Dina makes her official debut in The Last of Us season 2's premiere, and an aspect of the character alters Joel and Ellie's dynamic in a way the video game story never did. Isabela Merced's Dina is set to be an integral character in The Last of Us season 2, portraying Ellie's closest friend and eventual love interest. The premiere shares a lot of insight into Dina's friendship with Ellie, especially as the two go on a patrol mission together, leading to a run-in with The Last of Us' smart infected variant.
By The Last of Us season 2, episode 1's ending, Dina and Ellie's relationship reaches another level during Jackson's New Year's Eve party in the barn. The scene is taken right out of The Last of Us Part II and features Ellie and Dina sharing a kiss on the dance floor, teasing what's to come with their shared story. The scene ends with a homophobic Jackson resident ruining the moment before Joel steps in. Despite his good intentions, the sequence proves how much has changed between Joel and Ellie, but that's not the only change surrounding Joel, Ellie, and Dina.
Dina Has A Closer Relationship With Joel In The Last Of Us Season 2
Dina & Joel Don't Interact In The Video Game
As part of her introductory episode in The Last of Us, the show reveals that Dina has become very close to Joel since living in the Jackson community. Like Ellie, Joel, and Tommy, Dina is part of Jackson's patrol team, and she has obviously spent a lot of time around Pedro Pascal's character. When Joel first appears in The Last of Us season 2's timeline, he encounters a visitor to whom he responds with a "Hey, kiddo." However, it's not Ellie. The visitor is Dina, asking Joel for foreman-related assistance for a construction project.
Realizing that Joel is fixing circuit breakers, Dina then asks to watch and learn what he's doing. Interestingly, the scene with Joel and Dina in The Last of Us season 2's premiere also shows that Dina is stuck in the middle of Joel and Ellie's strained relationship, an element not present in The Last of Us Part II game. Dina is curious about why Ellie is so mad at Joel, and later attempts to bring the pair together by inviting Ellie to watch Curtis & Viper movies with her and Joel.
Dina's Bond With Joel Adds A Complicated Aspect To His Current Relationship With Ellie In Season 2
A Lot Has Changed For Joel & Ellie Since Season 1
During Dina's scene with Joel in "Future Days," he lets it slip that he's been seeing Gail, Catherine O'Hara's therapist character in The Last of Us season 2. Later in the episode, Joel has a session with Gail, and the ongoing issues with Ellie are brought up. It's clear that the strained relationship is due to what happened with the Fireflies in The Last of Us season 1's ending, but Joel can't reveal the specifics about that turn of events. Granted, Dina inadvertently makes Joel's current connection to Ellie seem worse.
Dina being so close to Joel is a drastic change for the TV show adaptation, as it continuously reminds Joel just how strained his relationship with Ellie has become over the past five years.
Dina's Character Change Will Heavily Affect The Rest Of The Last Of Us
Joel Will Have An Impact On Ellie & Dina
Those who played The Last of Us Part II know Dina will be a pivotal figure in Ellie's next journey. "Future Days" teases their romantic relationship, which will likely continue for the rest of season 2. At some point in the show, Joel will meet a grim fate at the hands of Abby, propelling Ellie on a mission to Seattle for revenge. Dina accompanies Ellie, but Dina's close bond with Joel changes her role for the remainder of The Last of Us. Isabela Merced had this to say about Dina and Joel, including how the show changes the relationship:
"If she's Ellie's best friend, they would have interacted. And so this is an opportunity to see how and I think they have a very light, warm relationship, where he's like the fun uncle, and she can confide in him, and he can confide in her. But mostly, you know their point where they really connect is their love for Ellie that they both have and share. And I think Dina, when we see her, she's sort of noticing this rift between them and trying to mend that."
In the game, Dina joined Ellie on her mission to find Abby out of loyalty, not necessarily because of what happened to Joel. That likely won't be the case in The Last of Us season 2, since Dina will have her own motivations for wanting to help seek out Abby due to her personal connections to Joel. The Last of Us season 2's premiere already shows that Dina is seemingly fearless and highly capable of dealing with threats, so her willingness to fight for the "fun uncle" in her life makes perfect sense.
