HBOThe Last of Us Season 2 hurts. It is a heart-wrenching adaptation that retains the soul of its medium-defining source material; the show’s future days look as bright as they are dark.
The first chapter of HBO’s series achieved the impossible: bringing one of the best games of all time to life with respect and flair, and making the world fall under the spell of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) once more. It was faithful, to a point; streamlined where it made sense, expanded without compromising the original text (lest we forget the season-stealing tragedy of Bill and Frank).
It had one advantage: even with its detours and lore, it was a relatively straightforward A-to-B story. The same can’t be said for Season 2, based on Naughty Dog’s sequel, The Last of Us Part 2 – perhaps the most ambitious video game (emotionally and story-wise) I’ve ever experienced.
If you know, you know. If you don’t, prepare to venture through the valley with seven intense, weighty episodes; needless to say, it’ll leave you in odds and ends, stumbling away, hoping everything is okay.
What is The Last of Us Season 2 about?
Season 2 picks up five years after Joel’s lie: Ellie asked him to swear that everything he said about the Fireflies and the events at the hospital was true, he promised, and she said, “Okay.”
Now, they’re leading peaceful yet estranged lives in Jackson, and the tension between them (for reasons that aren’t necessarily clear) is becoming too hard to bear. Meanwhile, a mysterious and dangerous figure looms on the horizon: Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
That’s about as much as I can say. To borrow the words of a song, I can’t tell you where we’re going, even if there is a way of knowing.
Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have already said they plan to adapt Part 2 across multiple seasons, so don’t hope for everything (if anything) to be resolved by the finale. As a consequence (no spoilers on where or how it ends, obviously), it isn’t quite as satisfying as Season 1 – but you will be desperate to see what happens next, and even as a shorter season, it’s well-paced and impactful in every episode. That’s a huge testament to a story… partly-told.
Season 2 brilliantly navigates The Last of Us Part 2’s story
HBOJust like Season 1, some stretches are compressed. Be honest; it doesn’t make sense to spend a half-hour watching 20 people get merked in dizzyingly clinical and brutal ways as characters try to get from one place to another).
That’s not to say the action isn’t good. If anything, it’s a step up; the infected are scarier, set pieces are bigger and bolder, and the bloodshed is more visceral. But the show isn’t a game; here, violence is a means to an end… and an affliction.
It still takes care to establish important connections; for example, Ellie’s charming dynamic with Dina (Isabel Merced, who does a wonderful job) is one of the season’s highlights.
It’s also vastly true to the game, soberingly so, even with that quicker momentum and some pivotal additions. There’s only one change that feels misjudged, frustratingly (and, as contradictory as it sounds, effectively) repurposing a crucial scene’s poignancy. It’s something that won’t bother any newcomers, and for a show that nails pretty much everything else, it’s the price to pay for its translation to the small screen.
The direction in Season 2 is more comfortable and dynamic (a special shoutout to Succession’s Mark Mylod and Druckmann for their episodes), and the cinematography is consistently striking, whether it’s ominous torch-lit photography in the dense dark of night or awe-striking vistas on golden fields.
TV doesn’t need to aspire to the heft of a big-screen visual, but The Last of Us would be just as comfortable on a cinema screen as it is in your living room. Plus, it once again makes marvelous use of Gustavo Santaolalla’s ambient, heartstring-plucking score.
Bella Ramsey is the perfect Ellie
HBORamsey doesn’t look like Ellie in The Last of Us games. For some people, that’s enough to write them off, but they deliver career-best work in Season 2. Let’s not forget, Ellie is a difficult character; she’s angry, confused, and guilty, and that’s before we get to… everything that happens.
That’s a hard needle to thread in performance, and Ramsey not only pulls it off, but finds a way to make Ellie their own. Season 2 isn’t a replacement for Part 2 – both Ellies serve their versions of the story.
Everyone is at the top of their game. Pascal will break your heart as Joel, and Catherine O’Hara’s Gail is a fantastic addition to the show’s cast. You won’t see a lot of Dever – but she dominates any scene she’s in, and much like Ramsey, you’d have to willfully ignore the power of her presence to believe she wasn’t the perfect choice to play Abby.
Dexerto Review Score: 4/5 – Great
The Last of Us Season 2 is a phenomenal, punishing adaptation of one of gaming’s greatest and most challenging stories. This is edge-of-your-seat television that calls for compassion… and patience. “You don’t get to rush this.”
The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on April 13 on HBO and Max. Find out why the title of Episode 1 could be a big spoiler, Season 2’s big change to Abby, and if Joel was right to save Ellie.
You can also check out all of the biggest TV shows arriving in 2025.
