If anyone thought Joel’s death in the previous episode of The Last of Us was just a fake-out, the third episode changed that right at the start. Amiss the burning wreckage of Jackson, Wyoming, Tommy says goodbye to his brother before opening credits that did not include Pedro Pascal’s name. Nope, Joel is not coming back. But, his savage murder at the hands of Abby was at the center of the action anyway.
Episode three of The Last of Us season two is called “The Path,” and what a perfect title it is. The episode worked to reset our emotions and expectations for what’s to come as the people of Jackson decide how, or if, they’ll get even with Joel’s killers. It indeed put us on “the path” for the rest of the season.
Three months have passed since Joel’s death and Jackson has used that time to rebuild, both physically and emotionally. Ellie spent that time in the hospital and has finally healed. Before she can leave though, she has to see Gail. Gail wants to see how Ellie is doing mentally, so Ellie just tells her what she wants to hear. She’s sad and angry, of course, but seems oddly at peace, which doesn’t mesh with the way everyone thinks she and Joel left things. Gail is skeptical about her well-being but gives her the okay to leave anyway.
Ellie’s demeanor with Gail isn’t the same as when she gets home. There she finds Joel’s watch, gifted to her from Tommy, and Joel’s things hanging in the closet. She breaks down a bit, only to be interrupted by Dina, who has some news. Apparently, while Ellie was in the hospital, she asked Dina if she remembered anything about the people who killed Joel and she said she didn’t. That was a lie. Now that Ellie is healed, Dina reveals that she knows where they’re from (Seattle), what their group is called (the Washington Liberation Front, aka WLF), and even a few of their names, such as the leader, Abby. Ellie is pissed Dina withheld the information but seems eager to act. They talk to Tommy, who sympathizes but says they can’t just leave without a plan. That plan involves bringing the matter in front of the whole town.
Before the episode deals with that, things curiously cut to a nature path outside of Seattle. There, a group of people with scars on their cheeks are walking and communicating via whistles. We learn they’re a religious group who are on the run from some kind of war. They look fierce but seem harmless enough if not threatened. A few specific whistles reveal they are being threatened, though, and the whole group hides. A little girl asks an older man if they’re hiding from demons. The man says no. They’re hiding from “wolves.” It’s a scene that feels a little out of place at the time, but will be hugely important later in the episode.
At the town meeting, Jackson’s council has to decide if they are okay with sending a group of people to Seattle to kill Abby and her friends. It’s a big issue, so the whole town has packed in to discuss it. Some don’t think it’s worth sending a group of their best out, leaving the town unprotected, especially after the recent attack. Others, like Seth, think it has to happen to show their strength. Eventually, Ellie speaks and says that she wants to go not just to get revenge, but because it’s what she would do for anyone else in town. The whole point of being a community is having each other’s backs and she wants them to have hers and Joel’s. All of the arguments are compelling and noteworthy but, eventually, the council denies the motion 8-3.
The meeting scene was The Last of Us at its best. Simultaneously moving the story forward while also giving the audience a lot to think about. Yes, of course, we want to see Ellie go out and find Abby which clearly is going to happen eventually. But is that payback worth risking the lives of others? What does it get the town in return? While the show will very soon make that choice for us, it was interesting to internalize this dilemma. Is Ellie asking too much?
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. Losing the vote was just a formality. Just as Gail and Tommy discuss over beers in short center field of a Little League game, Ellie is going no matter what. She’ll go alone if she has to but she won’t have to. Dina shows up at Ellie’s with a full-on plan of how to get to Seattle. She’s got the map, she’s got a list of supplies, she’s got it all. Dina is everything Ellie needs in her life and, we can see in Ellie’s eyes, she knows it too.
And so, with the help of Seth, Ellie and Dina hit the road toward Seattle. At this point, I basically thought the episode was going to end and the trip across the country would take up the next episode or two at least. But The Last of Us has no time for that. Over a very short period in show time, Dina and Ellie actually make it to Seattle in this episode, which is wild. But, of course, a few key things happen along the way.
First, they visit Joel’s grave. Very sad. Second, there is some gentle flirting in a tent while discussing the New Year’s Eve kiss. Third, Ellie and Dina decide that the WLF are probably a small group since no one has heard of them and they’ll surely be able to beat them themselves. It won’t be a big deal.
Which brings us back to the Scars. Dina and Ellie find themselves on the same path we saw earlier in the episode and see the remnants of a struggle. Off to the side, Dina discovers a clearing full of dead bodies, which makes her throw up. When Ellie sees it, we see it’s the same man and young girl from earlier in the episode. The people were massacred, including women and children. And didn’t they say they were hiding from Wolves? Could they have meant the WLF?
Ellie and Dina reach Seattle and marvel at its skyline. Everything looks quiet and they are liking their chances. However, that’s when we see Manny, played by Danny Ramirez, who was with Abby back in Jackson. He’s on the lookout for the WLF which we see is not a small group. It’s a massive massive military presence. With tanks. And armor. And lots and lots of guns. Finding and killing Abby was going to be difficult even if she was with a small group. Now it seems almost impossible
And so “The Path” is set for the rest of The Last of Us season two. Ellie and Dina are in Seattle hunting Abby and up against insurmountable odds. Will they find her? Will it be worth it? And what the heck is the story of this group?
New episodes of The Last of Us drop Sundays on HBO and Max.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
#Path #Revenge #Begins
