Craig Mazin

This is just what Joel would have done. You get in there. You hide. I die for you. Go. And the confidence and the conviction there is so undeniable that Dina just does it. She says, I can take bites.

This is just what Joel would have done. You get in there. You hide. I die for you. Go. And the confidence and the conviction there is so undeniable that Dina just does it. She says, I can take bites.

She's just trying to get, because now it's a different parent-child thing, right? Dina has been the parent. Now Ellie's the parent. And when parents need their kids to do something very quickly, they will lie to them. Now, obviously, it's true. Ellie can get bit a lot and Dina can't. But really what Ellie knows is she's going to get ripped apart.

She's just trying to get, because now it's a different parent-child thing, right? Dina has been the parent. Now Ellie's the parent. And when parents need their kids to do something very quickly, they will lie to them. Now, obviously, it's true. Ellie can get bit a lot and Dina can't. But really what Ellie knows is she's going to get ripped apart.

She just needs Dina to somehow survive in that cage and not get ripped apart.

She just needs Dina to somehow survive in that cage and not get ripped apart.

We worked really hard on those. There are versions, you know, you get these sort of things back because it's a visual effect that we do, obviously. And there are versions where it's like, oh, look, they're ghosts.

We worked really hard on those. There are versions, you know, you get these sort of things back because it's a visual effect that we do, obviously. And there are versions where it's like, oh, look, they're ghosts.

They've got these shiny... You know, you just keep pulling it back, pulling it back, pulling it back and trying to make it as realistic as possible the way that dogs or sheep or other animals like this at night... their retinas will reflect back white. And something has happened inside these, the stalkers to do something similar to their eyes. And so it's the barest thing.

They've got these shiny... You know, you just keep pulling it back, pulling it back, pulling it back and trying to make it as realistic as possible the way that dogs or sheep or other animals like this at night... their retinas will reflect back white. And something has happened inside these, the stalkers to do something similar to their eyes. And so it's the barest thing.

You don't want them to look like Jawas from Star Wars, you know? So like we really fine tune that stuff to make sure it's just barely there.

You don't want them to look like Jawas from Star Wars, you know? So like we really fine tune that stuff to make sure it's just barely there.

Here comes Han Solo. And for a moment, and I love the way Steven and Ksenia shot this, Because then you use something called a lens baby, which is basically it's a device that slightly tilts or distorts the lens as you're shooting to create a blurry, weird kind of sense of being dazed. And so it's this bare hint of lens baby.

Here comes Han Solo. And for a moment, and I love the way Steven and Ksenia shot this, Because then you use something called a lens baby, which is basically it's a device that slightly tilts or distorts the lens as you're shooting to create a blurry, weird kind of sense of being dazed. And so it's this bare hint of lens baby.

And then this man shows up with his boots and his stride and his jeans and everything. You can see on Ellie's face. Now she's a child again because she's so traumatized by what's going on and so stunned and confused. Is it him? She almost for a second thinks it's him.

And then this man shows up with his boots and his stride and his jeans and everything. You can see on Ellie's face. Now she's a child again because she's so traumatized by what's going on and so stunned and confused. Is it him? She almost for a second thinks it's him.

Was that... Oh, yeah. It was really just about being in Ellie's mind there. So it was very intentional. It's in the script that she thinks, wait, and we all do. Wait, is that... But we know Joel's dead. So it's clearly not him, right? There is no possibility, but it's that weird moment of, is the man who has kept me safe, the one person that makes me feel not afraid, is he back?

Was that... Oh, yeah. It was really just about being in Ellie's mind there. So it was very intentional. It's in the script that she thinks, wait, and we all do. Wait, is that... But we know Joel's dead. So it's clearly not him, right? There is no possibility, but it's that weird moment of, is the man who has kept me safe, the one person that makes me feel not afraid, is he back?

And then it's Jesse.

And then it's Jesse.