Deadline recently interviewed Isabela Merced, star of The Last of Us and also known for her feature in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, where she would go on to detail the latest episode of the HBO series. Episode four of the show’s second season premiered last Sunday.

In the latest episode, Dina (Merced) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) investigate the debris across Seattle after the wars between WLF and the religious Seraphites. Their journey gains momentum as they face both human and Infected adversaries. Eventually, it leads to a scene where Ellie confesses her immunity, and Dina confesses her pregnancy.  The episode hits it’s climax right after, when Dina and Ellie physically express their true romantic feelings for one another.

Merced was asked by Deadline about the scene where Dina is holding Ellie at gunpoint, how she prepared for it, and her character’s mindset during that moment.

Merced answered: That was new. That wasn’t part of the game, and I really liked that. I mean, it’s directly paralleling the scenes with Riley in Season 1. It’s way too similar to that scenario. They’re a little bit older now. Ellie has more of an understanding. Ellie has done this before, in the most f*cked up way. So I think Dina being so out of the loop is kind of like, okay, A) you’re either lying to me which sucks and is terrible, or B) you’re telling me the truth, which sucks and is terrible. There’s no really good option. She didn’t really know what to believe. Why would Ellie lie to her? Turns out Ellie’s a f*cking liar. Also, I think what’s really cool about being secondary to the protagonist is that a lot of times, I am the audience kind of witnessing her. So I had to go through so many emotions throughout that scene, and I just had to make sure that they were chronological, I guess. A lot of that’s thanks to the direction from Kate [Herron], but also from Bella. I was guided a lot by Bella. We were guided by each other. So I think I wanted people to really think that I might have shot her.

Considering the drastic shift between Ellie and Dina’s relationship after such an emotional moment, questions arise on what the two really mean to each other.

Merced tells Deadline: “I mean, I really think, personally, that they’re in love. In my mind, that’s what’s happening. I think in their minds right now, it’s kind of like a first big love experience. There’s a maturity to it now, because I think they’ve seen so many vulnerable parts of each other. That’s what I would like to think in my little fan mind.”

Not only do questions arise on what Ellie and Dina think of themselves at the moment, but also regarding their future after such a pivitol moment in their development as a couple.

Merced tells Deadline, “I would say they’re on a different level completely, and there’s a new kind of loyalty there. So anything moving forward, the stakes are so much higher, because it’ll hurt that much more to lose the other person. So I think now sh*t has hit the fan. They’re dealing with a whole army. They’re dealing with a baby. It’s gonna get real. It’s gonna intense. They are invested now.”

More of the interview is available at Deadline.com.