The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale Review

The Last of Us season 2 ends with a finale that hits many of the same notes as previous installments, without much variation or nuance.

Ellie’s first instinct in virtually every situation has been to rush in, guns blazing, before considering the consequences for herself and her companions. To some extent this is understandable: if I was the only person known to be immune to a deadly fungus, I would probably act rashly more often than not as well. Besides, what 19-year old sees the whole picture clearly at first when they have to think on their toes? The problem is that we’ve seen some version of this happen at least once per episode throughout season 2, and it’s led to diminishing returns by now.

This manifests early in the finale when she and Jesse (Young Mazino), on their way to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna) so they can leave Seattle, witness a group of WLF soldiers overtake a rogue Seraphite and drag him off to be killed. She’d prefer to save him, but Jesse rationalizes that they’d both die in the process anyway. We’ve also seen Ellie presented with a choice to make, between returning to her Jackson friends, and continuing on her crusade for revenge. This happens again once she discovers Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) last known whereabouts, and she has to choose between saving Tommy from a group of Wolves or finding Abby.

I never thought I would critique the technical elements of The Last of Us, but something within episode 7 just looks more artificial than usual. The show has been able to handle large-scale visual effects seamlessly throughout season 2, but there are several moments in the finale, when taking in the ruined skyline of Seattle, where it’s more evident that we are looking at a green screen. Plus, the scenery of Ellie’s boat ride through the storm simply isn’t great. 

At least the finale gets the emotions right, particularly in how the show finally brings everything crashing down for Ellie. It’s a basic rule of television that if a character makes bad decisions for so long, sooner or later, they’ll have to answer for them. I had wondered how The Last of Us would handle Ellie killing Mel (Ariela Barer), and episode writers Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann, and Halley Gross make it just as traumatizing as in the video game. This is something that Ellie can’t come back from, emotionally, so when Abby shows up at the theater, she readily gives up and apologizes. It’s a testament to the show, and to Ramsey’s performance, that no matter how terrible Ellie has been throughout the season, the prospect of her dying is so deeply affecting.

But, of course, it’s not good enough for Abby. “I let you live,” she growls, just after killing Jesse and, presumably, pulling the trigger on Ellie before an abrupt cut to black. Season 2 of The Last of Us has been a true roller coaster of quality, with the early batch of solid episodes, and the great installment last week. Looking back now on the season as a whole, it’s hard to pinpoint why I feel relatively negative. There was a good deal of action, great performances, and shocking plot developments – not unlike season 1. 

Maybe it has something to do with the final shot, and wondering if we’re in for more of the same in season 3: We’re now in Abby’s perspective as she wakes up in the WLF base – a converted Lumen Field, now a miniature contained ecosystem – with a title card declaring “Seattle Day One.” We’ve already seen one character destroyed by seeking vengeance. Now that we know how these two paths converge, will we be in for more of the same, from a slightly different POV, over the course of one more season?

The Season 2 Finale of The Last of Us is now available to stream on Max.

The Last of Us Season 2 Finale – Gamer Corner

The Last of Us season 2 may be over, but there’s plenty of the video game left to portray. How will future seasons be affected by what’s already happened? We’ll use this space to discuss how episode 7 may or may not differentiate itself from the source material, and how that could impact the show going forward. Obviously, spoilers ahead:

I believe the only major addition in the season 2 finale comes as Ellie is pushed onto the Seraphite’s island, taken prisoner, and is about to be hung before their attention is diverted. My first instinct was to question why The Last of Us needed to include this – beyond just giving Ellie one more excuse to turn around – but then I noticed the rope bruises around Abby’s neck. It’s a subtle, but welcome, nod to how these two diametrically-opposed characters are more similar than they may realize.

Very clever of episode director Nina Lopez-Corrado to shift up into the Seattle skyline as Ellie and Jesse are walking through the streets, and show the downed crane bridging the two skyscrapers. Though Abby’s trek across the makeshift bridge isn’t one of the most difficult of the game, it’s one of my least favorite because it’s so viscerally rendered.