‘The Last of Us’ Director Kate Herron on Capturing Ellie & Dina’s Season 2 Love Story

The Last of Us Season 2 may ultimately be best remembered for killing off Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), but it will also be known as the season where Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) fell in love, thanks in part to director Kate Herron.

Helming the pivotal fourth installment, “Day One,” Herron brought to life Ellie and Dina’s arrival in Seattle as they sought revenge for Joel’s murder against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and the WLF, a rebel group they don’t realize is wrapped up in an all-out war with another extremist group known as the Seraphites.

Along with hinting at the larger battle unfolding in the northwestern city, the episode draws friends Ellie and Dina closer, with the latter discovering her pregnancy by Jesse (Young Mazino), and Ellie grappling with her grief over Joel. The episode features pivotal moments plucked from the video game upon which the show is based, including Ellie’s rendition of “Take on Me” and her immunity revelation to Dina. While these moments may be tweaked in a new way for TV, Herron managed to beautifully capture the intense anxiety accompanied by running away from the infected, the warm and fuzzy feeling of young love, and much more.

Below, Herron opens up about kicking off Ellie and Dina’s love story, that incredible subway escape sequence, and the importance of bringing a post-apocalyptic queer romance to TV.

When you came on as a director, what kind of information were you given about the episode early on, and what story beats were you most eager to tackle?

Kate Herron: There were so many things to juggle across the whole episode because, obviously, the guiding light across it is Ellie and Dina’s relationship, and you’re going to discover so much about that, but at the same time, it was really important to set up the idea that Abby is not just Abby and eight other people. I was really aware going into the episode that it was very important to get the audience on side with this new perspective because Joel and Ellie were the glue that held together Season 1, so this was now about how Ellie and Dina were going to take over the story and be our new perspective through this world.

Abby is part of something much more powerful and very dangerous, and the WLF is in the middle of a war. The episode was so much about opening up that world and introducing Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), and showing his perspective on things. What I really liked about the episode was that you are learning about it through Ellie and Dina’s eyes a lot, except for those moments with Isaac.

What went into capturing Ellie’s performance of “Take on Me,” and working with Bella and Isabela on it? What was most important to capture?

It was our first day of filming [when] doing that scene. So there was pressure in the sense of, we’ve got to get this all right. But I think there’s also a comfort in that because you have Bella and Izzy, who are just fantastic actors, and I think for the game, something I looked at was framing and how they filmed the sequence. The thing that I really wanted to maintain and capture is that it’s a real human moment in the sense that you can’t help but tie the guitar to Joel because Joel taught Ellie how to play. When someone passes away, it’s almost like they’re always present. But at the same time, who hasn’t wanted to play guitar for someone that they like or do something artistically cool for someone that they like?

It’s a nice moment to remember that these are two very young people, and I [wanted to make] sure the audience knew in my direction that it was safe. We’re not going to scare you at this moment. I think Izzy’s performance is beautiful in that scene. We spoke a lot about where Dina gives into, “Oh wow, I’m actually in love with this person.” And it was really fun to get those moments.

Like you said, these characters are very young and there’s a naivety to their understanding of the world that came before them, like the pride rainbows painted on some of the buildings. What was it like uncovering those revelations about life pre-apocalypse with Ellie and Dina?

I think it was about giving nods to the Seattle that the audience will know, but also reminding them these are two characters in this apocalyptic world that we don’t quite understand, and the way they see the world is very different from ours. And there can be humor in that. But I also think it’s kind of a beautiful thing because it shows even without the cultural understanding of the place, it’s that queer stories can still prevail. I think we just had fun knowing the context of it.

Ellie’s immunity reveal is different in the show than in the game, which involved a broken mask and spores. How did you want to use that as the launching off point of showing Ellie’s depth of feelings for Dina that she’d sacrifice herself to keep Dina from being bitten?

I can’t comment on the spores, but I almost feel that Ellie would still [sacrifice herself] even if she would get infected because that’s what’s so key when it’s the person you love, you are going to put your arm in place and be like, “No, you do not get to take this person.” But I think that it’s also a nice reminder to the audience that, because Ellie can’t be infected, it is, in a sense, a superpower. Ellie could still get killed by the infected, torn apart, but there is an advantage to the fact that Ellie, if they’re bitten, they can’t die in the same way as other people.

So I think that was really fun. But for us, we know that this is a really beautiful kind of protection that Ellie’s doing. But Dina does not know this, and [it’s like Ellie’s killed herself and she’s so upset]. It was really interesting seeing the differences with the game because in the game, the characters get together much earlier, whereas in the television show, I really like that it has a staggered effect because also it feels more human and true.

Dina pulls a gun on Ellie when they return to the theater after the subway escape. Was her pregnancy influencing her actions there?

My perspective on it is that they’ve grown up in a world where it’s a terrible thing to have to do. And we see Ellie is in this exact position in the first season, and with Eugene as well in the second season with Joel. They do, unfortunately, live in a world where the people they love could become infected, and you might have to be the person to pull the trigger, and it is not a good position to be [in]. In terms of Dina’s pregnancy factoring in, I couldn’t say. Wherever she’s at in that moment, whether it’s to do with her pregnancy or not, I think she just knows that Ellie is infected, and I’m now going to have to kill this person I love to protect myself, but also, yes, I’m sure that it does factor in as well.

The subway sequence is so intense. What went into choreographing that scene and capturing the infected?

I was very excited about this sequence, and it’s one of the first things that I started storyboarding and working on, basically, with our artists. I knew I wanted to capture that adrenaline rush that you feel during the game. What happens in the game is slightly different, but the sense that you are running for your life was really important to capture. I remember saying to Craig [Mazin], “Could I add a jump scare?” I liked the idea that they go inside the train, and you get a sense that they’re safe, and it was written that at the end [the infected] would start to come through the windows, but I just love the idea of them closing a door and it’s like, “Oh wait, no, they infected are now inside.” So one safe.

It was a real collaborative effort. We had an amazing previs artist I was working with. We also had an amazing stunt team. Everyone you see rushing that train is a stunt person. We had a lot of stunt people, but for me, it was just exciting to film. What stunt people can do is incredible. They were all there. So we have a real rush of infected coming for Ellie and Dina on the train.

Juxtaposed with that action sequence is the episode’s ending, with Dina and Ellie declaring their love and having some sweet moments. How did it feel to end the episode that way?

It was really fun. I did a watch party with a load of my friends who don’t know the game, and they’d all seen Episode 3, but it was really funny listening to their reactions when they finally kissed. I really loved getting to do that final scene; it was very romantic. It’s a moment of stillness and humanness in a story that often is quite terrifying. And for me, as a director, that’s always the genre and storytelling I will chase.

The Last of Us, Seasons 1-2, Streaming now, HBO Max