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We're back with The Last of Us Season 2, with mysterious new characters and geared-up new factions to avoid like the plague or join, depending on your priorities in the apocalypse. 

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, the faction has evolved elsewhere.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us': What you can expect from Season 2

In Season 2, episode 1, we meet Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew, who are members of a group with a wolf logo on their gear. But who is this new faction? Are they good or bad? And what's their vendetta against Joel?

Now, it'll be unfeasible for me to tell you everything about this group — if you've played the games, you'll know what happens with this group in The Last of Us Part II. But here's what I can tell viewers of the HBO series about the WLF as it happens in Season 2 (with no spoilers beyond what happens in the latest episode on Max).

Wait, who are the Fireflies again? One of the last conversations between Marlene (Merle Dandridge) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

They were a highly skilled, revolutionary militia group whose aim was to liberate quarantine zones (QZs) from the U.S. government's military arm, FEDRA, who in turn branded them terrorists. You might remember Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) found their graffiti on walls all through Season 1 — their motto was "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." You might also remember Ellie was a FEDRA cadet with her best friend and first love, Riley (Storm Reid), whose plans to join the Fireflies were fatally derailed.

The Fireflies' leader, Marlene (Merle Dandridge), was the one who sent Tess (Anna Torv) and Joel on the mission to retrieve Ellie in the first place, taking her from the Fireflies' Boston QZ hideout to a Salt Lake City base camp where doctors were working on a cure for the Cordyceps pandemic (remember, Ellie's immune to Infected bites). Marlene would also be the last Firefly killed by Joel at the hospital, after he learned Ellie would be sacrificed for such research — it's the big point of contention between them.

The Fireflies said they needed to kill Ellie for a cure. Joel said nah. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

And it's at this very medical facility we meet the WLF for the first time in Season 2, episode 1, reeling from what they've found.

Who are the Washington Liberation Front in The Last of Us? Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is a member of the WLF. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

A militia group hailing from Seattle, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) are identifiable by their logo featuring a wolf. Dina (Isabela Merced) spots one of these logos, an upside-down yellow triangle with a snarling wolf in the centre, in Season 2, episode 2 in the group's mountain base. Made up of former Fireflies and new members, the WLF are a bit of a mystery at this point of the show, but the group will play a major part this season.

In Season 2, episode 1, we meet a few of them, including Abby and her friends, Manny (Danny Ramirez), Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Mel (Ariela Barer), and Owen (Spencer Lord), who have discovered the remnants of Joel's massacre of the Fireflies in Salt Lake City. To say they look pissed is an understatement, but Abby is the one who decides they should not report back to base but instead find the killer themselves.

In the second episode (The Terrible One We Won't Get Over Anytime Soon), Abby returns with Joel and Dina to the mountain cabin where the rest of her WLF members are based. We know that they're WLF from Mel's backpack, which boasts the logo. When Dina notices it, things become tense, and Joel asks if the group are Fireflies (a group he knows well from, you know, massacring them).

Declaring the Fireflies "all gone," Abby then begins her revenge on Joel, telling him she's been a militia member for five years and that she's been taught to only attack those who can fight back. "Our commander trained us to follow a code. We don't kill that can't defend themselves," she says. "And right now, that's you. But I am going to kill you. Because it doesn't matter if you have a code, like me, or you're a lawless piece of shit, like you. There are just some things everyone agrees are just fucking wrong."

We're not sure what Abby's commander will have to say about that, but we don't know them yet at all, really.

Who is the WLF leader?

In episode 1, Owen mentions the group's leader, Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright), who we've yet to meet. He'll play a major role in the story, but all we know about him for now is that he's the commander of the faction and the group rely on his approval — and Abby's gone rogue.

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

UPDATE: Apr. 20, 2025, 10:35 a.m. EDT This post has been updated with new details from Season 2, episode 2 of "The Last of Us." The update can be found below the heading, "What was revealed about Eugene in Season 2, episode 2 of 'The Last of Us'?"

The Last of Us Season 2 introduces us to a few new faces, from surviving Firefly Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) to Joel's (Pedro Pascal) new therapist, Gail (Catherine O'Hara).

But Gail also has a husband, Eugene, who's fairly recently died — and although we never got to meet him, it seems as though he'll still play a role in Season 2.

So, what do we know about him so far?

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2 review: Joel and Ellie's return devastates and infuriates What does Gail say about Eugene in Season 2, episode 1?

When Joel arrives for his therapy session with Gail, he pays her with a bag of marijuana that she complains is "shake and stems." When he tells her it's winter, she replies, "That never stopped Eugene. January, February. That man would grow buds the size of pine cones."

A few moments later, when Joel asks her about her choice of whiskey, she says she woke up feeling sad. "It's my first birthday without my husband in 41 years."

Joel doesn't say anything, but he looks uncomfortable. When Gail unburdens herself partway through their therapy session, we find out why.

"You shot and killed my husband," she says. "You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it. No. Maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it. I hate you for it. And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well I've tried, and I can't. Because of how you did it. And looking at your face, sitting in our home, makes me so fucking angry."

Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO Why did Joel kill Eugene?

We don't have much information to go on yet, but there are a few clues. First, we know roughly when Eugene died. Gail says it's her first birthday without him, which means Joel killed him at some point in the past year. We don't for sure why it happened, but it seems like a safe guess to say that Eugene was probably infected. This is implied by Gail saying, "I know you had no choice," plus the fact that Joel hasn't been ousted from the community for murder.

The larger mystery, however, is what Gail means when she says she hates Joel for how he did it. That scenario is trickier to guess at. Did Joel kill Eugene before Gail was certain he was beyond saving? Did he do it with the same surly detachment he does everything else? We don't know for sure, but we doubt we've heard the last of this mystery.

What was revealed about Eugene in Season 2, episode 2 of The Last of Us? Young Mazino plays Jesse in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

More details about Eugene were uncovered in episode 2, when Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Jesse (Young Mazino) take shelter from an incoming snowstorm while out on patrol. An abandoned 7-Eleven convenience store is the "spot" that Eugene had showed Jesse when they used to go out on patrol together. And it's "full of weed" because — as Gail suggested in episode 1 — Eugene was a grower.

Jesse tells Ellie that Eugene was his first patrol partner and trusted him with this secret stash, which he did not dare to grow in Jackson because Maria (Rutina Wesley) wouldn't like it. While looking around the place, Ellie finds dog tags marked with the Firefly logo, and Jesse confirms that Eugene was a Firefly until 2010. According to Jesse, he quit because "he was tired of killing people." Jesse further speculates that Eugene was a military veteran, saying, "I think he was in Vietnam."

Then the conversation turns to Joel "having to put him down," which Jesse describes as a "raw deal." Ellie is uncharacteristically quiet as Jesse continues, "Fucking shame. Guy makes it through a war to go out like that. What are you going to do? He couldn't be saved." The scene ends with Ellie softly saying, "Yeah."

What else can be gleaned about Eugene? Bella Ramsey plays Ellie in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Though the character is dead at start of Season 2, Variety announced in March of 2025 that Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, The Sopranos) would be joining the cast as Eugene — a part Variety reported as being based on a character from the game, but one that would be expanded upon for the show, much as Bill and Frank were in the Season 1 standout, "Long Long Time."

Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2 have already presented details that align with the game's Eugene, who was a former Firefly turned Jackson patrolman. However, one major difference between Eugene and the show's version is how he died.

Episode 1 of Season 2 revealed that Eugene was fatally shot by Joel, presumably because the patrolman had been bitten by an Infected. Episode 2 seems to confirm this with Jesse's comments. In the game, Eugene died of natural causes.

So what does all this mean about the mystery of Eugene? And when will Pantoliano come on the scene?

We'll have to stay tuned to find out.

The Last of Us Season 2 airs weekly, Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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Following biotechnology company 23andMe's filing for bankruptcy, losing its CEO, and trying to find a buyer last month, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce launched an investigation into the genetic data company's handling of customers' personal information.

On Friday, the committee sent a letter to 23andMe regarding selling people's sensitive information following its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The letter was signed by committee Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, and Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama. The latter two are chairmen of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, respectively.

SEE ALSO: 23andMe data: How to delete yours

The letter points out that in 23andMe's privacy policy, in a bankruptcy, customers' personal information may be "accessed, sold or transferred as part of that transaction."

"Additionally, a judge recently ruled 23andMe has the right to sell the sensitive medical and genetic information of its 15 million customers, which is considered to be the company’s most valuable asset," the letter states. "With the lack of a federal comprehensive data privacy and security law, we write to express our great concern about the safety of Americans' most sensitive personal information."

The committee then lists many questions for the company, including how 23andMe intends to vet potential buyers and what its plan is to protect people's data should a sale happen. The Committee of Energy and Commerce requested answers by May 1.

In a press release, 23andMe detailed bidding requirements and procedures for a sale, such as that it will not accept bids from entities based in or controlling investments from "countries of concern" like China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Venezuela.

Regarding handling personal data, the company stated in the release, "23andMe takes its responsibility as a steward of customer data seriously. The Company maintains strict data privacy and security protocols, and it is subject to consumer privacy and genetic privacy laws."

In the last few years, the genomics company has been under fire for a data breach and subsequent lawsuit. As 23andMe isn't an entity covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), customer information isn't protected by those privacy measures.

With the announcement of the bankruptcy and its former CEO, Anne Wojcicki, stepping down in March, Mashable published a how-to on deleting your data from 23andMe. If you haven't done so yet, now is the perfect time.

UPDATE: Apr. 21, 2025, 10:15 a.m. EDT This article has been updated to include a press release from 23andMe.

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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Gear for the treadmill

• Green: Found in a gym

• Blue: NFL football division

• Purple: Shares/associates with a mesh material

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Athletic Footwear

• Green: Gym Equipment

• Blue: AFC East Teams

• Purple: Things with Nets

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #209 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Athletic Footwear - BOOTS, CLEATS, SNEAKERS, SPIKES

• Gym Equipment - ELLIPTICAL, MEDICINE BALL, ROWING MACHINE, TREADMILL

• AFC East Teams - BUFFALO, MIAMI, NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK

• Things with Nets - BASKETBALL HOOP, BROOKLYN, SOCCER GOAL, TENNIS COURT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, April 20, 2025:

AcrossSpeaking confidently but dishonestly

• The answer is Glib.

Traditional dance at a Jewish wedding

• The answer is Hora.

"Scram!"

• The answer is Go Away.

Hyundai electric car with a creatively spelled name

• The answer is Ioniq.

Hoops legend with size 22 shoes

• The answer is Shaq.

DownAfrica's largest exporter of gold

• The answer is Ghana.

Score that's nowhere near Mensa-worthy

• The answer is Low IQ.

Baghdad's country

• The answer is Iraq.

Loading area for trucks

• The answer is Bay.

Army soldiers, for short

• The answer is GIs.

___ and aah

• The answer is Ooh.

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Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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