As a huge fan of The Last of Us game series and someone who was glued to every episode of Season 1, I dove into Season 2 with sky-high expectations. After bingeing the seven episodes that dropped starting April 13, 2025, on HBO, I’m left torn. This season is a visually jaw-dropping, emotionally heavy continuation of Joel and Ellie’s story, with performances that hit hard and action that had me on edge. But man, it’s also frustrating—pacing hiccups, some questionable changes from The Last of Us Part II, and a cliffhanger ending that left me wanting more in all the wrong ways. Here’s my honest take.
The Good: Heart, Grit, and Stunning Visuals
Right off the bat, Season 2 grabs you by the throat. The show picks up five years after Season 1, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) living in the cozy survivor town of Jackson. The peace feels like a warm hug, but it’s shattered fast by a brutal event that I won’t spoil (though if you’ve played Part II, you know what’s coming). From there, the season dives into a dark exploration of revenge and loss, and it’s a gut-punch.
Bella Ramsey is phenomenal as Ellie. She’s grown from the snarky teen of Season 1 into a 19-year-old carrying a ton of baggage, and Ramsey nails every shade of her anger, guilt, and vulnerability. Pedro Pascal, as Joel, doesn’t get as much screen time, but when he’s there, he’s a grounding force—his quiet moments with Ellie had me tearing up. The new cast is a highlight, too. Isabela Merced as Dina is a total standout; she brings this infectious warmth that lights up the screen, especially in her scenes with Ellie. Kaitlyn Dever as Abby is intense and layered, though I wish her arc had more room to breathe. Young Mazino’s Jesse and Gabriel Luna’s Tommy also add a lot to the Jackson crew.
The production is straight-up movie quality. The snowy Jackson scenes are gorgeous, and Seattle’s overgrown ruins feel like a character in themselves. The infected sequences—like a massive set-piece in Episode 2—are pure nightmare fuel, with practical effects that make every clicker encounter visceral. The action is top-notch, blending stealth, gunfights, and heart-pounding chases that had me gripping my couch. The show’s music and cinematography are as haunting as ever, pulling you deeper into this broken world.
The Not-So-Good: Pacing and Plot Choices
Here’s where I start to grumble. Season 2 tries to adapt part of The Last of Us Part II, but squeezing that massive, complex game into seven episodes was a mistake. The pacing feels off—like it’s sprinting through key moments and then slowing down for long, quiet stretches that don’t always land. The game’s dual-perspective structure, which flipped between Ellie and Abby to build empathy, is reworked here, and I’m not sold on it. Revealing Abby’s backstory early takes away the slow-burn mystery that made the game so gripping. It’s like the showrunners wanted to make her more likable upfront, but it flattens her impact.
Then there’s that big moment in Episode 2 (again, no spoilers). In the game, it hit like a sledgehammer because of how it was timed and framed. Here, it’s intense but feels rushed, buried under a chaotic battle that steals its weight. I was gutted, but not in the soul-crushing way I expected. The season also leans hard into action—zombie fights and WLF skirmishes are awesome, but sometimes feel like filler when I wanted more character depth. Characters like Abby and Isaac (played by a criminally underused Jeffrey Wright) get shortchanged, and the finale? It’s a cliffhanger that left me annoyed, like I’d been handed half a story.
I get that Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are setting up a third season, but seven episodes just aren’t enough to do justice to Part II’s sprawling narrative. Some changes from the game—like tweaks to Ellie and Joel’s relationship or Tommy’s role—work well, adding new emotional beats. Others, like softening certain conflicts or rushing big reveals, feel like they betray the game’s raw edge. If you haven’t played Part II, you might not notice, but as a fan, I felt the gaps.
How It Stacks Up
Season 1 was near-perfect, balancing Joel and Ellie’s bond with a road-trip vibe that felt complete. Season 2, while still incredible TV, feels like a middle chapter that’s all setup and no payoff. It’s darker, messier, and less cohesive, which fits the themes of revenge and moral grayness but makes it less satisfying to watch week-to-week. The show still nails the game’s vibe—gritty, emotional, and unflinching—but it doesn’t capture the same sense of despair or moral ambiguity that made Part II so divisive and brilliant.
I’ve seen the chatter on X, and fans are split. Some love Dina and Ellie’s chemistry (same here!) and are hyped for Season 3, while others are mad about the changes or Ramsey’s casting as an older Ellie (which I think works fine—she’s got the grit). The review bombing—42% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes—is harsh and feels like a repeat of the 2020 game backlash, with some toxic takes targeting Ellie’s romance with Dina. Critics, though, are eating it up, with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score praising the performances and visuals. I’m somewhere in the middle: I loved a lot of it, but I can’t shake the feeling it could’ve been better.
Final Thoughts
The Last of Us Season 2 is a wild, emotional ride that’s worth watching for its stellar cast, jaw-dropping visuals, and those classic TLOU moments that rip your heart out. Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal carry the show, and new faces like Isabela Merced add fresh energy. But the pacing issues, rushed plot points, and incomplete story left me frustrated, especially as a game fan who knows how powerful Part II can be. It’s still one of the best shows of 2025, but it’s a step down from Season 1’s magic. I’m already counting down to Season 3, hoping it sticks the landing this season couldn’t quite manage.