The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us has come to an end, marking the supposed middle point of its retelling of Part 2’s story. It’s proven to be a far messier affair than what came before in season one, with plenty of highs, some real lows, and a cliffhanger ending that will likely shock any of those unfamiliar with this story.
There will be some story spoilers in this review.
After the emotional flashbacks of episode 6, and the bloody spore-filled beating of episode 5, the season finale sees the fallout of Ellie’s actions as she continues on her hell-bent quest for revenge. With Dina injured, Jessie and Ellie head out to rendezvous with Tommy before making their way back to Jackson.
With Dina’s pregnancy looming in the air, this episode really wants to drive home that Ellie has put others in danger on the whims of her selfish quest. We begin to see irrational tendencies come to light, where you really start to question whether this is the person you should be rooting for.
Sadly for us, this episode struggles with writing issues across the board, whether that be with the pacing of a seemingly pointless trip to Scar Island, or the dialogue laying it all out: “So you are good and I am bad?" While it’s been obvious to many across this season, this episode has really highlighted that the show is going for a different take on Ellie.
Whether it has been her failures across the season, the irrational tendencies, or even tweaking elements of the game from very deliberate actions to accidental ones, Ellie here is on a very different kind of arc, and for us, it’s not landing. In the game, you continually question Ellie’s actions, but you never dislike her — at least we didn’t. We’re not sure we could say the same about this incarnation of the character. It muddies the waters in the story’s message, and feels like, in so many way,s the show has been holding back, certainly from a violence perspective — which is surprising from HBO.
It all culminates in a series of cliffhangers, some of which are ripped straight out from the game, that leave us very curious to see how they play out in this version of the tale. Namely, Abby’s story, which will presumably be the crux of the third season of the show. And with Mazin now alluding to a three-season story arc for The Last of Us Part 2’s retelling, we now seem to have a lot of space to tell the remainder of the story.
We can’t help but feel like the show has played its hand too early, though. With Abby’s intentions laid out from the very beginning, and Joel and Ellie’s porch scene having already passed, how do some of the later twists and emotional moments of the story play out? Our hope is that moving forward, we see more expansion, possibly more in the light of the Bill and Frank episode from season one.
It’s tough right now to see exactly how it’ll play out as an entire package once the story of Ellie and Abby has reached its conclusion. But overall, we have the same feeling we did when the first season wrapped up. It’s a perfectly fine retelling — fun and weighty post-apocalyptic entertainment — that makes sacrifices structurally for the medium, and changes from the source material that rob it of its oomph.
We’re sure plenty of non-gamers will enjoy the story — and gamers too. We just hope it’ll inspire them to check out the game so they can experience what they’re really missing out on.
But what did you think of the season finale of The Last Of Us? How do you think the story has played out so far? Will you be tuning in for Abby's season? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 48
My main complaint about the story (I never played the 2nd game and I know the show is just representing the game) but the world is so harsh and unforgiving, do you really need revenge and also isnt ellie basically the bad guy? May I also point out that I'm no fun at parties and often dont like the story to games and films. I otherwise loved the show.
I dont even think it can be considered ok at this point. Mediocre at best. It's amazing how much the show has gone downhill since season 1.
First game was a sort of Aesop fable that was perfectly paced and told a compact tale without recourse to a sledgehammer. The more I think back on the second game (and thus this second series) the more holes and imperfections I encounter.
@Ironcore this always struck me as completely ridiculous as well, and I’ve played both the first and second games and enjoyed them immensely. This isn’t traveling across a small town during a snow storm, it’s an entire city that’s filled with gangs, religious cults, and zombies - I think it’s insane that revenge is ever considered an option at all in such a harsh environment, particularly for two teenaged girls, who make it look way too easy traveling through a zombie infested violent wasteland.
It’s fine in a game but watching this happen in a show sure does feel a whole other level of irresponsible. In reality Ellie would have been ripped to shreds 20x over so far if it weren’t for the plot armor.
@Gedrick that’s literally how the majority of Hollywood film and tv shows are. So I wasn’t surprised
I think it's possible that Part II's story just wasn't very strong in the first place.
I'd say this whole tv adaptaion hasn't really worked out at all. The worst thing about the show is that Bella is no Ellie. She looks way younger than should be and sounds like an anoying teenager whereas Ellie in the game looked much more mature. Moreover, a lot of what made the game great has been altered or omitted in the show. I dont really think I will return to the show for a third season. At this rate, there is a possiblity the negative feedback from the community could also impact the third game, if it ever happens.
Part II is one of my favorite games of all time, this show has been a bit of a wet fart. You guys have had some good analyses that I completely agree with on the season.
Agree with the Pointless trip to Scar Island take. It was unnecessary and the resolution was lame.
Other than that it worked as expected, as loyal to the game as it could have been and ending where expected.
Removed - unconstructive
@MamaSymphonia
This is the answer. It wasn't great in the game and its even less so on TV. I'm curious to see if there is a fall off in viewership similar to how many people dropped the game once we got to this part of the game.
This season just shows how much stronger the story of the first game was to the second game
Absolutely shocked at the reception to Part 2's story..
🍿
@Ironcore I've not watched the show yet but the game is definitely supposed to make you feel uncomfortable about Ellie's actions.
I honestly think it's one of the reasons a lot of people don't like the game. It made them look at characters they liked in a different way.
I agree with the title of this article. I've been saying the same thing since season one! With that being said, I would eventually buy the full Blu-ray set.
I really loved TLOU franchise. Some of the best gaming experiences in my life. I'm not too much of a fan of the show.
I love that a game's story can invoke such raw emotions five years later. I have to say any game that does this is a special game!
@Ironcore One could make the argument that both Ellie and Abby are each the bad guys, but imo that is a major problem I always had with the game. I'm all for realism in games, but at the same time it's a video game. A video game I bought to play as Ellie. I don't care if her actions were bad. Of course they were, but again, it's a game. A game where the last straw for me was forcing me to fight Ellie as Abby.
The viewership for Season 3 is going to be really interesting given how likely a decent amount of people stopped watching after Joel got killed off so early and given how much of Season 3 will likely be just Abby's story. Obviously, just like the games, people were watching for Joel and Ellie. Well, I guess them making Ellie unlikeable, taking what they did in the game too far, makes it a bit easier I suppose.
TLOU2 had a lousy story because Neil D. didn't have Bruce Straley as adult supervision. Shame that its perfect gameplay was bogged down by the grim, tedious script. It's no surprise that the show has gone on to also suck
So are we allowed to criticize this now or does that still make us sexist or racist or alt right or incels or something. ps-it's not very good.
The second game's story has always been a bit whack. Eli leaving Dina and the baby for more revenge the second time was just silly. The core mechanics and gameplay were really good, but the lengths Eli went to to ruin everything for everyone was unbelievable.
It's no coincidence that the original team rejected the stupid idea of traveling across a country full of death and danger to kill one person, putting everyone around them at risk in the first game, for Neil D to take all the credit and then fall back on the same rejected story for the sequel.
Jesus, the writing for Ellie is horrendous in this episode. It's been really bad at times before in this season, but her petulance and stupidity are taken to another level. Yes, you are meant to question Ellie's actions in the game, but she was never as unsympathetic and irritating as the show's version of her is. It also doesn't help that her berserk mode in the show feels more like an on-off switch rather than a more gradual descent into brutality like Ellie in the game, and Ramsay is completely incapable of being angry without it coming across as comical. Even her screaming while bashing Nora's leg in sounded less like her angrily torturing someone and more like a child demanding more cookies.
@roe Hahaha I was waiting for the reaction of the tv audience. Sometimes I just like to watch it burn.
I like part 2 the game i think it did a good job of making me feel sorry for Abby and hating Elle by the end. now i didnt like that but i understood elles revenge quest had in fact ruined her own life
the show however all the hand holding and spelling out of what's happening and why has ruined alot of it for me. and im sorry but Bella ramsey is not good actor or a good elle
@get2sammyb That makes a lot of sense.
The writing is on the wall and we all see the elephant in the room, but choose to ignore it
Brilliant casting apart from Bella, in my opinion. Even Seth is great. But then again, I feel that Bella could have done and been more. Great actor. I think it's the writing and direction that's letting them down.
The part where Ellie gets washed up on the Scar Island was like some sort of dream sequence and made no sense.
I really wish I'd never played the game as I watch the TV adaption because the game is far superior.
It's interesting that in the show, Abby says "I let you live and you wasted it", instead of "WE let you live..." as in the game. Perhaps to emphasise her selfish mindset.
The lack of Isaac scenes in the game was always a shame, but I'm really pleased that he has more exposure in the show, great actor, too.
On a side note, people that make stupid comments about golf clubs, crap game script, are we allowed to criticise the game now etc without any expressive thoughts. Can you **** off and go elsewhere please. You maybe don't realise that you're really boring and negative. Thanks!
@UncleByron Could you point to one example of that, i.e. of a detractor suggesting that?
This second season only reinforces to me of just how poor of a sequel story it was to the first one. For me outside the dinosaur museum, it was like they completely forgot what made TLOU in the first place.
@Ironcore You hit the nail on the head, it's what many of us were saying at time the game came out but sadly it got drowned by the more unsavoury criticisms along with those that were ultra defensive of Naughty Dog.
@get2sammyb And that's the biggest flaw really. For seven years we had the first game framing Joel and Ellie as our protagonists that we get invested in. Only for the second one to be a brutally nihilistic one note revenge story with no one to root for. Regardless what everyone thinks of TLOU2, Naughty Dog split their fanbase into pieces after that, to the point that they have their work cut out with Intergalactic to reach the kind of sales the first TLOU reached.
The game is superior to the show in every way...
I really don’t understand the hate to Part 2. It’s so much more complex than the first game and rightly so. Still a stunning game.
With regards to TV and this episode, I thought it was extremely rushed and a bit all over the place. Not sure why given the amount of episodes they’ve got to tell the story. The Scar story feels like a case of ‘we have to tell it’ rather than a desire to and it’s being undersold in my view.
@get2sammyb
Nah, most people severely disliked Abby. Obviously there's enough people to cover all sorts of viewpoints. But many wanted Ellie to kill off the terrible excuse of a character. Which spoiler alert (seriously, stop reading right now)
never happens as she stupidly stays her hand, and even worse doesn't put a bullet right in the center of the cross.
The viewpoint that Ellie shouldn't take off on the first revenge trip is as new as this episode.... like... Ellie is, in game, a sneaky and meticulous murder machine. She learned to trek from the best people possible. People who'd smuggle anything under the noses of city guards armed to the teeth.
If anything, Abby's decade long grudge on Joel is baffling. So, your murderous father was shut down in trying to operate a little girl to death and you don't let that go? Instead you are able to assemble a team of nobodies willing to trek across states to kill someone after scouting for him for years?
But yeah okay, Ellie shouldn't go. I guess that position was vacant.
@KilloWertz
I kept letting Abby die throughout the entire game. I hated playing as that traitor. Just the fact that she goes through with her assassination after she's saved by the target is absolutely despicable.
Interestingly, she has SO MANY different death animations. I let her die in almost every scene and every situation. I played her like the indie game Baby Steps😂
@TheKurgan
First off, Bella Ramsey can really act and she ought to be beloved alone for her role in GoT. People wrote her off way before the show even started, and that affects the reception.
Side note: Why don't you take a hike with the judging of other people? You must be wevy big and wevy strong to curse at people online🤓
It is so boring and lame to hear the thought police roll in and police people's honest thoughts and reactions.
@EfYI 😂
Another mediocre season. At least it was a bit more enjoyable than the first season. Bella Ramsey is the main reason for this. I am not getting into ridiculous territory towards "her beauty" or anything but she is not Ellie at all! Both the resemblance and "feel" isn't there. Also almost all of the changes they made to the pacing and the story made it cheaper and shallow. Especially in the last episode where Ellie caught by Seraphites was incredibly unnecessary.
Really annoying to see one of the most beloved video games series gets this kind of adaptation. I wouldn't care at all if they cancel S03.
The adaptation of part 2 isn't working for me.
They've made a dogs dinner of the story. What was the point of Ellie Washing up on scar Island just for them to let her go? Pointless exercise in plot armor .
On Ellie I don't buy her quest for revenge at all, she's jokey, smiley, opposed to in the game we're she's always withdrawn, rage filled and in pain.
You've got dumb scenes like Ellie explaining to dina/the audience nice and slowly that Joel killed the fireflies because they were gonna make a cure from a dead Ellie and that the head Dr was Abbys dad, hence she's upset and wants her revenge . Awful spoon-feeding
They've already gone killed Abby season 3 story by laying out her plot through forced dialogue so no surprises their. Also would it have killed the actress to do some curls. No actress is getting as big as Abby but at least look lean as it's a bit of visual storytelling in the game that she turned her body into a weapon which pays of at the end when she's let go of her vengeance and it's reflected in her loss of muscle .
Having the Joel porch scene so early is also gonna rob the end of its impact. Not to big on how Ellie found out and forgave him all in one night either
Suppose I could go on but I'll just say 5 out of 10
Now I know how fire and ice readers felt watching season 5
@EfYI
Hit the nail on the head lol
Enjoying the show just fine. Season 1 definitely superior. But it's still worth watching to me. Only played a bit of the first game and none of the second.
The choice to not switch to Abby’s story sooner was a horrible one. The aquarium scene was robbed of every ounce of emotional impact, because… who are these people again? Just one example, but feels this way across the board. Part 2 is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of a game, which frankly deserves better, especially given the divisive response it received when it came out. They really sh*t the bed with this retelling.
@EfYI I don't think I ever did that intentionally, but that is kind of funny.
I intentionally spoiled myself going into the game, so I knew I was going to have to play as her at some point. I came to terms with that, but then it just kept going on and on and on. Obviously the last straw was, like I said, then turning around the one fight scene from earlier in the game and making you fight Ellie instead.
I'm glad people enjoyed the game, but unfortunately the story killed it for me. Just judging the game itself, it was actually better than the first one. The story though? Not even close.
The show runners had been given terrible base material to work with. They’ve tried to make Ellie more likeable than the game version but that won’t save it. Unfortunately only so much you can do with the hatchet job narrative the druckman gave them.
This is such a weird show now. It ended exactly where I guessed it would when I heard season two was only seven episodes long, but I hadn't expected them to blow Abby's motivations and the porch scene etc. already. I get why, but I'm not into it.
The problem here is that the game's narrative only works as a game. Or, I suppose, a twenty episode season two. The way they've done it means that you've got... what? Two years for season three? And then presumably it'll be a series about Abby - do people want a series of Abby? People weren't even thrilled about a chunk of time playing as her in the game.
Still, it's certainly interesting seeing how they're tackling these problems. I'm mostly interested in how people who haven't played the games are enjoying it. Or not. For them it's different. This is the only version of the story they know, but I'm struggling with it because I already know the better version of the story.
I agree with a lot of what the article says, with the exception that I think the storytelling has wandered too much at times and the narrative hasn’t been pushed forward fast enough to keep viewer engagement. After the drastic events early on, the journey of Ellie has had a lot of moments where it’s dragged, and we spend a whole season with too slow a drip-feed of storyline and the impact of the few moments that were key has been mixed (like the porch scene, Dina’s pregnancy reveal, Jesse’s death, etc).
Where I also disagree is that for lovers of the game the TV show has been an engaging ride to see how they adapt things, but the casual viewer is left with several hours of investment and yet very few answers and too many questions, all of which will now not be addressed for another 2 years until season 3.
I said it over on the other article, but I suspect many people just googled and spoiled the story after the way season two ended on that cliffhanger. (A cliffhanger that didn’t exist in the game). Which is fine, I guess, but some of the impact of the story has been lost due to this and other issues as mentioned.
I binge watched all of season 2 yesterday, and I dont think its bad at all. It was always going to be impossible to translate Part 2 into a TV show in the way it deserves.
It was complicated and traumatising to play as a game and part of that was the actions it made you do (whether you wanted to or not) and you cant do that in a TV show.
All the actors are doing a great job with what they've been given and with the limited number of episodes per season, but that also restricts what they should be doing, like why bother even showing the SCARS at all when no time is given to properly intro them, unless thats more of a Season 3 thing.
Americansamurai1 wrote:
Hmmm. I see where you are coming from, but I also think the first game is a very simple tale and far easier to adapt. They literally almost went shot for shot and line for line in parts. As someone else said above it's like an Aesop fable.
While the core message of Part 2 is also quite simple, it is MUCH more complex, longer with many more characters, timelines etc. It's much harder to adapt. Does that make it weaker? I'm not so sure.
I actually think the story in the second game hits far harder.
Finally got around to watching the final episode. I have mixed feelings
It felt rushed again. As much as I enjoyed last weeks flashback it completely put a stop to any momentum. And then there were bits like the hanging scene and even the wave. Did we really need these? It felt like too much back to back, squashed in to fit some box ticking quota, as if "Gamers™ will be mad if we skip or move this". Even Owen & Mel was one bullet. Weird decisions, it didn't flow well at all.
I really don't understand where all the Bella Ramsay SLANDER * is coming from. I think she has been fantastic this season, showing a huge range and acted her socks off. Are we even watching the same show? Yet I really don't like how she has been directed... but these aren't the same things. This Ellie is too naive and really should be dead by now, except plot armour. Even seemingly little things like when Ellie and Jessie walking down the street he has his gun out, is focused ahead like a hunter waiting for potential attacks and she is just ambling along yapping away. That is a conscious choice of the directors. It's sounds like a little thing but it's a dozen little things that I don't like about how they are portraying Ellie this season. It adds up.
[* 'libel' is actually more accurate but doesn't hit the same, either way it's quite intentionally OTT, acting is subjective]
And yet despite all this they still had me on the edge of my seat for the best part of an hour, despite knowing what was coming. I'll be back for Season 3. Overall it's still good television.
@Gedrick I'm not going to spoil anything but Ellie's reason isn't logically sound. It's delusional. And that is part of what makes the game's story so powerful because it is a realistic depiction of someone who can't control themselves. She is on this mission out of guilt and a twisted obligation to some "cathartic" justice. It really is a story of addiction in that regard. I mean that explicitly.
@Brundleflies21 Funny. For me its the opposite. The more I think about it the better it gets. I found that the ending truly recontextualized everything in the game, which then allows me to see extra layers in earlier dialogue.
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