The Last Of Us season 2 episode 5 review | It's not just love that's in the air

The Last Of Us season 2 episode 5 review | It’s not just love that’s in the air

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Ellie and Dina encounter more trouble in Seattle as they search for Abby’s friends. Here’s our The Last Of Us season 2 episode 5 review.

Warning! The following review includes spoilers for previous episodes of The Last Of Us.

The world of The Last Of Us is bleak to say the least. Trouble and potential death awaits behind every door in the form of horrifically disfigured creatures who used to be human and chances of survival are dire. Yet, our heroes, Ellie and Dina, march on, looking for Abby and her friends in Seattle.

Episode 4 ended with Dina and Ellie deciding to pursue the WLF at a local hospital together, despite Dina’s pregnancy. Leaving the relative safety of the theatre they’ve taken refuge in is dangerous and it’s not long until their journey takes a turn for the worse in episode 5.

But before we check in with them, we begin with WLF. The basement access at the hospital where the WLF have made a base at, has been blocked and Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach) wants to know why. Well, it’s not just that the infected are getting smarter and can now stalk you, the fungus is becoming airborne.

That’s right, the spores are back! Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann made the executive decision to not have the infection spread via the spores like in the game in season 1 of The Last Of Us, but they’re introducing them now and they make a return in style.

The Scars, or Seraphites if you prefer, also make a flashy return. Like with Isaac in the last episode, we get a glimpse into the war between them and the WLF in the form of bodies strewn across the streets and hanging from ceilings with their bellies cut out. Hopefully the series will find more room to explore the conflict in future episodes or next season. It’s almost more interesting than Ellie’s quest for revenge, I must say.

It’s worth noting here that Isabela Merced is quickly becoming the show’s scene stealer. It’s not that anyone around her is bad, but her Dina is a huge improvement over her game counterpart. She has more agency and Merced establishes her as someone with her own game to play rather than just following Ellie and being reduced to her love interest.

Bella Ramsey is also very strong in this episode which skillfully combines character development and action. Her Ellie has so far been a less intense version of the game Ellie, but that intensity is starting to creep back in as she gets closer to Abby’s friends. Rather than immediately be consumed by her need for vengeance, this Ellie is slowly but surely losing the light in her and being swallowed whole by the darkness within.

Mazin and Druckmann seem to have taken the criticism of not having enough action with the infected in season 1 to heart as season 2 keeps upping the ante with how many infected can they get chasing Ellie at once. With her immunity, Ellie is forced to protect Dina at her own expense and the episode features a moment where you truly worry for her. She can’t get infected from a bite, but she can’t survive being torn apart.

I hope The Last Of Us will keep that sense of danger. There’s an ever so slight sense of playing things safe still, but hopefully, as the story progresses, The Last Of Us remains exciting for those who already know each twist and turn and for those who are experiencing it for the first time.

New episodes of The Last Of Us debut on Sky and NOW every Monday.