Things are heating up between Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us. Episode 4 of the second season of the HBO drama marked a turning point in the pair’s relationship.
Isabela Merced, who plays Dina, spoke to Deadline about appreciating the way the show has handled their romance. “I appreciated it so much because you just don’t really get that a lot in sapphic content,” Isabela Merced explained to the outlet. “I think a lot of people over sexualize sapphic content in film — media, I guess, in general. So I’m really glad that it was slow burn.”
What happened between Dina and Ellie
Season 2 episode 4 of The Last of Us saw the pair exploring Seattle in the hopes of finding clues about Abby’s whereabouts. As they explore the post-apocalyptic city, the pair sees rainbow flags and explores an abandoned vinyl store. In the middle of the chaos, Ellie finds a guitar and serenades Dina with a rendition of Aha’s "Take On Me." It’s a lovely reminder that despite the death and war, these are two young people still finding themselves.
They walk into the conflict between WLF and Seraphites, finding the bodies of multiple WLF soldiers in an abandoned radio station. The duo manages to escape the radio station and the surviving soldiers, evading them via the transit tunnels. When Ellie is bitten by an Infected, she must reveal her immunity to Dina. When she survives the night without turning, Dina confides in Ellie that she is pregnant with Jesse’s baby.
The pair then shares a moment of physical and emotional intimacy. While the scene is not graphic or highly sexualized, it clearly shows the passion the pair has for each other. Merced praised the inclusion of the “aftercare scene” when the couple is “just holding each other, and it’s really just so beautiful. It was also beautiful to film.” Although it was not the couple’s first kiss in this season of the show, it was the first one where there was no denying the chemistry.
She called the moment “magic” to film, and she knew that and the episode 1 dance scene would “be great,” which doesn’t always happen on set. “So my fingers are crossed that it’s going to be real tender and pull at people’s heartstrings.”
The Alien: Romulus actress was glad to film a “tasteful” scene between two women because she felt like these types of scenes were missing on screen. “I’m glad that it was tasteful and potentially, hopefully, maybe, Emmy winning sapphic content. I really think that we lack that…and I think it’s important for young queer people to see that.”
The episode’s director, Kate Herron also agreed with the important of seeing a queer pairing happy together. “The Last of Us story and the world is very harrowing,” she told the LA Times. “That’s why we really loved this episode because at least for this one hour, we get to see Ellie and Dina happy together.”
Isabela Merced breaks down Dina and Ellie’s 'devotion'
Dina and Ellie’s relationship has been much slower paced than in the games, but Isabela Merced promises it will still be rewarding to those who have knowledge of the source material. “I think they deviated from the story in the right ways, not necessarily inherently changing it, but approaching it differently.” In the games, their romance is consummated much earlier, and the scene where Ellie reveals her immunity goes down a little differently.
Director Kate Herron admitted that she was worried about the changes made from the game regarding Ellie and Dina, but the showrunner felt it would be more impactful. “I love that [showrunner] Craig [Mazin] moved this [moment] to later in the series. I think it’s more impactful and more surprising because not everyone watching will know [they’re together] in the game,” she told the LA Times.
Merced described Dina's “loving devotion " to Ellie and her hope that “comes across in the chemistry that we have on screen.” However, no matter how strong their feelings for one another, it might not be all plain sailing for the couple going forward. The actress admits that Ellie and Dina are holding cards close to their chests and lying to each other.
When Deadline asked where Isabela Merced sits on Dina and Ellie’s relationship, she revealed she thought they were in love. “I think in their minds right now, it’s kind of like a first big love experience. There’s a maturity to it now, because I think they’ve seen so many vulnerable parts of each other. That’s what I would like to think in my little fan mind.”
This love may come to cause the pair harm to come in their future on the show, as the stakes are higher and they both have so much more to lose. “They’re dealing with a whole army. They’re dealing with a baby. It’s gonna get real. It’s gonna be intense. They are invested now.”
The Last of Us season 2 releases new episodes Sundays on HBO and Max.