Max Review: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Will Draw You Back In

It’s been two full years since the conclusion of the enthusiastically-received first season of HBO’s The Last of Us, itself an adaptation of the popular video game debuted a decade earlier. The post-apocalyptic landscape navigated by two very different characters each carrying their own secrets was full of violence, treachery, and intrigue. Season two is off to a memorable and enticing start, building up its ensemble with more players and upping the stakes as the living present a greater threat to its protagonists’ survival than the undead.

The season two premiere opens on a group of new faces, which include Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who describes the object of her pursuit – Joel (Pedro Pascal) – and how she wants to make sure he dies slowly when she eventually finds him. Things aren’t going so well for Joel as he’s being entirely ignored by Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who’s alternatively engaged by the stability of them finally being in one place and bored by the lack of excitement within its boundaries. The sense of normalcy from having people to talk to and rituals to follow leads to a certain calm that, by the hour’s end, turns into dread from clearly imminent danger to this seemingly safe community.

The decision to have press hold reviews until after the airing of this episode – and to share with them only the first installment – emphasizes just how much audiences will want to devour this show and an environment ripe for spoilers. There’s a reason that this show is so beloved, especially in a television lineup populated so heavily by zombie-overrun futures. It has a simplicity to it in the relationship between its primary characters and the world around them that carries it, leaving the interactions with the undead as a side element that just adds context to their story. Its evolution from a video game is particularly impressive since its writing and plot are so strong.

Infusing season two with more regular characters is welcome since they add new dynamics and layers to the narrative. Catherine O’Hara, also appearing in The Studio in a much more comedic context, is a great foil for Joel as his neighbor and therapist Gail. Young Mazino, an Emmy nominee from Beef, and Isabela Merced are other positive additions as Jesse and Dina, respectively, who have their own relationships to Ellie and Joel. Dever, a quiet powerhouse who is also excellent in this season’s Apple Cider Vinegar, is forceful and terrifying in one short scene in the premiere and sure to be a fantastic boon to this series as her character is more seen and developed.

Less is always more on this show, and even though there may be more humans roaming around, it doesn’t try to be too ambitious with packing an enormous amount of content into each hour. Instead, it knows that quality is greater than quantity, and audiences are more than happy to be patient – even if they’re frantically searching spoilers for what’s to come and who’s playing who – to see the story play out at a speed that allows for a contemplative and immersive viewing experience. This show leans into what viewers have come to appreciate most about a densely populated oeuvre and delivers on those expectations in the best way, offering a solid genre show that also asks deep questions about what it means to be alive when the world around you is no longer recognizable and sometimes more miserable than what it feels like death could be.

At its core, this show is still driven by Emmy nominees Pascal and Ramsey, who make a formidable pair and whose minimal interactions in episode one set the stage for much more worthwhile confrontations throughout the rest of the season. In an age of shows that often premiere entire seasons or at least multiple episodes at once, this show, and its host network, HBO, knows the value of spinning a yarn to best extrapolate poignancy and tell the best story possible in a harsh, unforgiving landscape. There are still many questions to be answered about the direction of season two, but this start is both fulfilling and promising.  

Season Premiere Rating: 8/10