Seattle, WA

The Last of Us Recap: Seattle at Last

Published

7 months ago

May 5, 2025

Press Room

The Last of Us

Day One

Season 2

Episode 4

Editor’s Rating

4 stars

Ellie and Dina finally reach Seattle, only to be caught between its warring factions.
Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

In case you’ve forgotten, what remained of the U.S. government and its military did not vanish with the onset of the Cordyceps outbreak. In fact, it’s still the dominant force in much of the East Coast, as far as we know. But Ellie and Joel left FEDRA, the blanket term for government forces, in their rearview mirror long ago. So it’s kind of a shock that this episode opens with a group of FEDRA soldiers yucking it up inside an armored vehicle. Where are we? When are we? The answer is Seattle in the recent past, where a seasoned soldier (Josh Peck) is holding court as he recounts a story of confronting “voters” with the help of a brutish, slow-witted comrade-in-arms named Greenberg who does not understand the word disseminating.

Why do they call them “voters,” Burton (Ben Ahlers), a fresh-faced recruit, asks. It’s here that a previously unheard voice of authority pipes up to clarify. “It’s because we took away their rights,” Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), their leader, says. We’ve heard of Isaac. He leads the WLF. But all that’s in the future as this scene unfolds. When the vehicle reaches a blockade, the FEDRA forces find themselves surrounded by voters. Isaac tells them he’s heading out alone to talk to them. This is true, but there’s more going on here. Pulling out Burton, Isaac first walks up to the leader of the citizens, then casually tosses a grenade in the back of the vehicle. He’s selling them out to join the WLF, to all appearances, because he believes in the WLF cause. Does Burton share this belief (or, at the very last, want to survive)? “Now make your choice,” Isaac tells him shortly before the opening credits kick in.

The Last of Us’s fourth second-season episode leaves Burton’s choice unresolved until later. Instead, it flashes forward 11 years to the season’s main timeline, where Dina and Ellie scavenge an already ravaged pharmacy for anything that might be useful. They don’t have a lot of luck, unless a long-expired jug of milk counts, but Dina spies something that might be useful (though what remains unclear at the moment).

Seattle looks strangely beautiful. Wilderness has already reclaimed much of the city (the parts spared from bombing, at least), and there’s little that appears ominous as they enter Capitol Hill, a neighborhood filled with rainbow flags and Pride symbols that Ellie and Dina don’t understand. But around the corner, they find skeletons, an overgrown tank, and other signs that the area once served as a battlefield. Ellie likens the burned corpses inside the tank to the doomed astronauts of Apollo 1, a reminder of her fascination with the space program (evident by the posters in her room back in Jackson), and that she has interests beyond revenge and survival.

Still, revenge remains pretty high on Ellie’s to-do list, and when Dina spots the letters WLF painted on the satellite dish of a local TV station, she’s eager to rush in. Dina suggests they exercise caution rather than rushing in, so they stash Shimmer and wait until dark inside a music store. This, too, speaks to Ellie’s other interests. Finding a well-preserved guitar, Ellie tunes it and plays a lovely acoustic rendition of A-ha’s “Take on Me” while Dina looks on tearfully. It’s a tender moment during a break in the action; it seemingly never occurs to either that they could walk away and leave this quest behind.

And what about Isaac? He’s still around, we soon find out, and he’s still a believer in the WLF cause. But any idealism he’s held onto is now coupled with sadism. We watch him waxing poetic about cookware he could never afford in the time before the infection, but it’s revealed that he’s now using these “strange benefits of the apocalypse” for destructive purposes. Copper might be ideal for cooking, but it’s also well suited for torturing “Scars,” the derogatory term for Seraphites, the scar-faced followers of a still-unnamed prophet we heard about in the previous episode. Though naked and defenseless, the Seraphite refuses to divulge any information about his people’s whereabouts, prompting Isaac to kill him. “Good,” Burton, now 11 years older and a hardened WLF soldier, says as he stands guard outside the door. “Scar got what he deserved, fucking animal.”

Though they don’t yet know it as they scope out the TV station, this is what Ellie and Dina are up against. Or at least part of what they’re up against. Inside, they find a horror show of slain Wolves, all hung from the ceiling and disemboweled. On the wall, Ellie finds a strange rune and the words “Feel Her Love” etched in blood. Ellie can’t know it yet, but she stumbled upon the aftermath of a confrontation between the Wolves and Seraphites, in which the Seraphites won. We’ve seen what cruelty the WLF can exact. Now here’s an example of what their enemies can do. “What the fuck is wrong with Seattle?” Dina asks, and it’s easy to see why.

But Ellie and Dina barely have time to consider this before trouble starts to arrive in the form of Wolves responding to a call for backup. It doesn’t take long for this to go south, forcing Ellie and Dina to fight Wolves and then flee in the rain. They find shelter, but not safety, in a dilapidated subway line, where they again have to evade the Wolves searching for them. When the soldiers find themselves fighting infected, they turn this chaos to their advantage and escape, but just barely. There’s one other issue: Ellie is bitten in full view of Dina as she attempts to save Dina’s life.

This, understandably, freaks out Dina. After they take shelter in a nearby theater, Dina pulls a gun on her best friend with every intention of putting her down. It’s confession time. “I’m immune,” Ellie tells her, then promises she will wake up unchanged and that Dina can hold a gun on her for as long as she feels is necessary. Dina goes along with this, and when it becomes clear that Ellie is telling the truth, two dramatic events happen back to back: Dina reveals she’s pregnant, and the two begin making out. When they wake up, each eats some jerky to counteract morning breath before kissing again. Postapocalyptic life clearly has its downsides.

As the sun comes up, Ellie tells Dina the whole story, about how she’d been bitten before and why she covered the bite with tattoos. Then Dina makes her own confession: She has wanted to be with Ellie for a long time. In fact, she’s imagined a future in which the two make a life together, with kids and everything. Dina has wanted this for a while, despite the complicated relationship with Jesse that led to her pregnancy. “We’re all having a baby,” Ellie concludes. Then a message on the WLF walkie-talkie they’ve stolen prompts both Dina and Ellie to leave these thoughts aside. They know where to find WLF headquarters and Abby. Ellie suggests Dina stay behind, things being different now. But Dina won’t be left behind. The episode ends with her saying a single word to define their situation: “Together.”

• The conflict between the heavily armed WLF and the less resourced but still dangerous Serpahites, a deeply religious group not averse to violence, doesn’t map directly onto any real-world situation, but it’s hard to ignore parallels between current global hot spots. Specifically, Neil Druckmann has spoken about how he drew inspiration from growing up in Israel and witnessing the cycle of violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That’s a heavy topic for a zombie show to take on, of course, but the series so far seems to be following the example of the game, which attempts to immerse players in the middle of morally knotty situations. We see that both the Wolves and the Seraphites are capable of atrocities. We also see that each side has its own reasons for what it does. In some ways, it’s an expansion of themes that the series has already introduced. We love Joel, but it’s just as easy to see why Abby would think him a monster. And why Ellie would think Abby a monster. And on and on. That Ellie and Dina repeatedly put their feelings for each other to the side in the interest of vengeance is one of this episode’s saddest details. Sometimes hate takes precedence over everything else, no matter the cost.

• Ellie is too young to remember “Take on Me” being a hit the first time around. Then again, she’s too young to remember anything being a hit the first time around. Globally, it’s the biggest song ever recorded by the Norwegian pop group A-ha, but A-ha enjoyed a long career after that breakthrough, finding consistent success in Europe. They’re still around, though, apparently, they’ve become one of those bands whose members don’t really interact with one another when not onstage.

• If you put money on Josh Peck (a) showing up in an episode of The Last of Us and (b) playing a huge jerk, well, you just had a big payday.

• You know what’s always a good thing? When Jeffrey Wright shows up. He’s reprising the role he played in The Last of Us Part II (the game, in case there’s any confusion).

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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Drier skies Friday, some rivers remain above flood stage

Published

3 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Seattle weather: Drier skies Friday, some rivers remain above flood stage

SEATTLE – High river levels continue this evening after the heaviest showers came to an end Thursday with only a few lingering showers. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for the Mount Vernon area due to flood risks if local levees fail, which remains possible through Friday afternoon.

Our FOX 13 Weather Team is closely watching for potential flash flooding concerns over the Skagit River.

A Flash Flood Watch is posted until late Friday: there is a possibility of dike/levee failure. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Landslide and localized flooding will still remain an issue into the end of the week.

High river levels continue this evening after the heaviest showers come to an end Thursday.

We have seen three rivers in Western Washington reach record level heights, making this a historic flooding event for the state. We still have the likelihood of seeing record heights for the Skagit River at Mount Vernon this evening into early Friday morning as it crests. Most of our area rivers will continue to decrease overnight and throughout Friday.

We have seen three rivers in Western Washington reach record level heights, making this a historic flooding event for Western Washington.

Rainfall totals Thursday were significantly lower compared to Wednesday, which will help to lower river levels over the next few days.

Rainfall totals Thursday were significantly lower compared to Wednesday, which will help to lower river levels over the next few days.

Temperatures this afternoon were also significantly warmer compared to average, with highs in the mid to upper 50s.

Temperatures this afternoon were also significantly warmer compared to average, with highs in the mid to upper 50s.

What’s next:

Skies will be much drier Friday as we see the atmospheric river move out of Western Washington. High pressure will slowly build back in for Friday and Saturday, aiding in the rivers receding and for the soil to dry out.

Skies will be much drier Friday as we see the atmospheric river move out of Western Washington.

Highs will remain very mild through the weekend, reaching the mid 50s. We will see dry skies and even some sunbreaks for Saturday. Our next round of showers return Sunday with scattered rain, then heavier showers and lowering snowlevels by the middle of next week.

Highs will remain very mild through the weekend, reaching the mid 50s.

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The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Claire Anderson and the National Weather Service.

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Seattle, WA

Op-Ed: Seattle Monorail Should Honor Transfers, Be Treated Like Real Transit » The Urbanist

Published

15 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Op-Ed: Seattle Monorail Should Honor Transfers, Be Treated Like Real Transit » The Urbanist

The Seattle Monorail has connected the Westlake Center and Seattle Center since 1962, but rising fares could sap local ridership. (Doug Trumm)

Seattle landmarks are woven into the city’s identity: the Space Needle, Gas Works Park, Pike Place Market, Humpy the Salmon. They’re playful, iconic, and accessible to locals and visitors alike. The monorail should belong in that same category. It is a piece of transportation infrastructure history that helps residents move through the city and remark on times gone by. Instead, it is becoming a premium attraction aimed at visitors, rather than a practical option for everyday riders.

Fresh off hiking fares on the nearly-one-mile-long monorail to $4.00, Seattle Monorail Services is getting rid of transfer credits to other transit services in a blow to riders. In early December, ORCA informed riders that starting January 1, 2026, monorail fares paid with ORCA E-purse will no longer receive the two-hour transfer credit. Every ride will require full payment, even if the rider tapped onto another service minutes earlier.

For transit users who rely on transfers to move through the city, this is a step backward. It is also a policy decision that treats the monorail as an exception to regional transit norms — or perhaps not a service intended for use by locals, at all.

Taking the 1 Line from Lynnwood and transferring to the monorail to attend Pride, Seattle Eats, or any number of other events in Seattle Center just jumped from $4 per person to $7 per person. Fortunately, many Climate Pledge Arena events come with monorail cost bundled in the ticket cost.

History of the Seattle Monorail

Seattle’s monorail began as a showpiece, built in 1962 for the Century 21 World’s Fair. The idea wasn’t to serve commuters, but rather to dazzle visitors and move crowds between downtown and the fairgrounds. For more dazzling during the World’s Fair, Seattle Center had rollercoasters, which I, for one, am in favor of bringing back.

The monorail system worked as millions rode it in its first year, and the sleek elevated trains helped cement the city’s Jet Age identity. But the system was never expanded, and the short two-stop alignment was left behind as a novelty once the fair ended.

Seattle actually tried to scale that vision into real transit. In 1968 and 1970, voters were asked to approve the Forward Thrust plan, a regional rapid transit system combining tunnels, elevated lines, and stations across the city. Both measures earned a majority, but Washington law required 60% voter approval to issue bonds. The transit proposals failed, and the federal funds earmarked for Seattle were redirected to Atlanta (where only a simple 50% majority vote was required), funds that ultimately seeded MARTA.

Meanwhile, Seattle spent decades without rapid transit, and the monorail became a relic of a future that never materialized. Fortunately, Seattle eventually invested in light rail and continues to do so despite financial hurdles.

But before light rail buildout, Seattle made one more attempt to turn the monorail into a network. From the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, voters backed the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority, which pursued the elevated “Green Line” from Ballard through Downtown to West Seattle. The citizen-led program struggled with escalating costs, uncertain financing models, and political backlash.

After five public votes, the project was dissolved in 2005 without breaking ground. What remained was the original 0.9-mile segment. Still iconic, still beloved by tourists, but functionally unchanged since the Eisenhower era.

Recent fare hike

In 2024, the City and the contracted operator of the monorail announced another round of fare increases. Adult fares rose from $3.50 to $4.00, a 14% jump in a single adjustment.

The monorail fare hike was much steeper than those on other transit services in the region. King County Metro buses moved from $2.75 to $3.00, a 9% increase. Sound Transit’s Link light rail standardized fares at $3.00 regardless of trip distance, in a win for long-distance commuters. Even in larger cities with higher living costs, like New York and San Francisco, transit fares remain lower at around $2.85–$2.90 for metro service. The monorail is now one of the most expensive local transit rides per mile in the country.

For many riders, fare increases alone would be frustrating but manageable. Seattle transit often requires combining services: a bus from a neighborhood, a train downtown, then the monorail to a shift at Seattle Center or an event at Climate Pledge Arena. The regional ORCA card system has long made this a possibility. Riders are given a two-hour transfer window so multiple trips are counted as part of the same journey rather than priced separately.

That saving grace is about to end with the end of monorail transfer credits in 2026.

The monorail has always been an unusual piece of infrastructure. The city owns the physical system, but operations are handled by a private contractor. That arrangement gives the operator strong incentives to raise revenue, while riders are left without the protections and policies that apply to publicly-run transit service.

The argument for ending transfer credits is that monorail operating costs have risen, and maintenance is essential to preserving a historic system. That is a reasonable concern. Transit infrastructure requires investment, but charging riders twice within two hours, once for a bus or train and again for the monorail, does not preserve the system; it discourages the very people who use it most consistently. The monorail should not be the transfer exception.

Ridership rebound

“But Sam hardly anyone takes the monorail anyway. Why does it matter?” I hear you say. Despite its short route and just two stops, the monorail sees real usage. The Seattle Times reported that the monorail hit its highest ridership in over a decade in early 2023. Buoyed by Seattle Kraken hockey fans, the monorail recorded 533,000 rides in the first quarter of 2023, 150,000 more than during the same period in 2022, and over 100,000 more than in the same four months of 2019. That’s about 4,000 rides per day.

In 2023, the monorail carried nearly 2.1 million passengers and in 2024 approached 2.2 million trips, offering a strong indication that, given the right circumstances, the monorail serves a concrete transit need, not just occasional tourists.

Admittedly, other transit lines get far more ridership. In 2024, the region’s six ORCA transit agencies delivered about 151 million trips, up from roughly 134 million in 2023, a 12% increase. Within that total, Sound Transit alone logged 41.5 million trips in 2024, up by more than 4 million from 2023 (about an 11% year-over-year increase).

The Link light rail system operated by Sound Transit carried 30.8 million passengers in 2024 and averaged about 90,050 weekday riders system-wide. Recent months have seen ridership climb even higher: as of May 2025, Link weekday boardings exceeded 112,000, a 23% increase over May 2024.

For the monorail, much of that boost came from event traffic. With the arrival of the Seattle Kraken hockey franchise and the rebound in concert and arena events at Climate Pledge Arena after the 2020 pandemic, a notable portion of fans used the monorail (or other transit) to avoid heavy traffic and gridlock around Seattle Center. Now, with a new Professional Women’s Hockey League hockey team and the FIFA World Cup on the horizon the entire city’s infrastructure needs to be ready, with transit running at peak efficiency to handle the load. Mega events act as a canary in a coal mine, stress testing our transportation network.

But the monorail’s renewed popularity and potential to help shoulder the load during World Cup games doesn’t mean its pricing should shift even further toward tourists. If anything, high ridership underscores its value as part of a functioning public-transport network.

Possible solutions

Unlike most transit systems in Washington, the Seattle Center Monorail is not a drain on the public purse. The monorail’s operations are uniquely funded through fare revenue rather than taxpayer subsidies, and even returns money to the City of Seattle annually under a concessions agreement. That revenue covers day-to-day operations, and equipment upgrades, an almost unheard-of arrangement in U.S. transit.

But the monorail’s success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Its elevated track and supporting pylons occupy the public right-of-way along 5th Avenue and Belltown corridors, forming a permanent footprint above some of the city’s most heavily used streets. Riders may not feel it, but the system relies on the city’s public infrastructure and airspace to operate.

Seattle’s broader goals like reducing car dependency, cutting emissions, and encouraging public transit depend on regional coordination. Breaking fare integration works in the opposite direction. If the monorail is truly a civic asset, it should align with the rest of the city’s transportation policies.

There are realistic solutions. The City of Seattle can require that the monorail restore ORCA transfer credit as a condition of its operating agreement. The City can tie future fare increases to best practices other agencies typically follow, such as conducting public outreach, publishing a cost-benefit analysis noting ridership impacts, and providing a public forum to debate the tradeoffs.

Most importantly, Seattle leaders can treat the monorail as part of the transit network rather than an isolated, revenue-dependent attraction. None of these changes require a huge funding infusion or an expansion of the system (even if I think it would be cool if they expanded the monorail). They simply require prioritizing residents over ticket revenue.

I ride the monorail more than most living in Lower Queen Anne/Uptown. It avoids traffic, provides a distinct view of the city, and remains one of Seattle’s most recognizable transit experiences. It should not be reserved for tourists or special occasions. Public transportation should be priced to serve the public. If it brings joy while doing so, that is even better.

Samuel Ross

Samuel Ross is a Seattle based public servant, returned Peace Corps volunteer, and self-described nerd. He works to promote sustainable development backed by mixed-method research. All opinions expressed are his alone and do not reflect attitudes of any organizations he is affiliated with.

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Seattle, WA

WA river levels remain high through Thursday, scattered showers remain

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

WA river levels remain high through Thursday, scattered showers remain

SEATTLE – A strong atmospheric river remains over the Pacific Northwest, bringing heavy rain, record level flooding and dangerous conditions. Winds continue through this evening, but will ease into Thursday morning. Landslide risks remain high through the end of the week with very saturated soil.

A strong atmospheric river remains over the Pacific Northwest, bringing heavy rain, record level flooding and dangerous conditions.

A rare Flash Flood Watch is in effect for parts of western Skagit and northwestern Snohomish County through Friday night due to a possible threat of levee or dike failure. Heavy rain is creating extreme flooding forecasts, which could break the current levee or dike structure below Sedro-Woolley. This could cause inundation in areas like Burlington and Mount Vernon, then along to Skagit Bay. This is an alert to “Get Ready,” because if the levees break, they will release a sudden torrent of water.

A rare Flash Flood Watch is in effect for parts of western Skagit and northwestern Snohomish County through Friday night due to a possible threat of levee or dike failure.

Rain totals reached one to over two inches for parts of Western Washington as steady rain fell through this evening.

Rain totals reached one to two inches for parts of Western Washington as steady rain fell through this evening.

Heavy rain will fall through early Thursday, but the atmospheric river will slowly sag southward throughout the day. Showers will still be around Thursday, but will not be as heavy as the past several days. We could also see snowfall at the higher mountain passes and peaks, mainly above Stevens Pass.

Heavy rain will fall through early Thursday, but the atmospheric river will slowly sag southward throughout the day.

Major river flooding is expected to continue through Friday afternoon, and we will continue to watch the latest conditions very closely. Linger showers continue Friday with drier skies by Saturday. A few showers are possible Sunday, with another round of showers into next week.

Major river flooding is expected to continue through Friday afternoon, and we will continue to watch the latest conditions very closely.

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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologists Claire Anderson and Ilona McCauley, and the National Weather Service.

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