Summary
Adapting a game into a TV series or a movie is always challenging. However, HBO defied all expectations withThe Last of Us,which not only won them awards but also earned them a lot of praise from critics as well as viewers. The first season went on to achieve a lot of success because of its storytelling and great performances. But the story was not complete and ended on a very important juncture. Now, two years later, the network is back with the second season and takes the story forward.
Now, it has already been established thatThe Last of UsSeason 2 is going to be based on the second game of the franchise,The Last of Us Part II.The second part of this highly popular game is an important chapter of this story and features a brutal narrative. With a new antagonist arriving on the scene, Joel and Ellie’s journey is not going to be easy this time around. So, let’s take a look at what happened in the first episode ofThe Last of UsSeason 2.
Abby’s quest for vengeance takes shape
The first episode ofThe Last of UsSeason 2, titled “Future Days,” begins with a flashback about how things ended in the first season. Ellie asked Joel if his story about the fireflies was real, to which Joel swore that his story was real. Ellie hesitated before saying okay, and they continued their journey. A few moments later, Abby Anderson (played by Kaitlyn Dever) and the remaining members of the Fireflies -Mel (played by Ariela Barer), Owen (played by Spencer Lord), Manny (played by Danny Ramirez), and Nora (played by Tati Gabrielle)- mourn the deaths of their loved ones, including Dr. Jerry Anderson. Manny asks everyone why Joel would kill everybody because it doesn’t make any sense. Nora replied by saying that he had killed everybody because of a rumor (that Ellie could have been used to make a vaccine for Cordyceps), and as Nora was about to tell her more about the rumor, Mel stopped her and said that the rumor didn’t make sense, and should not be talked about. They think that all they should care about is how they survive and move forward. Owen says that Ed’s brother, Isaac, could help them with supplies and take them in. However, Abby wants to find Joel first and wants the help of her crew.
Owen says that they don’t know much about Joel, so how will they be able to find him? Abby tells him that she knows how he looks, but the problem is that no one knows where he went after taking their last running vehicle. Owen makes her understand they need all the help they can get, and the Seattle crew might give them the lead. Abby understood what Owen said and told everyone that whenever they find Joel, they were going to kill him slowly.
Ellie joins the patrol party, while Joel undergoes therapy
The episode jumps ahead five years, revealing Ellie locked in a brutal fight with a man nearly twice her size. Initially, it feels like Ellie is fighting a bad guy for her survival, but soon it is revealed that she was practicing her moves with a guy from her tribe only. They stop when Jesse (played by Young Mazino) stops them. Jesse tells her that he stopped the person from punching her with his full strength because if he had punched her hard, she would have been knocked out. Ellie gets frustrated with this and goes out of the barn after saying he shouldn’t have pulled the punch. She goes out of the barn, and it is revealed that they have reached Jackson, Wyoming, and are now trying to build a small settlement for their people.
Meanwhile, a middle-aged Joel is trying to fix some breakers when Dina (played by Isabel Merced) comes to her, telling him that the main line won’t work because it is filled with roots. Joel says that he’ll be out there in a minute to help them, but Dina continues the conversation and asks him ifEllie is angry at him. Joel believes Ellie is at that age where no one likes to hear from their parents, and he knows he can be overprotective at times, but he didn’t do anything wrong. Dina looks at him and says she doesn’t know. To which, Joel says that he can’t hold himself responsible for another person’s emotional state. Dina smiles and asks him if he is seeing Gail, the therapist. Initially, Joel denies going to therapy, but eventually confesses to Dina about it and requests that she not tell that to anyone. On the other hand, Joel’s brother, Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna), is helping Ellie kill one of the clickers and other infected people.
When they get through that process, Tommy tells Ellie that he is putting her off the patrol and putting her at the gate fence because of how reckless she was on her last run. Moreover, Joel is really concerned about her and doesn’t want her to get hurt. Ellie doesn’t back down and says that she wants to go and won’t stop. Tommy finally gives in and tells her when the team will be leaving for patrolling.
Joel receives a brutal confession from Gail
Things are not going great in their settlement because there isn’t enough space for new people, and because they are short on manpower, they are not able to construct at a faster speed. Maria asks Joel if they could do anything about it, and Joel says that they shouldn’t have taken new people in. He understands that these people need help, and he is happy to offer them all the help they need, but he can’t put others on the line for that. Their conversation ends with Joel leaving for his therapy session. Joel meets Gail (played by Catherine O’Hara), who asks him what he wants to drink. She comes out of her room and starts their session while drinking. As they begin their session, Joel tells her how Ellie treats him like a total stranger and doesn’t even talk to her. On the contrary, Dina talks to him daily and talks politely, asking every day how he is doing. Gail gives him the real picture and says Ellie is behaving like any other 19-year-old behaves with her father.
Joel realizes that Gail had already been drinking during the day and wanted to leave, but Gail said that she wanted to say something that has been bothering her, and wanted to say it out loud. She talks about how Joel killed her husband, Eugene, and even though she knew that Joel had no other option, she hated him. Moreover, it makes her angry that he came to their house for therapy. She feels lighter after this and tells Joel that she could help him only if he doesn’t lie to her. Gail doesn’t shy away from saying that she knows he’s been hiding something from her and Ellie, and until the time he doesn’t says it, no one will be able to help her. While Gail presses her to say the truth, Joel, while crying, gets up from the couch and says he saved her, and that’s the truth. In the meantime, Ellie, Dina, and three other members of the settlement are going for a patrol. Dina and Jesse both believe that Ellie looks like’Curtis and Viper,‘which is one of Joel’s favorite films.
During the patrol, Dina and Ellie talk about going to a community event where people enjoy themselves and have fun. This is where Ellie gets to know that Dina and Jesse have broken up, again.
Ellie and Dina’s relationship blooms, while Cordyceps makes an entry into Jackson
While patrolling, they see a trail of blood, and they end up near a supermarket where a grizzly bear has been killed by the infected. Dina and Ellie check the supermarket despite being denied permission to do so by the patrol leader. They kill two clickers, and when they are about to leave the building, a part of the building collapses, throwing Ellie down to the building’s basement. Dina tells her that she’s going to find the stairs so that she can come to her. A few moments later,Ellie finds that there’s a runner in the basementand is following her. She finally comes across the runner, and when she calls on it to run to her, the runner moves to the other side and attacks her in a pretty different way. In a way, it looks like these runners are evolving and becoming intelligent and aware of the situations. Although Ellie is successful in killing the infected, it bit her, and she had to hide the bite mark from Dina.
When they return, they sit before the council members of Jackson, which includes Tommy and Maria as well. They told everyone about how differently this runner behaved. Dina says that Ellie is telling the truth because she saw that too. With a warning, they let them go and knew that Dina was lying about seeing everything. However, Maria believes that Ellie was not lying. They dismiss the matter for now and enjoy the New Year’s party where Dina and Ellie dance together. Before the party, Joel met Ellie and asked if she was going to the party. He saw the guitar lying there, and when he saw that the strings were shot, he took the guitar and told Ellie that he’d fix the strings. During the party, Dina and Ellie kiss each other when one of the residents tells them that it’s a family event, calling them dykes. Ellie was angry, but before she could say anything, Joel arrived and pushed that person to the ground. However, Ellie gets mad at him and tells him that she doesn’t want his help. The episode ends with two horrifying revelations: Cordyceps is growing in the city’s sewer lines, and Abby is getting closer to Joel’s settlement along with other Firefly members.
The premiere ofThe Last of UsSeason 2lays a powerful foundation for what promises to be an emotionally charged and action-packed season. The episode weaves a gripping storyline with raw emotional depth, setting the tone with intense character moments and quiet heartbreak. Ellie’s journey is more personal and complex than ever, but her relationship arc with Dina feels good and relatable. The action sequences are immersive, heightening the stakes from the very first frame. Visually, the show continues to impress with hauntingly beautiful landscapes and post-apocalyptic details. Ramsey is magnificent, while Pascal delivers a heartbreaking performance. Merced is equally brilliant in her portrayal of Dina. All in all, it’s a confident and compelling return that honors the soul of the series while hinting at darker turns ahead.
