REVIEW - “Future Days” is a visually stunning but uneven start to Season 2 of The Last Of Us
Clickers be clicking.
By Jonathan Garrett
15/04/25
NOTE: This review contains full spoilers for The Last of Us - “Future Days” (Season 2, Episode 1).
HBO continues to bring the heat as Craig Mazin’s The Last of Us adaption returns for an emotionally charged second season with a renewed focus on infected and the looming shadow of events to come. As we arrive back in this faithful, but not beholden, retelling of Naughty Dog’s 2020 epic, we find ourselves in awe of the production value but at times jarred by some uneven writing and dialogue that doesn’t quite land.
There can be no criticism directed towards the company on screen; Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey continue to be pitch perfect as Joel and Ellie, with Ramsey in particular demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of what drives Ellie at this point in her story. She gets to play various shades here; sarcastic and dismissive towards authority, awkward when faced with Dina’s advances, and out of her depth when tackling the Stalker. The weight of Pedro’s performance as Joel is keenly felt, with the therapy sequence a clear highlight from this first episode. His emotions are barely contained, and the restraint he’s deploying must be commended.
Speaking of which, some new additions to the cast provide clear connections for fans of the game, and in the case of Catherine O'Hara’s Gail, a striking deviation from the source material. Her connection to Joel gives added weight to his struggle, and her wry humour switching sharply to an emotive gut punch worked exceptionally well. Even with her limited screen time, Kaitlyn Dever’s menacing performance as Abby proved to be an effective tease.
Far and away the strongest new member of the ensemble is Isabela Merced’s Dina, who instantly brings a charm to the role that livens up every scene she’s in. One clear point of difference between the show and the game was established a clearer friendship between Dina and Joel, who the latter uses as a sounding board to work through his frustration with Ellie’s indifference. Also, shout out to the jolly inclusion of Gustavo Santaolalla (the composer from the game), who popped up in the band at the end!
Where things didn’t quite land was the lack of time spent with Abby and some of the dialogue during the opening third of the episode. It was particularly noticeable during the first scene, where a group of new characters were introduced but felt burdened by overt exposition. It wasn’t the smoothest way to introduce their story. It might have been more effective had those conversations been spaced out throughout the episode, which would again have been a reference to Part 2’s non linear narrative.
There were separate moments with Joel, Tommy, Maria and the council where their dialogue felt stiff and unnatural, even with the performers bringing their A-game. The almost like for like recreation of the final party scene also felt like a wasted opportunity, where the over reliance on being self referential actually took me out of the moment in places. The important beats still landed; the culmination of Dina and Ellie’s attraction, and Ellie’s uncomfortable and begrudging presence. But the dialogue with Jessie, and Joel’s intervention, could have been expanded with something new. Ellie’s walk off from Joel sitting on the porch, and the fast track of Abby’s approach to Jackson, are two effective examples of smart deviation.
This season promised more infected, and they certainly delivered. The practical effects, slow building tension, and introduction of the Stalker were all massive high points, and set the stage for more to come. If they can continue to find ways to surprise us, while still retaining what makes this story special, then HBO will once again be on to a winner.
Isabela Merced is pitch perfect casting as Dina.
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context about something we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for something we didn’t like.
YEAH!
It’s great to be back in the world of HBO’s The Last of Us, and with only six more episodes to go, there’s plenty to look forward to.
BUT
A “less is more” approach to some of the exposition will help prevent the dialogue from becoming too stilted.
