From witnessing Tess’ (Anna Torv) death & her excruciating forced kiss with an infected Clicker to exploring Patient Zero’s backstory – The Last of Us episode 2 is another hit out of the park from HBO, from the opening sequence to the unfortunate climax that has TLOU fans deeply disturbed over Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) lack of emotions during Tess’ final moments. Here’s a recap of the best sequences that stood out among the show’s viewers on social media.
The Last of Us pundits, mainly followers of the source material were anticipating this week’s release as the second episode comes from Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann at the helm, serving as the director. Fortunately, their expectations seem to have been fulfilled going by the ratings on IMDb for The Last of Us episode 2 which stands at 9.5/10 with over 9,200 ratings as of this writing.
Titled “Infected”, The Last of Us episode 2 shows Joel, Ellie and Tess traveling outside of the Boston quarantine zone whilst offering a frightening yet jaw-dropping look at the outer world, teasing what lies ahead for them. Even so, Tess and Joel’s bond stood out the most as they journeyed to reach the Fireflies.
The Last of Us episode 2 almost has A Quiet Place-Esque feel due to a majority of the segment’s narrative being told in silence. In fact, the opening scene sets off with a flashback introducing Patient Zero. The eerie quietness during Ibu Ratna’s (played by famous Indonesian actress Christine Hakim) investigation of a dead body infected with Ophiocordyceps highlights the dangers of the Cordyceps infection. Though sadly, the Mycology professor’s scary suggestion to bomb the city as the only course of action, ultimately explains the aftermath that led to the current day post-apocalyptic world.
Shocked TLOU fans share their reaction to Tess kissing a Clicker in The Last of Us episode 2
Even with its somber setting, The second episode stills offers a few light-hearted moments through Ellie’s jests like mocking Joel’s fears over her potentially developing twitches. But even those fleeting moments of fun are overburdened by the stakes of life and death which is on the spotlight during their journey through Boston. The trio opts for the shorter path due to the longer walk swarming with the Infected, but they soon realize their quick path through the Museum has two clickers.
I love how accurate HBO's The Last Of Us is compared to the video game
~ Here's a scene from Ellie saying the exact same line that she said in the game in Episode 2#TheLastOfUs #TheLastOfUsHBO #TLOU pic.twitter.com/Z6AYvnkgJu
— Iron Wolf 🐺 (@IronWolfNetTV) January 23, 2023
me when that shit kissed Tess#TheLastOfUspic.twitter.com/VP7VuDBZNz
— 🐉Erica⁵⁵ | 39 days for 🏎 | TLOU Era 🚨 (@fcbformulaEri) January 23, 2023
#JustWatched The Last Of Us Episode 2. The opening, the Trio, the cinematography, the makeup and effects – everything was brilliant. Quite thrilling and lowkey terrifying.
Anna Torv 🫶 pic.twitter.com/e6PqE2Roao
— ak🜃 (@xzscnx) January 23, 2023
Last of Us Episode 2 was fucking excellent. It ruled because everyone was scared. We see Joel scared of the Clickers in a way that we don't see in the game. He's not an avatar who WILL clear the Museum combat encounter, he's a man who could die horribly in a second pic.twitter.com/kUnuWb3rKq
— Abram Buehner 💥 (@AbramBuehner) January 23, 2023
Got to the end of the Last of Us episode 2
What kind of ending? What a weird choice to go with it LOL it made me uncomfortable.
— Sky (@SkywardWing) January 23, 2023
Last of Us HBO Episode 2 spoilers without context… #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/c4k3gu8w6q
— James Lucy (@JamesLucy_) January 23, 2023
The Last of Us episode 2… The end was weird. Tess blowing herself up by dropping her lighter after 5 tries?
She dumps grenades on the floor a second earlier, and has a gun…
Also there are so many guns, Joel didn't take another? or bullets?
Video game logic is strong here. pic.twitter.com/8NTgX7OBYx
— OMGITSGB #RestoreTheSnyderVerse #FreePalestine (@TheRealOmgItsGB) January 23, 2023
Christine Hakim as Prof. Ratna in The Last of Us episode 2 🥹🥹🥹 mvs
pic.twitter.com/AduFKxel37— Movie Menfess (@moviemenfes) January 23, 2023
the lady at the beginning of episode 2 of the last of us: pic.twitter.com/FbPx7U8tk2
— cait. (@darIingjude) January 23, 2023
Me trying to explain to everyone on #tlou twt that Joel and Tess couldn’t kiss as a final goodbye because her saliva was probably already infected and how she let the tendril kiss happen because she was in shock #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/9V84p2ZEBz
— T | PEDRO PASCAL IS JOEL MILLER (@urbengaligf) January 23, 2023
I don’t know how I feel about Tess’s death. I guess it’s more tragic, but going from her dying fighting (even taking down two soldiers) in the game to her just losing bodily autonomy and being “kissed” by an infected… idk, unnecessary icky. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/XSIC1YshQb
— 🐜 (@buggy_ant) January 23, 2023
The last of us episode 2 spoiler with no context pic.twitter.com/ofb7hI8WNM
— regional manager of little guys (@strawhatorion) January 23, 2023
This scene was insane, honestly my favorite part in HBO's The Last Of Us Episode 2#TheLastOfUs #TheLastOfUsHBO #TLOU pic.twitter.com/5ZGPfxYkiX
— Iron Wolf 🐺 (@IronWolfNetTV) January 23, 2023
an infected got to kiss tess and joel didn't pic.twitter.com/oOKukoBQps
— bela🦦 (@avasword) January 23, 2023
WHY DID TESS JUST STAND THERE AND GET FRENCH KISSED BY INFECTED?? I— pic.twitter.com/aMXP4WQEy1
— L • tlou spoilers!! 🌿 (@hisbrokenwatch) January 23, 2023
her death was PERFECT and the “kiss” scene, the infected recognizing her as Tess as one of their own and finishing the job with a kiss like ITS A KISS HELLO A WELCOME INTO THR FOLD ITS SO INTENSE AND SCARY AND POETIC pic.twitter.com/dxrR9AHcxs
— nicki 🧟 Joel Miller’s Defense Attorney (@joonniverse) January 23, 2023
tess being kissed by that infected, not getting to kill the clicker, joel showing even less emotion than he does im the game when he finds out she’s infected… miss servopoulos im so sorry they did you dirty pic.twitter.com/AeMuceEwIq
— ana (@tesservopoulos) January 23, 2023
As one fan pointed out, The Last of Us episode 2 explores perspectives that weren’t shown in the source material, such as witnessing the extreme fear running through Joel, as he realizes his incoming encounter with Clickers. Whereas in the video game adaptation, the Museum combat sequence fails to highlight the stakes of a human fighting the infected, especially with the titular character.
While several scenes from The Last of Us episode 2 had viewers at the edge of their seat, none had them prepared for Tess’ demise. Her infection is revealed when they arrive at the FireFlies’ drop-off location. Making matters worse, Joel is forced to shoot an Infected and its Tendrils seep into the ground, signaling the near-by swarm.
The above Twitter reactions clearly show TLOU fans’ triggered over Joel distancing himself from Tess and leaving her without a hug or a kiss. The sequence gets grimmer when Tess is swarmed by the Infected and she fails to spark the lighter to enflame the gas pouring out through the canisters. The scene gets unbearable to watch when a Clicker approaches Tess and kisses her as a way for the tendrils to enter her mouth but luckily, the flame finally emerges and explodes the building into flames.
An upset Joel walks away though Ellie looks more disturbed and emotional by the ordeal. The Last of Us episode 3 will arrive next Sunday on HBO Max while viewers in regions where the streaming service is yet to release, such as India, can tune in through Disney Plus.
