{"id":16260,"date":"2025-04-13T10:31:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T10:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/16260\/"},"modified":"2025-04-13T10:31:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T10:31:12","slug":"does-the-second-season-of-the-acclaimed-hit-the-last-of-us-live-up-to-those-high-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/16260\/","title":{"rendered":"\ufeff\ufeffDoes the second season of the acclaimed hit The Last of Us live up to those high expectations?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Last of Us<\/a> season two has A LOT to live up to<\/a>. The exceptional first outing of the apocalyptic thriller started off so strong, with an adrenaline-pumping debut episode that had viewers latched on harder than the spore-spewing infected. The audience was hooked. <\/p>\n

Naturally the bar has been set high, leaving the second instalment to contend with the pressure of fans’ expectation \u2013 even more-so, after more than a two year wait. <\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a pulse-pumping start, temper your expectations, as the second season’s debut episode is comparatively (and noticeably) slower. But please, don’t mistake slow for a lack of captivating intensity. <\/p>\n

While the first episode may not leave your nervous system a quivering wreck, there is a low hum of anxiety that peaks and troughs in little waves keeping you on that delicious edge of unease. <\/p>\n

After the briefest flashback to get viewers back up to speed (we know, we know, Joel lied to Ellie about the whole Firefly situation) season two picks up after a five-year time jump. <\/p>\n

\"bella<\/p>\n

HBO<\/p>\n

Survivors Ellie (Bella Ramsey<\/a>) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) have become enmeshed in the thriving Jackson, Wyoming, community. However while they have built a comfortable, even somewhat blissful, life there, their relationship has seen a shift. <\/p>\n

The two have formed allyships outside of their pseudo father-daughter relationship, which is where newcomers<\/a> Jesse (Beef<\/a>‘s Young Mazino) and Dina (Let it Snow<\/a>‘s Isabela Merced) come into play. <\/p>\n

Much like Ramsay, fans have been excited for the romance between Ellie and Dina<\/a> to cross over from game to screen \u2013 and The Last of Us wastes no time in establishing their bond, and just how much they mean to each other. <\/p>\n

\"bella<\/p>\n

HBO<\/p>\n

Related: Last of Us boss says season three could be the last: “It has to have an end”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Merced and Ramsay have a sort of chemistry that benefits their characters’ different, yet complimenting, personalities. Dina and Ellie’s is a connection that instantly feels intimate, grounded by their knowing of one another.<\/p>\n

Fans won’t get to see much from Mazino’s Jesse in the first episode, but there’s enough to get a sense of his playfulness and warmth. It will be interesting to see how those traits survive season two’s ordeal.<\/p>\n

Joel, meanwhile, seeks solace and understanding in Catherine O’Hara’s psychotherapist Gail. <\/p>\n

\"pedro<\/p>\n

HBO<\/p>\n

While Joel has become an integral part of the community, what’s happened with Ellie is weighing on him heavily. <\/p>\n

What is perhaps a little bit more of a surprise is that the Joel we see now is not the same Joel we left in season one. One may have rightly anticipated a growth and change from Ellie, as she transitioned from child to adult, but the change in Joel feels somewhat unexpected. <\/p>\n

He’s lost some of his grit and moves with a lot less urgency than he once had, a reflection of the calmer life he’s living now. Life and death threats aren’t a daily occurrence anymore, which has given him a chance to abandon survival mode and just live. Even if living means confronting his own feelings. It’s a refreshing angle to see him from, and one that brings to the surface his vulnerability, expanding on something the first season did so well<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"bella<\/p>\n

HBO<\/p>\n

On the flip side of that, we see a harder, less fragile version of Ellie, who is wrestling with new truths, new emotions and a new perspective because of that.<\/p>\n

This is the core of what The Last of Us really is. Despite all the Cordyceps fungus threatening humanity, it is in fact the human element that matters most \u2013 and the show still doesn’t forget that. <\/p>\n

There are plenty of evils to come. Yes the infected, but also human rivals that have the potential to be even more of a threat when driven by white-hot emotions. Their calculative and tenacious movements are already at play in episode one, and will probably continue to blossom throughout the season. <\/p>\n

\"young<\/p>\n

HBO<\/p>\n

However, The Last of Us also doesn’t forget that this is still a dystopian sci-fi setting, and so that feeling of jeopardy needs to be continuously pressing down on them. <\/p>\n

It is already an impressive start, and the change of tone feels right given the circumstance under which we find our central characters at the beginning. With that in mind, it’s hard to compare with The Last of Us’s incredible season one debut, as a lot has changed. <\/p>\n

But season two is undeniably playing the long game, taking care to set up those all-important relationships, and to build to more inevitably dread-filled storylines for an overarching narrative that is just as satisfying as the last. <\/p>\n

The Last of Us <\/strong>season 2 premieres on Sunday, 13 April on <\/strong>HBO<\/strong><\/a> in the US, and on Monday, 14 April on <\/strong>Sky Atlantic<\/strong><\/a> and streaming service <\/strong>NOW<\/strong><\/a> in the UK.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deals that might interest you\"Shop<\/a>Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile deals\"Stranger<\/a>Stranger Things Hellfire Club Dice Dangle CharmCredit: Pandora\"Shop<\/a>Shop Claudia Winkleman’s Traitors looksCredit: BBC \/ Studio Lambert\"On\"Richard<\/a>Richard Osman: We Solve MurdersCredit: Viking\"Shop<\/a>Shop PS5 consolesCredit: PlayStation\"Shop<\/a>Shop Alison Hammond’s outfitsCredit: Mark Bourdillon\"Apple<\/a>Apple TV+ 7-day free trialCredit: Apple TV+\"Sign<\/a>Sign up for Disney+Credit: Chuck Zlotnick\"The<\/a>The Street of Lies: An Official Coronation Street Interactive NovelCredit: Octopus Books\"Death<\/a>Death in Paradise: The Puzzle BookCredit: BBC Books\"Headshot<\/p>\n

TV writer, Digital Spy<\/strong> Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. \u00a0For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute<\/a> eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. \u00a0She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy<\/a> as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel<\/a>.
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