TLOU Season 2 Review: Why The Last of Us May Not See the Rest of Us.
Fellassss! I ain’t go lie, it’s been two years since the first season of The Last of Us premiered, and I was extremely excited to dive back into this world. Season 1 was a great adaptation of the 2013 hit video game. While it wasn’t perfect, it definitely left me hungry to see what showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann could do with another season.
The Last of Us Part II was a game surrounded by a lot of controversy. I’ll assume most of you have already played the game, but I’ll still do my best to avoid spoilers. It’s a story filled with intense hate, anger, violence, and more. When the game was first released, many people complained about the heavy and nihilistic tone and were confused by the message the developers were trying to convey.
So, when it came time to adapt the second game for the TV series, I had a feeling the showrunners might change a lot to address those concerns. The problem with changing the story to address the concerns of the fans who didn’t like it is that you end up alienating the fans who did. In trying to strike a balance and please both sides, the showrunners risked watering down the impact of the story. As the saying goes, “If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one,” and that perfectly sums up this season.
Ultimately, The Last of Us Season 2 is still good television, but a few strange decisions really hold it back. First, I don’t understand the choice to keep Bella Ramsey as Ellie. It’s not that their performance is bad, but it’s hard to buy that five years have passed. Bella still feels more like a teenager than an adult on a mission of vengeance. That’s not entirely their fault — the writing also keeps Ellie feeling oddly childish this season, which doesn’t fit with what she goes through in the second game. It even makes her come across as a bit clueless at times, which feels disingenuous for her character.
Another thing that didn’t work for me was cutting so much of the game’s action. In the show, the journey through Seattle feels more like a romantic adventure for Ellie and Dina instead of a desperate quest for revenge. Losing all that violence and intensity takes away from the weight of Ellie’s decisions. In the game, her guilt and frustration feel real because of all the lives she takes, but in the show, most scenes are just her and Dina wandering quietly.
One scene that stood out was when Ellie learns Dina is pregnant. In the game, Ellie’s reaction is complicated and tense because she’s consumed by revenge and doesn’t want to think about protecting anyone. In the show, she just says, “I’m going to be a Dad,” which feels out of character for the Ellie we know. It seems like the producers wanted to soften things up after the backlash over the game’s dark and violent tone, but as I said earlier, trying to please everyone ends up pleasing no one. The slower pacing of the season doesn’t help either, especially with how long it might take for the next season to come out — fans might be waiting until 2027!
On a more positive note, the set design, cinematography, and acting were superb. There’s a clear love and passion from the team behind the series, and it really shows on screen. Newcomers Kaitlyn Dever and Jeffrey Wright both deliver great performances, and I’m definitely excited to see where they take their characters next season. The introduction of the Scars also adds a new layer of intrigue, though it wasn’t explored as deeply as it could have been. Maybe they will explore them in the next season, who knows.
All in all, it’s tough to recommend or give a clear verdict on this season. Fans who’ve played the game already know what’s coming, and asking them to sit through a season that barely pushes the story forward is a lot. For newcomers to the franchise, it’s a bit easier to recommend, but even then, they’ll be waiting until 2027 — maybe even 2028 — for the story to really pick up. And if we’re to believe Craig Mazin, we might not see the full conclusion of this story until 2029 or 2030, since he mentioned the possibility of a fourth season to wrap things up. That’s a big ask, even for the most die-hard fans.
In the end, while there’s still plenty to love in The Last of Us Season 2, it’s a season that feels stuck between honoring the game and making changes to please everyone — and in doing so, it doesn’t fully satisfy either side.
