‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Review: A Step Down From a Groundbreaking First Act

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us.

By the end of The Last of Us Season 2, there’s a sense not of resolution, but of erosion a slow disintegration of what made this adaptation initially compelling. While the show still carries production polish and a handful of strong performances, the finale exposes just how uneven this season has been. As the credits roll, what’s left is a fragmented shell of a story that was once rich with emotional nuance.

That’s not to say the entire season has been without merit. There were sequences that briefly reignited the brutal spirit of the source material. The attack on Jackson early in the season was tense, effective, and unexpectedly cinematic. It added to the lore, diverging from the game in a way that actually elevated the show. But even within this high point, there were questionable choices.

On the character front, Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby was a bright spot, despite being underserved by the script. Her performance hinted at the layered character fans of the game know well, but the writing gave her too much too soon. The game’s masterstroke was in forcing players to despise Abby, then gradually humanize her through gameplay. The show skips the first step, attempting to build sympathy from the outset — and in doing so, strips away much of the impact.

The same could be said for Ellie, played with commitment by Bella Ramsey. Their portrayal is emotionally raw when the script allows it to be. Unfortunately, that isn’t often enough. This version of Ellie lacks the ferocity and edge needed to convincingly carry the revenge arc. Her encounters feel too tidy, too tame, and too rare. Key emotional beats are softened or sidestepped, draining the arc of its power. When Ramsey shines, it’s in quieter, reflective moments — like wandering through Joel’s empty home — not in moments of rage.

Speaking of Joel, his death was always going to be a challenge to adapt. It’s one of the most polarizing, gut-wrenching moments in gaming history. The show version stumbles by overexplaining Abby’s motivations, expanding her dialogue into a mini-monologue that dilutes the raw violence of the act. The ambiguity, the silence, the sheer brutality — all exchanged for a more palatable version of events. The result is a pivotal scene that feels strangely muted.

Where Season 1 built a brutal yet intimate bond between Joel and Ellie, Season 2 feels scattered.

Beyond individual character missteps, the storytelling choices often default to telling rather than showing. There’s a frequent urge to over-clarify, to verbalize every emotion instead of letting scenes breathe. Characters speak in tidy declarations of theme or motive. At times, it feels like the show doesn’t trust the audience to connect the dots, which is a surprising lack of subtlety for a story rooted in emotional complexity.

The season’s pacing is also an issue. With only seven episodes, too much is compressed or skipped entirely. Jesse’s introduction feels like a footnote, Dina’s pregnancy lacks emotional fallout, and Ellie’s descent into obsession barely registers. The show leans into its ensemble cast but at the expense of its protagonist’s interior journey. In the game, Ellie spirals — almost uncontrollably. There’s a difference, and it matters.

Ultimately, this season feels like it’s racing toward a conclusion it hasn’t earned. Rather than allowing characters and conflicts to simmer, the show jumps from beat to beat, hoping audiences will fill in the emotional gaps. The cliffhanger that closes out the finale lands with a thud. It’s not that the moment is poorly executed — it’s that it arrives without sufficient build-up.

Season 2 never quite recaptures the emotional clarity or narrative focus that made the first season so gripping. Where Season 1 built a brutal yet intimate bond between Joel and Ellie, Season 2 feels scattered, it’s more interested in ticking boxes than telling a cohesive story. The pacing feels rushed, and the stakes that once felt deeply personal now come off as strangely distant.

All seven episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 are now streaming on HBO in the US, and on Sky and NOW TV in the UK.

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