The Last of Us Part 2 luxuriates in depicting the best parts of being alive in a way that's somewhat rare, even in games with this kind of budget and scope. The game depicts characters falling in love, discovering a well-hidden post-apocalyptic weed stash, and trying to come up with the worst possible puns. Ellie and her best friend (and crush) Dina live in the walled-off area of Jackson County, Wyoming, with a community of human survivors, along with Joel, his brother Tommy, and Dina's ex-boyfriend Jesse. They have something close to an actual, relatively safe home during a time when such a thing seems almost impossible, and one night they share a very public kiss during a barn dance attended by most of the community.
Things don't go well for them after that.
That's because The Last of Us Part 2 also luxuriates in its depictions of pain, suffering, and death. An older man at the barn dance interrupts the girls' tender moment to spit at Dina, telling her that she's a "loud-mouthed dyke," just like Ellie. Now, if Ellie lost her cool and attacked this guy, I'd get it. She doesn't, however, so I'm not sure what the moment actually accomplishes, other than to remind us that people are still homophobic after the apocalypse.