This season has certainly kept me on my toes, but even I couldn’t fathom the events of this episode. For those familiar with the games, there have been many remarkable moments, and this nail-biting end will likely be one of them. Never fret, we’ve already been confirmed for another season, so while we might have to wait a minute, the show isn’t gone just yet. As a diehard HBO fan, I don’t care how long it takes, I’ll be satisfied. But let us dig into this juicy finale and resolve some things…
When we last saw Dina (Isabela Merced), she had taken an arrow to the leg courtesy of the Seraphites. Jesse (Young Mazino) got her out of there, but gosh, she’s acting pretty weird… Wonder when she plans on coming clean with her baby daddy. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) makes it back after her visit with Nora (Tati Gabrielle), checking on Dina immediately. She opens up and comes clean about everything that happened in Salt Lake City, what Joel did, and how easy it was to follow down his path of violence. It’s the ugliest parts of her laid bare, and you have to wonder how Dina will respond.
“We need to go home.”
This trip hasn’t exactly gone to plan, so it would be best to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and scram as soon as possible. The reality is that our beloved Jackson members have wandered into a full-on war between these two groups. And both groups are goddamn terrifying. Why stick around when you could easily become collateral damage? Dina gives Ellie a good luck charm, signaling they’re ok…ish. Ellie and Jesse head out to meet with Tommy, and it doesn’t take long for Jesse to figure it all out. Unsurprisingly, he’s kind of grumpy about it. But also not, because he gets what it means to love someone like that. But also, now he’s gonna be a dad, so there are bigger issues at hand, and not getting killed in Seattle is the big piece.
I absolutely loved the cinematography of these scenes. The fantastic blend of urbanism and overgrown nature is so well done. It really drives the lonely feeling home. Most especially, a city at war, yet barely anyone is around. We see markings of the Seraphites and their many prophets. We also see the brutality of the WLF when they corner a young Seraphite boy. He recites the words, sounding like a little clone. Does he truly know what he’s saying, or was he just raised to believe it? Regardless, Jesse stops Ellie from getting involved, leading to a big discussion about community, and Ellie showing how deeply she’s missing Joel (Pedro Pascal).
“If I go to Mexico, who saves your ass in Seattle?”
Jesse is constantly reiterating the sense of community. The way we saw Elise (Hettienne Park) give up her son in order to save the community is the exact opposite of what Joel did, killing lots of people to save his community: Ellie. And on her end, she’s pissed because her community was Joel and he was beaten to death in front of her. In the end, Jesse chooses to walk away and find Tommy, leaving Ellie on her own to find Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her people. And her people are making moves. Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) is leading a large military maneuver to attack the Scars. Ellie has figured out where Abby’s stashed; she just needs to cross some water to get there. First off, the screen was so damn dark that even with all my curtains closed I had to stand next to the tv to see anything. But also, jesus lord, the water scenes were making me so nervous. I get that it’s a show but that storm was goddamn panic inducing. Not to mention Ellie landing on Scar Island. The scenes moved so quickly, but you get the sense that Jesse was right. This is not their war, and they need to back away slowly before someone gets caught in the crossfire. Even small children are like, “Yes, string them up and slice them open.” Time to run, not walk, away.
Ellie makes it to the aquarium, only someone isn’t there… One guess who? Instead, it’s Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord), and Ellie gives them a chance, but Owen doesn’t trust it, and in the end, everyone loses. Owen is dead, and Ellie has to live with the consequences of taking not only Mel’s life but also the life of her unborn child. This is what finally breaks her. Because that could be Dina, and what would she do then? Tommy and Jesse arrive and rally everyone back to the theater. Maybe it’s time for Ellie to let go…
“I let you live and you wasted it.”
As with most HBO shows, they give you a moment of hope before dashing it. A scuffle is heard, and when Jesse comes flying out, he’s shot dead. Tommy’s on the ground, and who do we have? Well, gee golly, it’s the one person Ellie’s been looking for. Abby was right behind them, arriving back at the aquarium to find her fallen comrades, and followed them right back here. The emotions boil over only for the screen to cut to black. We’re back on Abby, but also back to Day One in Seattle. We see the true depths of what the WLF has created, of what Isaac is trying to protect. And now we’ll get to see everything from Abby’s perspective.
Season 3 will provide the focus on Abby and her perception of the events, a common video game tactic to switch character perspectives, so we now get a revisit. But we will have to wait a minute for it. This show is known for its amazing physical and graphic effects, and that takes time. Like I said at the beginning, no matter how long, I’ll be waiting because I absolutely stand behind the products HBO makes. But being unfamiliar with the game, I’m curious about what’s ahead. Not only to see everything from a shifted perspective, but also how these two will end their feud. An eye for an eye works for a while, but eventually everyone will be blind…
