Previously: Three months after Joel’s death, the Jackson Hole town council rejects Ellie’s proposal to send a 16-person team to track down and kill Abby and her crew, so Ellie and Dina travel to Seattle to do it themselves.
Last week, Stephanie asked if I’d be able to travel cross-country with just a backpack and some ammo. I’m actually very good at traveling light, but whether I’d want to make the trek is the better question. (The best post-apoco plan that we’ve seen so far is still Bill and Frank’s.)
Apocalypse Now (and Then)
2018, Seattle Quarantine Zone. A FEDRA squad comes across a group of seemingly civilians. Sergeant Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright) meets their leader, Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach), and then kills his own soldiers in his first act for la résistance.
2029, Seattle under Washington Liberation Front occupation. Isaac tortures a Scar hostage for information on their next attack, but the Seraphite devotee chooses death instead.
Also in 2029: Day 1 of Dina (Isabela Merced) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) Seattle adventures. After they rummage through an old pharmacy, Dina spots the WLF watch tower and convinces Ellie to wait until dark to make their move. Once they infiltrate the building, they discover that somebody else has already taken care of the Wolves — but more descend to check on their fallen comrades.
Our intrepid duo narrowly escape the Wolves, only to be chased into an old subway station. Awakened by all the flares that the Wolves set off, a cordyceps tendril summons a shit-ton of infected. One of them catches up to Dina during her getaway, so Ellie lets it bite her instead.
Understandably, Dina is freaked out and prepared to kill Ellie. Ellie reveals her immunity and proves it by not turning. And she’s not the only one with secrets to reveal: Dina’s pregnant with Jesse’s baby, and she totally likes Ellie back. The two of them have sex, and they’re picturing their future together as one big happy family with Jesse and the kid, when they’re interrupted by explosions nearby. The Wolves radio channel mentions that Nora, aka one of Abby’s accomplices, is at Lakehill… which is exactly where Ellie and Dina set their sights on next.
The State Of Us
The new us is so on! Even though Dina doesn’t have the vocabulary for it, she’s long known that she’s bisexual, but she’s been subjected to compulsory heterosexuality. She and Ellie definitely take the U-Haul lesbian stereotype to a new level, though, from BFFs to coupled up with a baby and a baby daddy.
It Ain’t All Bad The Strange Benefits of the Apocalypse
Thanks to Isaac for our new category name, but not for much else!
Definite highlight is Ellie serenading Dina with “Take On Me”! Bella has such a lovely voice.
Survivor of the Week
I’m sure there’ll be another time to talk about Isaac, but this was such a good Ellie and Dina episode! I’m glad that we didn’t have to wait for long for them to address the elephant in the room, and BOY, DID THEY.
Obviously, Joel’s absence will always loom over the show, but Dina really brings her own flavour and humour to it. She’s basically a non-stop quote machine!
Pour One Out For…
SO MANY CASUALTIES, between Wolves vs. Scars and Cordyceps vs. Everyone.
Best Time To Cover Your Eyes
WELP, who could have foreseen that the first time there’s full frontal nudity on this show is during an interrogation torture scene?
We Must Adapt To Survive
Here’s Stephanie with her adaptation thoughts!
Once again I am in awe of the set designers and VFX creators because these sets are so interesting and layered even outside of being “recreations” of some iconic game moments. The city covered in greenery, Valiant Records, the TV station with the bodies! My heart started racing when Dina and Ellie were cornered in the station (when the WLF shouts, “Fan out and search!” it’s like my body knows, “Okay, time to get ready to sneak / kill / run for your uncoordinated life”) and just kept on pumping as they’re crouched down in the corner of the metro when those red flares and Clicker noises start. Literally, I could see on my watch my resting heart rate was higher than usual, lol.
I think the way they framed Dina finding out about Ellie’s immunity and then the pregnancy were excellent changes; nothing fundamentally is different from the original, but we get to see new reactions and set ups to lead into the rest of the story. Their Take On Me moment was done with such love and care, and I hate that every reaction I have now to the show is just to immediately think of the haters who seem to believe that Neil and Craig don’t love this story as much (and LBR, it’s more) than they do.
Getting Jeffery Wright to reprise Isaac in the flesh is SUCH a treat. His scenes were both new for the show but totally in line with what we knew about him and just gave him more dimension.
Finally, while there are so many things from Day One that can’t be stuffed into an hour-long episode, I think they did an excellent job of giving you the feel of the game, especially in that opening scene in the trashed pharmacy, just rootin’ around for supplies (and also functioned to help move Dina’s story along).
Graffiti On The Wall
- Dina and Ellie not knowing what pride flags are is a great reminder that human society was basically frozen in 2003.
- Loved the return of Astronomer Ellie!
- So are there just Wolves on embroidery duty? I suppose it could be good practice for stitching wounds.
- The big action scenes made me think of how hard this must be as a game, and that’s why I’ll never play it!!!
- As reticent as I am to be pro cult, we’ve seen a disproportionate amount of bad behaviour from the Wolves so far. Also intriguing how there are Wolves deflectors, but none for Seraphites.
- Maybe I’m too pessimistic (which probably means I’m in right mindset for the mushroom apocalypse), but I’m a little fearful that preggo Dina will meet the same fate as Ellie’s mom.
- My question for y’all and Stephanie: if you could raid any store à la Isaac and Williams Sonoma, what would be on your wish list? (For the sake of keeping it interesting, let’s exclude books lol.)
What did y’all think of this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!
