The Last of Us fans praise ‘perfect’ casting of important season 2 character

The Last of Us season two has introduced a handful of new characters, but there’s one in particular that has become an immediate fan-favorite.

The second season of Max’s hit post-apocalyptic series, based on the popular video games, sees Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reprise their lead roles as Joel and Ellie.

*Warning — Spoilers for episode one of The Last of Us season two to follow*

In the first episode, titled “Future Days,” the story picks up five years after the events in the season one finale, with Joel and Ellie now settled in Wyoming. There, Joel and Ellie have become part of the community.

We are also introduced to Dina (Isabela Merced), Ellie’s friend and fellow member of the Wyoming settlement, with whom she tracks down infected.

In one scene, the two attend a dance where Dina takes Ellie by the hand, leading her to the dance floor. As they start dancing and exchanging flirtatious glances, Ellie leans in and whispers, “Every guy in this room is staring at you right now.”

“Maybe they’re staring at you?” Dina responds. “Maybe they’re jealous of you.”

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“No reason to be. I’m not a threat,” Ellie says. However, Dina tells her, “Oh Ellie. I think they should be terrified of you,” before leaning in for a kiss.

The scene, which closely mirrors that of the original video game, has resonated with fans who lauded Merced’s “perfect” performance.

“She really played her part so well! That scene was so perfect!” a one X user wrote, with a second noting: “She was cast so well!!!”

“Isabela Merced, you understood the assignment. you understood it so well that i cried. you did good, kid. you are dina,” a third viewer praised.

“is it me or is this a copy by copy of a scene in the game!?!” another asked in disbelief.

“i agree!! she was outstanding as dina. i was amazed by her expressions, her aura, just the way she portrayed her during this first episode she is absolutely fantastic! she IS dina!!!!” another added.

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Merced broke out as a child actor as the lead of Nickelodeon’s 100 Things to Do Before High School (2014–2016) and more recently starred in the critically panned Madame Web (2024).

She also starred as the titular character in the live-action Dora the Explorer adaptation, Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019), and played main roles in the romantic drama Turtles All the Way Down (2024) and Alien: Romulus (2024).

While Dina’s introduction has left many fans overjoyed, the introduction of another major season two character, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), has left several others in “mourning.”

In a four-star review of the new season, The Independent’s Nick Hilton wrote: “ The world has ended over and over, on screens big and small, but it has rarely been as plausible – or compelling – as the barbaric wasteland in the second season of Last of Us.”