It’s been two years since The Last of Us Season 1 became a cultural phenomenon on HBO. The second season of the show is adapting the video game “The Last of Us Part II”, and strangely enough in the first 5 minutes of the season opener, the show just randomly spoils the big twist from the game, giving audiences an expectation of what’s to come in Craig Mizen‘s follow-up season.
This season picks up five years after the first season’s events, where we left Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a cross-country journey to a research facility in Salt Lake City that is currently being inhabited by a group called the Fireflies; they are working on a cure for the zombie mushroom-parasite virus that has taken over the world. With Ellie being immune to the virus, they want to remove a part of Ellie’s brain to get to the cure, which would kill her in the process. When Joel finds out about this part of the plan, he breaks into the operating room and kills the doctors and guards in the process. The season finished with Ellie waking up to Joel telling her that the Fireflies turned on them and that she wasn’t the cure.
This season starts off with a group of Fireflies standing over the graves of the doctors and individuals who were killed in Joel’s attack. Their dog tags dangling from the headstones, we are introduced to the leader of this group, Abbey (Kaitlyn Dever), who is intent on seeking revenge and killing Joel. The group discusses the attack, and though they struggle to remember his name, Abbey is more on point, being aware of his name and full physical profile. While the group discusses their potential next move, Abby reveals her intent to track and kill Joel; “When we kill him, we kill him slowly”.
A five-year jump shows us Joel and Ellie comfortably living in a protected community in Jackson, Wyoming. They have reunited with Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), and are adjusting to a relatively infected-less existence behind guarded walls. Joel has taken up the role of city planner, helping with the construction and development of new houses so the settlement can take in more refugees. Ellie helps with patrols and has made friends with Deena (Isabela Merced). There are a slew of new characters we get glimpses of in the first episode, including Gail (Catherine O’Hara), the settlement’s resident psychotherapist, who is helping Joel process his many demons.
The biggest change is the relationship between Joel and Ellie. In season one, they had a father/daughter relationship that relied on each other for survival. This time around, Ellie has grown into a full brooding teenager, who no longer tolerates his overbearing nature. She has moved into the garage and their scenes together are quite intense, a massive shift from where we last left them.
Whilst all of this drama happening, the series hasn’t forgotten about the plethora of zombie action though. On a random patrol, Ellie and Deena find a group of “clickers” (huge evolved zombies that are blind and are extremely deadly, for the uninitiated) that have taken down a huge grizzly. When exploring the abandoned grocery mart, we get our first look at a new group of infected, the Stalkers, who are often hiding in the shadows and have a quick attack reaction, often jumping out from the darkness where they dwell. Whilst we don’t get any scenes with infected from the game recreated here, we do get similar mechanics being used by throwing bottles to lure clickers out before straddling their necks to take them down.
The first episode ultimately doesn’t break any new ground. It moves quite slowly and there aren’t any huge revelations that fuel the series forward. It instead focuses on the smaller, more human moments that make the show as compelling as it is. If you have played the game, you know what is coming and will have a greater understanding of the relationship complexities between the characters, as it’s the cast that elevate the show to what it is. Combined with outstanding writing, Season 2 is shaping up to be just as addictive as the first.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 is now available to stream on Max Australia.
You can read our thoughts on season 1 of The Last of Us here
