Ronit J

The Last Of Us Season 2 Synopsis:

Five years after the events in Salt Lake city, a now 19-year-old Ellie makes a discovery while on patrol with her best friend Dina. Back in Jackson Hole, Joel seeks help to mend his relationship with Ellie.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Review:

I have only played about 20% of the first Last of Us game. That being said, my opinions about the show are purely for the show, with almost no bias coming from the gameplay. While I haven’t played the second game at all, I’ve seen/read enough about it to know key plot points. For example, I was not really shocked when episode 2 ended. Yet, I was able to appreciate the build-up to that heartbreaking ending.

Now, I’m mentioning all this because The Last Of Us Season 2 is not just an adaptation, but a sequel as well. Is The Last Of Us a good adaptation? I can’t comment because I haven’t played the game. However, I can tell you from a TV-only perspective how good/bad it is. Is The Last Of Us Season 2 a good sequel?

My favourite portions of Season 1 were no doubt the character moments. They were well-written and beautifully realised by the performers. Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsay as Ellie both had a nice character arc that went from unlikely partners to a surrogate father-daughter relationship that made for the emotional crux of the whole of season 1. That, plus the other compelling narratives and characters that each episode introduced added layers to the devastation wrought by the global pandemic and subsequent collapse of human civilisation. Season 2 has a lot of great character moments, but also a lot of pointless slogs.

Good Start, Terrible Continuation

In episode 1, “Future Days”, it’s clear that Ellie and Joel have a strained relationship, probably a consequence of the season 1 finale. While on paper this was great, the relative safety of them being in Wyoming took away from the weight of the conflict. They’re in comfortable quarters, allowing them to ignore the tension and each other. That, plus Ellie’s constant need to prove that she’s a great soldier didn’t really work for me. I’m not complaining that Ellie was too macho or anything. I just didn’t like the way it was handled in the show.

And episode 1 was actually quite good. Episode 2, “Through the Valley”, however, really takes the cake with its expert tension-building. Wyoming deals with a horde of infected trying to break in. Meanwhile. Joel comes in contact with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the Firefly who wants him dead for killing her father (the doctor who Joel killed point-blank in the Firefly lab). The episode had everything that made season 1 brilliant: Great action set-pieces with very real stakes, heartbreaking losses—second only to Bill & Frank in Long, Long Time—that change the course of the narrative completely, and a terrifying reality-check that contrasts the safety of episode 1.

After that, it’s all downhill. Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) had a great rapport, but it was weirdly too upbeat for the post-apocalyptic atmosphere and revenge-plot conflict. Also, the power dynamics that commented on how society would function in a post-apocalyptic setting felt missing in season 2. While I enjoyed the slow introductions of the Scars cult and the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), they were too scant to justify the long runtime. Honestly, half of the season felt like a filler.

Feels like a Filler Season

Remember I said that the show pretty much falls apart after episode 2? Well, I genuinely believe that’s because we stop seeing Abby. The first two episodes had us see two POVs—our season 1 protagonists who’re trying to live in peace, and Abby and her WLF group who’re hunting for Joel. The two episodes had a constant sense of tension for what would happen if the two clashed. Tension both narrative and emotional.

The rest of the season, however, lacked that tension. Yes, we had Ellie on a revenge path, which could have been a compelling next step in her ‘prove herself as a strong soldier’ arc. However, Dina constantly flirting and joking around with her completely dampened the seriousness of their situation. I actually liked the Ellie-Dina relationship, but it didn’t belong to this season, at least not as a season-long arc. We didn’t need the pointless ‘Will They, Won’t They?’ dance for half the season. Instead, showing the aftermath of Abby’s actions from her POV, and more of the WLF’s war against the Scars would have made for a more interesting season.

It’s almost like the showrunners wanted a season-long Ellie-Abby fanfic, and indulged too much in their relationship and not enough in the rest of the world-building. Plus, the secondary characters didn’t really add much to the narrative. Isaac is barely even present, Abby more or less is absent after killing Joel, and the WLF-Scar conflict doesn’t even get a clear explanation. Compare that to the brilliance of Season 1, which was so chock-full of characters, world-building, sociological commentary and more.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Ending Explained

Ellie fails to find Abby, ending up in a WLF location where she kills two of Abby’s subordinates in defence. One of them is pregnant and begs Ellie to cut the fetus out of her, but Ellie fails to do that as well. Tommy and Jesse save her and bring her back to the theatre. Ellie is riddled with guilt and pretty much makes her peace with the fact that Abby is going to stay alive.

That is until Abby ambushes them, kills Jesse, and holds Tommy hostage. Ellie, in an attempt to save him, confesses to being the immune girl who Joel saved by killing all the Fireflies. That’s when Abby points the gun at Ellie. We hear a shot just as we cut to black. After that, we see Abby in the WLF headquarters, overlooking their entire organisation, which includes cattle, transport, farming, and more. Text on the screen reads: “Seattle: Day 1”.

Did Abby shoot Ellie? Maybe. Did Ellie die in the finale? Unlikely. I think Dina, who was missing from that whole segment, came in to rescue Ellie. Meanwhile, what was with that final shot? Well, I’m guessing Season 3 is going to show all of the Seattle section from the WLFs’ POV.

Was the Season 2 finale a good ending? No. It was an infuriating cliffhanger that stinks of lazy writing at the end of a shameless filler season. It’s as if the makers of this show don’t respect the viewers enough to tell us a complete story before they tease the next season.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Worth Watching?

Not really. I’d like to forget this season existed. If you haven’t watched it yet, I’d recommend just reading a season-long synopsis because that would save you a good 7 hours. Honestly, there were some good episodes, but most of it was a slog.

Episode 6, “The Price”, had great character development between Joel & Ellie. But, it didn’t make sense to keep it here. Instead, getting this episode right after Joel’s death would’ve been more emotionally rewarding, and heartbreaking. Or, split this episode into 6 segments that play as cold opens for each episode, slowly building up to Ellie’s confrontation and Joel’s confession of the events of Salt Lake City.

If you really want to watch season 2, just watch Episodes 1, 2, 6 & 7, and that too right before the season 3 premiere. Episodes 3-5 were just plain filler.

Will There Be The Last Of Us Season 3?

Yes. Unless HBO cancels the show, we’re going to get a continuation of this filler season. They owe us that. But honestly, I don’t know if I’d care enough if they cancel the show. At this point, I feel the game would be much more engaging and a more rewarding experience. Despite the criticisms and mixed response to the second instalment.

In Conclusion:

The Last of Us Season 2 was a disappointing sequel to the beautiful Season 1. With about 7 hours of runtime, this season had as much filler as it had actual story. Why stretch half a season into a full one with a painful cliffhanger, when you can just tell the story?

Is this a ploy to get more people to play the game instead?

Also check out:

• Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) | Film Review
• Stolen (2023) | Film Review
• Red Rooms (2023) | Film Review
• The Studio (2025) | Season 1 Review | Episodes Ranked
• Midsommar (2019) | Film Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

What did you think of The Last of Us Season 2? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time.