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If you're in the market for a new pair of earbuds, we have good news: You have a lot of options. The bad news? You have a lot of options, and your decision can get overwhelming fast. Wasn't life easier when iPhones came with a free pair of earbuds?

Prices on earbuds range anywhere from $10 to $1,000, especially if you're going for professional-grade studio earphones. And if you care about noise cancellation, you can easily spend $300 — that's the price of peace and quiet. Plus, with the news of tariffs in 2025, we're anticipating tech, like headphones, to be impacted. So far, all the earbuds on this list haven't had any change in price, but in the coming months, we'll be tracking any tariff-related increases.

While we stand by the value of everything on this list, we know that spending $300 on a pair of headphones is a lot to stomach. Major shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day, are usually the best time to buy these gadgets; however, good deals pop up year-round, and we're particularly good at tracking them.

So, whether you need a pair of cheap wireless earbuds stat or you're ready to splurge on premium noise cancellers, we found the best earbuds of 2025, all tested and approved by Mashable reviewers.

SEE ALSO: I tested the best headphones and earbuds for working out during my daily run What are the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds?

If you're just looking for a pair of everyday wireless earbuds, all but one of the models in this guide will check that box. (We also included the Marshall Mode wired earbuds as an option for folks who don't want to worry about battery.) If you're looking for the highest quality wireless earbuds, you can't go wrong with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds, our most recent recommendation in 2025. Both of these wireless earbuds feature elite noise-cancellation, stellar sound, long battery life, and a comfortable fit for extended wear.

Still, this guide includes several other earbuds we stand behind. Apple users may prefer the AirPods Pro, while shoppers on a budget may prefer buds from Marshall or Anker Soundcore. If you need help picking the perfect pair, read on.

Apple is once again making the iPad more like a Mac.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), Apple is working on an iPadOS 19 "overhaul" with three main focuses: improving productivity, multitasking, and app window management.

While that's pretty vague, Gurman says it should push iPadOS closer to macOS, and we pretty much know what Apple needs to be working on there, as the company has repeatedly tried to achieve this in the past.

Ideally, it would be great to have the best of both worlds (iPadOS and macOS) on a super-thin tablet that has a touchscreen, but so far Apple has been unable to perfect this.

One such attempt was the launch of Stage Manager in 2022, which improves multitasking on the iPad. While Stage Manager indeed makes juggling multiple apps easier on Apple's tablets, it still doesn't match the workflow that you can get on the Mac. Other iPadOS weaknesses that users often point out include managing files on the iPad and the inability to have multiple users on one iPad.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPad Air M3 review: The smallest of upgrades

Previous reports indicated that Apple plans a pretty big overhaul for iOS 19 as well. Apple is slated to launch iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 during WWDC 2025, which kicks off on June 9, and it looks like it's going to be a newsy event this year.

The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood has called out SNL for a sketch about her that she described as "mean and unfunny".

Wood, who plays Chelsea in Season 3 of the HBO series, made a series of Instagram posts on Sunday directly addressing a sketch from Saturday's SNL show. Called "The White Potus", the satire sees the SNL cast playing various political figures in the style of Season 3 White Lotus characters — with the exception of Sarah Sherman, who simply plays a version of Chelsea with large fake teeth.

SEE ALSO: 'Sex Education' star Aimee Lou Wood on getting through lockdown and how sex on TV is changing

"I've been having these insane ideas, like what if we took all the fluoride out of the drinking water, what would that do to people's teeth?" says Jon Hamm as RFK Jr./Rick in the sketch, before the camera cuts to Sherman as Chelsea asking what fluoride is.

"Whilst in honest mode — I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny," wrote Wood in an Instagram story posted on Sunday. "Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago. Yes, take the piss for sure – that's what the show is about – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way."

Here's the sketch in full. You can see Sherman playing Wood's character around the 2:30 mark:

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Wood has since shared an update to say she's had an apology from SNL.

"I'm am not thin skinned," she wrote. "I actually love being taken the piss out of when it's clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth. I don't mind caricature — I understand that's what SNL is. But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on."

Mashable has reached out to NBC for comment.

TL;DR: Give your PC the gift of versatility with a lifetime licence to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just £38.27 (reg. £168.49) through April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime Licence £38.27
£168.49 Save £130.22 Get Deal

Ready to rediscover your love of Microsoft Office apps? If you've been going without these handy tools, you may want to take advantage of the last few hours of this sale. A lifetime licence to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows can be yours for only £38.27 (reg. £168.49) through April 27.

Let Microsoft Office Professional outfit your PC with old classics and new favorites

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 gives your PC access to eight Microsoft apps for under £40. It includes tried-and-true staples like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as newer faves like Access, Teams, OneNote, and Publisher.

Wondering why you should pick this 2021 licence? Don't be deterred by the older edition. You'll get lifetime access to these apps for a one-time low price in lieu of the present-day equivalent, Microsoft 365, which costs a monthly subscription. And the 2021 version also offers three more apps than the recent 2024 licence. 

With Microsoft Office Professional 2021, you'll also enjoy the familiar interfaces you're used to, with no AI integrations or extra tech knowledge required. After installing the apps, you also have the benefit of working offline when needed, since you don't need to rely on the cloud to get work done. 

Secure a lifetime licence to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just £38.27 (reg. £168.49) through April 27.

Note: This licence requires PCs to have been updated to Windows 10 or 11 before purchase. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Delicious.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

TASTY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To show gratitude.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 14, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

THANK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A popular Indian dish.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 14, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CURRY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To levitate.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 14 Hurdle Word 4 answer

HOVER

Final Hurdle hint

A punctuation mark.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

COLON

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

There's so much constant danger in The Last of Us universe, but at least Ellie (Bella Ramsay) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) are safe now in the walled town of Jackson, right?

Wrong! Not only is a vengeful Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) closing in and new types of Infected are springing up on the outside, but there also may already be a threat much closer to home.

What's the deal with the Cordyceps we see in the pipe at the end of episode 1, and what might it mean for Jackson?

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 1 Recap: Everything you need to remember before watching season 2 What's the deal with the pipe in episode 1?

Joel's main job in Jackson appears to be overseeing its construction and expansion. But things aren't moving quick enough, and there are other problems hampering progress. As he's informed by Dina (Isabela Merced) in episode 1, there's an issue with the plumbing.

"The main lines are clay, all cracked to shit and full of roots; we're not sure what we're supposed to do," she says.

Joel's solution? "Saw out the cracked parts, pull the roots, and we'll fill in the gaps with some ABS."

He makes it sound simple enough, but one of the final shots of episode 1 makes it clear that the job will be anything but. Because it's not just run-of-the-mill roots in the sewer pipes, but also the tell-tale creeping fingers of the Cordyceps fungus.

Is Jackson in danger from the Cordyceps in the pipe?

The short answer is yes. Although people touching the Cordyceps roots wouldn't become infected — that happens via bite — we learned in Season 1 that the fungus is all mysteriously connected. Basically, those tendrils in the open pipe are transmitting information.

This means that for however long those mainlines are left open, nearby Infected are likely getting a signal broadcast out to them that there's a tasty supply of fresh humans just over the next mountain.

Oh dear.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's 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?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. 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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 14 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: To impede

• Green: You pay to watch these

• Blue: From a popular video game

• Purple: Gerald, Harrison, etc.

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

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

• Yellow: Restrict

• Green: Ticketed events

• Blue: Associated with the game The Oregon Trail

• Purple: What "Ford" might refer to

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 #671 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Restrict: BLOCK, CHECK, DAM, STOP

• Ticketed events: CONCERT, GAME, MOVIE, PLAY

• Associated with the game The Oregon Trail: DYSENTRY, FORD, HUNT, OXEN

• What "Ford" might refer to: ACTOR, CAR, DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 14

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 yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. 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 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for April 14 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 14, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A mountain's peak.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter C.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

CREST.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 14

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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 yesterday's Wordle.

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?

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.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

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

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 14 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: April showers...

The words are plants.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are related to this finished Spring-related saying.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is SpringFlowers.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 14

• Tulip

• Daffodil

• Iris

• Hyacinth

• Lily

• Crocus

• SpringFlowers

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 yesterday's Strands.

If the wait for The Last of Us Season 2 had you forgetting what kind of person Joel (Pedro Pascal) really is, the opening episode provides a strong reminder.

There's one scene in particular that feels almost like the key to understanding his character — and possibly even the deeper message of the show itself.

So what does Joel say, and why is it so important? Let's unpack.

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

Five years on from the events of Season 1, Joel is the foreman for Jackson's ongoing construction and expansion. But the town's mayor, Maria (Rutina Wesley), is concerned that things aren't happening fast enough. She wants building work to move at a quicker pace to accommodate the influx of new survivors seeking shelter in the town. This prompts the following exchange, which says a heck of a lot about how Joel views the world:

Maria: "We're running out of space to put these people."

Joel: "Yeah, I noticed. Maybe your council would stop lettin' so many of 'em in."

Maria: "It's our council. And those people are fleeing collapsed settlements. They're fleeing Infected. We're supposed to leave them out there?"

Joel: "If our lifeboat is swamped, yeah, we leave 'em out there. If I could, I'd let 'em all in. And I'm workin' every damn day and night to make more space, you know that. But you got to look after your own first, or you're no good to anyone."

Maria is not on board with Joel's way of viewing things. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO What does the scene with Maria say about Joel?

That last line, in particular, is the one that stood out to us: "You got to look after your own first, or you're no good to anyone." Not only does this scene get to the heart of Joel as a character, but it also gets to the core of the show itself.

The Season 1 finale presented a massive moral quandary, with Joel essentially placing the life of a loved one over the lives of a potentially infinite number of strangers. He saved Ellie (Bella Ramsey), but murdered a large number of people in the process.

This line is a reminder of who he is. It highlights that despite his ongoing therapy, he hasn't really changed as a person. He still believes that the life of a loved one is worth more than the lives of strangers. The questions is, now that he's part of a collaborative community like Jackson, is that approach always going to work?

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

The Last of Us is a particularly staunch lover of an Easter egg, with various references to the Naughty Dog games hidden within the episodes of the HBO series.

In Season 2, episode 1, there's a truly excellent subtle nod to one of the better puzzles in The Last of Us Part II, and it all comes down to a certain four-legged, top-tier employee.

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

In the series' first episode of the second season, when Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) are investigating possible Infected in Greenplace Market near Jackson, Wyoming, Ellie stops for a moment beside a board displaying the supermarket's "Employee of the Month". This is a direct reference to a moment in the second game when Ellie stumbles upon the exact display in the "Jackson Patrol" level. On a desk in a break room in the market you'll find a note written by a Greenplace employee called Mina to her colleague Kristen, promising a stash of goodies in the supermarket safe.

Mina's note reads:

Yo Kristen - left the real shit in the safe for you. Combo is the date my good boy got Employee of the Month. Don't fucking sell those or give them away. That's for your back, alright? Feel better — Mina

If you head back to the board, you'll figure out that July 2013's Employee of the Month was a dog, a very good boy indeed. It doesn't reflect too well on the human employees of Greenplace Market that they were all beat out by a canine, but it's cute. Typing in the code 07-20-13 into the safe will unlock a bunch of supplies, including crafting materials, supplements, and alcohol. 

Including this moment in The Last of Us is just one of the many, many hidden references to the Naughty Dog games we're likely to encounter this season. We're glad this super pooch was honoured in both.

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

One of the most iconic and butterfly-inducing scenes (and my personal favourite) in The Last of Us games comes in the sequel, in which Ellie and Dina dance together and kiss at the town of Jackson's big shindig.

It's the scene that led The Last of Us Part II's first gameplay footage shown at E3 2018, and to me, it was a slam dunk to watch our kick-ass protagonist Ellie confirmed as a lesbian in a AAA game (though Ellie was really first confirmed as canonically gay in 2014's The Last of Us DLC Left Behind, which Season 1, episode 7 is based on).

Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (co-president of Naughty Dog and creator of The Last of Us) pay more than homage to the scene in Season 2 of their HBO adaptation, with actors Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced, as Ellie and Dina, going almost line-for-line, shot-for-shot, through the scene originally co-written by Druckmann and Halley Gross.

"That was a really special day just having a bunch of people in a room together having a good time. It doesn't really happen in The Last of Us very often, with music, pretty lighting, and a dance," Ramsey told Mashable's Belen Edwards.

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

In both the game and the TV series, a flannel-shirted Ellie begrudgingly attends the Jackson dance (in the show, this marks New Years' Eve 2029). The camera stands behind Ellie, centered in frame among the festoon lighting of the town hall, and then moves in front of her as she watches the dance. Preferring to stick to the bar, Ellie watches as Dina dances joyously with a number of townspeople. We know Ellie has feelings for Dina at this point; in the TV show, Mazin and Druckmann have Dina come to Ellie's house earlier to help her get ready for a patrol (in the game, it's a similar scene, but featuring Jesse, Ellie's friend and Dina's ex). In this scene, Ellie's feelings for Dina are obvious to us as viewers through her reactions, but it's unclear what Dina knows.

Back at the dance (in both the series and the game), Jesse joins Ellie as a fellow wallflower and remarks of his former partner, "She's put on quite the show." Dina comes over, downs Jesse's drink, and drags Ellie to the dance floor, where they slowly move the vibe from goofy to nervous and intimate. Dina offers Ellie the sublime line, "Everyone should be terrified of you," and the pair kiss.

Ashley Johnson and Shannon Woodward voice Ellie and Dina in "The Last of Us Part II" scene. Credit: Naughty Dog Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) in "The Last of Us" Season 2, episode 1. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

This warmly lit room, full of merriment and normality, offers a rare and beautiful human moment in a brutal world overrun with aggression, blood, infection, and death. Between the grim reality of butchering former humans infected by Cordyceps, escaping cannibals, and scraping dwindling supplies together to survive, there's somehow still room for human intimacy, love, and the glorious awkwardness of a first kiss.

"The kiss between them just felt like a really tender moment and a complicated one for Ellie." - Bella Ramsey

"The kiss between them just felt like a really tender moment and a complicated one for Ellie, because I think there's an element of self-protection there. Obviously she feels a certain way about Dina, and she's not sure how Dina feels about her, and whether it's just for fun or whether she has deeper feelings like Ellie has," Ramsey told Edwards.

"All of that going into it, it was a very layered scene and very beautiful and I'm so happy to see how it turned out. The actual shooting of that scene was beautiful, and we were supported on set by our amazing intimacy coordinator Kathy [Kadler]. It was a really safe environment to be able to explore this first romantic, intimate moment between Ellie and Dina," Ramsey added.

In a real treat for fans, The Last of Us episode even features the music from the dance in The Last of Us Part II, with an appearance from Crooked Still playing their songs "Little Sadie" and "Ecstasy" — they're credited in the series as Brittany and the Jug Boys. And recreating such a moment for the series involved both Mazin and Druckmann guiding the way on set.

"Neil was on set for some of those days and Craig was directing that episode, so you have the OG creators of the show and the creator of the game, so we were really well-informed," Merced told Mashable. "We did many, many different takes, versions, and angles, but what was crazy was you could feel the magic in the room as we were doing it — and [it was] the kind of magic I initially felt when I was watching that cutscene. Everyone felt it that day and the preciousness of the moment, how scary it probably was but also thrilling for these two characters."

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

The Last of Us is a fiend for an Easter egg. The first season of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's adaptation absolutely heaved with hidden references to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us games, and the second season has us continuing the tradition of watching this show with our finger on the pause button.

In Season 2, episode 1, the set dressing of Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) room in Jackson, in the garage behind her and Joel's house, is such a pristine ode to her room in The Last of Us Part II I almost fell off my chair. But show has not only included some beloved items in the scene but some Easter eggs — as the team did in Ellie's room in Season 1.

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

Blasting Nirvana's "Love Buzz," Ellie is cleaning her gun at a workbench in her garage room, surrounded by items and decorations that might get The Last of Us fans excited. Let's break down all the Easter eggs we can see in Ellie's room in Season 2, episode 1. And if you can see any others, let us know in the comments.

Ellie's butterfly-clad guitar

Ahhhh, the guitar. A very important item in The Last of Us Part II and right up front in Season 2 of the HBO series.

In a close-up in episode 1, we see Ellie's acoustic guitar, emblazoned with a butterfly symbol on its neck. It's a moving moment for fans of The Last of Us Part II, as the first thing we actually see in the second game is the same butterfly-clad guitar neck. We see it in a shot of Joel cleaning the instrument he's seemingly just found in an abandoned house outside Jackson, while he's confessing to Tommy his choice to save Ellie and massacre the Fireflies. Joel takes this guitar to Ellie in her room as a peace offering, and he plays Pearl Jam's "Future Days" to show her how it works. (The Last of Us fans either love or hate this moment, as it's actually you playing the guitar through the controller.) 

It's a scene which the TV series adapts with Joel offering to fix the strings on Ellie's guitar, and you'll notice there's a Pearl Jam poster on Ellie's wall in the show. Is it dusty in here?

Ellie's journal

Later in the episode, after the patrol, we see Ellie back in her room writing down Dina's "bear-be-cue" joke in her journal. It's a nice inclusion of a tool that's important to The Last of Us Part II, as Ellie constantly writes entries in her journal throughout the game. A scene of Ellie sketching in her journal is the first moment we reunite with the character in the second game, so it's satisfying to see Mazin and Druckmann include a moment that pays homage to the source material. 

Savage Starlight poster

Down to the lava lamp, this is a deeply accurate replication of Ellie's belongings as we see them in The Last of Us Part II. But one item in particular stands out — a large poster of Dr. Daniela Star, the protagonist from Ellie's beloved Savage Starlight comics. In the game, Ellie collects these comics all over the map, and in the show, Ellie bonds with Sam (Keivonn Woodard) over them in the most devastating episode of Season 1: episode 5. What's that catchphrase again? "To the edge of the universe and back, endure and survive."

You'll also see there's a bunch of posters of the 1969 moon landing around Ellie's room — remember, Ellie is an avid space fan, telling Joel in Season 1, episode 6 she wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up, like Sally Ride. Though it's five years later, Ellie hasn't stopped dreaming of the stars.

The Thoughts Twenty poster

There's a lot of music references in Ellie's room beyond the Nirvana song she's blasting throughout the scene. The camera pans over cassette tapes of John Denver, Bryan Adams, Glen Campbell, Marie-Lynn Hammond, and more. There's a White Stripes record on the wall, as well as a poster representing The Strokes' Is This It cover.

There's also a poster for a band called Thoughts Twenty on Ellie's wall, which is a fictional band she has a poster for in The Last of Us Part II.

Ellie's knife

The weapon of choice for Ellie, her switchblade has been stabbed into the table near the door for her to grab when she leaves. This is exactly where you pick up Ellie's signature blade in the game.

Can you spot more?

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

The Last of Us Season 2 hits us hard with the Easter eggs in the very first episode, and one of them is a particularly moving mention.

In episode 1, when Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) are getting ready for their afternoon patrol, Dina remarks on Ellie's heavily armed get-up. "Look at you with all that hardware; you look like Curtis and Viper," she says. "You know, those movies Joel likes?"

When they turn up to the start of patrol, Jesse (Young Mazino) makes a similar comment about "Ellie over here looking all Curtis and Viper."

But what exactly is Curtis and Viper in The Last of Us, and where have you seen it referenced before? The answer is a punch to the heart.

What is Curtis and Viper in The Last of Us?

Curtis and Viper is a fictional '80s action series in The Last of Us games and TV series. They're indeed movies Joel loves — in fact, he used to watch them with his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). The franchise appears in the HBO series in Season 1, episode 1, right before the outbreak of the Cordyceps pandemic in 2013. Sarah borrowed her neighbours' DVD copy of Curtis and Viper 2 for her father's 36th birthday, the same day everything goes to to hell.

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

In the games, Curtis and Viper comes up in The Last of Us Part II in a scene where Ellie describes the movies to Dina when they're on their Alpine patrol, looting supplies from abandoned buildings. She says she's thinking of inviting Joel to watch one together as a peace offering, then goes on to describe the plot of Curtis and Viper 2.

"OK, so two former commandos that go rogue to fight bad guys. And I think in this one they go up against Russian spies or something," Ellie explains. "Alright, so the young one, Viper, he's a trained ninja — and he's a complete badass."

"So, how old is he in the first movie?" asks Dina.

"Uhhh, 10," replies Ellie.

Ellie also finds a poster for Curtis and Viper 4 in The Last of Us Part II which prompts her to say aloud, "It's your favourite."

So, there you have it. Ellie's Curtis and Viper vibe in Season 2, episode 1 is a fun, extremely niche node to both the first season of the show and the games, and a reminder that nothing in this show is a throwaway reference.

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

The Last of Us is back, and there's a new player in town.

Although Season 2 spends most of its first episode five years on from the events of the Season 1 finale, the opening scene takes place in its direct aftermath. Here we're introduced to a group of new characters, the de facto leader of which is a woman named Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).

But what do we know about this new character so far, and how she connects to the story? Let's dive in.

[Note: This article does NOT contain any spoilers from The Last of Us video game series.]

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2 review: Joel and Ellie's return devastates and infuriates What happens with Abby in Season 2, episode 1?

We're introduced to Abby at the side of a makeshift graveyard. In the opening scene of the first episode, she stands with four companions — Manny (Danny Ramirez), Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Mel (Ariela Barer), and Owen (Spencer Lord) — at the aftermath of the massacre Joel (Pedro Pascal) perpetrated in the Season 1 finale in order to rescue Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Each cross is hung with a medallion bearing the Firefly logo, and it's clear from the dialogue that the small group are Fireflies themselves.

"So what do we do?" asks Mel. "Do we look for other Fireflies?"

"Where?" responds Manny. "This place was the Fireflies."

It's clear from the exchange that follows that the five of them are the sole survivors of what happened at the hospital — "We didn't save anyone," says Abby. "Did we?" — and that Abby is hellbent on going after Joel for what he did.

We don't see Abby or her group again until right at the very end of episode 1, five years later — when they're creeping through the trees at the outskirts of Jackson, the makeshift town where Joel and Ellie now live. Clearly, their search has finally paid off. They've managed to track Joel down.

Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO So, who exactly is Abby?

Abby only appears briefly, so we don't know too much about her. But let's start with what we do know. As we mentioned before, it's clear from the opening scene that she's a Firefly who was based at the hospital where Ellie was taken in Season 1. She's one of the few survivors of Joel's massacre, which means — like her other companions — she's clearly had to bury friends that died at Joel's hand.

What differentiates her from her companions is that she seems particularly intent on revenge. While the others discuss what their next moves might be, Abby's only priority is finding Joel. The final shot of the opening sequence could provide some clue as to why, as Abby bends to hang a medallion on a grave with tears in her eyes.

"When we kill him," she says, "we kill him slowly."

The implication seems to be that whoever's grave Abby is crouched at, it must belong to someone very important to her. Maybe a close family member? A parent or sibling? Whoever it is will likely become clear later in the season, but it seems that they're the main motivator behind Abby's desire to hunt down Joel for what he did.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

If you survived The Last of Us Season 1 and the sheer terror of all the Clickers, Bloaters, and cannibals, we've got some grim news: You're not out of the woods in Season 2.

The second season of Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's HBO adaptation amps up the threat level for Ellie (Bella Ramsey), Joel (Pedro Pascal), and the residents of Jackson, Wyoming, from the very first episode, with the arrival of one of the scariest types of Infected in The Last of Us Part II game.

Alas, the Stalkers have arrived.

What's the new type of Infected in The Last of Us Season 2?

In Season 2, episode 1, we get our first glimpse of a new type of Infected, one that crawls extremely fast in the most deeply unwelcome way.

When Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) investigate Clickers in the Greenplace Market, and Ellie falls through the floor into the supermarket below, we think the coast is clear through the lack of Grudge-level sounds. But as Ellie's flipping through an old People magazine, we see something scurry past in the background on all fours. It's an instant nope, especially when a small hoot echoes through the aisles. As Ellie hunts the creature, it takes on a strategic stealth we previously thought only humans could use, not Infected. It seems...calculated.

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

The evolution of Infected takes our heroes by such surprise they call a council meeting in Jackson about it. Ellie tells Tommy, Maria, and their councillors of the "smart" new Infected. "No one's saying it can do math or anything," says Ellie. "But it didn't run at me. It did what we do: took cover, planned, waited, lured me in. Stalking."

This swift, scurrying new villain is, in fact, known as a Stalker in The Last of Us games — and they're a tough one to beat.

What are Stalkers in The Last of Us?

Two words: Be afraid. Stalkers are a type of Infected who are very fast, very aggressive, but very stealthy. Think the speed of a Runner (the Infected that just run at you) with the power of a Clicker (the Infected who use echolocation to hunt you, making it unlikely you'll survive their attack), but make it covert.

When you're playing The Last of Us but mainly The Last of Us Part II, you'll be stealthing along, minding your own damn business, and you'll spot a Stalker scurrying in the shadows. As soon as you see this movement, that pulse rate skyrockets. When you try to attack them, they'll retreat into cover. Stalkers will then move up, getting closer to you, peeking their head out, and then charge at you in an unexpected moment (again, you're unlikely to survive the attack). When Ellie (that's you) finds a group of Stalkers in a pitch-dark office building in The Last of Us Part II, it's a flashlight-mode moment that still haunts me.

Plus, as Ellie experiences in the TV show, Stalkers are really hard to locate using the game's Listening Mode (your own version of echolocation that highlights enemies nearby). As Ellie says in the game, "These fuckers are quiet." Really, the only way to kill a Stalker in the game is swift reflexes (and an immunity to Infected helps if you miss the first time).

So, if Stalkers are near Jackson, as we see in Season 2, episode 1, the people of the settlement are in real trouble.

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

The Last of Us Season 1 expanded the world of Naughty Dog's beloved game, and the second season is no different.

With the return of the HBO series, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann send you right back to the settlement of Jackson, Wyoming, where we left Ellie (Bella Ramsay) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) on the edge of town after everything that happened in Salt Lake City.

In Season 2, Ellie and Joel have been reunited with family since then, namely Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), two of Jackson's leaders. But with this pair comes a new character to The Last of Us, one who didn't appear in the Part II game: their son, Benjamin.

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

I'll be referencing some light game spoilers in this article, so if you'd rather the narrative remain a mystery, turn back now.

Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

It's one of the first differences between the game and the TV series in Season 2, the addition of Maria and Tommy's young son. The series' time jump covers five years we don't get to see between Seasons 1 and 2, during which time Benjamin has been born in Jackson.

In the game, Tommy and Maria don't have any children. Adding Benjamin to their lives in the show allows actors Luna and Wesley to explore their characters' relationship with each other in a different way, illustrating how new life emerges and creates relative stability in a show where such a thing is rare. In Season 1, Maria explains to Ellie during the haircut scene in episode 6 that her son Kevin died before the Cordyceps outbreak, so Season 2 gives Wesley more room explore Maria's complicated relationship with motherhood.

Uncle Joel! Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Benjamin also provides a major new opportunity for Joel's character, whose experience with fatherhood has been traumatic to say the least — first, losing his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) with the outbreak of the Cordyceps pandemic, and second, struggling to establish his bond with Ellie. The scene in Season 2, episode 1 where Joel bonds with his nephew over "shooting monsters" as Uncle Joel is outstandingly sweet, and honestly the first time we've seen Joel show his playful paternal side for an age.

However, I suspect the main impact Benjamin's presence in the show has is that it will add emotional weight to Tommy's life-changing decision to leave Jackson for reasons we'll leave unclear. It's a deeply traumatic departure for Maria, as Tommy's partner, and it'll be even more wrenching in the show now that Tommy is both a husband and a father. The stakes have changed for Tommy in the show, and his decision to leave Jackson takes on expanded significance.

Just remember, family members have not fared well in The Last of Us — never forget Season 1, episode 5, the series' most heartbreaking episode of all.

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

Donald Trump's tariff policies appear to be changing once again.

It appears that the Trump administration's tariff exemptions on iPhones and other electronics announced on Friday are coming back. After imposing a whopping 145 percent tariff on goods from China, Trump rolled out exceptions that were surely welcomed by tech companies like Apple.

SEE ALSO: As tariffs invade the apparel market, selling your clothes online is the move — here's how

The tariff exceptions covered a slew of electronics from China. While the baseline tariffs remained, the exceptions spared them the high reciprocal tariffs that Trump recently placed on Chinese exports into the U.S. The exempted products included electronics such as smartphones, laptops, semiconductors, and flat-panel display modules.

However, on Sunday, April 13, the Trump administration was singing a different tune.

Appearing on This Week on ABC News, Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the smartphone and computer tariff exemptions are only temporary.

"We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels — we need to have these things made in America," Lutnick said.

"This is not like a permanent sort of exemption," Lutnick continued before referring to Trump's thinking on tariffs. "He's just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security, that we need to be made in America."

According to Lutnick, the products exempted from the current reciprocal tariffs will be covered under new "semiconductor tariffs" that Trump will likely announce in "a month or two."

So, if you breathed a sigh of relief because you didn't yet panic-buy an iPhone before prices skyrocketed due to the tariffs, just know that your relief is only temporary.

Black Mirror may be able to draw inspiration for future episodes from the very platform it streams on.

Netflix has just recently rolled out access to a new AI search engine tool to some of its subscribers, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The AI search engine, which is powered by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, takes Netflix's search capabilities beyond looking up movies and TV shows by title, genre, or actor. The tool allows users to search for content using numerous other search queries, such as mood. Being that the feature is powered by OpenAI, it appears likely that users will be able to use natural language in their search.

Artificial intelligence isn't completely new to Netflix. The streaming company utilizes AI to power its recommendation algorithm, to help subscribers discover content based on their viewing history.

While Netflix is experimenting with AI, the company clearly knows of the pushback from creatives on the technology, and has previously gone on the record to say it would not use AI to replace filmmakers, screenwriters, or actors.

The AI search engine is currently in the testing phase. It's currently only available on iOS devices and to some customers in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, those subscribers need to specifically opt-in to use the tool.

Netflix expects to expand the test out to other countries, including the U.S., in the near future.