The Last of Us 2×03 Review: “The Path”

As expected, episode 3 of The Last of Us season 2 was a slow affair with the characters trying to deal with their recent loss.

One could argue Joel’s death in the previous episode was overshadowed by the infected attack on Jackson. Yes, we got to see Ellie and Tommy’s initial reactions to losing a loved one, but the episode didn’t spend a lot of time on their loss, especially in the beginning, because the narrative painted the entire thing in such a manner where Joel’s death was just another number in the list of casualties Jackson was trying to deal with.

Tommy was shown (somewhat) grieving in front of Joel’s body while being surrounded by other dead bodies. Ellie was shown traumatically yelling before losing consciousness in a hospital that was understaffed to take care of everyone else in need. I have no idea why the creative team decided to downplay losing Joel in such a manner, but here we are.

Not only that, but instead of having scenes where Tommy could have been consoled by Maria in private, as well as Maria trying to comfort Ellie, ‘The Path’ featured a three-month timeskip, hastily bringing us to Jackson rebuilding after the attack and Ellie being discharged from the hospital. So, yeah, the aftermath of Joel’s death got pushed to the ‘past’ about 10 minutes into the episode. The time jump really made me go, “WTF?”

It felt like a cheap writing tactic that served as an excuse for the creative team to not deal with handling emotionally charged scenes and to keep the story going. As if to ask who even had the time to see Tommy possibly bawl his eyes out in front of Maria after learning about his brother’s sudden death, or Ellie constantly asking Dina to tell her anything she knew about Joel’s attackers?… I do, The Last of Us writers! I do!

It was obvious Ellie was going to seek revenge the moment she got out of the hospital, and that’s exactly what she did. I liked how Dina wanted to help Ellie. Dina loved Joel, too. And the two just couldn’t allow another group of survivors to get away with murdering Joel. Ellie’s plan involved asking the Council to send a 16-member team to track down Joel’s murderers. It was clear Ellie wasn’t going to get the votes she needed, but it still made for an interesting scene where Ellie gave a speech that presented seeking justice for Joel as a way to benefit the entire community of Jackson.

I think viewers realize that Ellie’s a very emotional character. She’s also not above lying to accomplish what she wants. That’s why I was taken aback when the show felt the need to explain that Ellie was indeed lying during her speech through a scene between Tommy and Gail.

I’m a fan of Catherine O’Hara (who isn’t?). However, her presence in The Last of Us as an original character continues to feel like a double-edged sword. I’m here for the residents of Jackson having a psychotherapist to talk to. I would have set up my own practice if I were in such a situation to help the community in any way I could. But the reason for Gail’s existence seems to be a way for the writers to spoon-feed the audience. Bella Ramsey’s performance during the speech was more than enough to tell the audience she was lying. Ellie’s never been about “community” in such a manner. That’s why having it be explained via an interaction between Gail and Tommy was unnecessary and, in my opinion, came across as a jab at viewers for not being “smart” enough to realize what Ellie was doing.

Anyway, with Ellie planning on going after Abby and her crew (after being told their names by Dina), of course, Dina decided to tag along. According to Dina, Abby’s crew wearing WLF patches meant they were part of the Washington Liberation Front (an organization Gail’s husband Eugene also mentioned). The young women assumed WLF was likely small enough for them to take on their own. However, the closing moments of ‘The Path’ showed they couldn’t be more wrong. Apparently, Abby was part of a well-equipped small army. It’s going to be interesting to see how Ellie and Dina will get to Abby and her group.

Ellie and Dina’s journey allowed them to bond. The two even talked about the kiss they shared in episode 2. Even though I like them as a romantic couple, I’m not vibing with how the writers have been handling Dina’s bisexuality. Dina’s flirting with Ellie while jumping away and then back to Jesse served as examples of a number of unfortunate bisexual tropes. Apparently, Dina kissed Ellie while she was high (an example of intoxication-induced bisexuality). And Dina’s feelings are stuck between Jesse and Ellie (an example of the bisexual love triangle). Seeing these tropes being depicted in a major TV show like The Last of Us in freaking 2025 is downright disappointing. 

With Ellie and Dina going after WLF, we got introduced to a new group of survivors who came across as nomads. We had a man talk to his daughter about how they needed to keep walking away from danger (connected to some community they left). He also mentioned a deceased Prophet and how she had the ability to see things others couldn’t. The group kept her alive by following her teachings.

I mean, a group of survivors talking about Prophets and not wanting to settle in a traditional community during a post-apocalyptic timeline isn’t anything original. But I am intrigued by how the narrative will continue to flesh out said group because the people we followed got, allegedly, murdered by members of WLF. The entire thing could be a misdirect to fuel Ellie’s anger toward Abby.

And yeah, I caught Dina throwing up after seeing all of the dead bodies. Someone like her shouldn’t be so queasy when surrounded by death unless… yeah, let’s see how this particular development progresses. 

As for the ratings, two episodes in, the current season of The Last of Us seems to be doing similarly to the first chapter. I’m interested in seeing how the ratings will perform with the show having killed off Joel and focusing more on Ellie and Abby.

What did you think of The Last of Us season 2 episode 3 ‘The Path’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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