The latest episode of The Last of Us focused on the growing closeness between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced), who are searching post-apocalyptic Seattle for the woman who killed Ellie's father. It's not exactly the time and place to start a new romance, but Ellie and Dina beat the odds.
This is all more or less in keeping with The Last of Us Part II, the video game on which the HBO show is based. There, Ellie and Dina present a united front...for a while. Although we won't give away the details for the sake of spoilers, eventually things between the two get complicated.
Will we reach that point by the end of The Last of Us season 2? It's hard to say, but at the least, we'll see their relationship tested mightily in the third season of the series, which has already been renewed. Isabela Merced gave Variety a brief preview of what's in store:
"It’s going to be weird acting like I don’t like Bella. It’s going to be hard, because I have such a sweet spot for them now. But I don’t know. I’ve tried to ask [showrunner Craig Mazin], but I don’t think he even really knows yet fully how things are going to be. But I have my own input that I’ve already texted him about with suggestions as to how everyone reacts to the ending of Season 2, and how I think Dina — now that she’s changed so much from the game — how she would react to the events that occur. And I’m so excited to talk about Episode 7, because that to me is a huge shift for their relationship, and what happens when the truth is revealed."
Dina and Ellie's relationship has indeed been changed a bit from the games. In the TV show, Ellie is excited when Dina tells her that she's pregnant, while in the games Ellie is so focused on getting revenge on Joel's killers that she sees Dina's pregnancy as an imposition. So they're in a better place on the TV show, but that just means there's further for them to fall.
As for what precipitates the shift in their relationship, it sounds like something big may go down in Episode 7, which is unfortunately also the last episode of the season. Yes, there are only seven episodes in The Last of Us season 2. So we have three more to enjoy before the new long wait begins. Mazin and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, who also produced the video games, have yet to decide if The Last of Us will end with season 3 or if there will be a fourth season to wrap every up, but at least we know that season 2 isn't the end.
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