What Went Wrong with The Last of Us Season 2

Let's Talk About The Last of Us Season 2… Because Yikes

Okay, deep breath. This one hurts to say out loud. As a huge fan of Season 1—and the game series in general—I was hyped for The Last of Us Season 2. But after watching the finale in a sleep-deprived haze at 3AM, I couldn’t help but sit there thinking: “Wait...was that it?”

Spoiler: it was. And it wasn’t good.

Where Season 1 was tight, emotional, and full of haunting character moments, Season 2 felt like a rough draft. It had its highs, sure. But the lows? They went deep. This isn’t just about casting or visuals—it’s about core character choices, writing that misses the emotional beats, and a tone that felt totally confused from start to finish.

Ellie Feels Frozen in Time

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Ellie.

Season 2 is supposed to take place five years after the events of Season 1. But Ellie—played again by Bella Ramsey—feels exactly the same. Same attitude, same awkward jokes, same energy. That grit? That trauma-fueled maturity we saw in the game version of Ellie? It’s missing.

This wouldn’t be a huge deal if the show didn’t try to sell us on the idea that she’s changed. In the game, Ellie is unrecognizable from her younger self—consumed by grief and vengeance. In the show, she still acts like the kid cracking wise while sneaking up on a clicker. It’s frustrating. And it undercuts every emotional beat the season tries to hit.

It's Not Bella Ramsey's Fault—It's the Writing

Let’s not throw Bella Ramsey under the bus. While their performance doesn’t knock it out of the park, the real issue is the material. Ellie’s character is written so inconsistently that even a perfect actor would struggle.

Sometimes she’s playful and immature. Other times she’s rage-filled and ready to kill. But the show never earns those mood swings. There’s no progression—just chaos. One minute she’s trying to save a random Scar in a garage, the next she’s abandoning Jesse and Tommy without hesitation to chase Abby.

It’s like the writers couldn’t decide which Ellie they wanted—so they gave us all of them, in rapid rotation.

Jesse Becomes... A Babysitter?

Speaking of Jesse—remember when he was a strong, loyal friend in the game? In the show, he’s reduced to “annoyed sidekick” vibes. There’s no chemistry, no camaraderie, and no sense that these two care about each other. That final line where Jesse says he always believed Ellie would come save him? Completely falls flat. She literally just left him behind to chase her revenge mission.

Make it make sense.

The Writing Can't Commit

The core of The Last of Us Part II is revenge—brutal, all-consuming revenge. But Season 2 can’t seem to lean into that.

In the game, Ellie is terrifying at times. You feel her rage. Her obsession. In the show, it’s all jokes and quips—even in moments that demand tension. Like, we’re about to ambush a group of infected, and Ellie’s out here miming a throat-slitting motion like it’s a TikTok skit.

The tension dies. The stakes vanish. And the pacing? It's all over the place.

Changes From the Game: Hit or Miss (Mostly Miss)

Not every adaptation has to be 1:1 with the source. But some of the new scenes added in Season 2 feel pointless—or worse, counterproductive.

• Ellie getting captured by Scars only to be released due to a random attack? Feels like filler.
• Her wandering through the aquarium with her flashlight blaring like a spotlight? Just dumb.
• The Scar sequence with Jesse? Emotionally confusing and narratively flat.

There are moments of brilliance—like the huge battle at Jackson. And honestly? Abby’s scenes are way stronger than Ellie’s this season. She’s focused. She feels real. Maybe it’s just the contrast, but Abby’s half of the story was compelling in ways Ellie’s wasn’t.

That Book Scene Was Smart—But It Didn't Land

One detail in the finale really stood out: Ellie finding a copy of The Monster at the End of This Book. It’s a clever nod—Grover is scared of reaching the end, only to find out he is the monster. That metaphor hits hard in the game, where Ellie becomes the monster in her own story.

But here? It doesn’t connect. Because show-Ellie never fully becomes that monster. She's too busy making jokes and jumping from mood to mood for that metaphor to have weight.

A Step Down, Big Time

To be fair, The Last of Us Season 2 had some standout moments. The Jackson battle? Fire. Isaac’s scenes? Surprisingly solid. But those flashes of brilliance can’t save a season that feels emotionally scattered, tonally inconsistent, and—frankly—unfinished.

It didn’t live up to the source material. It didn’t evolve its characters. And worst of all, it didn’t trust the audience enough to sit in the darkness and rage of this world.

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