Join us back in Jackson Hole for ALL the feelings. Spoiler alert: it sucks. For the record, ON MY END, I knew that a certain someone would be leaving us. But I haven’t played the game, so I had no clue when that would be. Y’all, I did not expect episode freaking two! Now we have to go the rest of this season with all the goddamn feels?! That’s just rude, HBO. But let’s dive into the aftermath because there’s a lot to dig through here.
Tommy (Gabriel Luna) has come to see his brother, Joel (Pedro Pascal). Has to make sure it’s really him and he’s really dead. Yes and yes, unfortunately, as we see from the broken wristwatch. He begins cleaning the body, “Give Sarah my love.” UGH, MY HEART. Meanwhile, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is in the hospital following 
the attack and is doing profoundly not so good. I’ve replayed plenty of horrible things in my head, but I can’t imagine the pain of seeing that happen in front of your eyes again and again and again. She needs time to heal, and so does Jackson Hole. The events of episode two were a huge problem for the town. They need to rebuild, grieve their loved ones, try their best, and move forward. A little down the line and Ellie has the lung function back to leave the hospital, but only after a visit first with Gail (Catherine O’Hara), the head shrink. Ellie tries to wrap up everything in a neat little bow, but Gail knows better. I don’t know if she’s potentially a little biased, but we’ll see.
Cleared, Ellie returns to an empty home. Can it even be a home without him there? Flowers left by the town 
members, Ellie’s old room left untouched except the bed being removed, even his flannels hang there, mocking the fact that he’s gone. I knew she would lose it, but even I couldn’t handle her crying into his shirts. As someone who lost their father, the hardest part was reckoning with his clothes and how he would never wear them again. But she slaps herself straight because she has a visitor. Dina (Isabela Merced) comes with a peace offering. No, she wasn’t completely honest before, and yes, she has cookies. “I loved him too, you know.” She’s all in, but she wants to do it smartly. They need to discuss things with the council. Tommy agrees and he’ll back her, as long as it’s smart. Ellie makes a solemn vow.
Next, we cut away to a traveling group. Led by a father and his younger daughter, we hear the group communicate in whistles. She’s still learning, but old enough to wield a hammer for protecting the group. But suddenly, they take cover and whistle alarms out. Time to hide, but what from? Wolves…
Ellie is in training mode. She’s finally near 100%, and Jesse (Young Mazino) doesn’t want to push as hard as she wants to. But he’s on the council and gives her a good piece of advice: plan your words. She’s angry, and if she goes in there unprepared, she’s not going to be able to sway anyone. She needs to think it out. And she does. After Seth (Robert John Burke) gives an impassioned speech on her behalf and on behalf of the town, she speaks up. This isn’t even about Joel. This is about justice. Just because it’s an apocalypse, does that mean all rules of law are gone? The group killed one of their people. How can they possibly just let that go? And in Seth’s defense, what if they come back? Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) hints that there are more of them in Seattle. What terror could they come back with? In the end, the vote is no, and Ellie agrees to respect that…well, kind of.
Tommy opens up to Gail, who admits that Ellie is a liar-liar pants. She saw through the whole “I’m fine” facade. Not surprisingly, I think even an untrained person could. But then she says something I truly didn’t expect and would likely get her disbarred or whatever if the alcohol and weed didn’t…”Some people just can’t be saved.” Damn. You really think she’s that far gone? What about the fact that her whole life has been an apocalypse with no mother and no father, and then she finally gets someone she can look up to like a dad, and he gets murdered, and the last time they ever spoke was a fight? I mean, she’s kind of going through some stuff here. That seems pretty damn cold, Gail.
You know what else is cold? Going out into the wilderness without enough provisions and supplies. Lucky for Ellie, Dina doesn’t plan on sitting this one out. In fact, she’s so goddamn organized she’s got a man gathering it all for her. I wasn’t expecting to see Seth at the East Gate, but he offers a better gun and a handshake to Ellie as a peace offering. She accepts, and it’s time to keep that vow. She told Tommy she 
wouldn’t visit Joel’s grave until they were leaving for Seattle, and here’s her moment. Absolutely breathtaking cinematography in this episode, beginning with the grave visit and following Dina and Ellie through the mountains. She’s the lead rider this time, taking Joel’s gun and his place. They make it through a storm, all the while still “is there something here, is there not” with each other. Dina can claim she’s straight and was stoned, but I have doubts. Girl, just own your bisexuality. It’s fine. Literally, no one cares.
But it’s the following scene that gives a shock to both their systems. That father and daughter? Dead. The whole group? Slaughtered. And if this is the wolves, then it’s on like Donkey Kong. Even Dina is disgusted and agrees that if Abby’s group is responsible for this, then something must be done. We see WLF making maneuvers through Seattle. Things are going to escalate quickly once Ellie and Dina ride into town. And I cannot freaking wait.
