The Last of Us: Part 2 is arguably the best video game story of all time. With exceptionally written characters and a beautiful, thematically challenging story - it rivals (and often surpasses) the quality seen in prestige film and television. Adapting it faithfully was always going to be a tall order, but season two mostly succeeds, even if some of the strongest elements are lost in translation.
The toxic visceral reaction the game brought out in “fans” only reinforced the core message at the heart of its story, and judging by much of the online discourse, season two seems to have done the same. The narrative approach is a little more watered down, and lacks the nuance seen in the game, but the themes surrounding revenge are well preserved. The framing of the narrative - including key punctuating scenes - is restructured to fit the show’s format. Some of the changes are for the better, trimming gameplay sections into more narratively concise scenes. Sadly, there are also some change that greatly mute how impactful certain moments should’ve been. The pacing, structure and framing of the game’s story was never going to work as a 1:1 adaptation, but even with its flaws, this is about as faithful as an adaptation gets.
This season’s biggest issue, is how incomplete it feels. With just seven episodes, we barely cover the first third of the second game’s story. If you’ve played the game and know where things are going, it’s paced pretty well, but newcomers may find themselves frustrated with the season’s non-ending - especially with having to wait another two years for the show to cover the next third of the game, and another two after that for its conclusion. This is a BIG story with sweeping scope, and especially with new elements that weren’t in the game, I didn’t get as much adapted as I wanted.
The production value is top notch, with stunning attention to detail in recreating elements from the game. The decaying, foliage covered environments are gorgeous to behold, especially once the story takes us to Seattle. Every set - whether a recreation from the game or somewhere new, looks incredible, truly immersing you in this post-apocalyptic world. The design of the infected continues to impress, and I especially loved the way spores were introduced this season. Gustavo Santaolalla’s moving score is also just as beautifully composed as it was in the games.
With the shift from Joel to Ellie as the main character, there was a lot riding on Bella Ramsay’s performance. Ramsay gives a very good performance, but I’d be lying if I said they weren’t overshadowed by some of the supporting cast. there are also some odd choices with the way Ellie is written here, as she’s often a little too jokey and upbeat, given what she’s going through. That said, the chemistry between Ramsay and Pascal is terrific, with the two of them lighting up the screen in their handful of shared scenes. Dina is played brilliantly by Isabela Merced, bringing such brightness and emotion to the role. Catherine O’Hara can do no wrong, but I do question the necessity of Gail in this story. She’s great, but doesn’t add much beyond serving as an easy means for exposition. We only get a hint of Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, but even with limited screen time, it’s clear she was the right choice for the role.
The Last of Us season two tackles the first part of a much larger and more complex narrative, with a faithful yet flawed adaptation. As a massive fan of the games, this left me satisfied, but the season feels incomplete as a whole, which may leave some viewers frustrated as they patiently wait for more.
4/5