some mythical god. So even in this religious sect, not everyone actually agrees on the deity they’re following.
Back to the interrogation — Isaac’s proclamation doesn’t shake the hostage’s faith because he tells him that everyday a member of the WLF converts to a Seraphite but there’s never been a Seraphite to leave the faith. When it’s clear the hostage isn’t giving up any information, Isaac shoots him dead.
Outside the room we see that young soldier from earlier in the episode who has been following Isaac all along and he assures another soldier that their leader knows what he’s doing — and he’s glad the Seraphite is dead.
Take On Me
Back on the road to Seattle, Ellie and Dina are making through way through the ruined city, making stops along the way to scavenge for supplies. At a pharmacy, they find no useful medicine, although Dina quietly discovers something she needs and scurries away to “use the bathroom” while Ellie waits for her.
Outside, Dina shows Ellie her latest discovery through a pair of binoculars — a radio tower with a satellite that had WLF painted across it. Ellie takes this as a sign that they’re ready to go after the people who killed Joel but Dina quickly reminds her that if this group is bold enough to paint that logo on a satellite, they’re keeping a watch what happens down below and they’ll surely be spotted trying to approach.
Dina’s logic pays off as Ellie concedes it’s better to find a place to lay low and then attack later that night.
They end up finding refuge inside a music store where Shimmer grazes on grass and Ellie actually finds a working guitar that allows her to play a song she learned a long time ago. Back in season 1 when Ellie was exploring an abandoned mall with her first love Riley, we hear the 1980s classic A-Ha track “Take on Me.”
This time, Ellie plays an acoustic version for an audience of one in Dina, who is almost drawn to tears by the song. They share this moment while also being reminded of their love for Joel.
Ellie: “All those lessons from Joel”
Dina: “He taught you well.”
Ellie: “He did.”
Later that night, Ellie and Dina prepare to go after the watchtower where the WLF are stationed but first they have to make their way through the rest of the city. They get through to a building that gives them cover and allows them to move forward but inside they are horrified by a gruesome discovery.
Several soldiers of the WLF have been strung up and gutted with a message sprayed across the wall in blood saying “Feel Her Love” — a clear sign this was the Seraphites.
Before they can discover anything else, Ellie and Dina hear the familiar chirp from a walkie talkie that they grab from the floor. It’s the same type they use back home in Jackson and the message isn’t all that unfamiliar — the WLF soldiers are calling for backup.
Ellie and Dina scramble to hide as the soldiers flood the room and find their friends strung up with their intestines dangling down to the floor. As the soldiers investigate and look for potential threats, Ellie tries to sneak away to provide a distraction but it’s short lived as a soldier pursues her up a flight of stairs.
Despite the soldier being bigger with an assault rifle, Ellie gets the drop on him and chokes him out using some of those skills she’s learned from Jesse but the day is really saved when Dina shoots another soldier coming after her.
They flee and the only escape is going through an old transit tunnel leading down to the subway with a passage that only Ellie and Dina could fit through. They get inside but the soldiers still give chase through another entrance.
Once inside, they hear the familiar sound of the infected with the creepy clips and growls that inform Ellie and Dina that they’re not alone in here. Dina hears distinct sounds for at least five clickers but that low rumbling was just the signal of a much bigger problem when a horde of infected flood into the room with the members of the WLF firing upon them.
Ellie and Dina are forced to escape through one of the abandoned trains as the infected continue pursuing them and they barely make it out alive. In the subway station, Ellie makes it to one of the gates that’s rusted shut but she’s able to force her way through with Dina behind her.
Sadly, Dina gets stuck and an infected clicker rushes them and crashes into the gate. Rather than allow Dina to die, Ellie shoves her arm through the gate and allows the clicker to bite her before pulling them both to safety once the extra time allows them to shoot the infected dead.
Dina is devastated because Ellie basically just sacrificed herself but first they rush to safety and find a place to hold up inside the terminal. Before Ellie can say a word, she turns to find Dina has a gun trained on her ready to fire.
That forces Ellie to come clean.
“Please listen to me — I would die for you, I would, but that is not what just happened. Fuck … I’m immune. I can’t get infected. Dina, do not fucking shoot me! I’ve been bitten before and I’m still here.”
~ Ellie
Part of Joel’s rules after saving Ellie from that Firefly stronghold was making sure no one ever learned that she was immune because it would make her a constant target. So Ellie kept that secret from everybody — including her best friend.
Ellie tells Dina to keep watch over her as she sleeps to prove she’s not infected and won’t turn into one of those fungal zombies.
A few hours later, Ellie wakes up and finds the flashlight pointed at her as Dina keeps watch. Ellie removes the bandage covering the bite mark on her arm and she shows Dina that there’s no infection — the wound hasn’t grown and she’s clearly not going to turn into a clicker.
With tears in her eyes, Dina approaches Ellie but rather than expressing her shock and awe that somebody is immune from the Cordyceps infection, she instead reveals that she’s pregnant.
A second later, Dina rushes forward and kisses Ellie and the two of them fall to the floor in a passionate embrace where they have sex.
The next morning, Ellie wakes up with Dina in her arms and the two of them finally have a heart to heart.
Ellie shows that the bite mark on her arm is healing and that the burn she has around her tattoo is actually where she’s been bitten before. The only way to cover that up was to burn herself so badly the bite marks disappeared because Ellie really wanted to wear short sleeves again.
While Ellie has been hiding those bitemarks, Dina has been hiding herself for years as she reveals that she told her mother when she was younger that she liked both boys and girls. But her mother told her emphatically you only like boys and for the next decade plus of her life, Dina tried to tell herself that she only liked boys — and that led to her on again, off again relationship with Jesse.
Dina confesses that she actually had real feelings for Jesse but never in the same way she felt about Ellie — and she’s known for quite some time that Ellie had those same feelings for her. But she finally decided to come clean after believing that Ellie was about to die from the Cordyceps infection and she couldn’t hold back her feelings any longer.
Dina: “I thought you gone and then all of a sudden, this future I was imagining wasn’t going to happen. Where we’re together and we have a kid and I don’t even know if you want that.”
Ellie: “I want it with you.”
Dina then explains how she figured out she was pregnant — first with morning sickness and missing her period and then with a multitude of pregnancy tests she took at that pharmacy. That realization has Ellie now talking about becoming a father to Dina’s baby and sharing those responsibilities with Jesse.
Before they can celebrate too much, they hear an explosion from a distance and the radio they stole from a dead soldier starts chirping with chatter. As the voices exchange messages, Ellie hears one of the names called out as “Nora” — one of the members of Abby’s group.
Ellie knows if they can track down Nora, she can tell them where to find Abby. But first things first, they have to get a lock on her location and when they head outside, they see a large smoke plume up from an explosion in the distance.
With the help of a map, Dina gets their bearing and she recognizes the building where Nora is holdup. That gives them a destination but Ellie tells Dina that she can stay behind because things are different now with her pregnant.
Dina refuses to let Ellie go on her own because they’re in this together — for better or worse. They lock hands and look out over the city where they will take the next step towards avenging Joel’s death.
“The Last of Us” returns for a new episode next Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
