The Last Of Us Season 2: Review

It's no word of a lie to say the second season of post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us is an emotionally exhausting experience.

While the show's first run focussed on the intense relationship between Pedro Pascal's disaffected smuggler Joel and his charge Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the second sees that beautiful bond ripped asunder by the impact of the final moments when Joel was forced to kill those about to operate on Ellie to get a cure to save the world.

The latest picks up five years after that fateful decision with the pair living - albeit strained and estranged - in the community of Jackson, a civilisation that's positively thriving in the middle of continual onslaughts from raiders and the infected.

Much like the contagion ripped through the populace, the sheer hatred between Joel and Ellie is equally as vicious, with Ramsey's sneering and unhappiness going beyond what any parent could expect from a disaffected teenager.

There's much to be said about the second season of the show, but extremely tight spoiler restrictions make it difficult. Needless to say the show's creators, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have created something that is so eminently watchable and downright uncomfortable this time around.

All of the main players excel throughout - from Ramsey's drive as Ellie through to Pascal's tearfully led performance as a surrogate father forced to make the harshest of decisions via Isabela Merced's veritably heartfelt performance as Dina, there's much to be in the thrall of here.

Perhaps the most controversial addition, that of Kaitlyn Dever as soldier Abby barely warrants any dwelling on. Any concerns she was not of the right physicality, or had the intensity needed for her character are severely misplaced with the Apple Cider Vinegar star being compelling from the beginning.

Equally, the show's production values have clearly been upped in the season, with snowy vistas and blizzards on the screen feeling utterly claustrophobic and as downright chilly as some of the onscreen interactions as this fallout from a lie season plays out. There's action when it's needed and the splintering of stories allows for some rich seams of drama to be opened up as well. 

Sadly, there are only seven episodes in this run, and with so much dramatic potential being opened up, it feels like it's not even close enough to satiate viewers.

But rest assured, the second season of The Last Of Us builds handsomely on what the first achieved - just because there's an expanded scope doesn't mean the creators have lost sight of what mattered in the first place - character moments, human interactions and connections and an exploration of the human condition under extreme duress. 

What price do you pay for your actions, do the consequences merit them and how do you live with your conscience are all explored here - but the deepening of how they do so are nothing short of gripping viewing that's to be savoured throughout.

The Last Of Us Season 2 premieres on Neon on Monday April 14.

All seven episodes of season two were viewed for the purposes of this review.