THE LAST OF US S2 Falls Short, But Has Brilliant Moments

WARNING! This text contains spoilers!

After seven weeks, the second season of The Last of Us has come to an end – a relatively short run, especially considering we had to wait over two years for it. This time, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin tackled the adaptation of the game’s sequel – or rather, part of it – but was it successful?

I’ll say right away that I watched the new season from the perspective of someone who hasn’t played the sequel, only the first game.

So I won’t be able to compare how individual scenes worked in both versions or whether any deviations from the original were for the better. What I do know is that overall, I liked the second season less than the first. Yes, it had two excellent episodes, but as a whole, it didn’t manage to evoke the same emotions.

Episode two is one of those standout episodes – it felt like a finale, or at least a penultimate episode from the best days of Game of Thrones. It was intense, emotional, and ultimately shocking, especially when the main character from season one died at the end (Pedro Pascal just can’t catch a break when it comes to dying in HBO series). This plot twist and the setup of a revenge-driven storyline opened the door to further suspenseful and gripping arcs. However, that potential wasn’t fully realized – although the following episodes did include some thrilling, tense scenes set in Seattle, somewhere along the way it became easy to forget why Ellie embarked on her journey in the first place.

She also lacked the expected rage that should have constantly driven her in the face of such overwhelming trauma. That fury returns closer to the end of the season, when Ellie begins to act in controversial, anger-fueled ways – but it doesn’t feel like she’s truly going down a dark path, because the creators remain sympathetic to her until the end.

In fact, Ellie is somewhat overshadowed by Dina, a character introduced this season. Unlike half the internet, I have nothing against Bella Ramsey – I think she’s a talented actress who conveys emotions very well – but she does pale in comparison to Isabela Merced’s natural charisma.

Merced stepped into the role of Dina brilliantly, capturing attention from the start and stealing scenes. She’s on quite a hot streak right now; last year she starred in Alien: Romulus, and soon we’ll see her in Superman and season two of Peacemaker. It’ll be interesting to see where her career goes from here.

Dina isn’t the only interesting new character this season – Young Mazino as Jesse is endearing, Catherine O’Hara as Gail is pure class, as is Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby is intriguing. She hasn’t had much screen time yet, but she made the most of what she got – thanks in large part to her, episode two is so strong. Naturally, Pedro Pascal appears less this season, but he gets his moment in another one of the season’s best episodes – episode six. That’s where we, as viewers, get the most emotional gut-punch and a much-needed closure to Joel and Ellie’s story. It’s also where both Pascal and Ramsey deliver their finest performances. As a parent, I couldn’t help but be moved by their final conversation. While episode two delivered action and shock, episode six went straight to the heart and is a beautiful example of The Last of Us’ emotional power. That’s the one I’ll remember most.

The finale, however, left me disappointed – not because it was a bad episode, but because it clearly wraps up only the first part of a longer story and doesn’t quite work as a conclusion, leaving a sense of incompleteness. Maybe it’ll work better when seasons two and three can be watched back to back? After all, the game was a complete story.

The Last of Us is still outstanding from a production standpoint – the infected horde attack scenes are very impressive, as is the post-apocalyptic view of Seattle. But the dynamic between characters didn’t reach the level of what Joel and Ellie had (which is also why episode six stands out), and some introduced storylines and characters feel underdeveloped (like Isaac’s story or the whole Seraphite arc). That said, I’m eagerly awaiting what comes next – I’d love to see more of Abby and her side of the story. I have a feeling she might turn out to be the more compelling character.