I feared The Last Of Us season 2 wouldn’t match its legacy

Warning: spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 1. This review doesn’t contain spoilers for season 2.

Going into The Last Of Us season 2, I had my fears.

Not that I didn’t trust the creators of the TV show, which was quickly hailed ‘one of the greatest of all time’ when it premiered in 2023. But living up to its own legacy was always going to be an enormous feat.

Over two years later, The Last of Us season 2 is finally back, reuniting fans around the world with smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl who is the only known person immune to the Cordyceps infection that’s ravaged the world.

I can safely say that after watching all seven of the new episodes, I needn’t have worried.

At the end of season one, Joel discovers that the rebel group called the Fireflies are going to perform a procedure on Ellie to try and create a cure to the infection, which would kill her in the process.

Having come to see Ellie like a daughter, Joel refuses to stand by and let her die. So he sets off on a warpath through the hospital, killing all of the Fireflies who get in his way and shooting the doctor who was going to perform the operation in the head.

Ellie, who is unconscious throughout the bloodbath, is later informed by Joel that the Fireflies were actually killed by raiders who attacked the hospital. When she asks him to swear that he’s telling her the truth, he does, even though viewers know that he’s lying.

The love and deception that’s weaved into the unbreakable bond between Joel and Ellie forms the foundation of The Last of Us season two.

While a lot of fans are complete newcomers to the story, others played the video games on which they’re based, and so know major plot points that are just around the corner.

Whether or not you’re aware of spoilers for the story, it should come as no surprise that there’s going to be heartbreak and devastation aplenty. So strap yourselves in.

Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie – who’s now 19 – are living in Jackson, Wyoming with Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), their son, and hundreds of other members in their rural community.

While the community is thriving, there are still dangers lurking outside of their borders. And not just from the infected, with one shown breathing out ‘spores’ in the trailer for season two, which in the video game can contaminate non-infected people through particles in the air.

Other dangers come in the form of militant forces and cult-like sects living in the wilderness, who have spent years developing their own unique walks of life that they’ll fiercely defend using lethal means.

Just like in the first season, Joel and Ellie’s relationship forms the backbone of season two. Following Joel’s demolition of the Fireflies, many viewers suspected that Ellie guessed that her father figure might have lied to her about her rescue and how the rebel group were killed.

Even though five years have passed, his lies have not disappeared into the ether. They torment his mind, adding to the friction that’s inevitably built between him and Ellie as she yearns for more independence as a young adult.

Yet again, The Last Of Us makes its viewers take a good hard look at themselves to ask some of the hardest questions imaginable – if someone you loved was going to be killed to save millions of others, would you let them die or save them?

Could you accept their death knowing that other people’s lives were saved as a result, or could you not bear to let them perish, regardless of the consequences?

That question brings a level of humanity to The Last Of Us that’s extraordinarily difficult to achieve on TV, especially in a story that’s set in a post-apocalyptic landscape, with zombie-like creatures whose sole purpose is to spread their infection as far as possible.

While we can’t delve into specific spoilers in this review (nor would we want to), just know that the events of season one are not forgotten. Every action has a consequence.

Pedro, 50, and Bella, 21, have become extremely close in real life, and their connection is just as palpable on screen. While they’re both magnificently talented actors, the chemistry that they have as Joel and Ellie is lightning in a bottle – something that couldn’t simply be achieved from reading the words of a script.

It’s a joy to watch them again in The Last Of Us, even when we’re watching through our fingers, holding our breath as the drama unfolds.

The second season of the show introduces several new characters that viewers are undoubtedly going to grow attached to right away – a risky move considering how devastating and unpredictable the twists in The Last Of Us can be.

First we have Dina (Isabela Merced), Ellie’s best friend and romantic interest who brings a refreshingly spirited outlook to the bleak world that they live in, despite the horrors that she’s faced in her life. Jesse (Young Mazino), a valued member of the Jackson community, is Dina’s on-and-off again ex, as well as a friend of Ellie’s.

One of the most highly-anticipated additions to the cast is Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a soldier on a mission for revenge that’ll change the course of the series. Kaitlyn was originally considered for the role of Ellie before the TV series was made, when there were talks for a film adaptation instead.

The Booksmart actress experienced some hugely unfair slack from video game fans when she was cast as Abby. When asked about fan responses to her casting, she said in an interview with ScreenRant: ‘I want to do this character justice and make the fans proud by bringing her to life in this kind of way.’

Trust us – Kaitlyn does Abby justice and then some. Anyone who fired backlash her way before giving her a chance will be eating their words.

Militia leader Isaac is another new character in the second season, with Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright reprising his role from the video game.

Jeffrey is a scene-stealer in every role he plays, and Isaac is no exception, a character he first portrayed in The Last Of Us Part II video game in 2020.

While The Last Of Us received critical acclaim when it first launched two years ago, video game fans did have some gripes about various things that weren’t included in the TV adaptation. (Note how we’re being purposely vague here to avoid spoilers).

Certain changes have been made for season two. Whether these alterations have happened in direct response to fans’ criticisms, or simply as a way to evolve the show in a natural way remains to be seen.

The Last Of Us had a mighty task on its hands to live up to its first season. Fans of the drama will not be disappointed, although they might be picking up the pieces of their hearts afterwards.

The Last of Us season 2 premieres in the UK on Monday April 14 on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.