All episodes of the second season of The Last of Us are available to watch now on HBO & Max. This season stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Jeffrey Wright, Catherine O’Hara, Danny Ramirez, and Kaitlyn Dever. Picking up five years after the events of season one, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.

The Last of Us: Part II first released about five years ago with critical acclaim at first until it eventually evoked controversy from gamers worldwide due to the creative decisions. Even with knowing what happened in the game, I finally played the game myself and personally loved it. Yes, the creative decisions are bold and even left me not sure if I should keep playing due to who you end up playing as halfway through the game. I get it, and yet, I found myself completely changed with the creative decisions. The video game is one of the reasons I started this page. There is a lot of great things that can come out of the dialogue of those who liked and those who didn’t like it. I just wonder if this will translate well with this new adaptation.

When the show first premiered two years ago, it was warmly welcomed by critics and audiences alike. My only issue with it that it felt rushed at 9 episodes, and that still stands here. Due to having to live in the game longer and having to deal with challenges in real time, it’s easier to live in that world longer. With a dedicated amount of episodes in each season, the show has to get to the point fast and that can often come down to creative decisions I always agree with. I think the killing of one major character was done incredibly well in the second episode that is one of the best best episodes of television I have seen this year. Unfortunately, you can feel the pacing drag after as you have to deal with the fallout with what happen, as well as concluding part of a story derived from the game.

This is already a tricky story to adapt. With Joel Miller being a likable character both in the game and the show, there’s no getting around having to avoid making people upset with the major creative decision this story beholds. It leads to Bella Ramsey having to take up this part of the story as her character, Ellie. It feels like half the fanbase is in agreement that Ramsey wasn’t the right fit. I am in the group where I feel like Ramsey does a fine job with what they are given. It feels like an impossible task to be the major character when another one leaves. With that being said, Ramsey did a great job at evoking the right emotion required from her.

If there is one theme throughout not just this season, but the overall story, it’s that it is all emotion. In a world where people are still bitter with what they lost, it’s easy to see that being translated into revenge. This is a great theme to explore, and I do think it’s something that they could have explored further down the road. Instead, they just went for it. This requires the on-screen talent to evoke as much emotion as possible to speaks louder than words. In a world where they have to remain quiet, their actions speaks louder. From Pedro Pascal having to slowly nodding his head to Bella Ramsey to Kaitlyn Dever appearing as large as possible through her revenge, there is a lot to gravitate towards this season.

Even though this is based off a video game, the game still has realistic locations. The adaptation follows suit, but with locations in ruin, it still feels like we are seeing this game brought to life. When it comes to video game adaptations, I personally don’t see the real benefit from it. With realistic graphics as it is, I would be okay with the game as it is. I get the appeal with reaching a larger audience and to see real people bring a beloved story to life. With that being said, I think that’s the strongest argument with bringing this story to life. The production design is immaculate, while the main story is there. There are creative decisions that differ from the game throughout, yet I am amazed by how dedicated they were to just making the kind of decisions and never held back.

With episode 2 being my favorite episode, it’s easy to feel like the next episode or two is slower as they have to deal with the fallout of what happened, plus also get you to where you need to be to keep telling the story. The problem with that that makes me wish this had more episodes is that it is already episode 5 by this point. Episode 6 we get a flashback sequence and then episode 7 has to rush everything to get to the finish line. While episode 7 is still good, there wasn’t a whole lot that differed that made me lose my mind. However, if they ended the video game there, I would have been frustrated, so I don’t know how this is going to be viewers. I can see fans of the video game feeling the same way with it being a worthy adaptation. At the same time, I can see viewers not familiar with the game just looking up to see what happens next, which may require the showrunners to make even more creative changes.

After episode 2, the writing has its flaws. A lot feels like its been introduced that do not fully get answered. It’s just frustrating that we will probably have to wait another few years. The show works best when it just goes for it to which the season mostly does. When it doesn’t go for it is when I ponder on when could have made it better. I really like the idea of Kaitlyn Dever leading the story next season and I am glad this season ended on showing that. Instead of cutting to black when they did, I think they could have ended it either sooner or later to help this season feel more complete rather than just showing one perspective.

Overall, The Last of Us: Season 2 is a worthy follow-up that will challenge its viewers as much as the video game did. The season works best when it doesn’t hold back and when it brings the authenticity to life. At 7 episodes, I just wish we got to see more without feeling like the season was being rushed. I was already conflicted with it being a 3.5/5 or 4/5. Not a perfect season, but I think much like the video game, it will continue to evoke conversations from its viewers until we get the third season.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)