Episode 4 pulls us straight into 2018 Seattle, where Isaac, leader of the Fedra soldiers, crosses paths with the WLF rebels. After a tense standoff, Isaac turns on his own, trapping soldiers with grenades and siding with the rebels. With one spared soldier by his side, Isaac fully commits to the cause, setting the tone for a messy rebellion.
Meanwhile, in the present, Ellie and Dina scavenge through Seattle. Dina hides pregnancy tests from Ellie, hinting at deeper secrets. As they stumble across WLF graffiti, they camp in a record store where Ellie softens the mood with a quiet rendition of Take On Me. Their calm doesn’t last.
The pair soon discover the aftermath of a Scars massacre, just before WLF soldiers sweep in. After a stealthy escape into transit tunnels and an abandoned hotel, secrets spill, Ellie reveals her immunity, Dina admits she’s pregnant, and the two share an intimate moment. As gunfire erupts nearby, they brace for what’s next, more united but vulnerable than ever.
I found Isaac’s arc gripping; his cold pragmatism and the crumbling WLF-Scars truce anchor the world with real tension. These moments give us weight and history that the show desperately needs, painting Isaac as more than a one-note antagonist. His scenes fleshed out the politics and desperation that keep this post-apocalyptic world believable.
But I felt the tone wobble every time we swung back to Ellie and Dina. Their tender moments, though heartfelt, didn’t mesh with the looming danger. It jarred me to watch them sleep peacefully, minutes after dodging Infected and soldiers. Ellie flipping from playful to vengeful didn’t land smoothly either. Their relationship is touching, but the timing weakens the stakes.
This episode shines when it leans into the bigger, grittier world, but stumbles when it tries to juggle romance and survival without fully balancing either.
