'The Last Of Us' Season 2 Review: The Action-Packed, Plot-Filled Series Opener Is A Cleanser To The White Lotus’ Slow-Burn

Just as The White Lotus ends and you thought you could maybe slim down your subscription packages (yes, you know you’ve thought about it) season two of The Last Of Us steps exactly into its Monday nights boots and - if episode one is anything to go by - ups the ante.

Plots To Be Discussed

Episode one of season two is now available to watch and watch you definitely should. Though, after the emotional and action-filled one-two punch of last season’s finale, I can’t imagine many already-committed viewers had much hesitation about jumping back in. If you’ve dodged the show so far and managed to avoid season one’s five-star reviews, the TV grapevine and the cultural obsession with frontman Pedro Pascal since its launch in 2023 (perhaps concerned about its computer game origin), now is the time to submit, catch up and get involved.

We pick up season two in the immediate aftermath of Joel’s (Pascal) divisive series one finale actions. To recap on season one, after their epic (blood and tragedy-filled) journey to deliver an immune Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to The Fireflies so they can help create a cure for the zombifying Cordyceps virus, things go badly wrong. Joel wakes up and realises that their method for creating the cure involves killing Ellie. Overpowering The Fireflies, Joel kills everyone in sight, including the surgical team operating on Ellie, to get her out of the building. Selfish? The ultimate act of love? The audience is torn, but in one final twist, Joel lies to Ellie (who remained unconscious during the bloodbath) and says the building was overtaken by raiders and he escaped with her just in time. Despite Ellie’s pleas for him to swear that’s the true story, Joel sticks to his guns.

And so, we open on new-series recruit Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby Anderson, and a few remaining Fireflies standing in front of a mass burial of those murdered by Joel in his escape - she vows revenge and we know that the list of those hunting Joel and Ellie just got longer again. Tension set, off we go.

The time shift hits and it’s five years later - Joel and Ellie are living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There’s family (Joel’s brother Tommy, Gabriel Luna, and sister-in-law Maria, played by Rutina Wesley), friends (in the form of new actor Isabella Mecred, who plays Dina), a barter community, a semi-working governance, food, shelter and a massive gate blocking out the zombies. Life should be as good as it can be in a post-apocalyptic world, trauma aside.

Except, Joel and Ellie are estranged - she’s moved into the garage and everyone, including her best friend Dina, wants to know what’s happened. Joel is now in therapy - and thank goodness, not just because he needs it, but because the therapist is played by Catherine O’Hara. O’Hara’s recently widowed Gail is a reason in itself to tune into season two - she’s key to much of the exposure in the first episode and, it feels like, will be integral to the ongoing tension in the season. There’s a lot going on there, and you’ll be left eager to find out more - and talking about your theories all week.

Then, of course, there’s those zombies. The terror and suspense of an incredible set-piece in an abandoned supermarket is a return to form and I won’t ruin it further by saying anymore.

Episode one will have you on the edge of your couch in the best way, a lot happens and a lot remains untold. You’re left perfectly prepped for another episode, ready to jump into watercooler or Reddit chats for more. There’s a lot of speculation online about the fates of some of the main characters given the original source material and what happens in the second part of the original game (delve in if you dare). Shows like The Handmaid’s Tale have set a precedent for not always faithfully sticking to a plot, so we can’t be entirely sure what will come over the next few episodes, and that adds another, more meta layer of anticipation and speculation to the watch.

Where its Monday night prestige telly cousinThe White Lotus faced criticism in its third series for slowness and wandering plots, episode one of The Last Of Us suggests it'll be immune from such criticism. The show has been lauded for being great TV that pulls your heartstrings and moral compass every which way ‘despite’ its origins as a video game. But with its constant motion, innovation and action-packed qualities, it echoes its gaming master medium and is all the richer for it. The show is an infectious watch, and after episode one you’re seated and ready to be pulled in for more.

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Read the original article in ELLE UK.