Living With B

If you haven’t watched Episode 5 yet and want to stay unspoiled, now’s your cue to tap out!

In Seattle, Ellie and Dina find themselves in the midst of a brutal battle between the zealous Seraphites and a ruthless militia.

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Episode Summary & My Thoughts

Dina and Ellie find a route to the hospital where Nora is located, but naturally, trouble finds them first. Thankfully, an old friend arrives in the nick of time to save the day.

After Episode 4, I wasn’t exactly itching to see more. Honestly, I’m more excited to watch The Righteous Gemstones than The Last of Us right now. Still, let’s start with the positives, because there are some this time.

The cold open was great! We were finally introduced to spores, which genuinely excited me! I complained about their absence in my last review, and while Denver explained the show’s reasoning, I still don’t like the change. But the way Ellie discovered them worked well.

As mentioned, the girls reach a warehouse—unaware it’s crawling with Stalkers. They make a plan and go in, but the Stalkers turn out to be stronger and smarter than expected. Enter Jesse (Dina’s baby daddy) for the rescue—yes, it’s a bit convenient, but I like Jesse and thought his return fit nicely.

Ellie discovers the spores while chasing Nora. Nora realizes Ellie is the girl, which was a moment… even if it lacked intensity. The whole interaction lacked intensity, but watching Ellie descend into madness while bashing Nora’s leg in felt like we were finally getting the Ellie I’ve been missing.

With all of those positives, how can I have any negatives? Because the rest of the episode sucked.

Dina keeps going—and—going—despite being pregnant. Plot armor at its finest. Her “first kill” story felt like a clumsy attempt to justify Ellie’s thirst for revenge. But Ellie doesn’t need justification. The show seems unwilling to let the audience decide if her actions are right or wrong.

Once again, too much focus is put on Ellie and Dina’s romance. A kiss before splitting up in the warehouse? Come on. In a tense, life-threatening situation, pausing to kiss feels unrealistic, especially when we know plot armor protects them. It kills the momentum.

After Jesse shows up, the trio escapes into the woods, where the Scars lurk. That should be terrifying—but it’s not. In the game, Ellie faced this part alone, amplifying the fear. Here, with Jesse and Dina at her side, any real tension is lost. Sure, it’s gnarly seeing a W.L.F. guy gutted, but where’s the anxiety? And of course, Dina gets shot with an arrow. Because, of course, she does.

Still no flashbacks this episode, though they’ve been teased. There was a perfect moment when Ellie was playing guitar in the theatre—a natural segue to a memory with Joel—but it was ignored. Denver and I suspect Episode 6 will focus on flashbacks, but I’d rather they be woven into the present storyline than dumped into a standalone episode.

Not only was I underwhelmed—Denver was too. We’re both frustrated with how this season is unfolding. I’m not against changing the story to suit the medium or audience, but this feels less like adaptation and more like rewriting, for the sake of emphasizing a romance over the core plot.

Am I a certified hater? Maybe. But I don’t think so. Honestly, this season just hasn’t been good. I am curious to see how they’ll close things out, with only two episodes left. There’s still hope for a strong finish, though it looks like Season 3 will center on Abby and her side of the story.

Final Thoughts

Another episode overly focused on Ellie and Dina’s relationship. Instead of Ellie being the certified baddie we know she can be, she’s portrayed as… a bit of a baby. I wish this season was stronger. Here’s hoping the next two episodes redeem it.

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Videos I’ve Found Interesting: Cascina Caradonna (Dina’s Face Claim) Reacts to Episode 5

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