After more than two years since the season one finale, HBO’s hit series “The Last of Us” is back with the vengeance of an army of the infected.
But only a few episodes in there’s already much controversy surrounding season two.
Don’t worry. There will be no spoilers here. But fans of the zombie-apocalypse-like show are definitely talking.
With this series originating as a best-selling PlayStation video game, the show has a lot of hype it needs to live up to. And it’s doing it so far.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Pedro Pascal stars as Joel, the main character and the focus of most controversy in the games. Pascal has had a fantastic year for his filmography with the release of “Gladiator 2” and “Materialists”. He also stars in “The Fantastic Four” which comes out later this year.
Pascal knocked it out of the park as Joel in Season 1 and is doing the same this season.
The plot is simple. Joel survives a zombie-like outbreak of infected humans but his daughter doesn’t. But he takes Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a rough-around-the-edges teenager with a heart of gold, Ellie, under his wing to help survive this new apocalyptic society.
But this isn’t a typical zombie outbreak. This one is caused by a mutated strain of fungus called the cortysep. This fungus is dangerous because once people are bitten and infected, they turn into a zombie-esque creatures called clickers.
Clickers have no sight but can still hear sounds very well, making them even scarier.
But Ellie is immune to their bites and could have the cure to this fungus that caused the downfall of society. Joel is tasked with keeping Ellie safe so a cure can be found.
In last season’s finale, a doctor was getting ready to perform surgery on Ellie when Joel killed him. The surgery would have killed Ellie, but it could have helped save humanity.
The second season follows Part Two of the video game and picks up five years after the events of Season 1.
The season opens by introducing a key new character in Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who had one goal: kill the man who killed her father. This man is Joel. Her father was the doctor.
Abby is such an interesting character because she switches the narrative of this story and blurs the lines of what right and wrong in this society. Her side of wanting revenge seems to be just as valid as Joel’s side of wanting to save someone he views as family.
Another massive plot line this season is how the city of Jackson, Wyoming, where Joel and Ellie live with Joel’s brother and a huge community of survivors, is under attack from the clickers and the fungus itself.
In the first episode, a burst pipe in the community has fungus growing inside it. Residents might not be as safe as they think despite the huge walls around the community.
And with an insane budget of a reported $10 million per episode, the show better be nothing short of perfect. If anything, the first few episodes already have die-hard fans at a crossroads. This is because season two is staying less faithful to the games as a whole.
A lot of online critics are upset at the decision to keep Ramsey as Ellie. The time skip between the seasons is five years, so Ellie is a much more rebellious and confident teenager than before.
The show’s adaptation does not show this side of her, having her take a more responsible role.Ramsey’s appearance also looks exactly the same, having people questioning if she was right for the role to begin with.
This is because Ramsey looks a lot younger than Ellie in both of the games, begging the question: Is this a bad casting?
In addition, many fans are concerned about how key plot points feel rushed and how the new show is being unfaithful to the original games.
Especially after the events of the second episode, the pacing of the show is nothing like the games. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it throws off the pace and creates a harder task for the show runners.
Another reason for this is when Ellie and new character Dina (Isabela Merced) kiss, a man starts spewing hate at them. Joel comes out of nowhere and body-slams him. This happens much later in the games and as is a key plot point for the games.
Joel’s actions also seem out of character for him at this moment and comes off desperate, which his character in the games is not.
This season’s pacing is way too fast. With what’s already happened in the first two episodes, I don’t see how the show can continue its momentum. The show needs to either change from the source material or it could suffer from lackluster episodes moving forward.
Will the show turn it around and shock the doubters? Well, tuning in every Sunday is the only way to find out.