In 2018, Seattle FEDRA confronts an unexpected foe. Ten years later, Ellie and Dina find themselves in the middle of a bloody battle between the zealous Seraphites and a ruthless militia.
Ellie was going to go to Seattle to kill Abby. It was impulsive and instinctual. She has the luxury of operating that way because she is immune. It's a secret she must always carry. She can't openly talk about it. Moreover, Dina serves as a crucial resource to help Ellie think through her decisions. She supports her completely. She also knows they must have a plan. They must be strategic. They traveled from Jackson to Seattle. They survived the journey. They didn't face any danger whatsoever. When they stumbled upon bodies in the woods, Ellie allowed it to reinforce her rage towards Abby. She was solely responsible for this massacre. Every bad thing happening in the world was her fault. That's all Ellie could see. The world is much larger and more complicated than this quest for vengeance. Ellie and Dina are walking into the unknown. They make assumptions about Seattle. They falsely believe Abby's crew are the only remaining members of the Washington Liberation Front. In fact, more wolves are involved. Plus, the city is essentially a war zone between a militia and a religious cult. Each side believes they are in the right. They blame each other for the destruction of their safety in this world. It's a familiar conflict. One that came before Ellie's arrival. It serves as a complication for what she strives to achieve.
Abby benefitted from luck when she arrived in Jackson to finally kill Joel. The community was prosperous and peaceful. The greatest threat they faced came from the infected. The entire world understands the stakes of those battles. The conflict amongst humans is more complex. It can also be boiled down to revenge. Abby needed to kill the man who murdered her father. She doesn't believe in the possibility that a cure could have been made. She doesn't allow herself to believe that. No one does. It's foolish to do so. Ellie knows it's possible. She was prevented from doing anything about it. She was tasked with living her own life. Joel was a major part of it. Yet his decisions cemented his fate. Ellie is grateful for the time she spent with Joel. She continues to mourn him. He taught her how to play guitar. Now, she uses those skills to romance Dina. The intimate moments between them are the strongest of this hour. The rest is laying out the stakes of the world in Seattle. It provides a backstory into who Isaac is. It details the current hostilities. It ensures everyone is surprised by the presence of infected. But it's also an action adventure without enough heart outside of Ellie and Dina. They are the core of the show now. As such, their material works incredibly well. They also constantly have to be seen as foolish young adults making bad decisions.
Every step of this journey has proven just how bad the decision to travel to Seattle to kill Abby was. The narrative offers no confirmation that Abby is here either. Members of her team are. Manny was actually seen while Nora is referenced. That provides enough hope for Ellie to keep moving forward. However, she and Dina were unprepared for what this quest would entail. That's significant. They each carry secrets. They need to be honest with themselves and each other in order to have the necessary trust to succeed. Abby's need for vengeance was more acute than the other members of her team. They all supported her. They stood by and ensured nothing prevented her from killing Joel. Dina remains committed to Ellie's mission too. However, they both operate with secrets that drastically alter the stakes of the task at hand. Ellie is immune. Dina is pregnant. The two confessing those things is a grand moment of catharsis. It allows both to act on their romantic feelings for each other. It's such a rewarding and liberating experience. When they arrive in Seattle, they are confused by the Pride flags. They don't have a connection to the image. They don't know what it's like to live in a world of acceptance. Dina always knew she was bisexual. She had to hide that part of herself to appease her mother. She wanted things to work with Jesse because she liked him. The love with Ellie is simply more powerful.
The love between Ellie and Dina should be enough to sustain and fulfill their lives. For a brief moment, they forget about the rest of the world. Ellie is thrilled by the promise of becoming a father. She's happy. They both expect this pregnancy to be carried to term. Yet they are fighting for their lives too. They come to understand that Seattle has two warring factions. They don't know who they are either. They just know they're being targeted for their presence in this world. They have to be one or the other. They can't be strangers with no affiliations. Of course, they too get lucky because of the arrogance of soldiers. They assumed no infected remained in the metro tunnels. That was false. Dina and Ellie barely escape. It was a close call. Ellie got bit again. She doesn't have the ability to hide it either. The two have to lean on each other openly for support. They benefit from that bond. They have enough privacy to discuss all that is going on. Yet the stakes of the conflict turn the moment they listen to the radio. They are immediately pulled back into the conflict. It's framed around the mission to find Abby. Ellie and Dina were invited into a much richer and more fulfilling world. In the next second, their minds narrow once more. They remain committed to the path ahead despite the perils. Everyone in Seattle is trying to kill them. They can't rest. The odds are against them. They hope to get lucky like Abby did. That's not a guarantee.
Moreover, the audience is tasked with always looking at the bigger picture. We must operate with the awareness of the motivations amongst these characters. The narrative is more than Ellie and Dina. The story breaks away to manage the stakes of this ongoing war in Seattle. That serves as the grand introduction of Isaac. He was a disillusioned FEDRA soldier who changed sides only to once again be the man with power flexing it against those who offer something else. In 2018, he was aware of the history of the city. He had memories of it from before. He knew why the soldiers referred to the citizens as voters. It wasn't a laughing matter. He killed those who couldn't broaden their minds. A decade later though, he's torturing a man for information. It reveals the brutality of this conflict. That was on display in the studio where the Seraphites attacked and presented their victims to be found with their guts hanging out. This is a brutal world. It's kill or be killed. No one has figured out how to survive and thrive. Every location follows the same trajectory. At some point, FEDRA is overthrown because of their abuses against the population. New leaders emerge. They grow confident in their power. They too face outside threats either from other humans or infected. It's hard to see personality and uniqueness. Ellie and Dina shine brightly. Yet the path ahead remains dangerous. They may have to risk everything in order to prevail. Now, they have much more to lose upon their declaration of love and future as a family.
