[WARNING: MAJOR Spoilers for The Last of Us: Part 2 below]
Ellie’s romantic relationship with Dina is central to The Last of Us: Part 2, but there are several important reasons that explain why Dina deserved better out of the relationship. Not only did Ellie constantly refuse to prioritize their relationship or child, but she also compromised their safety repeatedly, leading to an unhealthy relationship dynamic.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that Dina and Ellie’s relationship is controversial, given how divisive the overall game is. Fans had high expectations for the couple’s romance after trailers for the game heightened suspense. But after seeing how their relationship ends – with Ellie leaving to hunt Abby, only to find Dina and their son moved out of their home – it may change how players view their romance.
At the very least, the dismal ending of Ellie and Dina's relationship in The Last of Us: Part 2 may give Naughty Dog the perfect opportunity to set up The Last of Us: Part 3, with Ellie journeying to win Dina’s affections back. Whether she deserves Dina or not remains up for debate.
How TLOU2’s Ellie Treated Dina So Poorly
It’s important to remember how much Dina sacrificed and risked in order to help Ellie with her mission in the beginning. She dropped everything the moment Ellie said she wanted to go to Seattle. At this point, Dina likely knew with certainty she was pregnant, but she didn’t let her condition stop her from going. Some may call that selfish or irresponsible, but it’s also a testament to how much she cared for Ellie. During the entire journey and time in Seattle, players never witnessed Dina complain on-screen. In fact, most scenes only showed her being supportive or literally saving Ellie’s life, like when she put herself in harm’s way to prevent Abby from killing Ellie. Even when Jesse – Dina’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her unborn child – died in the process, she never appeared to blame Ellie.
Needless to say, Dina never asked or expected a lot from Ellie in The Last of Us 2. So, when she finally asked her to stay rather than go hunting after Abby, she had a lot of reason to expect Ellie to abide by her request. Moreover, what she was asking wasn’t selfish – her main concern was Ellie’s safety and their son having a second parent around.
This made it all the more shocking that Ellie was trying to pack up and leave in the middle of the night. Ellie seemed to give zero consideration not only for how Dina would feel, but how safe she and JJ would be. Their farmhouse wasn’t exactly fortified and didn’t appear to be within walking distance of the Jackson settlement or any other neighbors. This made Dina incredibly vulnerable, to be a woman living on her own with a baby to care for, especially with all of the infected and other foes running around. Given that it took Ellie two months to reach California from the time Tommy gave her the hint, she could’ve been away for upwards of half a year before she made it back to the farmhouse. This is an unreasonable amount of time to have expected Dina to simply wait and wonder if she was alive or not.
As such, the biggest reason that Dina deserved better is because Ellie was never able to take her feelings or safety into consideration. She wasn’t prioritizing getting pregnant Dina back to the settlement when they were in Seattle, despite Jesse’s urging. She also didn’t care when she left Dina at risk by leaving her and JJ alone at the farm. And, of course, Ellie simply seemed to fail at processing the fact she was abandoning her wife and child, leaving Dina to be a single parent and JJ a lifetime to wonder why his mom abandoned him. Ellie became his mom the second she decided to raise him alongside Dina, and parents can’t just walk in and out of their children’s lives whenever they please.
Ellie chose to prioritize her thirst for revenge over her family. It was never that Dina had a problem with her wanting to hunt down Joel’s killer – after all, she was right there with her in the beginning. But what Dina couldn’t stand was that Ellie constantly prioritized that over everything else, her and JJ included. For all of these reasons, Dina certainly deserved better than how Ellie treated her in The Last of Us: Part 2.