“The Last of Us” season 2 has arrived!
Be sure to steel yourself, though.
They encounter numerous survivors along the way.
Some are friendly like Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his younger brother Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard).
Joel and Ellie eventually make it to the Fireflies holed up in a Lincoln hospital.
And thats a very speedy recap of The Last of Us season 1.
I can still recall picking it up at a local midnight launch.
Even my non-gamer partner has enjoyed watching me play them because theyre highly cinematic and well-crafted.
And Ive reviewed a lot of games for TG.
And in March, we finally got a full trailer.
This puts it only slightlybehind the first installment (which is sitting at 96%).
Want to hear some specific takes?
When the news was confirmed, I was pleased.
Ill say no more to avoid spoilers.
Im pretty confident that Abby is going to be a character you wont soon forget.
Gail is a character original to the TV show, as shes not a part of the video game.
Not much is known about Gail other than that shes Joels therapist.
“I have an odd relationship with Pedro’s character,“O’Hara told EW.
So it’s there.
I never want to deny the gift of humor.”
I suspect that Merced will bring real heart to The Last of Us season 2.
And the up-and-coming actor got an Emmy nomination for it.
Jesse seems like hes primed to become one of Jacksons next-gen leaders following Tommy, Maria and Joel.
In an interview withScreen Realm, Mazino discussed Jesse’s dependability.
It could be a strength in certain situations and a tremendous weakness in others, he said.
But … its like a burden that he takes willfully.
A part of this may be the possibility of the infected evolving.
Dont be surprised if season 2 introduces new types of infected that are even more deadly.
One of the chief complaints about season 1 was a lack of infected appearances.
Either that or youre just a big Pearl Jam fan, but most likely its the former.
She knows something is wrong, but he cant tell her, which drives a wedge between them.
We see hints of this in the season 2 trailer.
Will we get this moment in the show?
Well … thats complicated.
So will we instead get a performance of Save You from the 2002 Pearl Jam album Riot Act?
Or do show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann use some artistic license and use Future Days anyway?
If the season 2 trailer is any indication, it might be the latter.
I dont think The Big Thing That Happens will actually happen tonight.
If youve played the video game, you know what Im talking about.
If you havent, Im begging you not to spoil yourself.
Either way, I expect shell have an impact the moment she shows up.
RoryIve been arguing for ages that Part 2s shockingmoment should happen in the first episode of season 2.
ET when “Future Days” begins airing.
I’ll be live-blogging the entire episode, so follow along for my updates and reactions.
Not cool, Joel.
(*A quick Google tells me a group of giraffes is called a tower.
Every days a school day!)
Oh, and she wants to kill him slowly.
Devers already given me chills, and were only minutes into the episode.
Is this a hot take?
Gustavo Santaolalla does not miss!
Ellie can take a punch infinitely better than I ever could.
First sighting of Joel alert
Pedro Pascal fans (frankly, who isnt a Pascal fan?
), our time has come.
It may have taken almost 10 minutes, but finally, Joel is back on our television screens.
All is right in the world.
Were also meeting yetanothernew character in the form of Dina (Isabela Merced).
It seems in the last five years their surrogate father-daughter relationship turned frosty.
Icanconfirm Ellies horse is called Shimmer.
And deserves all the sugar cubes they can eat.
Nobody said running a safe haven in a post-apocalyptic world would be easy.
Oh, and Maria just got in the last word and thats how you win an argument!
Most awkward therapy session ever?
Were getting our first on-screen appearance of Gail, and I dont think itll be the last.
This is new territory even for gamers.
Yet Gail is still willing to take him on as a patient?
Now that is one seriously professional therapist!
And now Pedros breaking my heart as he verges on tears give his man his overdue Emmy already!
Some things never change
Even in a post-apocalypse, Ellies bedroom screams moody teenager!
Who or what did that?
A single bloater could do the job.
Certainly adds a dose of comedy to the otherwise very tense proceedings.
It’s not a mindless zombie, it can seemingly think for itself.
I hope you weren’t snacking during this scene because that disfigured zombie face was seriously unsettling.
Oh, and the scene also confirms that six infected took down the grizzly bear.
Yes, Imextremelysmug about my earlier guess.
Did somebody turn down the temperature?
Brrrr, relationship turned frosty indeed.
Joel and Ellies first scene together in season 2 is a cold one.
Its also short as Joel makes a quick exit.
The reports of Mazin and Druckmann altering the games structure appear accurate.
The Last of Us season 2 isnt dropping the first shows reputation for deftly adapting its wonderful source material.
Joel doesn’t make things any better by acting all overprotective.
Thats no way to get back in her good books!
Those appear to be cordyceps spreading into the safe haven through the pipe system.
Somebody might want to take care of that infestation ….
Did you forget about her?
She opened the episode, and now Abby brings it to a close.
Five years ago she swore revenge, and now shes caught sight of Jackson in the distance.
And oh boy, was that a packed hour of television.
Weve got plenty to discuss, so stick around as weve got post-episode thoughts coming up next.
Could Eugene provide the best moment of season 2?
In this episode, we learned that Gail isnt just Joels therapist.
But who is Eugene?
Is he a show creation like Gail?
The answer is … sort of.
In the game, he dies of a stroke at 73 and isnt married.
He actually leaves his wife and daughter to join the Fireflies before eventually going to Jackson.
But the show is clearly deviating in a major way from the video game version of Eugene.
How does it expand the town of Jackson?
Neil Druckmann toldIGNat the season 2 premiere.
Youll see even more of why thats important as the season goes on, Druckmann added.
So we know Eugene will be different in a lot of ways, including physical appearance.
But why does that mean Eugene could ultimately provide the best moment of season 2?
For that, we have to look back to Long, Long Time, theincredibleepisode 3 from season 1.
This standalone episode focused on Bill and Frank and was a highlight of the season.
But it is, in its own way, its own thing, because it needed to be.
And just, just you wait.
But season 2 has already introduced a love triangle or possibly more like a square in the first episode.
Ellie is attracted to Dina, whos just out of an on-again/off-again relationship with Jesse.
Then, theres Kat, who leads the scouting patrol that includes both Ellie and Dina.
Kat happens to be Ellies ex.
That shocking and heartbreaking sequence didnt happen in season 2s first episode.
But perhaps Im mistaken.
However, I really hope that doesnt happen.
But I just know its going to hurt.
Whats next for The Last of Us season 2?
Whats next for The Last of Us season 2?
Well HBO is keeping things carefully under wraps.
At the time of writing, we dont even have an episode title for the second chapter.
But after that, all bets are off.
But Abbys arrival on the scene feels imminent.
It was killer.”
-Martin
Did HBO make a big mistake with ‘The Last Of Us’ season 2 premiere?
If you’re free to’t already tell, I’m desperate to see more.
Dever has since reflected on her debut in an interview withTHR.
She just needs something to make it all better, Dever said.
And in that moment, the only thing she can think about is revenge.
Shes heartbroken, shes sad, shes lost and shes trying to pick up the pieces.
Its what makes her scary and intimidating.
But its all because of how much pain shes gone through."
If you think all your faves are safe in Jackson, think again.
-Martin
When is the next episode of ‘The Last Of Us’ season 2 coming our way?
ET, meaning the second episode will air onSunday, April 20.
And if you’re wondering, the season 2 finale airs on Sunday, May 25, 2025.
But in this first episode, Kaitlyn Dever, understandably, didn’t have a ton to do.
Dina, on the other hand, get a chance to shine, and Isabela Merced ran with it.
Speaking toThe Verge, co-creator Neil Druckmann has revealed why that change was made.
We dont have that in the show.
So we needed something else through drama, through backstory to get you to sympathize with her.
Thats where we pulled certain events up in the story, in terms of when we reveal them."
-Martin
What are Stalkers?
Stalkers are infected who, in the first game, are stealthy, fast and strong.
They’re notquiteso deadly as the original version.
Because of this, they’re more prevalent in the second game.
-Malcolm
Which will get to Jackson first: Abby or the infected?
As we wrap up our season 2 premiere coverage, there’s just a few pressing questions that remain.
Will Abby arrive in episode 2?
Or will a horde of infected attack Jackson before Abby and her vengeful crew can arrive?
