Review: ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 Episode 1 Puts Joel And Ellie At Instant Odds

The first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 jars, especially for viewers unfamiliar with the video games.

There’s a five-year narrative gap between the seasons, as Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) live with Tommy (Gabriel Luna), his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), and son Benjamin in a commune with other survivors. Despite the chaos of the world outside and around them, they appear to have made a home for themselves and found some semblance of order and normality in this society.

Yet, Joel and Ellie’s relationship is no longer the same. She avoids him, and when they need to talk, she’s short in her response. This isn’t only late-teenage angst at play, as Joel reveals something happened between them that severed their closeness. What happened, though, is not made clear right now. Regardless, Joel finds himself in therapy, trying to work through his issues with Ellie and his past, as Ellie attempts to establish her new life without Joel.

Ellie is no longer a child

The Last of Us Season 1 saw Ellie trying to figure out her way as a young teenager, with Joel as her only real friend and confidante. Now, she’s a young woman who has experienced a lot over five years. Sure, she’s still the same Ellie who appreciates silly dad jokes and does the opposite of what she’s told, but she also wants companionship from people her own age. It’s obvious that she finds something special with Dina (Isabela Merced), who brings out the best in her, but Ellie knows that nothing is certain in this dangerous world they live in.

For Joel, it’s almost like he’s losing another daughter all over again. He wants to reconnect with Ellie after their fallout, but he wonders if too much has happened for them to ever be the same again. That said, he doesn’t stop caring for or protecting her – even if Ellie reacts in a hostile manner to him. It’s heartbreaking to see an emotionally wounded Joel watch Ellie grow up and come into her own, but she doesn’t want him to be a part of her life or even open up to him about what she’s experiencing. From the first episode alone, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey deserve special credit for flipping the dynamic and showcasing an unseen side of the characters’ relationship.

The biggest danger is not the Cordyceps infection

Much like The Walking Dead changed its approach after a few seasons, The Last of Us Season 2 moves past the infected being the prevalent threat in the series (to be fair, it did that in the previous season too). While the first episode introduces a new twist in the evolution of the Cordyceps, there’s no disputing that the growing tensions between people offer the greatest danger here. It might be post-apocalyptic times, but you bet that homophobes and other bigots still find the time and place to spew their hatred for other people. It’s yet another reminder that it won’t be a cataclysmic event that will end humanity once and for all; it’ll be in the aftermath where the humans will tear each other apart because they can’t get along.

The byproduct of this is that trust becomes a fallacy in the series. Folks might get along circumstantially, but what happens when a better offer comes along? Or better yet, how do they react when they get the chance to get back at someone they despise? Joel and Ellie’s commune maybe isn’t the safe haven it presents itself to be, and the first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 lays down the potential for the explosive breakdown of relationships and alliances. In addition, the impending arrival of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) threatens to throw another powder keg into the mix, especially if the show follows the same narrative path as the video games. 

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 continues to be about the human drama

The Last of Us Season 2 wastes no time in elevating the drama between Ellie and Joel. Considering how the previous season ended, it hurts to see what has become of this pair. They built a powerful and loving bond, but now it’s shattered. Undoubtedly, everyone wants to know what led them to this turning point – especially since Joel used to be the more hot-headed out of the two, but it’s Ellie who rejects him. Anyone who has played the video game series probably has a lump in their throat knowing what lies ahead next, but let’s not spoil the experience for everyone else. Instead, sit back and appreciate the drama on the horizon.