Step away from the spores if you have not watched “Really feel Her Love,” the fifth episode of season 2 of “The Final of Us.” Main spoilers incoming!
Ever since Ellie — one of many protagonists of “The Final of Us” (who’s performed on the sequence by Bella Ramsey) — watched her father figure Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) get beaten to death by the vengeful Abby Johnson (Kaitlyn Dever) earlier in season 2 of “The Final of Us,” she’s been out for blood. (Particularly, Abby’s blood.) Now, in “Really feel Her Love,” Ellie and her finest pal turned girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced) are in Seattle searching Abby and her complete crew of “wolves” (which means that they belong to the Washington Liberation Entrance). In actual fact, when she finds one among Abby’s cohorts (Tati Gabrielle as the medic Nora), Ellie’s thirst for revenge overtakes her to the purpose the place even Craig Mazin, who co-developed and show-runs the sequence alongside “The Final of Us” online game creator Neil Druckmann, was frightened.
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“In that second, in that hallway [with Nora], [director] Stephen Williams and Bella and I mentioned how this could problem an viewers as a result of I believe all of us innately love Ellie and root for Ellie partially as a result of Ellie is the protagonist — however not right here,” Mazin defined throughout an interview in regards to the episode with The Hollywood Reporter. “No, not right here. She does flip away from Jesse [one of Ellie’s friends played by Young Mazino] and Dina. She does this horrible factor — the look on her face and the way in which she transforms in that scene. I used to be afraid of her, and I did not like her, and I did not need her to do what she’s doing.”
Past that, Mazin revealed that he got here up with an … unsettling nickname for Ramsey whereas they labored on the scene the place she confronts Nora:
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“Tim Good — the editor of that episode — and I referred to Bella in that scene as ‘child shark’ as a result of there’s one thing about her eyes which might be so darkish and lifeless. There’s this ferocity there that Bella can create. That is so removed from what we noticed simply an episode earlier along with her and Dina celebrating love and new life.”
Craig Mazin says that Ellie, at this level on The Final of Us, has misplaced herself in her quest for revenge
I described Ellie as one of many protagonists of “The Final of Us” earlier, however I ought to say straight that this sequence — and the video video games it is based mostly on — performs quick and free with the mere idea of “protagonists.” Joel, who died horribly within the second episode of season 2, “By way of the Valley,” was our protagonist in season 1; the main focus has now shifted to Ellie, and anybody who’s performed the sport is aware of that Abby additionally turns into a protagonist in her personal sense. (Early into the 2020 sequel “The Final of Us Half II,” which serves because the supply materials for season 2 of the HBO adaptation, the main focus abruptly switches to Abby, and also you play as her earlier than you kill Joel, which actually throws avid gamers for a loop as they don’t seem to be anticipating it.) Now, we’re shedding religion in Ellie, and as Craig Mazin instructed THR, he knew this could occur, as a result of what Ellie does on this episode is so vicious and violent that it will be arduous for viewers members to stay by her facet. (It’s also, as it happens, incredibly faithful to “The Last of Us Part II.”)
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“Simply as Abby began to slide away from her acknowledged causes, we are able to see Ellie slipping away from her acknowledged causes,” Mazin revealed. “That is not rational.” The showrunner then went on to say that after the speech Ellie provides within the protected settlement of Jackson in episode 3, “The Path,” asking folks to assist her discover Abby in Joel’s title, was … simply an excuse to commit violent acts:
“She’s so removed from that pretend speech she delivered on the [Jackson town council] assembly. ‘Oh, this is not about vengeance, it is about us and neighborhood.’ That is going proper again to what has at all times been there in Ellie, which is a rage that I do not even assume she totally understands herself. This isn’t the final time the season that Ellie goes to do one thing the place we really feel like, ‘We won’t go on that stroll with you child.”
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What finally ends up occurring between Nora and Ellie on The Final of Us?
I have been saying that Ellie’s actions in “Really feel Her Love” are disturbing and cruel for some time now, so what really occurred right here? Nora and Ellie first cross paths in “By way of the Valley,” the place Ellie watches Abby beat Joel to the brink of death and then finish him off by driving the jagged, damaged shaft of a golf membership into his neck. As an incapacitated Ellie lies inclined on the ground, she tells Abby, Nora, and their different allies that she’ll kill all of them, and in “Really feel Her Love,” Ellie lastly comes nose to nose with Nora.
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After Jesse, Dina, and Ellie are attacked by Seraphites in an overgrown park in Seattle (and Dina takes an arrow to the leg), Ellie continues on her personal, infiltrating Lakehill Hospital. (Unbeknownst to her, this WLF stronghold has an enormous spore infestation within the basement. Fortunately, the spores cannot infect Ellie — as everyone knows, she’s utterly resistant to the cordyceps virus.) Ellie finds Nora within the medic bay and, due to an outdated elevator shaft, each of them find yourself within the basement, the place Nora instantly succumbs to the an infection. Not content material to let the opposite lady merely die, Ellie beats Nora savagely with a bit of pipe, torturing her till she provides up Abby’s location.
To be truthful to Ellie, Nora makes an actual meal out of claiming she will nonetheless “hear” Joel’s screams earlier than saying he had it coming. Plus, we get a large reveal when Nora says that Ellie should be the immune lady that Joel killed a ton of medical doctors for, together with Abby’s dad, to save lots of, and Ellie says she is aware of this already — however Craig Mazin is true. This can be a actual level of no return for Ellie, who will clearly cease at nothing to get revenge and is unbelievably, dangerously single-minded as she continues her quest. She’s already taken down one among Abby’s allies, and now, she’s coming for the remaining.
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“The Final of Us” airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 P.M. EST on Max and HBO.
