The Last of Us Season 2 Review: A Risky Adventure That Doesn't Lose the Show's Appeal

During the first season of HBO's The Last of Us, Tommy Miller's wife Maria, warns 14-year-old Ellie Williams not to completely drop her guard around Tommy's brother Joel, saying, "Be careful who you put your faith in." What was a minor scene then reverbrates throughout The Last of Us Season 2. Are people 100 percent trustworthy, even those who act out of love? Can people even trust themselves in their lowest moments? Season 2 asks these questions, and doesn't always have answers.

The Last of Us Season 2 takes place five years after the events of the Season 1 finale, in which Joel killed what he thought were all the Fireflies to stop a cure for the Cordyceps virus from being made -- ultimately saving Ellie. But whether Ellie does or doesn't know what Joel really did, their relationship has taken a turn for the worse in the current day. Season 2 is based on The Last of Us Part II, the video game sequel that was emotionally dense, a chronological puzzle, and more worrying, controversial in fair and unfair ways. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann -- who are joined by The Last of Us Part II co-writer Halley Gross for the last two episodes -- make the TV adaptation work in a moving second season driven by valiant choices.

The Last of Us Season 2 Stretches the Show's Emotional Capabilities

Season 2 Handles Tough Emotions Very Carefully

The Last of Us Season 1 shocked critics and viewers by simply being good -- not just a good video game adaptation, but good television. At its core, there's a sensible apocalyptic story that hits all the right emotional beats: love, hate, panic, paranoia, all in a cycle that Season 2 proves is hard to break. Long before The Last of Us Part II was released, Druckmann spoke about each of the games' differing themes at PSX (via Kotaku): “If the first game was really about the love between these two characters, [The Last of Us Part II's] story is the counter [to] that. This story is about hate." This philosophy couldn't be more present in the HBO series. However, the TV creators more clearly show that the hate Druckmann refers to is driven by love.

Joel and Ellie, played brilliantly by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, are still the center of The Last of Us. Their poignant work together is among the best of television duos today -- now at a much more mature level since Ellie is 19. There's a certain catharsis that Pascal and Ramsey bring to Joel and Ellie. Acting more like a father and daughter in the close-to-normal community of Jackson this season, their rollercoaster of a relationship hits close to home. The apocalypse has never felt more real in the struggle of a dad trying to connect with his daughter, and a teenage daughter who feels misunderstood by her stubborn dad. The Last of Us doesn't sugarcoat the fact that these little instances can make or break someone, refreshingly bending the apocalyptic genre to revolve around relationship fallouts.

The Last of Us Season 2 does test viewers' resolve in great ways. Many moments are tough to watch, either because of the incredibly realistic gore or scenes that prove just how heartbreaking loving someone can really be. The somberness can be a chore to get through -- but that's a testament to the show's power. Completing the challenge is part of the reward. The Last of Us has such a high level of emotional intelligence that it doesn't leave viewers with a sense of emptiness. Season 2 doesn't spare feelings for the sake of making things easy.

The Last of Us Packs on the Action in a War-Heavy Season 2

The Second Season's New Enemies Make for Exciting Sequences

As expected, the world has not gone back to normal in Season 2 following Joel's murderous interruption of the discovery of the cure. Whereas baseball games and therapy sessions are the norm in Jackson, The Last of Us brings in two new groups where these things are a privilege: the Washington Liberation Front (AKA the "WLF" or "Wolves") and the Seraphites (AKA "Scars"). Both groups are in a territorial war over Seattle that has only scratched the surface -- meant to intentionally grip viewers so they'll stick around for more seasons. It's an evasive push and pull to try to get into the minds of the people behind these organizations as much as The Last of Us lets viewers its Jackson characters.

The WLF and the Seraphites are terrifying in their own way. One is a bombastic military organization and another is a whistling religious cult. The stark contrast between the two doesn't create a hero and villain narrative. Instead, The Last of Us thoughtfully plants the seeds for fans to slightly sympathize with both causes, but even moreso revolt at the misguided actions they've taken to achieve their cause.

The Last of Us is much more action-heavy and exciting in Season 2. The best action scenes come from ones between humans and infected beings, who are more intimidating thanks to the fantastic prosthetics, makeup and acting. There's a particular large-scale sequence that evokes the raw feeling of fear and adrenaline to an extraordinary degree through its excellent direction and production value. The overall direction of the series is a masterclass in television filmmaking. On a smaller scale, The Last of Us finds ways to shake things up by adding new bosses to fight, whether it be humans or infected. It's an easy but effective way to raise the stakes for the survivors, who have gotten used to their enemies.

The Last of Us Season 2's New Characters Are a Weak Point

Despite Great Performances, Season 2 Struggles to Develop Characters

A complicated aspect of The Last of Us Season 2 is the introduction of many new characters and surprising guest stars. The most prominent are Kaitlyn Dever as Abby Anderson, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Catherine O'Hara as Gail and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. On one hand, fresh faces round out the cast to make the show more than just Joel and Ellie's story. On the other hand, The Last of Us doesn't always spread the love equally

At their baselines, all the new characters are interestingly unique -- but many of them don't develop in any significant way. Just as in Season 1, characters drop off the face of the Earth for several episodes for particular reasons, and it can make the show a bit lonely. While this notion worked in Season 1 because it was purely Joel and Ellie's road trip through America, it doesn't always work in Season 2, when characters are well-established to be of great importance to both of them.

But that lack of development doesn't change how extraordinary The Last of Us is at casting. Aside from Pascal and Ramsey, the three best performers of this season are Wright, O'Hara and Dever. Wright reprises his role as Isaac from the video game in a more authoritative, calmly chilling demeanor that is hard for other television villains to top. O'Hara is her usual funny self as the therapist in Jackson, whose unorthodox work provides some of the series' lighter moments, but her tempered performance in darker moments shows off her dramatic chops.

Dever has the biggest challenge, coming into the show as an extremely controversial character who was the subject of unwarranted hate from toxic players. The Last of Us has already faced early criticism for the casting choice, given she lacks the same muscular physique as the video game's portrait of Abby. But Dever drives the anxiety and pain of Season 2's story as much as Pascal and Ramsey do. She may not look like Abby, but that ultimately doesn't matter. Dever embodies Abby with an impressive case of deft acting that presents one case of how grief can fundamentally deconstruct a person's psyche.

The Last of Us Season 2 Strives to Be More Original

The Second Season Redefines the Idea of a Video Game Adaptation

The story of The Last of Us Season 2 is challenging, both inside and outside the context of it being a video game adaptation. The Last of Us Part II has a non-chronological narrative that switches points of view and jumps between moments in time quite frequently. This was never the game's strongest suit, but it's a power that the show has tailored and fitted to make for acceptable television. Flashbacks flow easily throughout the story to allow the beats to happen organically and beautifully.

That being said, people aware of the game will have to rewire their brains to reap the full benefits of Season 2. It can't be overstated enough that this is a different journey based on the same story, even more so than Season 1. A lot of changes and expansions have been made to keep people on their toes and leave them shaken. This is an exceptional, original take that blissfully makes people forget The Last of Us is an adaptation, while still honoring the game itself. Only a select few modifications are less successful. Key moments in the game where Ellie dismantled her morality in favor of pursuing something more egregiously violent have been greatly changed in the TV version to soften her character. Because of this, there are times when it doesn't feel like there's a natural progression to Ellie reaching a catalytic turn in her humanity.

A case can be made that these flaws arise because Season 2 feels like a setup for Season 3. There's a jaw-dropping moment in the season where it becomes obvious how the show plans on executing this loaded story. It's a risk that The Last of Us Season 2 has confidently proven that, for the most part, it can pull off. Take away the preconceived notions of this story, and this is a bold season of television that dares to be different. There's a perfect balance of coldness and warmth in both the visuals and storytelling that The Last of UsSeason 2 keeps to show how equally powerful hate and love are in dictating these characters' paths. That's why this story thrives despite its few shortcomings. The Last of Us Season 2 makes people feel seen in each and every character through their joys, heartbreaks and grief. It just so happens to take place in a horrific world where fungi have become the enemy.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. on HBO