The Last Of Us

WhenThe Last of Us Part IIcame out in 2020 , it hit shelf in the middle of a pandemic and was mud in argument . Before the secret plan even released , its news report had leak and many had already decided to hate it , focusing much of their ire on stigma - new character Abby . Despite this , though , the plot is a masterpiece , a densely layer saga about retaliation , the shock of violence , and the chance for redemption .

It ’s also a massive undertaking , expect around 24 hour to cease its main campaign . The Last of Usseason 2 has only seven installment , and creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have been open about thegame ’s story traverse multiple seasons , so these unexampled entries do n’t attempt to tell the whole story . Instead , time of year 2 zooms in on Ellie , her time in Jackson , and the tarry issue of the tragical season 1 end .

The Last of Usseason 1 is very much Joel and Ellie ’s history , tag the growth of their family relationship from reluctant companions to a near - unbreakable father - girl bond . time of year 2 is very much Ellie ’s , though , and , for better and worse , it broadens the world she inhabits to shine a Light Within on the ways the ugliness around her has worked its way inside her soul and transformed her .

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The Last Of Us Season 2 Doesn’t Shy Away From The Ugliness Of The End Of The World

The Second Half Falters As It Widens Its Focus

After theend ofThe Last of Usseason 1 , Ellie is still wonder what really find at that infirmary in Salt Lake City , and she shinny with the thought that her granting immunity — which she meld with her identity — may in the end signify nothing .

Who Ellie want to be may not really weigh , though , and she ’s forced to present the individual she has become in the face of the brutal reality she was raised in . The Last of Usseason 2 grapples with the use violence play inthe mail - apocalypse , when teenagers determine to shoot guns as soon as they can bait a horse and how relatively normal living experiences — like first crushes , big betrayals , crushing red ink — can be heightened to pillory extremes .

The Last of Us   is a sprawl , worked up epic that catch the game ’s emotional state while expanding on the narrative in surprising and rewarding ways .

Joel (Pedro Pascal) looks down at the ground in The Last Of Us season 2

Everything aboutThe Last of Usseason 2is bigger than the first , but when the story tries to widen its focus beyond Ellie and her mission , the show can lose its striking thrust . There ’s a tidy sum of set - up that will be paid off in the future , which tire some of the season ’s later moment of its bet as it moves beyond Jackson and into the wider macrocosm .

Season 2 is strongest when it focuses on Ellie ’s journey and Bella Ramsay is more than up to the task . Many of the criticisms leveled against them — that they do n’t look old enough , or that they do n’t have the chop to expect the dramatic weight of Ellie ’s fib — are for the most part invalid . Part of the calamity of Ellie ’s story is that she ’s so young , and Ramsay is noteworthy in their handling ofThe Last of Usseason 2 ’s devastating moments .

The Last of Uswill only continue to expand as it barrels through its story .

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oftentimes , though , it ’s the handwriting that neglect them . Too often , The Last of Usmoves on speedily from impactful moment , not letting the sting of pain sensation linger before make the next story beat . It can , at times , feel as if it is checking boxes .

This season was raise in the thick of the unprecedented2023 dual actors and writer strikes , which in all likelihood affected the shape and setting of the season . Whether this trend will continue into a third time of year stay on to be seen , butThe Last of Uswill only continue to flesh out as it moves throughPart II ’s story .

Is The Last Of Us Having An Identity Crisis?

The Line Between Video Game & Television Series Is A Tricky One

The Last of Usand its subsequence are undeniably cinematic video games . They were much begging to be adapt for the screen door , with various task in exploitation before the show ended up happening . Still , the serial struggles to balance when it wants to be television receiver versus when it desire to be a picture game .

Like the first time of year , there are many moments draw direct from the game , and they are shot like a video game , too . But much of the world power ofPart IIlies in the moments it lurk on and , in attempt to tell such a massive story ( even in part ) over only seven episodes , there is n’t much meter to baby-sit with the emotional exercising weight of the choices some reference make .

Even at its frail , though , season 2 is still compelling television , with element that transcend rushed storytelling . The Last of Usis a story that needs room to breathe and when the journeys of Ellie , Joel ( Pedro Pascal ) , and Abby ( Kaitlyn Dever ) are hand that chance , it ’s as awe - enliven to see as it is to pluck up the controller .

Imagery from Joel in The Last of Us season 2

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The Last of Usseason 2 premieres on HBO on April 13 .

The Last of Us is a post - revelatory drama serial set two ten after a global catastrophe . It conform to Joel , a veteran survivor , who is tasked with escorting Ellie , a adolescent little girl , across a depopulate United States , metamorphose into a agonising journey of survival and companionship .

Gabriel Luna as Tommy looking to the side next to Bella Ramsey looking shocked in The Last of Us

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Ellie wanders through an abandoned building with a gun in The Last Of Us season 2

The Last Of Us