The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 3 Recap: The Road to Seattle (TLOU Episode 3)
Following the gut-wrenching conclusion of episode 2, this week’s installment of The Last of Us takes us on an emotional journey as Ellie processes Joel’s brutal murder and sets her sights on revenge. Episode 3 serves as a transitional chapter, shifting from the shocking loss that defined the season’s early episodes to establishing the revenge quest that will drive the remainder of the season. As Ellie and Dina embark on their dangerous journey to Seattle, we witness grief transform into determination against the backdrop of a world where justice and vengeance often blur together.
The Weight of Loss
The episode opens with a hauntingly powerful scene – Tommy sits beside his brother’s body, sharing a quiet moment of farewell as he asks Joel to “say hi to Sarah,” Joel’s daughter who died at the outbreak of the infection. This intimate moment establishes the profound grief reverberating through Jackson following the WLF attack.
When we first see Ellie, she’s awakening from unconsciousness, tears streaming down her face as Joel’s death replays in her mind. Her scream of anguish sets the emotional tone for the episode, revealing the trauma that will fuel her actions moving forward. The community of Jackson is reeling not just from Joel’s death, but from the attack that left multiple casualties.
Ellie’s grief manifests in complex ways throughout the episode. While she puts on a brave face to get discharged from medical care, her pain becomes evident when she returns to Joel’s empty house. The sight of his shirts hanging up – everyday items that suddenly represent profound absence – causes her to break down. It’s a poignant reminder that your final moment with someone doesn’t necessarily define your relationship with them, though Ellie clearly struggles with the fact that her last interaction with Joel was an argument.
Justice, Vengeance, and Responsibility
Determined to make Abby and the “Wolves” pay for Joel’s death, Ellie approaches the Jackson town council with a formal request to assemble a team to pursue them to Seattle. She prepares a speech arguing that the strong bonds among trustworthy neighbors are what sustain Jackson, “not potluck dinners.” However, her plea falls on unreceptive ears.
The council, influenced by community voices, determines that while Joel was important, he wasn’t necessarily more special than others who died during the attack. Additionally, they argue that sending their best fighters to Seattle would leave Jackson vulnerable to future attacks – a pragmatic but unsatisfying conclusion for Ellie.
This rejection leads to a heated exchange between Tommy and Ellie, where she implies that if he truly valued Joel’s memory, he would immediately gather a group to head to Washington. Tommy responds sharply: “Don’t talk to me like I didn’t know him,” asserting that while Joel would have risked everything to save Tommy’s life, he wouldn’t have endorsed a dangerous mission of pure vengeance. This conflict highlights a central question of the episode: What would Joel have wanted them to do?
Similarly, Dina challenges Ellie’s assumption that she alone truly loved Joel, reminding her that the entire town was “wreckage and funerals for weeks” following the attack. These confrontations force Ellie to reckon with her grief while emphasizing that loss is rarely a solitary experience.
Two Against the World
Denied official support, Ellie decides to take matters into her own hands. With surprising assistance from Seth, who provides supplies and helps them sneak out, Ellie and Dina embark on the dangerous journey to Seattle alone.
Their journey unfolds through a montage of northwestern landscapes, from the plains of Wyoming to the forests of Washington. Along the way, we get glimpses of their evolving relationship. During an overnight stay in a rainstorm, Dina asks Ellie to rate their New Year’s kiss, playfully balking when Ellie gives it a mere six out of ten. Dina reveals that her relationship with Jesse is back on, but questions whether her own nature might be the source of their recurring problems. This conversation hints at complex romantic tensions simmering beneath their friendship.
The interplay between Ellie and Dina provides the episode’s few moments of lightness. Their relationship offers a glimpse of hope and connection in Ellie’s grief-darkened world.
Discovering New Threats
The journey takes a dark turn when Ellie and Dina stumble upon a massacre – bodies belonging to a group known as the Seraphites. These distinctive figures wear monochrome clothing and bear prominent scars on their cheeks, shaped almost like Joker-like smiles. According to overheard information, they follow a “Prophet” who has been dead for a decade and were fleeing Seattle to escape a “war” with the Wolves.
This gruesome discovery gives Ellie and Dina their first real insight into the threat posed by the WLF. The brutal killings demonstrate that Abby’s group isn’t just a small band of travelers but a ruthless, organized force. It’s a sobering moment that foreshadows the dangers awaiting them in Seattle.
As they finally approach Seattle, the pair joke about “Curtis & Viper” – a movie series Joel enjoyed. Their levity is short-lived, however, as they witness the true scope of what they’re up against. The WLF is revealed to be a highly disciplined military operation with dozens of well-armed members patrolling the streets. The overgrown skyscrapers and crumbling concrete of Seattle provide an eerie backdrop to this revelation, emphasizing that they’re walking into a war zone rather than a small survivor camp.
What Comes Next?
The episode ends with Ellie and Dina standing at the outskirts of Seattle, confronted with the reality that they’ve severely underestimated their enemy. This cliffhanger sets up the action-packed episodes to come as the pair infiltrate a city controlled by a militarized faction.
The preview for episode 4 suggests a significant escalation in danger, showing Ellie and Dina escaping from Infected in an abandoned subway car. Most troublingly, the preview ends with Dina pointing a gun at Ellie, raising alarming questions about what situation could lead to such a confrontation. Could Ellie be infected again? Or is there another explanation for this tense standoff?
Some fans speculate that Tommy won’t remain in Jackson but will follow Ellie and Dina with a small team. Given his conflicted feelings about honoring his brother’s memory while protecting their community, this theory seems plausible and could add another dimension to the revenge narrative.
Reflections on a Quieter Episode
While episode 3 lacks the emotional bombshell of episode 2 or the action-packed sequences hinted at in the preview for episode 4, it serves an essential purpose in the season’s narrative arc. It’s a transitional chapter that allows for character development while setting the stage for the conflicts to come.
The episode’s deliberate pacing resembles season 2’s premiere, focusing heavily on setup and world-building. Some viewers might find the slower tempo frustrating, especially considering the shortened season length, but it allows for necessary emotional processing after Joel’s shocking death.
Questions to Ponder
- Will Ellie’s quest for revenge provide the closure she seeks, or will it only lead to more trauma?
- What caused the conflict between the WLF and the Seraphites, and how will it impact Ellie and Dina’s mission?
- Why is Dina pointing a gun at Ellie in the preview for episode 4?
- Will Tommy follow Ellie and Dina to Seattle, potentially changing the dynamics of their revenge mission?
- How will Ellie and Dina navigate a militarized city where they’re significantly outnumbered?
As the season progresses, we can expect the tempo to accelerate as Ellie and Dina plunge deeper into Seattle’s dangerous landscape. The “calm before the storm” quality of episode 3 suggests that the relative quiet won’t last long, with conflict and revelations awaiting our protagonists in the war-torn streets of Seattle.
What did you think of this episode? Are you team Tommy (prioritizing safety) or team Ellie (pursuing justice at all costs)? Share your thoughts and predictions for episode 4 in the comments below!
