The Last of Us Episode 2 Recap and Review: Save Who You Can Save

It takes us to the streets of Boston as Joel and Tess attempt to get Ellie to the Fireflies.

Please be advised: The following information includes spoilers for the second episode of The Last of Us

 

The Last of Us Episode 2

The first episode of The Last of Us, titled “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” is a tragic beginning as it features a flashback between the characters Joel and Sarah, reveals that Ellie may be immune to the cordyceps infection that has destroyed the world, and introduces the characters and the terrifying world they live in. The second episode is quieter in comparison, but still packs an emotional punch as we see more of the world outside the Boston quarantine zone and learn more about the characters and their relationships.

The second episode of The Last of Us, directed by Neill Druckmann, the creative director and writer of the original game, takes us outside the Boston quarantine zone and gives us a glimpse of the harsh world that Joel and Ellie will have to navigate. This episode also delves deeper into the character of Tess (Anna Torv), the leader of a smuggling operation run by her and Joel. The episode also reveals a deeper relationship between the characters that was only hinted at in the games.

This episode of The Last of Us is action-packed and full of tense moments, but it is also one of the quieter episodes of the season. The focus is on the relationship between Joel, Tess, and Ellie as they try to understand what to do with Ellie and her potential immunity to the cordyceps infection. Ellie starts to trust her companions as they embark on a journey to find the Fireflies, who may be able to create a vaccine with Ellie’s help.

 

The Early Stages of an Outbreak

This second episode of The Last of Us, like the first episode, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” begins with a flashback, this time to the days leading up to the outbreak of the cordyceps infection. The scene takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 24, 2003, two days before the outbreak. We meet Ibu Ratna, a mycology professor at the University of Indonesia, who is brought in by police to examine a sample. She identifies it as Cordyceps, but does not believe that it came from a human.

Ibu Ratna is then taken to view the corpse from which the sample was taken and finds that the corpse has a bullet in the middle of its forehead. Upon examination of the corpse’s ankle, she discovers a human bite mark, and when she cuts it open, finds fungi inside. When she investigates the corpse’s mouth, she sees tendrils moving and seeping out, causing her to run away in fear.

 

The police inform Ratna that the incident occurred about 30 hours ago at a flour and grain factory on the west side of the city. A normal woman turned violent, attacked four coworkers, and bit three of them. They locked her in a bathroom and when the police arrived, she tried to attack them which led to her being shot. The people who were bitten were taken in for observation but were later executed. The police have no idea who bit the woman and with 14 other workers at the factory missing, it seems the outbreak is already beginning. Ratna realizes that there is no way to make a vaccine or medicine, the only thing to do is to start bombing the city, and everyone in it. Seeing the end is near, Ratna tearfully asks to be driven home so she can be with her family before the world falls apart completely.

After the credits of the episode, we see Ellie sleeping in an abandoned building being watched over by Joel and Tess. They are both disturbed by the fact that Ellie seems to be immune to the outbreak. Ellie shows that the bite isn’t getting worse and states that she isn’t infected. We learn that the leader of the Boston Fireflies, Marlene (Merle Dandridge), found Ellie after she was bitten, locked her up and her men did tests on her to see if she was getting sick.

 

Immunity: Fact or False Hope

While Ellie goes off to pee, Joel and Tess discuss their new traveling companion. Tess believes that Ellie’s immunity must be real since she didn’t turn sick overnight, but Joel believes that it will happen eventually. Joel wants to return her to the Boston quarantine zone, but Tess sees Ellie as a way to get the supplies that Marlene promised. When asked why Marlene was protecting her, Ellie explains that there is a Firefly base camp with doctors working on a cure and that she could be the key to finding a vaccine. Joel is skeptical, having heard similar promises before in a world that has given him no hope. Nevertheless, Tess wants to complete the job and sees that delivering Ellie to the Fireflies will benefit them, regardless of whether it is true or not.

 

Exploring Boston: A Tour Through the City

As Tess and Ellie make their way through the deserted city, Tess explains that bombing major cities was one of the strategies used to try and contain the outbreak, but it was only successful in places like Boston. When they come across a blocked path, they decide to take the longer route, rather than risking the shorter but more dangerous route. As they continue, Ellie reveals to Tess that she was bitten after sneaking into an old mall inside the quarantine zone. She tells Tess about her experiences exploring the abandoned mall alone and how she is an orphan with no one to look for her. Ellie expresses her surprise at how the outside of the quarantine zone is not as overrun with infected as she thought, and it seems that rumors of cities being completely overrun may have been exaggerated.

The group navigates through a flooded hotel and as Ellie stumbles upon a skeleton, Joel helps her up, causing him to have a brief moment of reflection as helping a child is not something he’s used to doing anymore. They continue climbing up the hotel and reach a blocked path on the tenth floor, Tess goes to investigate, leaving Joel and Ellie alone for the first time. During this time, Joel reveals that he is from Texas and Tess is from Detroit. Ellie inquires about their relationship and how he ended up in Boston, but Joel evasively says “pass.” Ellie then asks about how long infected can stay alive, to which Joel replies that some only last a month or two, but others have been roaming around since the outbreak began 20 years ago. Ellie also asks if it’s hard to kill infected knowing they used to be people, to which Joel simply says “sometimes.” This line of questioning ends when Tess returns to the group.

As the group stands on a balcony in the hotel, Ellie sees her first large group of infected, many of them already dead, but some still roaming around. Ellie observes that they seem connected, to which Tess explains that the fungus that causes the infection spreads underground and connects them, so if one infected person finds you, it’s likely that others nearby can sense you as well. Tess reminds Ellie that even though she is immune to being infected, she is not immune to being attacked and killed by them. With their planned route blocked by infected, the group decides to take an alternate route through a nearby museum, knowing that there may still be infected inside.

 

You can’t deny that view

As the group enters the museum, they initially feel like they are safe, but they soon find a man who has been brutally killed. Tess says she hasn’t heard anything inside, and Joel and Tess become very quiet, revealing that they have dealt with this type of threat before. They tell Ellie that from now on, they need to be completely silent. As they move through the museum, part of the roof collapses, drawing the attention of two “clickers” – infected who can’t see but detect their enemies through sound. As a clicker walks by, Ellie makes a small noise and it heads straight to her. Joel and Tess quickly shoot the clickers while Ellie hides. After the gunfight, Joel finds Ellie and tries to lead her to safety, but he steps on a piece of glass and the clicker attacks them. Joel protects Ellie, shooting the clicker until it gets off them. But the clicker comes after them again, and Joel shoots it again and kills it. As another clicker approaches, Tess kills it by sticking an ax in its head and then Joel shoots it dead.

After the creatures are defeated, the group regroups and says they are all fine, but it is revealed that Ellie has been bitten again in the same spot as her previous bite. Joel and Tess have a moment together, where Joel expresses his concern that the second bite will be fatal. Tess tells Joel to be optimistic and appreciate the positive outcome. She stays behind while Joel and Ellie continue to their destination, the State House, as they look out at the city. Joel asks Ellie if it was everything she hoped it would be, to which she replies “The jury’s still out, but you can’t deny that view.”

 

An unfortunate turn of events

When they reach the State House, they find no sign of the Fireflies, only a truck covered in blood, a body outside, and a trail of blood leading into the building. Inside, they find the Fireflies dead, it appears that one of them became infected and it resulted in a massacre. Tess remains determined to find answers about the Fireflies’ plans for Ellie, but Joel believes it’s over and they should go home. But Tess argues that the quarantine zone is not her home and she is staying, saying “our luck had to run out sooner or later.” Ellie realizes that Tess is infected, and Tess shows the bite mark on her neck, which is worse than Ellie’s new bite. Joel flinches away from Tess when she moves closer, causing her emotional pain.

Tess pleads with Joel to take Ellie to Bill and Frank’s place, where they will take care of Ellie and her immunity, which she believes is real. Tess, who is visibly upset, tells Joel that she needs him to do this and that she’s never asked him for anything before, not even for him to feel the way she feels. She says this is Joel’s chance to make everything right after all that they’ve done and to get Ellie there alive. When Joel initially refuses, Tess insists that he will change his mind and that she needs his help.

 

As the trio is leaving the State House, one of the infected reanimates and Joel shoots it in the head. However, tendrils from the ground seep into the infected’s body, attracting more infected to their location. Joel sees a large group approaching and they only have a minute to escape. Tess starts knocking over canisters of gas and scattering grenades on the ground. As Joel realizes what she’s doing, Tess comes over and says “save who you can save.” Joel drags Ellie away as Tess stays behind, sacrificing herself to hold off the infected and give them a chance to escape.

As the infected break into the State House, Tess tries to light a flame to set them all ablaze. However, her lighter won’t light and one infected comes towards her. As the infected is inches away from her, the tendrils coming out of its mouth enter hers, while she still tries to light the lighter. With one flick, the lighter finally lights, causing an explosion that kills Tess and the infected. Joel and Ellie make it outside to safety as the building burns. Joel is visibly upset by the loss of one of the last people in the world who meant anything to him, and Ellie seems to realize that their journey cannot be for nothing despite the sacrifices made along the way.