Season 2 of The Last of Us has continued to be a masterclass for adapting a project from a video game. So far, each episode of the second season has changed things from the source material to create a story that could be even better than the original. Among them is adding backstories to characters and altering moments for more drama.
For example, the first episode of season 2 showed Joel and Dina talking, and they didn’t interact in the game. Then, in episode 3, everything about how Ellie and Dina started their journey to kill Abby was changed. That's including the town hall meeting that didn't take place in The Last of Us Part II. After watching the trailer for episode 4, it’s clear that more things will be altered.
*** WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US SEASON 2! ***
Isaac
Before you even click the video above, fans of the game may have noticed that Isaac appears in a different capacity to what you might be expecting. Isaac (who’s played by Jeffrey Wright in both the game and HBO program) was always seen as a member of the Washington Liberation Front (or WLF). The thumbnail for the trailer shows Isaac in the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) uniform. As the preview plays, you see that this is likely the origin story of how Isaac became a member of the WLF, or how he founded the group.
Getting a chance to see who Isaac was before he became a member (or leader) of the WLFs will be good for the audience. Unlike in the game, you don’t know if he was always a bad person or if something led him there. In fact, we don’t know if he is an antagonist in this universe. Regardless, with an actor like Jeffrey Wright, his scenes will be memorable.
Dina and Ellie
When it comes to Dina and Ellie, there is good and bad coming their way. The good part is that you see their relationship blooming. Ellie is playing the guitar for Dina, and they both look happy. But, as it goes with anything involving The Last of Us, joy doesn’t last. In this case, they’re going to be overrun by the infected.
During The Last of Us Part II, Ellie and Dina venture into a subway and find themselves being overrun by WLFs and the infected. While they’re escaping, Ellie breathes in spores. Since breathing in spores hasn't been a way to become infected in the show, we can assume that Dina sees Ellie get bitten by one of the infected. That would explain why Dina has a gun pointed at her.
There are a couple of callbacks to season 2, episode 1. First, when Dina and Ellie go on patrol, Dina counts how many infected people she hears by the sounds they're making. The trailer shows worry in their faces as Dina counts at least five. As the trailer continues, you see that there’s a lot more than that.
Second, after Ellie defeated the stalker, Dina asked if Ellie was bitten and if she’d have to shoot her. It was a joke then, but, sadly, Dina probably thinks she has to murder her friend. We (the audience) know that Ellie is immune and can assume that Ellie will tell her she is.
How that conversation goes should be good. We can expect Dina to feel a bit betrayed. However, don’t be shocked if Ellie tells her in episode 4 while they share a moment (which probably happened before they're attacked by the infected). It happened in the game and was a cute moment that would work well on the show, and the creative team always keeps the good stuff.