by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
One of HBO’s tentpole properties is back for The Last of Us Season Two.
While Season One was pretty universally praised by critics and fans (both gamers and non-gamers), Season Two — which splits the much more expansive second game into two seasons — was always going to be a trickier lift.
Let’s get this out of the way quickly: The first The Last of Us is my favorite game of all time. I beat it multiple times (a true rarity for me). Its sequel, I remember loving, but only played and beat once right when it first came out during the pandemic (it’s just a lot to commit to multiple playthroughs, and my PS4 soon went the way of most of the residents of Earth in this post-apocalyptic world — it ceased to exist). After seeing what was done in Season One, including how the show smartly shifted things to fit the new medium, I was excited to see what would happen in Season Two.
The second season largely takes place five years after the events of the first season, as Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) are now settled in the seeming oasis of Jackson, Wyoming, though there’s a tension between them bubbling underneath the surface.
Sure, while the show is nominally about a fungus apocalypse, it’s really about the people. So let’s start with the performances.
At its core, The Last of Us is about the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Both Pascal and Ramsey are exceptional in moments both light (when they get a fleeting one of those) and more emotional. They do go through a lot this season, and you never have a doubt about what they’re feeling when you look at their faces — whether the task is to be subtle about what they’re feeling or outright. Particularly for Ramsey, who takes center stage in this season as our main character, it’s a real showcase. Across the season, they’re playing both a naïve teen and someone who’s been hardened by the world. Someone experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Pascal is also captivating as a softer, more emotional Joel than we get in the game version, which I liked for this adaptation. At the same time, he still nails the moments when he needs to remind you he’s a hardened, scary MF’er. Likewise, Ellie is given a more emotional characterization in the show. I think it works well for both characters. It’s not a video game — they can’t mow down hundreds of enemies. So I think adding some vulnerability works better for television, and makes their tragic choices hit even harder.
The real breakout star of the season, though, is Isabela Merced in her turn as Dina. Some of the best changes made for Season Two are in an effort to flesh out her character, and it works immaculately. The dynamic and chemistry between Merced and Ramsey is instantaneous, even if the relationship is a slow burn. They complement each other so well, both in terms of personality and how they attack problems. Merced’s bubbly personality makes you instantly charmed by her, but again, she still nails the darker moments as needed for a character that’s survived to this point in such a dark reality. Even what they did to give her more of a connection with Joel works well, and helps sell the other changes that come downstream as a result. She takes on a bit of Tommy’s (Gabriel Luna) original space, which makes sense with adding a kid into the mix for the latter.
Aside from our major players, there’s some great character work being done in smaller roles too. Somewhat surprisingly falling into this camp is Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. To clarify: I never doubted she would be great. I love how show Abby is changed from game Abby (so far), and I don’t have the hate for her that some of the worst people on the internet do. The surprise comes from the fact that we don’t get much of her this season. I thought one of the things the showrunners might play around with was structure. Not so much here, but with what we’re given, I’m excited to see what she can bring to the character in the future.
Though we don’t get a ton of him, Young Mazino as Jesse easily sells his relationship with both Dina and Ellie in a way that gives him more character, too, as the “future of Jackson.” How he’s used — particularly in the finale — as a way to discuss community, what it means to be in one, who’s in yours, and what you’d do to protect them, is at the heart of what the story is about. The conversations surrounding that are some of the best writing the show does.
On other fronts, Catherine O’Hara as the town’s lone therapist is a fantastic invention for the show that really leans into getting insights into both of our main characters. Jeffrey Wright getting to reprise his role as Isaac, one of the faction leaders in a fractured, dangerous Seattle, is outstanding as always. I even enjoyed a surprise pop up by Josh Peck (though I can’t tell you when I figured this out; it is a family site).
Creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann continue to make adaptive choices that I think benefit the show, as opposed to its video game counterpart. The trend that started in Season One of giving the audience some wider context and background on the other people in this world continues to just add to the lore in a positive way, and takes advantage of the fact we’re not locked in to just Joel or Ellie’s POV. The introduction of spores in this season, after forgoing them last season, made a ton of sense narratively, and accomplishes exactly what it needs to. Likewise, cramming all of the flashbacks into one episode, instead of sprinkling them throughout this season, makes more sense for the medium. The addition of a battle at Jackson during a key scene really works, particularly in how it changes things for Dina and Tommy.
The changes also don’t upend the story as a whole. The themes about family and the cyclical nature of violence and revenge are so well woven into the various storylines. Yes, there was plenty of backlash to the storyline in the game, but the show is sticking to its guns, which I admire. There are some slight changes which I think are an attempt to soften blowback (which was always a losing battle), but even that I didn’t particularly mind. A key discussion on a porch combines a pair of conversations that I’m still coming to terms with whether I liked overall as a choice, but on the whole, the changes add much more than they detract. Given where this season leaves off, I’m intrigued to see how it lands the plane, and what the reaction will be, given what it will mean for Season Three.
It’s obvious all those involved have great care for the story that they’re trying to tell, and that comes across on screen. The way the show is shot is gorgeous (the A Song of Ice and Fire universe directors could learn a thing or two about night shoots, though the finale gets a little choppy) and the makeup/costuming/production work is unparalleled on TV. Whether recreating a moment from the game shot-for-shot, or creating new moments, everything is beautifully realized.
Though not quite as strong as the show’s first season (which is perhaps to be expected, as it doesn’t line up as cleanly with being able to tell the game it’s adapting’s full story), it’s still a great adaptation of great source material.
The Last of Us remains one of the best things going on television in what is quickly becoming a year to remember for the medium.
Rating: Loved It
The Last of Us is currently streaming on HBO Max
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd