When The Last of Us Part II came out in 2020, it hit shelves in the middle of a pandemic and was mired in controversy. Before the game even released, its story had leaked and many had already decided to hate it, focusing much of their ire on brand-new character Abby. Despite this, though, the game is a masterpiece, a densely layered saga about revenge, the impact of violence, and the chance for redemption.

It's also a massive undertaking, requiring around 24 hours to finish its main campaign. game's story spanning multiple seasons, so these new entries don't attempt to tell the whole story. Instead, season 2 zooms in on Ellie, her time in Jackson, and the lingering effects of the tragic season 1 ending.

The Last of Us season 1 is very much Joel and Ellie's story, tracking the growth of their relationship from reluctant companions to a near-unbreakable father-daughter bond. Season 2 is very much Ellie's, though, and, for better and worse, it broadens the world she inhabits to shine a light on the ways the ugliness around her has worked its way inside her psyche and transformed her.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Doesn't Shy Away From The Ugliness Of The End Of The World

The Second Half Falters As It Widens Its Focus

After the end of The Last of Us season 1, Ellie is still questioning what really happened at that hospital in Salt Lake City, and she struggles with the idea that her immunity — which she conflates with her identity — may ultimately mean nothing.

Who Ellie wants to be may not really matter, though, and she's forced to confront the person she has become in the face of the brutal world she was raised in. The Last of Us season 2 grapples with the role violence plays in the post-apocalypse, when teenagers learn to shoot guns as soon as they can ride a horse and how relatively normal life experiences — like first crushes, big betrayals, crushing losses — can be heightened to savage extremes.

Everything about The Last of Us season 2 is bigger than the first, but when the story tries to widen its focus beyond Ellie and her mission, the show can lose its dramatic thrust. There's a lot of set-up that will be paid off in the future, which saps some of the season's later moments of its stakes as it moves beyond Jackson and into the wider world.

Season 2 is strongest when it focuses on Ellie's journey and Bella Ramsay is more than up to the task. Many of the criticisms leveled against them — that they don't look old enough, or that they don't have the chops to carry the dramatic weight of Ellie's story — are largely invalid. Part of the tragedy of Ellie's story is that she's so young, and Ramsay is remarkable in their handling of The Last of Us season 2's devastating moments.

The Last of Us will only continue to expand as it barrels through its story.

Frequently, though, it's the scripts that fail them. Too often, The Last of Us moves on quickly from impactful moments, not letting the sting of pain linger before hitting the next story beat. It can, at times, feel as if it is checking boxes.

This season was produced in the midst of the unprecedented 2023 dual actors and writers strikes, which likely affected the shape and scope of the season. Whether this trend will continue into a third season remains to be seen, but The Last of Us will only continue to expand as it moves through Part II's story.

Is The Last Of Us Having An Identity Crisis?

The Line Between Video Game & Television Series Is A Tricky One

The Last of Us and its sequel are undeniably cinematic video games. They were practically begging to be adapted for the screen, with various projects in development before the show ended up happening. Still, the series struggles to balance when it wants to be television versus when it wants to be a video game.

Like the first season, there are many moments pulled straight from the games, and they are shot like a video game, too. But much of the power of Part II lies in the moments it lingers on and, in trying to tell such a massive story (even in part) over only seven episodes, there isn't much time to sit with the emotional weight of the choices some characters make.

Even at its weakest, though, season 2 is still compelling television, with elements that transcend rushed storytelling. The Last of Us is a story that needs room to breathe and when the journeys of Ellie, Joel (Pedro Pascal), and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) are given that opportunity, it's as awe-inspiring to witness as it is to pick up the controller.

The Last of Us season 2 premieres on HBO on April 13.