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The Last of Us season 2 premiered on April 13, 2025, and the fourth episode was released on May 4, 2025. Since its launch in 2023, the show has become a fan favorite as it adapts the events of the eponymous video game in a longer format.
This long format allows for certain storylines of the show to be explored in greater depth compared to the video game. One such storyline is Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) relationship with Dina (Isabel Merced).
I couldn’t help but notice how differently Ellie and Dina’s relationship unfolded in the show compared to the video game. From the way they revealed personal secrets to the moment they first got intimate, the series introduced several key changes in how their bond was portrayed on screen.
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The Last of Us season 2 gives weight to Ellie and Dina's revelations
In The Last of Us Part II game, Ellie's immunity to the Cordyceps virus was revealed after the infected subway sequence. Since the game also featured airborne spores, which can cause infection, Ellie inhaled them when her gas mask accidentally broke. Subsequently, Ellie had no choice but to reveal her immunity to the virus to Dina.
While the show also used the subway sequence for the pivotal event of Ellie apparently getting affected, it changed how it happened because the airborne infected spores had not been introduced yet.
In episode 4, titled Day One, Ellie saved Dina from the infected in the subway by letting one of the infected bite her hand. Since Dina was unaware of her immunity, she stayed up all night to see if Ellie would turn. It was then that Ellie revealed that she was immune to the virus.
Although initially unsure of Ellie's reaction, Dina disclosed her own secret about her pregnancy in the same episode of The Last of Us season 2. Ellie expressed her happiness about it and even readily volunteered to co-parent the baby with Dina and Jesse.
However, in the game, when Dina revealed her pregnancy, Ellie asked her why she did not return to their home base of Jackson, Wyoming, a few weeks ago if she had doubts about her pregnancy. Dina replied:
"I didn’t wanna be a burden."
Ellie snapped back:
"Well, you’re a burden now, aren’t you?"
Ellie felt that Dina's pregnancy would jeopardize her quest for the vengeance she sought for Joel's death.
I feel the slow burn of Ellie and Dina’s relationship in The Last of Us season 2 made their connection more real
In the video game, Ellie and Dina were already a couple before they left Jackson for Seattle. They admitted that they had romantic feelings for each other and even got intimate with each other before Joel's death.
However, in The Last of Us season 2, Ellie and Dina's relationship evolved over four episodes. In the fourth episode, after Ellie's warm reaction to her pregnancy, Dina pulled her in for a passionate kiss, which was followed by them sleeping together for the first time in the abandoned theater they were using as refuge.
After watching the episode, I realized that this slow-burning approach to their relationship made it more earned, tender, and emotionally layered than in the game. Dina's pregnancy put the stakes higher for Ellie, who appears to be in a position similar to Joel's.
Joel was always protective of Ellie, as if she were his own daughter, and since Ellie is going to be a parent, she might take after him.
The Last of Us is available to stream on Max.
