"Feel Her Love" is the fifth episode of the second season, and the fourteenth episode overall, of HBO's The Last of Us. Directed by Stephen Williams and written by series co-creator Craig Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on May 11, 2025.
Synopsis[]
The WLF makes a dangerous discovery... at a great cost. Later, Ellie must decide whether to continue with her plan—and risk putting Dina in danger—or give up on her quest for justice.
Cast and characters[]
Main cast
- Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams
- Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller (credit only)
- Isabela Merced as Dina
- Young Mazino as Jesse
Guest starring
Co-starring
- Mathew Yanagiya as captured Wolf
- Maurice Dean Wint as Seraphite priest
- Laine MacNeil as female Seraphite
- Cheonguk Park as Leon Park
- Shayn Walker as WLF guard with Bonnie
- Molly Scarpine as female stalker voice
- Scott Lambright as male stalker voice
Uncredited
Plot[]
Something in the air[]
Hanrahan arrives at the hospital in Seattle to find several WLF soldiers standing guard in front of the sealed stairwell to the basement. She meets with Sergeant Elise Park and interrogates her about her decision to kill several of her own men, including her son Leon. Elise explains she was leading an operation to clear the hospital of infected, with the last part involving the basement levels B1, B2, and B3, which was ground zero for the Outbreak Day in Seattle. The first squad to B1 found it strangely empty, so a second squad led by Leon went down to B2. Leon initially radioed back reporting Cordyceps on the walls and floor, only to radio again five minutes later reporting that the Cordyceps was in the air and that they had become infected, ordering his mother to seal him and his team inside to prevent them from getting out. Deciding the hospital is too important of a resource to completely shutter, Hanrahan gravely decides to let those in leadership positions know and no one else, and assures Elise she contained the situation before apologizing about her son.
Second thoughts[]
In the lobby of the theater, Dina tries to figure out WLF movements based on radio broadcasts so they can find a safe path to find Nora at the hospital. Ellie stops by in the midst of her exploration of the theater to check in with Dina, and cheerfully offers little in the way of help. She heads into the auditorium where she finds the stage set up for a concert. She picks up one of the guitars, sits on a stool, and begins to play "Future Days" by Pearl Jam, only for a shadow to cross her expression and she puts the guitar down. Dina summons her back to the lobby and shows their route, noting a large building, most likely a warehouse, that they can cut through to avoid the patrols. Ellie immediately suspects it is not well-monitored because it is likely filled with Infected, but it is their only way to the hospital and to where Nora is. She further questions why the WLF are giving away their positions on the radio, to which Dina speculates the "Scars" are similar to the Amish in that they do not use electricity or technology.
They venture through Seattle, although both express some trepidation at the total absence of other people. Trying to distract themselves, Ellie asks what Dina will name the baby, to which Dina jokes that she'll name it either "Ellie" or "Elijah". They are stopped when they discover a pile of dead Seraphites, below a mural of their prophet with the phrase "Feel her love." Dina nearly throws up, prompting Ellie to offer to take her back to Jackson, expressing it is wrong to make her continue while she is pregnant. Suddenly angered, Dina charges forward while telling Ellie the story of the first person she killed: a raider who had killed her mother and sister in their cabin near Santa Fe while a then 8-year old Dina had wandered off. She stops to firmly tell Ellie that she does not care whatever it was that Joel did, he did not deserve to die that way, and Ellie should not have been forced to watch it. Softening, she tells Ellie she will go back if she wants her to, but Ellie decides they will press on.
Ellie and Dina avoid a WLF searchlight as they venture into the warehouse. They find the building seemingly deserted but Dina warns there will probably be at least a few stray infected. She advises that they can only shoot them as a last resort to avoid alerting the WLF, and that if it is between shooting or running they need to run. They venture inside, but Dina is left uneasy by how utterly quiet it is. Entering a large open room, they are startled by the discovery of a dismembered body. They spot an infected hiding from them, which Ellie recognizes as similar to the one that stalked her at the supermarket, warning that the one in the market managed to bite her. At first they decide to flank it, only to realize that there are more of the same kind in the room. As they gradually realize they are surrounded and vastly outnumbered, Ellie comes up with a new plan: Dina hides in a nearby fenced off area while Ellie takes on the infected directly. Dina does so, but they are quickly overwhelmed as Dina runs out of ammunition, the infected overpower Ellie, and start breaking through the cage. Just as it seems as though hope is lost, a shadowed gunman clears out the infected. He walks over to Ellie, revealing himself as Jesse, who is none too pleased with the two of them.
Confrontation[]
The three flee from the building and the alerted WLF, who chase them through the building grounds. They escape into a nearby park, only to overhear the WLF declare they will not go into the park, meaning there is something more dangerous within. With no other option, they journey deeper into the park. Jesse reveals he and Tommy snuck out of Jackson and followed them the day after they left, using the map Dina had left in the theater to track them down. He announces his intention to have them meet up with Tommy at the theater before returning to Jackson, which Ellie immediately objects to. They are interrupted by a series of whistling, which they follow to its source: a group of Seraphites surrounding a captured member of the WLF. As Ellie and Jesse watch in horror while Dina shields her view, a Seraphite Priest has the others lift the man up by a noose before disemboweling him with a sickle. The Seraphites notice the trio and an arrow is launched, landing in Dina's leg. Ellie orders Jesse to take Dina back to the theater while she leads the Seraphites away, successfully avoiding the scouts by hiding in the brush. She sneaks out of the park, narrowly avoiding a WLF soldier and a guard dog, and crawling into the hospital through a hole in the wall.
Nora finishes tending to a patient before venturing into another room to bleach some used rags. She is interrupted by Ellie holding her at gunpoint, demanding to know where Abby is. Nora hesitantly apologizes for making Ellie watch Joel die, and claims she still hears his screams, but that "the little bitch got what he deserved" before flinging the container of bleached rags at Ellie and fleeing while calling for help. Ellie chases Nora through the halls while avoiding WLF soldiers. Nora finds herself at a dead end and attempts to escape by climbing one of the disused elevator shafts, only for it to fall. With Ellie firing at her from above, Nora flees into the abandoned B2, with Ellie following after her.
Ellie finds B2 deserted but full of mysterious spores, which she slowly realizes to her horror are airborne Cordyceps, disseminated into the air by way of the lungs of the surviving Infected―including Leon Park. Venturing further in, Ellie finds Nora collapsed on the ground coughing. Nora tries to claim they are both infected by the spores, only to notice Ellie's lack of reaction and realize she is the immune girl from Salt Lake City. Ellie again asks for Abby's location but Nora pleads that Joel killed everyone in the hospital, including Abby's father, supposedly the only man who could have made a cure from Ellie. Ellie spitefully replies that she already knows and simply does not care. Holstering her gun, she approaches Nora and again asks where Abby is, but Nora refuses to tell her. Spotting a lead pipe nearby, Ellie slowly picks it up and brandishes it at Nora, again asking for Abby's location. Nora refuses once more, only for Ellie to furiously begin beating her, ignoring Nora's screams as she repeatedly demands to know where Abby is.
Sometime in the past, Ellie wakes up in her room in Jackson to see Joel standing in the doorway, greeting her with a "Hey, kiddo."
Transcript[]
- Main article: Feel Her Love/Transcript
Behind the scenes[]
Featured music[]
- The opening line from "Future Days" by Pearl Jam, covered by Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The song's title was the inspiration for the season premiere "Future Days", and has previously been featured in the franchise: it was originally used in a scene from the stage adaptation The Last of Us: One Night Live and was later adapted into the prologue of The Last of Us Part II, where Joel sings it to Ellie before gifting her a guitar. The full version is played as the alternate end credits song for completing the game on grounded difficulty. The song was additionally featured in the teaser trailer for the second season.
- Pearl Jam's music in this episode would be featured once more when a new version of "Present Tense" from the surprise release of their Last of Us soundtrack EP is played in the end credits.
Production[]
- This episode introduces spores, a mechanic from the game that was originally cut from Season 1, although it received a brief mention in "Infected." At the time, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin felt that spores would be too difficult to explain, as besides requiring actors to wear gas masks and thus obscure performances, their nature of being airborne and able to carry on clothing would make the Cordyceps infection far more easily spread than could be found believable. The spores' role in Nora realizing that Ellie is immune led to the decision to bring the mechanic back for this episode. Druckmann felt this was a natural evolution for the Cordyceps infection, in line with the later introduction of Stalkers than in the game. He personally enjoys the show's mechanic―having them be generated from Infected lungs―wishing he had done the same in the original game.[1]
- The rumble playing in the background after Ellie attempts to sing "Future Days" was not originally planned: while watching the episode in the editing room, Craig Mazin heard a bass rumble playing as the camera moves around showing the darkness re-emerging in Ellie, and told editor Timothy A. Good that it was a genius idea. However, a confused Good replied that he had not put in a bass rumble: the sound Mazin heard was Emily Mendez editing a scene from Episode 7 in a room two doors down. They quickly sourced the rumble from Mendez to officially insert it into the episode.[1]
Easter eggs and references[]
- Craig Mazin feels that Elise's choice to sacrifice Leon for the rest of the group is a mirror to Joel's refusal to sacrifice Ellie for a cure.[1]
- Mazin notes that the WLF has no information regarding what's on level B3. Druckmann's response is "I think some people who've played the game might know."[1]
- A card on a desk in the abandoned warehouse reads "Happy Mother's Day." This episode aired on Mother's Day: Sunday, May 11, 2025.
Gallery[]
Official stills[]
Videos[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 HBO's The Last of Us Podcast season 2 episode 5: "Future Days"
| Season 1 | "When You're Lost in the Darkness" · "Infected" · "Long, Long Time" · "Please Hold to My Hand" · "Endure and Survive" · "Kin" · "Left Behind" · "When We Are in Need" · "Look for the Light" |
|---|---|
| Season 2 | "Future Days" · "Through the Valley" · "The Path" · "Day One" · "Feel Her Love" · "The Price" · "Convergence" |
| Season 3 | TBA |