The Last of Us’ second season has been a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster of emotions for those who are invested, a rollercoaster of anticipation and confusion for fans of the game, and a rollercoaster of backlash and controversy spawned almost single-handedly by the vocal minorities who despise its left-wing messages. Four episodes in, however, the season finally feels like it is heading directly for where it needs to be (for the most part).
That’s not to say that episode 2 lacked forward momentum, it’s simply that the first three episodes stretched out what is essentially a prologue to the game into a three-hour introduction to the season’s main plot. Episode four, titled “Day One”, finally sees Ellie and Dina having reached Seattle and actually commencing their hunt for Abby and her crew. Yet along the way, they find that things in Seattle are a lot more complicated than they thought, as the city is split between two brutal, warring factions.
This episode in particular was a treat for fans of the game. Like Part l, Part ll splits itself into chapters, but each chapter ends at the end of a day, not the end of a season. The “Day 1” segment of the game is an exploration-heavy chapter that slowly reveals the civil war within the city. Sets in the episode are recreated directly from the game, namely the Valorant Music Shop, the TV station and the theater, which is simply pleasing to the eye. For many viewers, the “Take on Me” sequence was a highlight, as it was in the game, providing a simple yet beautiful example of culture surviving through the end of the world. The TV station sequence as well is a great example of the show adapting the game, providing a tense set piece that proves that the showrunners are pulling no punches this season.
Possibly the biggest highlight of the episode is the introduction of Isaac, played by Jeffery Wright. Wright provided the voice, face model, and motion capture for Isaac in the game, and from the start there was speculation that he would return for the show. The character doesn’t receive an extensive backstory, nor a ton of screentime, but is a very important character in the game’s second half, so setting him up now is not a bad plan. Wright’s two big scenes are intelligently written and manage to provide a sense of intrigue and mystery surrounding the character. He might be clearing a spot on his shelf for a supporting actor Emmy, who knows.
The last twenty-five minutes of the episode are an adrenaline-drenched sequence that pays homage to the game brilliantly, but it is the ending that found the writers on rocky ground for some viewers. The episode ends on a revelation surrounding Ellie and Dina’s relationship, which quickly turns sexual once they hole up in the theater. The problem with the scene is that it feels like they lose sight of their ultimate goal in the city, and the scene is stretched out to a distracting length. While it is easy to assume that after being chased by armed men into an Infected-infested subway station and barely surviving, they would be happy to be alive in each other’s arms, but it never feels like they are that worried about the massive horde that could easily break down their defenses and swarm them again. These are nitpicks, because the scene has merit for both the characters and the future of the story, but it’s hard not to point out.
Despite some interesting decisions that force the audience to suspend disbelief to an unnecessary degree, “Day One” is a near-perfectly successful hour of television that delivers what it needs for an effective apocalyptic drama.
