Was that Dina in The Last of Us Episode 6?

The latest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, “Kin,”introduced viewers to an important new location for the series: the survivor settlement at Jackson, Wyoming. While the outside world is full of horror, the Jackson settlement is the closest thing to a functional society we’ve seen yet in the series. They have greenhouses, electricity, strong defenses, nice houses, even Christmas trees and movie nights.

We never really see Jackson up close in the first The Last of Us game by Naughty Dog, which came out in 2013; in the game, the scenes from Episode 6 mostly take place at a nearby dam that powers the town. The team behind the show made a conscious choice to explore the Jackson settlement proper in the episode, which makes a lot of sense considering how central it is to The Last of Us Part II video game.

“Kin” included some pointed references to The Last of Us Part II. And none of them was bigger than a surprise appearance by none other than Dina, Ellie’s future love interest.

If you were one of those people who shouted “wait, was that Dina?!” at your television on Sunday night, or perhaps you’ve just heard rumblings about Dina’s cameo and want to know what the deal is, you’re in the right place. Here’s everything you need to know.

Was that Dina on The Last of Us Episode 6?

The scene in question comes shortly after Joel and Ellie are escorted into Jackson, when they’re having a meal in the mess hall with Tommy and Maria. During this conversation, Ellie catches another girl staring at her; she quickly scrambles away once Ellie calls her out. Many fans drew the conclusion that this could only be Dina.

“In [The Last of Us Part II], there is a story about the first time Dina met Ellie that is very similar to what happens here,” showrunner and The Last of Us game creator Neil Druckmann said on the latest episode of The Last of Us Podcast. “That doesn’t mean that that’s Dina, but it doesn’t mean it’s not,” added co-showrunner Craig Mazin.

While Mazin and Druckmann tried to dance around it, their excitement is pretty palpable on the podcast. If that’s not meant to be Dina, I’ll eat my hat. I’ll buy a hat, and then I’ll eat it.

Who plays Dina in The Last of Us season 2?

So did we just meet the actor who will be playing Dina in season 2? The girl who Ellie accosts in the cafeteria is only credited as “staring girl,” and is played by Paolina van Cleef. Could she be playing Dina in season 2?

It’ll likely be a while before we know for certain. Dina was voiced by Westworld actor Shannon Woodward — who, coincidentally, was the one who first introduced Druckmann and Mazin. Naughty Dog contacted actor and YouTuber Cascina Caradonna to serve as a face model for the character.  Woodward doesn’t look anything like Dina and is probably too old to play a convincing love interest for Bella Ramsey. Caradonna, on the other hand, obviously looks the part and is around the same age now as Dina is portrayed in the game. It’s certainly possible she could play Dina in the show, but it wouldn’t be that surprising if HBO decided to cast someone new for the part since they’ve done that with every other character in the series aside from Marlene.

As for van Cleef, she looks quite a lot like Dina. It’s easy to imagine her playing the character in The Last of Us season 2, but we won’t know for a while yet.

The Last of Us airs new episodes Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

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h/t Forbes