The Last Of Us Episode 2 Review - 7 Ups & 1 Down

DOWNS

1. The Infected Kiss

Now, time for the most controversial moment of the episode: the way Tess actually dies in the show. With this episode being all about the infected, we don’t get Tess being gunned down by FEDRA soldiers as in the game. Instead, she blows herself up to stop a horde of infected chasing down Ellie and Joel. More than that, before she’s able to light the fuel, a fellow infected approaches her, potentially recognising her as one of theirs as she’s beginning to turn, and in a sickening moment extends his tendrils down her throat, showing us a mode of infection otherwise not seen.

Now, on the one hand I appreciate what this sequence is trying to do. It certainly is sickening and uncomfortable, and conveys the infected as a hive mind that are connected to each other through stomach-churning means. I also like the way it calls back to the opening scene. As mentioned, as Dr Ratna leans down to inspect the dead infected woman, the tendrils begin to extend from her mouth, presumably in a failed attempt at infection that would have looked a lot like Tess’. In that sense it pays off well as a plot point and a visual, but what isn't welcome is how it re-frames Tess as a character.

While Torv is great, I think this death is impacted by other changes to her character from the source material. In the game, Tess has a lot of agency. Like the show, she’s in charge of her partnership with Joel, but we get multiple moments where that’s emphasised more. For instance, it’s she who spearheads the revenge mission against Robert, even executing him. Saving the first human kill for Joel’s flashback worked in episode one, but it did also reframe a moment that in the game was about Tess to now be entirely about her partner.

Without that and a few other changes, it does feel like this version of Tess has less agency and is more there to facilitate changes in Joel’s character, rather than be her own entity. This probably will be less an issue for TV viewers, but as a fan of a game this restructured death does contribute to the idea that Tess was a less active agent in the story. And for that, it does get a down.