The Last of Us Season 2 Premiere Review: Exquisite and Terrifying
April 14, 2025The season two premiere of The Last Of Us is here and it starts off following the events of season one. Even back then there was a part of Ellie that didn’t believe Joel was being honest with her. But she didn’t have the heart to face it. Not Joel, the one person she put all her trust in.
“You swear to me that everything you said about the fireflies is true?” Ellie asks Joel. It’s evident that question had been weighing on her mind since the last events of season one. Even though Joel(Pedro Pascal) swears by his words, Ellie(Bella Ramsey) knows Joel enough to know he is lying. She doesn’t call him on it or question it, but in her heart of hearts, she knows the most important person in his life is not being forthcoming.
Why does Abby want to kill Joel?
Abby wants revenge for the murder of her father. In the game, she travels from Seattle to Jackson, Wyoming. But her black-and-white view of the world becomes altered during her path. She’s a soldier from the Washington Liberation Front who later befriends two Seraphites. The Serphaties are a religious organization that her people are at war with. Abby’s father Jerry Anderson was a firefly surgeon that Joel had to take down to save Ellie. In the game 4 years after the events of Ellie’s near death, Abby tracks Joel down and beats him to death. It is unclear yet if Joel will have that same fate in the television adaptation.
The audience meets Abby(Kaitlyn Dever) well before she is introduced in the game. Ever since Dever’s hiring the game and television fandoms have had much to say about the questionable hiring. The actress is certainly not as buff as Abby was in the game nor does she come off menacing or scary in any way. Which makes me think Joel will not have a similar fate. It’s probably not likely that Joel will live to season 3, but I think his death will play out differently.
As Abby looks at the giraffes eating leaves she speaks to her group about going after Joel for the murder of her father. Some of her group thinks it’s wise to go to Seattle and get some resources for such a big plan, but Abby is not willing to make any pit stops. All she knows of the man is that he’s a smuggler in his 50s, with a grey bead and scar on his right temple. The handsome smuggler has a three-day jump on them following the killing spree at the hospital to save Ellie’s life. Not only does Abby want to kill Joel, she wants to kill him slowly. Time will tell if she’ll change her mind when she finds out how he had to intervene to save Ellie’s life. However, others may not be warm on the thought of Joel stopping a death that could save humanity.
The 5 year time jump
Time marches on to 5 years later mirroring the game. There’s no doubt that the Wyoming backdrop is a beautiful landscape. The cinematography of The Last of Us is second to none. Ellie is in training while foreman Joel is hard at work fixing breakers with Dina(Isabel Merced). Dina is slowly stepping into the role of a daughter-like figure for Joel. Currently, Ellie can’t even stand to be in the same room as Joel. It’s more than just being a defying teenager. Some secrets run deep that neither Joel nor Ellie can talk about. And just like with Pascal and Ramsey, there is great chemistry between Merced and Pedro Pascal as well. I think Pedro is simply masterful at playing father figures. Despite the pushback fans gave about him portraying Joel in the adaptation, I can’t picture another Joel in his place. Dina even busts his chops about going to therapy but begs her not to tell anyone about it.
The biggest red flag for me is the way nobody has it in them to tell Ellie no. I mean she’s 19 years old and these full-grown adults and leaders of Jackson seem to have some kind of fear for her. Nothing about her comes across as threatening or intimidating besides her mouth. When Tommy(Gabriel Luna) tries to put her on gate watch she argues with him to let her go out on patrol. The last time she was out on patrol she was too reckless. Tommy explains it’s easier to go along with Joel’s protective nature than argue with him, and it’s the same thing Tommy is doing with Ellie now.
Nonetheless, Ellie still holds her ground. She knows she is the one Tommy should be the least worried about because she is immune. That is a sore subject they aren’t supposed to talk about. And even though no one is around them she screams it from the mountaintops until Tommy finally gives in and lets her go on patrol.
Ellie may be an adult, but the way she stomps her feet until she gets her way is quite childish. She is 19, so I don’t want to be too harsh, but her defiant nature comes off as very annoying.
“You can’t heal something unless you’re brave enough to say it out loud.”
Joel Miller has some much-needed therapy time with Gail(Catherine O’Hara). He hilariously pays his therapy bill with weed. And she’s not impressed by his product at all. Gail lost her husband Eugene of 41 years at the hands of Joel. The two of them don’t go into details about the events of what happened in their session, but it’s clear he killed Eugene because he had no choice. Gail still hates him for it. In return for that revelation, she wants him to tell her what he is hiding. Because all his explanations about a 19-year-old daughter ignoring him and living in the garage do not match up.
The critics raved so much about season one for the simple fact that Ellie and Joel had a connection as almost kindred spirits. This season has an opposite vibe and it makes it hard to watch. It’s heartbreaking, frustrating, and very odd that Ellie doesn’t have an ounce of understanding for what Joel did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be around to get angry.
I genuinely love the character of Gail Anderson. Unlike most characters in the show who bow down to Joel, she’s not going to validate any of his whining. After their fifth session, she is tired of hearing the same old complaints and knows there’s a missing piece. By the end of the session he stands and with apprehension says, “I saved her.” And that’s where the biggest issue lies.
Ellie joins Dina on the recon patrol and things do not go as planned. While Cat is the one who is supposed to be in charge of the group, she becomes like a background character when neither Ellie nor Dina listens to her direction. The recon duty goes amiss when they spot a bloodied bear in front of a market. Wisely they choose to go in and see if there are any lives worth saving. The only thing they find is a near-death experience for Ellie when she meets a new evolution of the infected, the stalker.
What is the stalker?
Stalkers are very quiet breeds of the infected. They are very mute and very intellectual. Slyly it snuck upon Ellie from behind not once, but twice until it lured her in one last time and bit her on the stomach. Her gun and overconfidence were nearly no match for it. This was the most thrilling aspect of the opener. There are so many zombie shows out there like The Walking Dead who no longer have the fear aspect because of so much plot armor. I didn’t expect Ellie to get bitten right off the bat, so that was surprising. Mixed with the music and ominous scenery this clever stalker had my heart racing.
The New Year celebration
One thing we don’t often see in post-apocalyptic shows is celebration in any form. Even in over a decade of The Walking Dead, we’ve only seen them celebrate Halloween. In Jackson, the community goes all out to celebrate New Year’s with dancing, live music, a campfire, and a BBQ. Dina and Jesse have recently broken up for the 13th time maybe so she shares a dance with her best friend, Ellie. Dina is pretty high and being stared at by many of the men. It may have been the drugs or hidden feelings, but they share a kiss on the dance floor in front of the whole town. When an older homophobic man steps in to give Dina and Ellie hell Joel pushes him down. And of course, Ellie is resistant to his help. Even Gail feels the man(Joel) when he walks away with his tail between his legs.
Even after all that drama drinks are pouring throughout the town while Joel plays his guitar sadly on his porch. Ellie holds the key to all of his light. And every time Ellie pushes him away that light dims even more. On the screen, it comes off pretty depressive. The girl has no gratitude for anything he’s done.
Bad times are ahead for Joel and the town. As if his life wasn’t in shambles enough. In the closing seconds it’s shown the pipe Joel and company were working on is infected with tendril just as Abby is nearing the lights of Jackson.
10 thoughts on the episode:
- I feel like Ellie hasn’t had any growth at all since the first season. Her childish attitude makes me dislike her so far.
- Incredible fear factor that takes you by surprise. With all the drama there are times you forget death is at every turn.
- Gail is a hilarious gem in a show filled with so much seriousness and uncertainty. Who doesn’t want a whiskey-drinking therapist to talk to?
- They’ve got to give Ellie some development that makes her more likable. The gaming fans are already slamming her for nothing.
- Abby is not the look anyone was expecting. I can only hope Dever’s acting outweighs her physical appearance.
- They need to dull down Ellie’s intimidation. Make her development as a warrior believable for fans. Or show us a deeper backstory that helped her get there.
- Pedro Pascal does a marvelous drop of portraying emotion, but it feels hopeless at the moment. I would like to see his connections with other people that help uplift him, rather than be sad and dopey all the time.
- Kaitlin Dever and Bella Ramsey are doing a fantastic job in the face of so much criticism. It’s a miracle they have been able to shut out all the hate. It’s entirely undeserving, so just a big shout-out to them and a thank you for working so hard for this franchise.
- Much more Dina! She’s an outgoing vibrant character who can handle herself. Her connection and chemistry with Bella Ramsey shine bright on the screen. However, I’m not sure if Dina has true feelings for Ellie or if she’s experimenting.
- Give Ellie and Joel a combined therapy session Gail! Instead of drinking her sorrows and scolding Joel. A group therapy session may go a long way. We are only one episode in and the in-family fighting is already tiring.
The Last of Us season 2 episode 1 grade: B+
Episode 2 of The Last of Us returns on April 27, on HBO.
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About the author: Shay has been writing as a journalist professionally for years. Her most common topics to cover are drama and horror but she looks forward to getting her feet wet with new and exciting genres and projects. @ShaySleighs
