This post contains mild spoilers for HBO's "The Last of Us" and Naughty Dog's "The Last of Us Part II."

"The Last of Us Part II" is no amusement park ride. The video game sequel is a grim, brutal follow-up to Joel and Ellie's journey into the unknown in "The Last of Us," which itself makes us wade through lots of pain in search of a ray of hope. Unfortunately, that hope is cruelly dashed in "The Last of Us Part II," in which Ellie sets out on a violent hunt for revenge, dooming everyone connected to her in one way or another. Ellie's girlfriend Dina is one of the few people who sticks by her side, offering some much-needed warmth in a story where safe havens are few and far between.

But Dina is not the only person holding up a mirror to Ellie's eroding humanity, as Jesse...