We’re in the thick of The Last of Us season two now. The second season of the video game-inspired show only has seven episodes after all. And The Last of Us season two, episode five certainly moves us a big step forward, not to mention it features a very shocking cameo. The episode also introduces an important feature of The Last of Us video games that fans have been itching (or is that gasping) to see. But what exactly happened in this episode of the series? Here’s our full recap of The Last of Us season two, episode five.
New Revelations From The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 5
The Video Games’ Spores Have Finally Arrived in the Live-action The Last of Us Series
Gulp. Spores are the name of the game in this episode. And it makes sense that they get to take center stage. In The Last of Us and The Last of Us—Part II video games, spores are one of the chief ways through which the Cordyceps fungus spreads. In fact, characters often don gas masks in the game so as not to inhale the treacherous airborne buggers.
In The Last of Us series, initially, spores were not included. Instead, in season one of the show, we saw Cordyceps spread through vine-like tendrils that sprouted from Infected and connected all of their minds together into one. (In addition to the traditional biting/saliva passing infection method.) This vine-like mechanism for spreading Cordyceps was chosen for the show to help enhance the drama of being infected, and also to prevent Joel and Ellie from needing gas masks all the time.
But now, the danger of the infected has ratcheted up another notch. We hear about Cordyceps spores from minute one here. WLF agents report that one of their best went down into a seemingly empty level of their Seattle hospital. Within minutes, he was struggling to breathe and could hardly talk. “It’s in the air.” The WLF soldier reported. And thus spores were born on The Last of Us season two.
We See Spores in Action
Of course, just telling us spores exist in The Last of Us world is not enough for the series. Here, we actually see spores in action. And boy, they look good. Ellie ends up chasing Nora, one of Abby’s Firefly friends, onto the sealed-off floor where spores have filled the air. We see the air literally start to thicken with them and get a brilliant shot of a mostly-turned Infected soldier from the WLF exhaling more of them into the air. It’s truly eerie. Although Ellie remains unaffected, we can see how the spores thickly settle into Nora’s throat.
Dina Admits She Loves Ellie
Okay, but we got more than just spores. For one thing, Dina and Ellie took a big step forward in their relationship. Dina told Ellie she loved her. Of course, it was while telling Ellie she was crazy, but it counts. Dina said, “You’re a little crazy, it’s exciting, it’s one of the reasons I love you.” while making Ellie promise not to fire her gun willy-nilly. Ellie was flustered by this sentiment and questioned Dina on whether she was serious. Dina clearly is. Ellie doesn’t say she loves Dina back, Ellie isn’t that great with emotions, but it seems she DOES want to convey the sentiment.
Are Dina and Ellie moving a little fast on The Last of Us season two? Maybe, but the burn was slow up till here, so we really can’t blame them. Plus, they’re in the honeymoon phase.
Jesse and Tommy Sneak out of Jackson and Come to Seattle to Save Ellie and Dina
Unfortunately, things aren’t going so great for Ellie and Dina in Seattle. Between infected, the WLF, and the Seraphites, the situation in Seattle is incredibly complicated. It’s looking like bad news for the pair as infected corner them on their way to find Abby’s friend Nora, but Jesse arrives to save the day. He shares that Jesse and Tommy snuck out of Jackson after Dina and Ellie ran away to keep them from dying. It’s noble, but also, we bet everyone is going to be in A LOT of trouble when Maria hears about this.
We don’t see Tommy in The Last of Us season two, episode five, and Dina, Ellie, and Jesse’s reunion is also short-lived. They get caught up in a Seraphite attack and Dina is injured, Jesse and Dina make a run for it and Ellie sneaks away on her own mission.
Ellie Shows No Mercy to Abby’s Friend Nora and Goes Way Dark Side on her Quest for Revenge
The cycle of revenge continues on The Last of Us. Driven by Joel’s death, Ellie hunts down Nora, Abby’s Firefly friend. She chases Nora through the hospital she works at down into a floor full of spores. Ellie is immune, but Nora immediately becomes Infected in what appears to be one of the most viscerally harrowing ways one can be. But Ellie can’t see Nora’s pain. She’s determined to find Abby. Ellie demands that Nora tell her where Abby is, even as spores are begin to choke the other girl. When Nora doesn’t, Ellie picks up her pipe and starts to engage in some torture of her own. In this scene, Ellie and her pipe hitting Nora paints a mirror image to Abby and her golf club hitting Joel.
Ellie Knows What Joel Did to the Fireflies in Salt Lake City
As she becomes infected, Nora spits out a litany of everything that Joel did to the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. She tells Ellie that he went on a murderous rampage and butchered Abby’s dad, the only person who could have made a cure out of Ellie’s body. But Ellie isn’t moved by the proclamations. She simply says, “I know.” Although it previously seemed Joel and Ellie never discussed what happened in Salt Lake City, this episode makes it seem like Ellie knows exactly what Joel did in the season one finale.
Ellie Is Also Immune to Spores in The Last of Us Series
Fans of The Last of Us games will know that Ellie is also immune to spores. And we suppose if she somehow weren’t immune to the spores in The Last of Us series, that might cause something of a problem. Still, Ellie had no idea that she would be immune to this form of infection herself. So, she made a pretty bold assumption as she was chasing Nora. But we guess she was right.
Pedro Pascal Returns for a Joel Cameo
He’s back! We are SO glad to see Pedro Pascal’s face in The Last of Us season two, episode five—we’ve missed Joel. Pedro Pascal’s Joel isn’t doing much in the episode; he just appears at the very end and says, “Hey Kiddo” to Ellie. Both Joel and Ellie look whole, happy, and on good terms, so it’s either a flashback or a hallucination. We guess we’ll have to wait to find out which.
New Questions From The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 5
Why Are People Not More Worried About Spores on The Last of Us Season 2?
We know we’re a bit obsessed with spores in this The Last of Us season two, episode five recap. But we really have to ask this question. The WLF officers seem to think that quarantining the floor with the spores has solved the problem. But that seems crazy! Firstly, if there were spores in one place, wouldn’t be people be concerned there could be spores in other places? Discovering a new method in which the infection is spreading should be a major cause of alarm. But most folks on The Last of Us season two seem to prefer not to think about it very much. But why?!
Will Spores Return in The Last of Us Season 2?
This is the last we’ll say on spores! But a natural question that arises after The Last of Us season two, episode five is… will we see spores again? Surely, that can’t be it for spores on The Last of Us. We guess we’ll have to wait and see if this new method of infection plagues our main characters.
Does Ellie Learn Where Abby Is?
We see Ellie give herself over to her vengeful side as she begins to torture Nora for information about Abby’s whereabouts. But does all her rage get her anywhere? Did Ellie manage to get Abby’s location from Nora? We don’t yet know.
Just How Much Does Ellie Know About What Joel Did in Salt Lake City?
When Nora tells Ellie about all of Joel’s since in Salt Lake City, Ellie remains unmoved. She claims she knows all about what happened. But does she really? We have never seen Ellie and Joel talk about Salt Lake City before. Does Ellie mean she literally knows or just that she assumes that’s what happened, but doesn’t care? It feels like we will soon find out.
Will Pedro Pascal Return as Joel in the Final Two Episodes of The Last of Us Season 2?
We get to see Pedro Pascal’s Joel again for literally five seconds in The Last of Us season two, episode five. That can’t be all! It’s not nearly enough. But will Joel return again on The Last of Us season two? The show makes no promises yet.
The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9pm on Max and HBO.
Previous recaps: Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three, Episode Four