The Last of Us Season 2 Review: HBO’s acclaimed series returns with a solid first chapter

Plot: Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind. 

Review: The first season of The Last of Us raised the bar for video game adaptations. Led by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the long-awaited take on the acclaimed video game of the same name managed to balance shot-for-shot recreations from the game while adding new scenes, characters, and developments exclusive to the live-action series. The first season wrapped at the same point as the first game, with the two-year wait for the sophomore year, allowing Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin to plumb the epic second game to its fullest potential while setting the stage for the HBO show to go beyond where the 2020 game left off. Those who have played Part II know that audiences with only the show to go by are in for an emotional rollercoaster that the first episode sets the table for. With expectations at a height few series could reach, The Last of Us opens up its second season with a solid entry that brings viewers up to speed over what the characters have experienced over the last five years while driving an atmosphere of dread that even the most oblivious person will not be able to avoid.

The premiere opens with the fallout of Joel (Pedro Pascal) rescuing Ellie (Bella Ramsey) from the Firefly facility in Salt Lake City. The few survivors of Joel’s rampage discuss where they will go with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), vowing revenge on Joel for killing the people she cared about. The series then shifts five years later, with Joel and Ellie experiencing a rift in their relationship. Ellie is working with Jesse (Young Mazino) and Dina (Isabela Merced) to defend the commune they call home. Run by Maria (Rutina Wesley) and Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), the town is an idyllic growing community. The community is thriving, covered in snow, and surrounded by a defensive wall. Joel uses his construction experience to lead the building crew in town while still suffering from guilt around his actions at the end of the first season. Joel meets with a therapist, Gail (Catherine O’Hara), while struggling to keep his relationship with Ellie from falling apart. For her part, Ellie is trying to break free from Joel’s parental control while also seeking companionship with her friend, Dina. This leads to a lot of tension throughout the episode as the reason for the rift between Joel and Ellie is never explicitly addressed.

The first episode of The Last of Us has a lot of setting up to do. Still, it does incorporate a fair amount of action and horror as the infected begin to show different behavior than anyone has seen before. Those familiar with video games know the different types of infected players, but seeing them in live-action remains a chilling visual experience. The special effects work is outstanding, and this season’s premiere already offers disturbing evolutions for those infected with cordyceps. But The Last of Us works well thanks to the human drama, notably in the dynamic between Joel and Ellie. The distance between the characters in this opening episode allows us to see the other characters who populate this season, especially Dina. Isabel Merced has proven herself to be a strong actor in recent projects, including Alien: Romulus, and she makes Dina a very interesting partner for Ellie. Bella Ramsey explored Ellie’s sexuality in a powerful episode in the first season. Still, the more overt coupling of the characters takes their development out of teenage lust and turns it into something much more tangible. For his part, Pedro Pascal spends most of the episode brooding with his shared scene with Catherine O’Hara, which is a highlight of the episode.

Most of the new cast, including Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac, Joe Pantoliano’s Eugene, and Alanna Ubach’s Hanrahan, are not seen in the premiere, focusing more on Joel and Ellie’s new life since the end of the first season. The most prominent tease of what we are in store for comes from Kaitlyn Dever’s outstanding introduction as Abby. A major character in the game whose role in this season’s narrative should not be spoiled for anyone unfamiliar with The Last of Us Part II is a testament to how good of an actor Dever is. Once considered for the role of Ellie, I cannot imagine Kaitlyn Dever as anyone other than Abby now. Her brief scenes at the beginning and end of this premiere episode set the table for what we can expect this season. There is also a tease regarding the cordyceps itself and how it may infect the community that wraps this first episode so much tension that it will be nearly impossible for audiences to maintain control as they wait each week for new episodes to drop.

Consisting of seven episodes, season two of The Last of Us opens with Craig Mazin serving as writer and director on the opening episode. Succession‘s Mark Mylod, Peter Hoar, Loki‘s Kate Herron, and Stephen Williams direct episodes two through five, all of which Mazin wrote. Game creator Neil Druckmann co-wrote the final two episodes alongside Mazin and Halley Gross, with Druckmann and Nina Lopez-Corrado helming an episode each. This first episode balances a couple of action-oriented scenes involving the infected, which will please the horror-loving viewers. But, like The Walking Dead, The Last of Us focuses more on the human-centric toll of living in a post-apocalyptic world. The factions at play between the commune and the threats coming their way will make for a very different season compared to the road trip journey in the first season. Many characters are introduced early, with some only getting brief teases for what will become more substantial roles as the season progresses. I thought Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann might expand and stretch the storyline from the second game across multiple seasons. Still, based on where the premiere episode ends, audiences will be blowing up the internet with reactions come April 20th.

The season two premiere of The Last of Us proved that the first season was not a fluke. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have what it takes to turn the most excruciating emotional experiences into powerful television. Bella Ramsey is a force to be reckoned with, and Pedro Pascal is once again at the peak of his acting talents. The Last of Us has expanded its ensemble with some of the best performers working today. I have no doubt that Kaitlyn Dever’s performance this season will go down as one of the best in small-screen history. The Last of Us does not open with the same epic apocalypse that the first season did, but this is a quieter and more devastatingly subdued introduction to what will come next. The Last of Us reclaims its much-deserved crown of being one of the best television shows, with this premiere only the tip of the iceberg. Fans of the games will be very pleased with how faithful this premiere is to the source material while expanding beyond what they already know. Newcomers: do not read spoilers; get ready to let your jaws drop.

The Last of Us premieres on April 13th on HBO.

The Last Of Us

AMAZING

9

The post The Last of Us Season 2 Review: HBO’s acclaimed series returns with a solid first chapter appeared first on JoBlo.