Spoilers ahead for the rest of Season 2, be aware!

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Right off the bat, the fourth episode of The Last of Us Season 2 confirms how ruthless the “Washington Liberation Front” (WLF) is.

The opening scene transports viewers to 2018, where a truck full of “FEDRA” (Federal Disaster Response Agency) soldiers can be seen having a lively chat. Soon, the conversation moves to the topic of “voters,” local civilians who used to be able to vote on the crucial factors that now affect their lives in a post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, FEDRA  ripped those voting rights away—the militia group is none too kind due to their implementation of martial law in “Quarantine Zones” (QTs). As the truck moves along, it suddenly stops as the soldiers inside encounter a small group led by a “voter” named Hanrahan: Burton (one of the FEDRA soldiers) and Sgt. Isaac Dixon (played by Jeffrey Wright) exits the vehicle to meet them as tensions run high. Suddenly, Dixon aligns himself with the voter and her people by performing a vicious act—unpinning a grenade, throwing it into the back of the truck with the remaining militia men, and closing the doors shut while the proceeding explosion claims their lives. As a shocked Burton looks on, Dixon gives him a choice to make—join him as the latest member of the WLF or die where he stands. This scene shows just how much of a tactical and brutal leader Dixon is, plus it establishes how he and the WLF overcame FEDRA’s oppressive rule.

Fast forward to the present day, and we come across Ellie and Dina as they’re searching for supplies in an abandoned building. Dina comes across some medical supplies, and the ones in particular that catch her eye are pregnancy tests. Dina alerts Ellie that she has to pee, which makes it clear that her quick pissing session is all about Dina using those tests to find out if she’s carrying a baby or not. Once they leave, Ellie and Dina come across grass-covered streets that are also covered by the skeletal remains of WLF soldiers. Both ladies soon enter a music shop, where Ellie finds an acoustic guitar that inspires her to play the classic synth-pop song “Take On Me” by a-ha. Dina is moved by Ellie’s performance as she watches close by.

The following events shine another spotlight on Dixon during his vicious interrogation with a member of the “Seraphites” (who the WLF refer to as “Scars”). As a nude, bloody, and bruised Seraphite sits on the floor of a kitchen with chains holding him in place, Dixon asks him for information on the rest of the Scars’ location. The prisoner refuses to give up such pertinent data and instead chooses to speak on how the Seraphites are stronger than the WLF, which pushes Dixon to burn him with a frying pan and shoot him in the head soon after. We then return to Ellie and Dina, who begin exploring another abandoned building. Their search for useful items becomes a bit more distressing as they spot the dead body of a WLF member who’s been shot to death with arrows. In a nearby auditorium, they lock eyes with a bunch of hung-up WLF soldiers who’ve met their end at the hands of the Seraphites (the phrase “Feel Her Love” written in blood on a nearby wall gave that outcome away). Ellie and Dina are forced to go into hiding as a crew of WLF soldiers rush into the room and survey the area for survivors or intruders that may or may not be in attendance. The action picks up once Ellie gets into a scuffle with a WLF soldier who finds her—Ellie chokes him out while Ellie shoots an incoming WLF soldier in the head. They successfully escape the building, but the remaining WLF soldiers pursue them. This is when one of the most action-packed sequences from the game comes to life.

Ellie and Dina run off into a train station tunnel—as the WLF soldiers remain in pursuit, the blood-curdling screams of the “Infected” pierce the room. The WLF soldiers are overrun by a massive horde of ravenous Infected, which forces Ellie and Dina to take refuge in a train car. Things go from bad to worse once they realize their new supposed safe space is riddled with skeletons, and after they realize the Infected have busted their way into the train. Ellie and Dina make a daring escape as they climb out of the roof via an emergency exit. As the chase sequence continues, Ellie and Dina struggle to move through a rusted turnstile. Things begin to look dire for Dina as an Infected runs up to her, and Ellie fights to save her. The Infected chomps on Ellie’s arm, but she fights through the pain and gets Dina out of her sticky situation. Once both of them enter a nearby theater, Dina raises her gun at Ellie as she fears that Ellie will turn soon and endanger her life. This is where Ellie reveals she is immune—she promises to sleep in front of Dina so she can see that the Infected disease truly does not affect her. Dina soon discovers that Ellie was telling the truth about her condition, which leads to her having an emotional moment as she reveals that she’s pregnant to Ellie.

The main difference I spotted in this episode is how the train tunnel escape sequence was handled. In the game, Ellie and Dina embark on a stealth mission while they’re being followed by the WLF. Both women sneak their way through the train tunnels as the threat of those armed soldiers and “Shamblers” keeps them on their toes. Ellie finds herself in a bad situation as the train car she’s exploring takes a tumble and puts her in the unwelcome presence of a bloodthirsty member of the Infected. Dina saves Ellie’s life, but then notices Ellie’s mask is broken—she wants to give Ellie her mask, but Ellie stops Dina from doing so when she reveals that she is immune to the dangerous air quality that results in people turning into Infected. This episode produced the train tunnel escape with a more action-packed chase sequence, while the game focused on a sneakier approach supplemented by Ellie’s confession to Dina and the tense train turnstile moment. I’ll admit to equally enjoying both the game and the show’s presentations of the train tunnel chase sequence and the way Dina finds out about Ellie’s immunity.

After a passionate encounter between Ellie and Dina plays out in their new place of refuge (the theatre), Dina tells Ellie about the four pregnancy tests she used to get the confirmation she needed about her pregnancy. Ellie enjoys a rare moment of happiness once she realizes that she and Dina (and Jessie, can’t forget about the actual father of the baby!) are about to become the proud parents of a little one. The harsh reality of the world around them breaks up this heartwarming moment, though—Ellie and Dina run up to the roof as the sound of explosions catches their attention. In the distance, they spot WLF soldiers engulfed in conflict. Dina takes out her map and tells her about the landmark where all that fighting is happening. Ellie makes it clear that she’ll head out to the building marked on Dina’s map without her lover nearby—now that Dina is carrying another human in her body, Ellie doesn’t want to put her in any unnecessary danger. Now we’re set to hit the fifth episode, which is expected to dive deeper into the WLF’s conflicts and continue Ellie and Dina’s mission that puts them in conflict with Abby and her cohorts.