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

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As Season 2 of The Last of Us has played out across its first four episodes, viewers have been introduced to new characters, factions, and even a new type of “Infected.” This season has also revealed the motivations behind the missions Ellie, the “Washington Liberation Front,” and the “Seraphites” find themselves on, while trying to endure the many dangers in their post-apocalyptic world.

Speaking of the WLF, this episode opened with a meeting between WLF leader Hanrahan and fellow member Elise Park. Park delivers some troubling news after returning from a previous operation. Getting bitten by an Infected isn’t the only path toward becoming one of them—now humans can be transformed into those horrifying creatures simply by breathing in the air filled with spores that have originated from the cordyceps outbreak.

After learning that crucial detail about the deteriorating state of the world, we moved on to the second day of Ellie and Dina’s stay in the abandoned theatre they now recognize as their base of operations. Dina details a plans to infiltrate a nearby WLF building and the Lakehille Seattle Hospital, which she triangulated by using the walkie-talkie they grabbed from a fallen WLF soldier in the last episode. Ellie and Dina begin their trek while the sun is still out, but to their dismay, they come across the grisly sight of dead Seraphites who met their end at the hands of gun-toting WLF militia. This stomach-turning discovery causes Ellie to question whether Dina should continue aiding her on her journey. Soon after, Dina recounts a story of seeing her mother and sister getting murdered by a raider when she was only eight years old. This major reveal provided an entirely new story wrinkle that pointed to Dina being down to the very end to help Ellie avenge Joel, as Dina could relate to witnessing the traumatic death of a loved one and being compelled to get revenge in their honor.

Nightfall eventually came—under the blanket of darkness, Ellie and Dina snuck into the building watched over by the WLF and plotted their next move. After making their way into a storage room, Ellie and Dina soon realized that they weren’t alone due to the presence of multiple “Stalker” Infected. Dina ran off to take refuge underneath a gate while Ellie transitioned into defense mode. With their pistols at the ready, both survivors picked off as many of the rampaging creatures as they could until their situation began to look dire. Thankfully, a familiar face popped up to save the day—Jesse! Thanks to his masterful use of a firearm, Ellie and Dina escaped and managed to steer clear of the WLF soldiers who were alerted to their noisy struggle. The WLF soldiers remained in pursuit until Ellie, Dina, and Jessie took refuge inside the nearby woods. The soldiers abruptly ended their chase, and soon, we found out why.

It turned out Ellie, Dina, and Jesse accidentally entered Seraphite territory. They soon realized the error of their ways as they watched a small group of Serpahites hang and gut a helpless man. Then, out of nowhere, Dina’s leg got punctured by an arrow shot by a Seraphite who spotted them. An escape sequence ensued that saw Jesse take Dina to safety while Ellie distracted the Seraphites still on her tail. After finally ditching them, Ellie locked eyes with the one location she’s wanted to infiltrate since arriving in Seattle—the Lakehille Seattle Hospital.

After dodging the search party of a WLF soldier and his trusty canine, Ellie entered the hospital. Once inside, we get another good look at Nora (who was present during the torture and subsequent murder of Joel at the hands of Abby). The sequences that followed this character's reappearance adopted some familiar scenes from the game and offered a few changes on how they unfolded. Just like in the game, Ellie ambushed Nora and forcefully asked her where Abby is. During this tense standoff, Nora brought up Joel as she antagonized Ellie and distracted her long enough to escape her dire situation. Ellie chases Nora into the basement, only to discover the massive overgrowth of cordyceps. This infestation has transformed the bodies of humans into spore-producing organisms, trapped in a horrific limbo, not fully dead, but forever tortured.

Ellie’s focus soon returned to her hunt for Nora, who was finally found in the corner of a room lit up by familiar red lighting. After another tense exchange between the two, Ellie smashed Nora’s leg with a steel pole in a scene reminiscent of the way Abby assaulted Joel. After this cruel beatdown fades to black, the episode ended with a flashback sequence that sent us back to a happier time, where Joel is seen waking up Ellie for another adventure. While that series of events is similar to how they unfolded in the game, there were some key differences.

During the game’s version of the chase sequence, Ellie brought Nora down to the basement after making a great leap to escape from WLF soldiers. After that, Ellie used her Shotgun to put down incoming Infected and wade through a series of obstacle-laden rooms before she uncovered Nora’s location again. Finally, Ellie unleashed her frustrations on Nora by smashing her face in with a steel pole. I’ll admit—while I prefer the game’s rendition of Ellie and Nora’s fateful encounter, I still have to credit the show’s version because it showcased the horrors of the cordyceps epidemic due to the presence of those two contaminated soldiers.

As we move on to episode six, you can expect to get more insight into Ellie and Joel’s relationship after everything they went through in the first season. I can’t wait to see how the show produces the museum visit Ellie and Joel embarked on, plus the heartwarming astronaut dream sequence that transported Ellie away from the harsh realities of her post-apocalyptic world for a brief moment.