【ecosex: social misremembrance and the performance of eroticized authencity】

We're off and ecosex: social misremembrance and the performance of eroticized authencityaway with The Last of UsSeason 2, with geared-up new factions and mysterious hooded nomads roaming post-apocalyptic America and threatening the lives of our beloved protagonists.

In Season 1 of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's Naughty Dog game adaptation, it was all about FEDRA and the Fireflies. But now, with the majority of Fireflies sent into oblivion by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the Season 1 finale — was that a good idea, Joel? — and FEDRA seemingly nowhere to be seen, there are new players on the board.

And that includes the bow-armed, hooded travelling group known as the Seraphites or "Scars."

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2: What are the differences between the game and the HBO show?

Now, I'm not going to tell you everything about this group — if you've played the games, you'll know what happens with them in The Last of Us Part II. But here's what I cantell viewers of the HBO series about the Seraphites as it happens in Season 2 (with no spoilers beyond what happens in the latest episode on Max).

When do we meet the Seraphites in The Last of Us?

The Seraphites (Michael Abbott Jr. and Makena Whitlock) in episode 3. Credit: Courtesy of HBO

The first we see of the Seraphites comes in Season 2, episode 3. We meet a group of people on a forest trail to Seattle (the same road Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Mercred) take later in the episode), with each member clad in hooded garments branded with the same strange symbol.

They're all also marked by the same self-inflicted facial scarring on either cheek (hence their nickname, the "Scars"). It looks like these marks are given early in life for members of this group, as even Constance (Makena Whitlock), the very young girl in their party, has them. They're mentioned in episode 4 as the "holy mortification" to join the faction.

The Seraphites also prefer melee weapons like their signature hammer or stealth weapons like bows and arrows, and they communicate in a sophisticated whistling language — we see much more of this in episode 5, when Ellie, Dina, and Jesse (Young Mazino) encounter the Seraphites in a large park in the middle of Seattle.

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What do the Seraphites believe?

"She watches over me, she fills my soul." Credit: Courtesy of HBO

We don't know much about the Seraphites' spiritual beliefs at this point in the TV series, but we do know a few things.

First, they live without modern tech; in an episode 5 scene, Dina compares Seraphites to the Amish, living with "no electricity or technology." Their aforementioned bows, arrows, and hammers are an extension of this.

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We also know they follow a leader known as "The Prophet," murals of whom appear on walls around Seattle alongside the words "Feel her love."

"The Prophet isn't magic, they're just people that see truths hidden from others and share their truth no matter what the cost," the Seraphite leader (Michael Abbott Jr.) explains to Constance in episode 3. "So it was with our Prophet. That's how we keep her spirit alive, we follow her words, we obey her teaching, but we keep ourselves safe."

In episode 4, during Washington Liberation Front (WLF) leader Isaac Dixon's (Jeffrey Wright) brutal torture and interrogation of a Seraphite (Ryan Masson), the captive calls Wolves "heretics" and repeats the phrase, "She watches over me, she fills my soul."

However, in episode 3, the Seraphite in the woods also mentions that The Prophet has been dead for 10 years, and that he "wouldn't count on her to help" their situation. In the following episode, Isaac also dismisses the Prophet, telling his captive, "You know there are even Scars who don’t believe she’s some magic fairy in the sky, yeah? Some of you actually understand she was just a person."

So, who is this Prophet and what do they preach? We'll find out soon enough.

What's the deal between the Seraphites and the WLF?

Uhh... this looks bad. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The relationship between the WLF and the Seraphites is direct rivalry. When we meet the Seraphites in episode 3, the leader of their group calls for the group to take cover when it appears "Wolves" are on their path. We know this as the nickname for the WLF, who have a snarling wolf on a yellow triangle for their logo — one of their members, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), killed Joel.

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Judging by the Seraphite leader's reaction to "Wolves" over what his daughter calls "Demons" as a threat, we think they're more scared of the WLF than they are of Infected. And they should be, with Ellie and Dina finding the entire group slain at the end of episode 4 — it's not clear who committed the massacre, but it's strongly suggested to be the WLF.

In episode 4's interrogation scene, both Isaac and his captive accuse the WLF and the Seraphites of "breaking the truce" — the closest we've come to figuring this out is the presence of apparent territorial boundaries within Seattle. In episode 5, the WLF soldiers chasing Ellie, Dina, and Jesse into the park will not enter it, as it's revealed to be Seraphite territory.

Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) tortures a Seraphite for information on attacks. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

From the looks of the WLF's tanks, guns, and foot soldiers in episodes 3 and 4, the odds seem somewhat against the Seraphites. In episode 4, Isaac looks amused when his captive says his side will lose. "We have automatic weapons and hospitals, you lunatics have bolt action rifles, bows and arrows, and superstition," he says. "So tell me how are we going to lose?” But remember, fear is also a weapon.

In episode 4, Ellie and Dina find a WLF man riddled with arrows in a Seattle building and later find a whole group of Wolves hanged and disembowelled, lit from beneath, with a Seraphite symbol and message written in their blood on the wall reading "Feel her love." It's pretty gruesome and meant to be found as a terrifying message, referring to the Seraphites' spiritual leader, the Prophet. Then, in episode 5, Ellie and Dina find a group of Seraphites murdered beneath a mural of the Prophet.

In this same episode, a shocking scene sees Ellie, Dina, and Jesse hiding in the park while a WLF soldier is hanged and disembowelled by Seraphites, even after he tries to defect and give information about Isaac. The Seraphite leader instead murders his captive and speaks of freedom through death. It seems the captive in episode 3's words — "Every day a Wolf leaves you to take the holy mortification and become a Seraphite. And none of us leaves to become a Wolf." — aren't exactly as it seems.

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Watching The Last of Usand want to play the games? Here's how.

Topics HBO The Last of Us