First broadcast 4 May 2025.

In “Day One” Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) begin to explore Seattle, and stumble into a pitched street war between the WLF and a post-apocalyptic cult. More importantly, Jeffrey Wright joins the cast of The Last of Us. After his work in Westworld, Angels in America, Lackawanna Blues, and Boardwalk Empire, HBO is clearly where Wright belongs – and he immediately makes an impression here.

As WLF leader Isaac Dixon, Wright palpably showcases that the Seattle conflict is a deeply nasty one. It is mired in violence and torture, and the weary way that he tortures one of the Seraphite cultists demonstrates that it has been this way for a long time. It was clear from the second episode that this was going to be a different season; “Day One” makes good on that promise. Ellie and Dina look to be very much out of their depth in this desperate, violent new environment.

It also takes a day for them to wind up killing people to survive, with a confrontation with WLF going horribly awry. Events also reveal previously hidden revelations between the pair: Dina learns that Ellie is immune to the infected’s bite, while Ellie learns that Dina is pregnant. It is well presented and leads to some wonderful character moments and interactions, but it also brings with it a heightened tension. It is difficult to imagine both characters living to leave Seattle at the end of Ellie’s revenge mission, at least it is with their growing relationship intact as well.

It is an exceptionally well-directed episode by Kate Herron, and ably combines both intimate drama with fast-paced and desperate scenes of action, gun violence, and horror. The infected undead are a sustained presence in Seattle, leading to one three-directional confrontation in particular. It is tense, immensely watchable stuff. Herron is a solid pick-up for The Last of Us, having previously directed for Sex Education, written for Doctor Who, and produced and directed Marvel’s Loki.

There is a strong balance achieved here between small, intimate moments and big action set pieces. The new context is set for the remainder of the second season, new characters are introduced, and existing ones get developed in effective and engaging ways. Above all there is an over-arching sense of menace to the episode. Things are clearly going to go wrong for someone, and as the death of Joel proved back in episode 2 there is now no limit to what the consequences might be.