Whenever a video game gets a live-action adaptation, the haters come out of the woodwork. They would love nothing more than the project to fall flat on its face because they like the original game and refuse to believe its story can be told in another medium. However, in this day and age, hate takes on new forms, with online trolls taking to social media to call out actors for their appearance, among other things. HBO’s The Last of Us is currently dealing with its fair share of vitriol because its lead actor, Bella Ramsey, doesn’t look enough like Ellie from the Naughty Dog games.
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The criticism doesn’t have to do with Ramsey’s ability to play the character, but there have been debates online about that as well. Some believe that The Last of Us isn’t showing Ellie’s dark side enough, choosing to have her focus on the good while on her journey of revenge. However, Season 2, Episode 5, “Feel Her Love” puts that argument to rest, during the show’s darkest moment yet.
Ellie Has Been a Powder Keg in The Last of Us Season 2
Ellie starts The Last of Us Season 2 with a chip on her shoulder. She and Joel are not on the same page, and while the show plays coy as to the reason why, it’s obvious it has something to do with the end of the first season. Unfortunately, the HBO series doesn’t show them hash things out before Abby and her friends come to town and get their hands on Joel. Ellie arrives just before Abby drives a golf club into Joel’s head, and she promises they will all die for their transgressions. The injuries Ellie suffers during the incident force her to stay in the hospital for three months, but once she’s out, she’s ready to head out with Dina.
The time jump is really where The Last of Us starts to diverge from the source material, as Dina now has a much more important role, even planning a good portion of the trip to Seattle. On their way there, Dina makes it clear that she’s behind Ellie no matter what, which gives Ellie reassurance about her feelings. Ramsey’s performance still has that underlying edge to it, but they don’t have to focus on it, especially as Ellie’s most important friendship grows into something more. But the events of Seattle force Ellie to make a tough choice, one that sees Ramsey finally give in to the darkness.
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Bella Ramsey Finally Gets to Flex Their Acting Chops in The Last of Us Season 2
The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 5, “Feel Her Love” sees Ellie and Dina finally close in on Nora, one of Abby’s allies. However, they run into a big problem when they come face-to-face with a group of smart Stalkers looking for a fight. The duo barely makes it out with the help of Jesse, who finally catches up with them, only to run into a group of Seraphites. Dina gets hit with an arrow, and Jesse rushes her to safety while Ellie leads the rest of the Seraphites away. But rather than regroup, Ellie heads to the hospital and finds Nora.
Ellie and Nora have a quick scuffle before they chase each other into a lower level of the hospital. It turns out the area is shut down because of the spores in the air, which quickly begin to hurt Nora but have no effect on Ellie. Nora realizes that Ellie is the immune girl the Fireflies were after all those years ago and tries to reason with her enemy by asking her if she knows what Joel did. With hate in her eyes, Ramsey’s character reveals that she’s well aware of Joel’s actions and proceeds to torture Nora for information. Ramsey doesn’t let up throughout the entire sequence, bringing the most terrifying aspects of Ellie to life in an instant. It’s been a bit of a slow burn, but Ellie is on the warpath now, and Ramsey is sure to continue to do right by her character.
The Last of Us Season 2 is streaming on Max.
Did you enjoy seeing Ellie let out her rage in The Last of Us Season 2? Do you think Bella Ramsey did the moment justice?
