A Blogging Review: The Last of Us Promising Season 2 Premiere
The Last of Us Season 2 premiere sets up a promising and exhilarating new journey for Joel and Ellie. They must face the consequences of their past actions and learn what it takes to make impossible decisions.
The Last of Us & Season 2
The Last of Us has returned to our screens!
And no, unfortunately, not with a third instalment to the game series, but with the return of the critically acclaimed The Last Of Us series by Max or HBO Max, whichever one you call it. Personally, I still prefer the HBO brand name. Anyway, I digress.
After more than two years of waiting, the instantly hit series, an adaptation of the game developers, Naughty Dog’s 2013 best-selling PlayStation 3 video game franchise of the same name. The season season returned on Sunday, the 13th of April, with its premiere episode, “Future Days”. Spanning across 7 episodes and covering roughly the halfway mark of the second game, it will introduce new characters, storylines, added layers and expanding upon the source material and narrative of the game series.
The first season was critically received and loved by fans of the game for its faithfulness and expansion of the game series foundation. The Max series has already been renewed for season 3 just ahead of its season 2 premiere, with expected additional seasons in the future and what I can expect are spin-offs to follow.
The Plot of “Future Days”
The Aftermath
Right off the bat, the season’s premiere opens with a stunning view of Salt Lake City’s hospital and a tower of giraffes grazing in the foreground, contrasting the bloody events of the season 1 finale and what went down in the hospital between the fireflies and Joel. As a reminder of the aftermath, we are introduced to the character of Abby and her friends, Owen, Mel, Nora, and Manny. Upon burying their dead, Abby states she is hellbent on hunting down the smuggler, Joel or Joe; fifties, greying, beard, six feet tall, scar on his right temple, and quite handsome (accurate) is all the little information they had acquired about the shooter.
Owen’s character rebuffs her determination to go after him now, especially with Joel having a 3-day lead on them. However, he states that resources and people in Seattle may be their best bet to find him. This flashback scene will come as quite a surprise for gamers, as they would know this particular information about Abby doesn’t occur until later in the game, about the halfway mark, when it introduces Abby’s playable chapters. For the purpose of the show’s story structure, it makes sense to approach the narrative with a chronological order in mind rather than following the non-linear pattern of the game’s chapters.
5 Years Later
We then shift forward in time to a nose-bleeding Ellie practising some fighting techniques with her friend, upon learning her opponent was going easy on her due to Jesse telling the guy to and on behalf of Joel. A frustrated Ellie leaves the building to the camera, shifting to a view of the town of Jackson; this moment felt reminiscent of a scene right out of the game, especially when Ellie opens the doors to reveal a wider view and scenic surroundings of a snowy Jackson and its mountains was a cool nod to the game.
Clearly, things between Joel and Ellie have shifted and become complicated within the past 5 years; Joel constantly worries about her and doesn’t know how to approach Ellie, while the rebellious daughter avoids her overprotective father figure for soon-to-be-known apparent reasons. Thankfully, Joel has someone to confide in, Ellie’s best friend, Dina, a beloved character from The Last of Us game series and one of the new main characters introduced in this adaptation.
Marking yet another significant change in the game’s material is that Joel and Dina have already developed a mutual understanding and relationship. I appreciated this new addition to their connection to one another, as, in the game, Dina didn’t really know Joel personally; the only real ties she had with him were through Ellie. This new dynamic adds more emotional weight and depth to the story and what is to come, providing Dina with a personal stake and conviction for her future choices that align with Ellie. I don’t want to go too much into detail as that enters the spoiler territory for non-gamers, but most will understand what I mean, and for the rest, you will see in time.
Joel Has A Therapist?
Joel has a therapist; I mean psychotherapist; psychiatrists are the pill-giving ones, as noted by the talented Moira Rose- I mean Catherine O’Hara, whose character Gail is Joel’s confidant. An intriguing new supporting character as, for one, she is Eugene’s wife, a reference to a minor character of the same name within the game series, and a character that will be explored and expanded upon in a future episode, similar to how Bill and Frank were given a central episode in the first season.
Second, Gail is celebrating her first birthday without her husband in 41 years, and she carries a secret of her own. She sees right through Joel and his complicated situation with Ellie: she understands there is more to the story than just a typical rebellious daughter who won’t listen to her father. She calls out his bullshit, rightly so, and shares that she can’t get over the fact Joel killed her husband, her secret. While she knows he had no choice, implying he got infected somehow, she cannot look past it and harbours feelings of hatred for Joel.
Talk about a conflict of interest when your psychotherapist has mixed feelings towards you. However, by being vulnerable and sharing her pain, she insists that Joel share what he keeps from her, stating that she can’t help him unless he genuinely opens up. For a moment, you see the vulnerability in Joel’s eyes. Big props to Pedro Pascal—he is truly an incredible actor! And just when you think he will spill all to Gail, his walls go back up, and he stands to leave before saying, “I saved her.”
What a scene! I look forward to seeing Joel’s future therapy sessions with Gail over the next few years. And sssshhh… I know what you gamers are thinking: Just let me live in my fantasy, please!
The Patrol Team: Dina and Ellie
We see more of Jesse’s character and his role in guiding the patrol team through the route rules and instructions for staying safe before they head out on their patrol. It is Ellie’s first time on patrol, so she is ready to prove herself, especially when her girl crush, Dina, is along for the ride.
Next, we are out on patrol, and we finally see the appearance of our first minor game character, Kat! Gamers would know Kat as a non-seen character but referred to as Ellie’s ex-girlfriend, and the one who gave her the moth tattoo that covers her infected bite mark, despite Kat not knowing about its origins. The patrol group of five then encountered a dead bear surrounded by dead infected; clearly, a scrap had occurred between the two parties.
Taking the opportunity, Dina cracks a bear-bar-que joke to Ellie’s amusement. Already loving the girls’ chemistry and banter, they discuss the big New Year’s dance tonight and who Ellie is bringing as her plus one. Ugh, it is always awkward when your crush talks to you about who you are crushing on. Anyway, they decide to enter the nearby market to check for any remaining infected inside, while a reluctant Kat and two fellow Jacksoners stay put.
Instantly, we see how effective Dina and Ellie are together, and their mutual humour and light-hearted approach to dire situations, while still being professional about the task at hand. Communicating through hand signs, and how they can use a bottle for distraction to take out the two remaining clickers, another game reference. Both discard the infected with ease, and just as Ellie is about to show Dina the employee of the month on the market’s board, it’s a dog, btw, another nod to the game. Ellie suddenly falls, as the floor gives way under her feet. She finds herself isolated as Dina tells her to stay put as she looks for another way down.
A New Infected Variation
Ellie alone begins to patrol the area, and as she examines a magazine, we see something moving in the background. All of us think, “Was that a cat?”! But in the world of The Last of Us, we all know it ain’t that simple.
It introduces a new type of infection, the stalker, and one of the various types of infected from the games.
Marked as Stage 3 of the evolutionary stage of the infected, the stalker, as the name implies, hides in the shadows and waits for the right opportunity to strike its victim down. And in this case, it does so successfully. While Ellie and the female stalker struggle, Ellie is bitten again! This girl is a magnet for the infected; thank God she is immune.
Luckily, Ellie is able to kill it and hide her bite mark before Dina arrives on the scene. Returning to Jackson, the girls share with the mayor, Maria, and the town councils what transpired at the markets and the presence of a new infected type. The council discuss whether they believe Ellie and whether they should be worried about the increase in the infected in close proximity to Jackson. Dismissed from the court, Ellie returns to her home, Joel’s garage, and disguises her bite mark as a cut mark with a sterile knife.
The New Year’s Dance
The big night event has finally arrived, and everyone seems to be in attendance; the camera stands behind Ellie, centred in the frame among the sprawling ceiling lights of the town hall, watching a joyous and drunken Dina dancing around with guys. If it wasn’t apparent from the scene when Dina came to help Ellie get dressed for the patrol, we should know by now that Ellie has feelings for her.
Joining Ellie at the bar, Jesse remarks on his ex, “She puts on quite the show” as they discuss how much they want to bet Jesse and Dina will be back together in no time, which leads to one of the game’s most recognisable and iconic scenes and one of my favourites from the game series. A prancing Dina drags Ellie onto the dancefloor, where they go from playing around to nervous stares and, finally, their intimate kiss, but not until Dina offers the chilling and perfect line, “Everyone should be terrified of you.” Ah, so good!
In a real treat for fans, it also featured the music from the game with an appearance from Crooked Still playing their song “Little Sadie” and “Cycles” from The Last of Us game composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who also makes an appearance.
Going almost shot-for-shot, line-for-line through every scene, the New Year dance perfectly recreates and captures that beautiful human connection and rare moment of humanity against the grim reality they live in and the daily dangers they face in this post-apocalyptic world full of violence, blood, infection, and death. The amount of love, care, and meticulous attention to detail to create that homage to the game is wonderful to see, and it all came together brilliantly.
Unfortunately, even in a post-apocalyptic setting, closed-minded individuals still have nothing better to do with their lives than complain about others. Seth, the local homophobe, steps in to disturb the peace, stating this is a family event and whispering a homophobic remark. Before Ellie can give him a piece of her own mind, Joel steps in and pushes Seth down. Frustrated again that Joel has stepped in to fight her battles, she tells him, “I don’t need your f*cking help” before leaving. I mean, I got it; nobody wants anyone to fight your battles for you, especially when Ellie has other problems she is dealing with towards Joel.
However, he is only trying to help and doing everything he can to connect with her, so you feel it for Joel throughout the episode. Man, can’t they make up and look past things already!
Imminent Danger
The scene shifts to another iconic scene, where Joel is on his porch fine-tuning Ellie’s guitar that he told her he would fix, as Ellie walks by, heading straight to her home while ignoring him. Interesting, again, sorry, this is another mention of the game, but gamers will know there is more to this scene than meets the eye. I’m sure as the story unfolds, more pieces come together, we will revisit this particular scene in a future episode, and I know, fans, myself included, aren’t going to be emotionally prepared for it, it is going to be gut-wrenching, but I can’t wait to see it.
And just when things couldn’t get any worse for Joel, or by large the community, Abby and her fellow companions arrive on the outskirts of Jackson while simultaneously living infected tendrils alerted to the warmth of a sparkler that a Jackson citizen dropped nearby, stretchs out from a broken pipe into Jackson with no witness in sight to observe, obiviously both scenes foreshadowing what is to come and telling us we are heading for one hell of a showdown for episode 2.
10 Highlights of The Episode
- Joel and Ellie: Pedro Pascal and Belle Ramsey seamlessly slip back into their roles with remarkable ease. They embody Joel and Ellie perfectly, from their complexities to their hardened exteriors and vulnerabilities, while creating an electrifying dynamic between the two that draws you in.
- A Member of Society: Joel integrates into Jackson, becoming an essential community member and being involved with housing and planning for new refugees to the town. We also get to see more of Joel’s open and vulnerable side with his relationships with Dina, his sister-in-law Maria, his nephew Benjamin, and, to an extent, his complicated relationship with Ellie.
- Joel’s Therapist: The wonderful Catherine O’Hara plays the therapist, Gail. Gail seeing right through Joel was quite intriguing, and I can’t wait to see how her character and her husband, Eugene, a character from the game, factor into the story. We know a central episode around Eugene is coming, so more of Gail is a must!
- Dina: Probably the main highlight of the episode, well, for me personally, was Isabela Merced’s performance as Dina. She embodies the role effortlessly and delivers even within just one episode. Plus, her chemistry with both Ellie and Joel was palpable, believable, and compelling to observe. I hope we get to see the same of Young Mazino’s Jesse in future episodes, as he wasn’t in this episode much.
- Abby: Kaitlyn Dever didn’t make much of an appearance in the episode other than the opening and closing scenes, but even with her little screen time, she nailed it. The pain in Abby’s eyes and her determination to seek revenge are written all over her face. And Kaitlyn delivers in anything I have seen her in, not worried one bit.
- Salt Lake City Crew: We only got a glimpse of them in the opening, but they consist of Nora (Tati Gabrielle), Owen(Spencer Lord), Mel (Ariela Barer), and Manny (Danny Ramirez). It will be interesting to see what they bring to the table, but I’m sure this talented bunch will shine in time.
- Tommy’s Family: From Tommy’s sniper training with Ellie to Maria and her town council members and the introduction to Tommy and Maria’s son, I love seeing more of their characters as we don’t see much of them in the games, but I’m also worried and fear what may be in line for their son Benjamin. He is a new character introduced to the series and one that doesn’t exist in the games.
- The Visuals: Exceeded my expectations once again, from the scenic snowy mountains in the background to the layout of Jackson with its energetic citizens. Two areas that really stuck out from the episode were the iconic New Year’s dance scene, a beautiful homage, and the infected. The top props for the makeup department with the stalker design looked so grotesque and terrifying, and they looked exactly like they looked in the game.
- Sound Design: From the spine-chilling shrieks, moans, and clicking sounds of the infected to the eerie silence in the tense moments and the lively and vibrant music of the town hall dance, the sound design was flawless, and the music, with the inclusion of the game composer’s appearance, was perfection.
- Game References: What wasn’t in this episode? From iconic scenes lifted straight from the game, the appearance of Kat and mention of Eugene, our best boy Shimmer, the introduction of the infected stalker, the bottle as a distraction item, to the dog employee of the month, to even mention of the Curtis and Viper films! The series continues to impress and finds cool ways to incorporate these elements.
A Conclusion To My Blogging Review
The Last of Us Season 2’s promising premiere continues the emotional and intense journey set forth in the first season. It expands upon its rich narrative, complex character dynamics, and creative approach in exploring love, revenge, moral ambiguities, and the human condition, all themes that the show will explore more as the second season progresses.
From authentic performances, electrifying chemistry between the main and supporting characters, stunning visuals, cool game references, terrifying makeup and costume design, and excellent sound design and music, Max’s The Last of Us series continues to build upon the foundation and cinematic quality that fans have come to love, adding new layers and unique perspectives to deliver a mostly faithful and loving adaptation that captivates and challenges its audiences.
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