'The Last of Us' Season 2 Takes a Dramatic Detour: The Show’s Pivotal Misstep

The Last of Us Has consistently taken pride in remaining a loyal adaptation, though this does not necessarily entail portraying every single event from the game in the same sequence. In Season 1, they introduced the antagonist Kathleen, who leads an extremely fervent cannibalistic sect, along with a poignant standalone episode that delves into the romance between her characters. Bill and Frank .

During Season 2, at first, we witness the introduction of Gail, who serves as Joel’s therapist and is also the widow of the deceased Eugene. However, following this, most events adhered to the expected trajectory. The Last of Us Part II However, in the second-to-last episode of Season 2, everything shifts as they try to create a self-contained episode that bridges the story gaps from the game. Yet, it ends up being overdone.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6.

In The Last of Us Part II During Ellie's three-day journey in Seattle to locate Abby, brief glimpses into her history with Joel periodically break up the narrative. The game opens with an early scene showing Joel presenting Ellie with a guitar he made himself. In another flashback, we witness a special birthday surprise organized by Joel, which allows Ellie to visit a science museum. Further along, one year later, they come across the lifeless bodies of a married couple who had left their home in Jackson, leaving Ellie troubled by the discrepancies between these events and the stories Joel had shared regarding Salt Lake City during his recounting of her time at the Firefly operating facility. Ultimately, as part of this exploration through memory lane, Ellie returns to the same hospital where she discovers a cassette tape exposing the real reason behind Joel rescuing her from the clutches of the Fireflies—they planned to use her as a sacrificial offering.

In the end, we witness the events from the night preceding the game’s primary storyline: the New Year’s dance, Ellie’s kiss with Dina, and Joel protecting Ellie. Following this, the pair meets on the porch for an important discussion regarding Joel’s actions and the possibility of forgiveness; although Ellie is uncertain whether she can truly forgive Joel, she expresses her willingness to attempt it.

In the series, all these flashback scenes are compressed into a single episode with several alterations: instead of witnessing an escapee couple's corpses during their patrol, Ellie and Joel come across Eugene who has been injured. Most notably, this episode also features the cherished porch scene—a moment that appears near the end of the game for maximum emotional effect. However, since the television adaptation places this scene roughly midway through the storyline from the game, it loses much of its intended emotional resonance.

It's clear why each flashback segment is confined to a single episode: doing so allows this particular episode to function independently from the main revenge storyline and mirrors the experience of the "Bill and Frank" episode, which largely unfolded in the past. Additionally, limiting Joel's presence to only this episode might make Pedro eligible for a guest actor Emmy nomination, similar to how Kaitlyn Dever is being considered for her performance in the Guest Actress category.

However, within the game, these flashbacks integrate seamlessly throughout, offering insight into how Ellie deals with losing Joel. Just as grief unfolds unpredictably, memories often oscillate between pleasant moments and difficult ones across various days. The intention behind this episode was to thoughtfully explore this concept; instead, it turns out to be an overly hasty recap that becomes nearly unbearable to watch.

The Last of Us Season 2 is currently available on HBO Max.