[REVIEW] The Last of Us Season 2

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HBO's The Last of Us Season 2, adapted from the acclaimed 2020 film, showcases ambitious storytelling, non-linear narratives, moral ambiguity, and emotional stakes, with standout performances.

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HBO's The Last of Us Season 2, premiering on April 13, 2025, is a testament to the power and peril of ambition in storytelling. The season adapts the divisive yet acclaimed The Last of Us Part II (2020), navigating a complex narrative landscape marked by non-linear storytelling, moral ambiguity, and heightened emotional stakes. Critics have praised the season's bold thematic exploration, visceral action sequences, and standout performances, particularly Bella Ramsey's evolution as Ellie.

The season mirrors the game's non-linear structure, interweaving flashbacks and shifting perspectives to explore the fallout of Joel's decision to save Ellie at the Firefly Hospital. The season opens with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a Firefly seeking vengeance for Joel's massacre, before jumping five years into a fractured relationship between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie in Jackson, Wyoming. This temporal fragmentation, while ambitious, has divided critics: some praise its refusal to sanitize the game's challenging narrative, while others argue it disrupts momentum and leaves key factions like Seattle's WLF underdeveloped.

Thematically, the season shifts from Season 1's focus on "love in the post-apocalypse" to an exploration of hatred, tribalism, and cyclical violence. Showrunner Craig Mazin describes Joel's lie as the season's "beating heart," with Ellie's journey into darkness paralleled by a world increasingly defined by cults, mass graves, and environmental decay. The production design reflects this descent, with fire-ravaged landscapes and claustrophobic urban ruins emphasizing the fragility of hope.

Faithfulness to Part II's structure has been a double-edged sword. While episodes like the sixth—centered on Joel and Ellie’s strained bond—are hailed as emotional highlights, the strict adherence to the game's timeline risks alienating viewers unfamiliar with its plot. Critics note that Abby's late-season perspective shift, a hallmark of the game, feels less impactful in episodic format, with The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han criticizing the season's lack of "sprawling humanity" compared to its predecessor. Empire's John Nugent praises the "remarkable" execution of set pieces like the second episode's large-scale battle, likening it to Game of Thrones' "Hardhome."

Kaitlyn Dever's Abby, a polarizing figure from the game, receives mixed reception. Though Dever's furious intensity in early episodes earns praise, critics argue the abbreviated season struggles to fully humanize her, with Inverse's Valerie Ettenhofer criticizing her interactions as "strangely artificial." Nonetheless, Dever's physical transformation and raw portrayal of grief anchor the character, particularly in flashbacks revealing her father's death at Joel's hands.

Newcomers like Isabela Merced (Lev) and Tati Gabrielle (Hanrahan) inject warmth and humor, with Merced's chemistry with Ramsey hailed as a highlight. However, characters like Jesse (Wesley) and Manny (Mazino) suffer from limited development, a casualty of the season's tight seven-episode run. Catherine O'Hara's Gail, a TV-original therapist, shines in her few scenes, offering rare moments of levity and introspection.

The season's grim aesthetic—charred landscapes, relentless rain, and oppressive darkness—mirrors Ellie's psychological state. Cinematographer Eben Bolter employs stark contrasts between Jackson's pastoral safety and Seattle's ruinous war zones, using handheld cameras during combat to amplify chaos. The season's brisk pace—condensing Part II's 25-hour story into seven episodes—proves contentious. While Collider praises the "tight, focused storytelling," others argue key emotional beats feel rushed compared to the game. The finale, criticized as "incomplete" by several reviewers, underscores the challenge of adapting a story designed for multi-season arcs.

With the audience score yet to be determined (Season 1 holds 88%), the season faces scrutiny from fans wary of Part II's divisive plot twists. Early social media reactions suggest Ramsey and Dever's performances may mitigate backlash, though the abbreviated treatment of Abby's arc remains a concern.

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About the Writer

Jenny, the tech wiz behind Jenny's Online Blog, loves diving deep into the latest technology trends, uncovering hidden gems in the gaming world, and analyzing the newest movies. When she's not glued to her screen, you might find her tinkering with gadgets or obsessing over the latest sci-fi release.

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