TV Review: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2

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Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.

Back on Max for its second season and debut the first episode on April 13th, ‘The Last of Us’ plunges us back into the chaotic, carefully-crafted world adapted from the Naughty Dog game originally created by Neil Druckmann and his team.

Now Druckmann, working again with co-showrunner Craig Mazin, is starting the even more perplexing process of adapting ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ which deepened the story of the game and its hard-bitten survivors.

Is ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 worth battling mushroom zombies to see?

(L to R) Bella Ramsey and Gabriel Luna in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

Perhaps the biggest question, and indeed challenge facing the new season of the show is whether it can live up to the praise and success of the first. It’s a situation that co-creator Neil Druckmann has faced before in this universe, and it should give fans of the show who never played the game hope that by all regards, ‘The Last of Us Part II’ is seen as superior to the original, much-loved game.

Of course, season 2 of a TV series, even one with a pedigree such as this, is a different beast. Yet Druckmann and Mazin have shown remarkable patience and care with their work, bring what works about the game to the screen by making the changes necessary to ensure it functions in a different, less interactive medium.

And it’s reassuring to report that, on the basis of the first episode of the new season, ‘Future Days,’ their efforts continue to pay off.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

While Mazin and Druckmann do the lion’s share of the writing on the show, the first episode features a script by Halley Wegryn Gross that has a lot of work to do.

Though there is a brief moment set right at the end of Season 1, the majority of the episode takes place five years later. With the survivors’ base in Jackson, Wyoming (a former ski resort repurposed as a fortress against the fungi-ravaged zombie-like mutants that prowl the lands between encampments) up and running as a functioning community.

That means we not only have to be re-introduced to Pedro Pascal’s tough-but-heartfelt Joel and Bella Ramsey’s headstrong Ellie (now even more so as a 19-year-old brawler itching to take on more responsibility), but fill us in on all the other characters.

Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

The script for ‘Future Days’ is busy but finds time for everyone –– even deviating from the game in introducing and immediately identifying Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby Anders as someone who is looking to enact vengeance on Joel for his actions in the final episode of the previous season.

Another challenge for the script is to start building towards what game players already know is coming either in this season or the next (both are drawn from ‘The Last of Us Part II’ game) –– no spoilers, but things don’t end well.

Mazin doesn’t have that many directing credits to his name despite years in the feature business, and even with his involvement in the series, this is the first time he has called the shots on an episode. But he shows a steady hand and a clear eye for what makes the show work, and if the time jump is a jolt, the style is not.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.

Anchored by Pascal and Ramsey, the episode doesn’t forget to give other performers some solid work.

Pascal is, of course, still great as the haunted, soulful Joel, the man who never expected to find a surrogate daughter after losing his own in the early days of the pandemic that rocked the world. Here, we find him in problem-solving mode, and Pascal brings out all the tones, including his sly sense of humor.

(Left) Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO. (Right) Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

Ramsey has even more to prove with the more grown version of Ellie, but they handle the job fluidly, this tougher, less childish version of the character finding new connections while still dealing with old issues.

Among the newcomers we meet, Dever makes and impact with relatively little screen time as Abby, Isabel Merced is a shiny delight as Dina and Catherine O’Hara gets to go to some deeper places as Gail, who is tending to Joel’s mental health.

Final Thoughts

Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.

Though it remains to be seen how the rest of the season and beyond plays out, the first episode of ‘The Last of Us’ new season is a welcomer reminder of why this is one of the best shows on TV.

There is so much solid character work going on from both sides of the camera, and the look of the show, including some truly scary mushroom mutants, is still superb.

“Every path has a price.”

TV-MA2 SeasonsJanuary 15th, 2023

What is the plot of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2?

Five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.