The Season 2 premiere of “The Last of Us” was released on Max on Sunday, April 13. “The Last of Us” show is based on the popular 2013 video game, and its 2020 sequel developed by Naughty Dog.
The show’s first season takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where society is ravaged by a deadly outbreak of mutant cordyceps fungus. Once infected, the fungus takes over its host, controlling them and turning them into nearly zombified and savage creatures.
The main plot follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal), a man who lost his daughter during the outbreak, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl with a rare trait: she is immune to the cordyceps infection. Joel and Ellie must journey to Jackson, Wyoming to find Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), in hopes of finding help to get Ellie to a group known as the fireflies who are relying on Ellie to develop a cure for the infection.
However, as the unlikely pair create an unbreakable bond — one that heavily mimics a father-daughter relationship — and Joel realizes the fireflies’ intent of needing to kill Ellie in order to create the cure, he grapples with the weight of choosing her or the fate of the world. He ultimately decides to go to extreme lengths to save her by killing the doctors and everyone in the lab that was working on the cure.
Season two is based on the game’s sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II,” which takes place five years after the events of season one. The premiere episode titled “Future Days,” picks up from the final scene from the first season, in which Joel lies to Ellie about killing the doctors in order to save her, claiming that raiders attacked and killed everyone and that no one is looking for a cure anymore.
The consequences of this lie become the main focus of this premiere, as the relationship between Joel and Ellie is a stark contrast to the previous season. Ellie has become distant and treats Joel as nearly estranged, frustrated with his overprotective nature.
Joel, on the other hand, is starting to understand that the tension and conflict between him and Ellie is a result of the lie he continues to perpetuate, though he is having a difficult time coming to terms with being honest with himself and Ellie in order to heal and move past it.
The premiere presents an interesting theme of perspective, highlighting that Joel’s actions have consequences for everyone involved. We see a group of fireflies, mourning their fallen at the hands of Joel. Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is among them, grappling with the loss of her father who was a surgeon working on the cordyceps cure. She expresses a deep vengeance and is driven by her sense of justice in order to achieve what she wishes to accomplish most: seeking revenge for the death of her father by killing Joel.
The episode highlights that those who take on the role of righteous and villain differ based on perspective. While Abby sees Joel as the villain, Joel felt that he had no other choice but to save the person he cared about most, even if that meant going to extreme lengths to do so.
Another key element of the premiere’s success is the excellent casting for the show. Ramsey portrays Ellie perfectly and is able to demonstrate such a massive shift, while still remaining true to the character through her tough, independent and funny nature.
Dina (Isabela Merced) is introduced in the episode as Ellie’s best friend. Merced does a fantastic job in Dina’s portrayal, having such a natural chemistry with Ellie that truly translates on screen and continues to grow throughout the episode, especially during the beautifully executed New Year’s dance scene.
Overall, Season 2 begins on a bigger and better scale as compared to the first season. Cordyceps and the infected begin to evolve, posing new and unknown challenges. The conflicts grow deeper as tensions arise. The story, characters, drama and action feel magnified and exciting, keeping viewers at the edge of their seats in anticipation of what’s coming next.
The first episode of “The Last of Us” season 2 is available on Max and episodes will be released every Sunday.
Rating 4.8/5