The time has arrived and this Sunday fans of both the TV series and the video game The Last of Us, will go through yet another emotional rollercoaster as we explore themes of vengeance, morality, and the human condition. In season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us, the series is set five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) have settled in Jackson, Wyoming. Their lives are disrupted by the arrival of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a soldier driven by a personal vendetta.
The season also introduces new characters, including Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Danny Ramirez), enriching the narrative landscape. As we open into the first episode, fans of the video game will not be disappointed in the series (as it did mostly in season 1) follows quite closely to the source material of the game. There are moments where the dialogue matches shot-for-shot as well as the scenes. Co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin perform an incredible task of incorporating complex time jumps and shifting perspectives that match the narrative of the game. That’s not to say the series doesn’t take creative liberties. The show certainly does, and we will have our “Bill and Frank” moment in this series, but for the inciting incident that gamers know ultimately triggers the story in a completely different trajectory than where it was in the first game, it follows that same path.
While the casting of Kaitlyn Dever of Abby was mixed by fans (most notably those who were gamers) her depiction of Abby does not disappoint. And as Kaitlyn said in an interview with Black Girl Nerds, Abby is a more developed character, in the game “she came in hot”, however in the show we get a sense of what sparked her motivations and desires for revenge. There’s some added layers to this character that allows her to be a bit more complex and less 2-dimensional than the video game version of Abby. Perhaps that is why she was such a divisive character and received so much vitriol.
We’re also introduced to a new character by the name of Gail, played by the great Catherine O’Hara. Gail is a therapist who conducts sessions for Joel. Joel has some inner demons he needs to face and Gail is trying to get that out of him, although Joel is reluctant to be transparent about what he’s feeling. We learn more that both Joel and Gail have a bit of a shared history and that their sessions aren’t exactly a coincidence, but in fact, that it’s by design.
As for our other characters, in Jackson we get some further development among our leaders Maria (Rutina Wesley) and Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Maria as a mother has softened her up a bit and Tommy is more trustworthy of his brother Joel and has confidence in his leadership. There’s a bit more comradery amongst the group. And all is peaceful, of course whenever there is peace in the apocalypse, it never lasts and this is just the quiet before the storm. To keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, season 2 of The Last of Us, is exactly what fans, and gamers hope and will expect along with so much more for a sophomore show. We get the evolution of Ellie, we see her growth and development as well as how her past informs her decisions – both good and bad. And we see what The Last of Us is known best for, which is ultimately a story about the human condition and finding some kind of solace in a world of chaos. Ellie and Dina have a friendship that grows and becomes stronger and builds into something beautiful.
This season of The Last of Us weighs heavily on grief in the apocalypse. And the consequences of actions of the past.
Get ready for the tissues, because this season is going to be a tough one for fans of both the TV series and the video game respectively. It’s going to be rough, but we’ll get through it together. The second season of The Last of Us airs on HBO and Max on April 13 at 9 p.m. ET, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Sundays.
