Season 2 Episode 5 – The WLF makes a dangerous discovery at a great cost. Later, Ellie must decide whether to continue with her plan-and risk putting Dina in danger- or give up on her quest for justice.
Please note, our reviews are based on likes and dislikes. These contain significant spoilers, including references to the video game. If you haven’t already watched the episode, we recommend that you click off the article and come back once you have watched the episode. Enjoy!
What I Liked
1. Dina explains her reasoning for being there, something that wasn’t included in the game. She explains her first kill, and it was a raider who’d killed her family; she was only 8 years old at the time. She realizes that the raider could’ve made her watch, the same way the WLF made her watch Joel be killed. It makes sense, and I’m glad this story was told. It’s genuinely nice to see some emotion, as I feel like we haven’t seen any since the episode after Joel’s death.
2. Jesse finally shows up after Ellie’s terrible plan. As Dina locks herself in a small cage so Ellie can fight the Infected, she’s overwhelmed almost instantly. Jesse showing up out of the blue to save them both was a great moment. It was very nearly a dislike due to the stupid idea, but I’m glad Jesse is back.
3. Jesse, Ellie, and Dina stumbled across the Scars in the park. What follows is disturbing. We see exactly how they did what they did in the TV station as they do it to another man. The trio are spotted before Jesse and Dina flee back to the theatre, leaving Ellie alone. This is intense.
4. Although it lasts for a couple of seconds, Joel is back. We know that during the events of the game, Joel is there with flashbacks. I’m happy to see Pedro back again. I fully expect the next episode to include the museum scene, which is a lovely sequence of events.
What I Disliked
1. The beginning scene felt unnecessary. We already know what the depths of the hospital contain, as Abby explores this later on. It was completely pointless and didn’t need to be in. That’s a moment that’s best to be held out until it happens. If you’ve played the game, you’ll understand.
2. I do really like the relationship between Dina and Ellie, but they really need to settle down. It’s beginning to feel forced. It was very well done in the game; it flowed well, but here it doesn’t feel like that at all. They’re sitting in an abandoned building that’s definitely got Infected in there, and Dina mentioned she loves Ellie. It felt unnecessary.
3. I like the fact that we see Jesse again, but he subsequently finds the group because Dina and Ellie conveniently leave the map there. How do they know where they’re going? Seattle is massive. There’s next to no logic there.
4. Jesse explains that Tommy was with him. Yet again, Tommy is being underused in the series like he was in the game. If anything, I feel like Tommy may be worse than his video-game counterpart.
5. I don’t usually care for how people look, but I’m sorry, how does Dina still look the way she does? Her hair is perfect, and she looks incredible. It doesn’t give off post-apocalyptic vibes at all, and it does hurt the immersion of the show a little bit.
Favorite Moment
Ellie and Nora have come face to face since Joel’s death. As they first have a conversation, it largely follows the events of the game. Nora manages to catch Ellie off guard before sprinting away, begging for help. Nora’s death is just as brutal as the game. With Ellie being immune, she can breathe in the spore, whereas Nora can’t. This results in her turning slowly, which is probably worse than death itself. Eventually, Ellie brutally starts smashing her legs with a metal pole. You can say whatever you want about Bella, but she absolutely nailed it in this scene.
Standout Character
Ellie was the best part of this episode by a country mile. We finally get to see the dark side of Ellie, which hasn’t been properly shown yet. There are many questionable things Ellie does in the game, which make you honestly doubt her mission. This is one of the few that is up there, but it’s done so well. It feels brutal, and it’s designed to be that way.
Verdict
Ellie heads to the dark side, perhaps the best part of the episode. However, there were too many glaringly obvious issues that affected the flow of the episode. There is some very good stuff in here, but in sections, they veer away from the game, and I feel like it hurts it at times. This episode was the true definition of that.
Rating 6.6/10
The Review
Story - 6
Action - 7
Characters - 5
Entertainment - 7
Quality - 8
6.6
Okay
Ellie heads to the dark side, perhaps the best part of the episode. However, there were too many glaringly obvious issues that affected the flow of the episode. There is some very good stuff in here, but in sections, they veer away from the game, and I feel like it hurts it at times. This episode was the true definition of that.
