The first episode of The Last of Us was a good proof of concept. It showed that it was possible to make a good adaptation of a beloved video game, giving fans hope that the whole season will be worthwhile. Episode two continues the good vibes in the tensest way possible as Joel, Tess, and Ellie make their way through Boston.
The episode opens up with another new flashback like in the first episode, but that's all the new surprises awaiting fans. Otherwise, it's a pretty faithful adaptation of the game's journey through Boston. The first episode of The Last of Us contained some fantastic quotes and episode two continues this trend.
8 “Bomb This City And Everyone In It.”
The episode begins with the aforementioned flashback, which takes viewers to Indonesia in 2003. This was hinted at in the first episode, but it seems like this is where the Cordycepss infection began.
The army picks up a professor of fungi, Ibu Ratna, and brings her in to examine a corpse they think is infected. She’s in disbelief by the news but very darkly outlines the military’s plan for a vaccine. That is through bombs because that is unfortunately the only cure.
7 “Joel And I Aren’t Good People.”
After The Last of Us' intro, the episode then picks up with Ellie waking up in a bed of grass with light shining down on her in a broken building. It’s reminiscent of Cloud waking up in the flower bed in Final Fantasy 7 except Ellie isn’t greeted by the kind face of Aerith.
She instead sees the steely gazes of Joel and Tess on her like she’s an infected dog ready to bite. There are a lot of good exchanges in this scene like Ellie’s love of the f-bomb, but the one to underline is what Tess says about her and Joel not being good people.
6 “Do You Think We Have Pools In The QZ?”
In a world full of infected creeps, it is easy to forget that Ellie is still a kid. A kid that grew up in an infected state, not knowing how the world worked. She may swear a lot, but she’s still curious.
Bella Ramsey does a good job of emulating Ellie's mannerisms in this episode like when she excitedly runs up to the hotel counter and starts ringing the bell. Before this, Ellie has a good line about the QZ not having pools in Joel’s bewilderment that she can’t swim.
5 “Marlene Pack You One Of These Or Just Sandwiches?”
After making their way through the hotel, the three survivors find themselves at a museum entrance. They start prepping to go in when Joel pulls out a flashlight. He then says this smarmy line to Ellie who looks shocked at the sight of a flashlight.
Joel is still a little jealous that he and Tess had to share rations that looked like the thinnest jerky possible while Ellie got to chow down on the thickest sandwich imaginable. Joel is still not the best father figure in the world to Ellie.
4 “They Can’t See, But They Can Hear.”
There are a lot of tense moments in episode two of The Last of Us, but the biggest is when they get inside the museum. Eventually, an infected creep starts following them around to which Joel whispers this line to Tess and Ellie.
Ellie finds out the hard way exactly what Joel meant when she makes the first noise. Not to be outdone, Joel makes a mistake by stepping on glass. It’s an intense fight through the museum, but all seems okay once they escape.
3 “That Was Scary, This Is Wood.”
It’s a stress relief for the audience once the group makes it outside. There is a piece of wood connecting the museum to the building across the street. Joel warns Ellie to be careful, to which she has this to say in reply.
Ellie not being afraid of heights is wild, although so is being chased by infected humans in a museum. In a post-apocalyptic world, survivors have to pick and choose what they are and are not afraid of. It’s a thin line sometimes and it can literally be as thin as a piece of wood.
2 “The Healthy Ones Fought The Sick Ones, Everyone Lost.”
The finale leads the three survivors to the pick-up sight at the capital building. This is where Tess and Joel are supposed to get their battery from the Fireflies in exchange for Ellie.
Unfortunately, an infected human bites one of the members of the group thus infecting the whole resistance from within. Joel analyzes the situation and explains it to Ellie. It’s a good way for the adaptation to show that allies can become enemies in the blink of an eye.
1 “You Keep Her Alive, And You Set Everything Right.”
This is one of the best lines from the initial trailer for The Last of Us. Tess is tired of losing and wants to believe wholeheartedly that Ellie can save the world. Even though she is infected, she wants Joel to press on to protect Ellie. It’s no longer about the two of them, which is a great contrast to what Tess says to Ellie at the beginning of the episode.
They may be selfish people at times, but that doesn’t mean that Tess is incapable of changing. It's hard not to wonder what Tess would say to Joel if she knew her sacrifice was in vain when he doesn't let the Fireflies operate on Ellie.