Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
Following up from the first season that adapted the popular video game, the second season of “The Last of Us” is tasked with adapting the polarizing chapter of that game. Thanks to sticking with what did work in that game, season 2 works overall, even though this season only covers half of the story.
The plot closely follows the prologue and first arc of the game, although critical information that appeared late in the game’s story is used to start off the season. While season one was the story of Ellie and Joel, this time the focus shifts to Ellie and Dina. The two do have good chemistry, but the father/daughter bond is sorely missed, especially after we get a taste of it later on in the season. While Ellie’s motivation works to kick start the adventure, that narrative seems somewhat flimsy at times and often feels like an impossible task. The story also jumps occasionally to cover aspects of The Wolves and the Scars. While there ongoing war has some interesting elements, both sides are inconsistently portrayed as victims and as aggressors. (Not to mention most of this arc appears later in the game and seems to be more for setting up season 3 of this series.)
As far as returning characters go, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey once again do a phenomenal job as Joel and Ellie. This is tricky because Ellie is now closer to an adult than a child, forcing Ramsey to create a compelling new version of the character. (Although thanks to some flashbacks, they easily slide back into the more “innocent” side of Ellie.) And while Tommy is given much more to do this time around, he’s still mostly sits out of most of the major storylines.
As far as new characters, Abby and her crew are fine for what we see of them, with Kaitlyn Dever standing out. Jesse is also a nice addition to the show, with Young Mazino giving a nuanced performance considering his complicated role in the series. But the standout is easily Isabela Merced as Dina, who brings both a playfulness and also a levelheadedness that really compliments her dynamic with Ellie.
The series looks fantastic, with locations overgrown with vegetation in the same way as shown in the game, and a few areas ripped straight from the game. (There’s also plenty of key character moments, action sequences and dialog that’s practically 1:1 adapted from the game.) All the major characters beats work well, the emotional moments hit hard, and this season doesn’t skimp on having “zombies” actually show up in a “zombie” show.
“The Last of Us” season 2 looks amazing, is well acted and features plenty of action and scares. However, while trying to copy the structure of the game, it is essentially half of a story and it’s unclear if the second half of the story will be compelling enough to bring back the audience for more.
**** out of *****