Caution: This review will contain spoilers for episode one of The Last of Us season 2.
On April 13, episode one of The Last of Us (TLOU) season 2 premiered on HBO Max. The highly anticipated adaptation of the franchise’s second game garnered attention from fans all over the world, and did not disappoint. Season one followed Joel Miller and Ellie Williams as they traveled across the country to deliver her to a group called the Fireflies, in order for them to make a cure from her immunity to the Cordyceps virus.
Episode one, titled “Future Days” after the Pearl Jam song of the same name, had a lot riding on its shoulders. The premiere had to reel fans back into the world of TLOU, without revealing too much of its central plot, in order to ensure that viewers would return for the next week. The second game is extremely controversial due to its storyline, and diving right into the inciting incident would most likely decrease views and cause anger from fans of the show. The first episode does this phenomenally—it manages to keep the audience engaged, even without an abundance of action or dramatic scenes. The emotional tension becomes the biggest conflict in this episode, keeping viewers entertained even when Infected are not present.
The premiere starts off right where season one ended. It replays the iconic scene where Ellie confronts Joel about the Fireflies and what happened at the hospital while she was unconscious. Joel had claimed they’d stopped looking for a cure, and that, essentially, her immunity meant nothing. She asks him to swear he’s telling the truth, and he does.
However, season two moves on from this scene and shows the audience a different perspective. Back near the hospital, a group of Fireflies who were present during Joel’s massacre are standing in front of a collection of graves. One of them, a young woman named Abby, looks stricken and angry. She immediately makes her motive clear: she wants to find and kill Joel for what he’s done. After this, the timeline skips five years, to the present storyline.
In the game, this character is not introduced until the time jump has already occurred. Abby’s motives are also not revealed until later. While changed, introducing Abby earlier on helps to establish her character in a more sound way than in the game. However, this does potentially take away from some of the shock value when she makes her first appearance in Jackson.
In TLOU Part II, Abby is presented as a mystery, specifically so that players can explore the idea of perspective. By revealing next to nothing about her, players form their first opinion of her based on her role in the inciting incident. They must then play as her later on and learn more about her, slowly reforming their first impressions. Although this format works in gaming, it might not translate as well in television form. Therefore, this change doesn’t feel damaging.
However, one change that does feel unnecessary is Joel having a therapist. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, creators of the show, often take many creative liberties; sometimes, though, these changes feel needless and don’t add much to the overall story. In the game, Joel reveals the truth of what he did at the hospital to only one person. Joel’s line, “I saved her,” is spoken to Tommy, his brother. In the show, he says this to a woman named Gail, the Jackson therapist, but without telling her the context of what he saved her from. The line doesn’t hold the same weight when said to a third party who has no idea who Joel is as a person and what he’s been through. Tommy being there when Joel’s daughter died, and witnessing the connection he’s built with Ellie, makes him the perfect person to say this to.
Aside from that, having a therapist feels out-of-character for Joel. He spends the majority of the first game and first season suppressing emotions; he refuses to share his past or talk about painful memories with anyone. While giving him a therapist helps to showcase some of his growth, it still feels wildly unlike him. The showrunners tend to misunderstand Joel as a character; his growth has nothing to do with becoming “soft” because he’s created a better life with Ellie. Instead, Joel retains his strength (both emotional and physical), but learns to love and trust again, which is a strength in and of its own. Having a therapist doesn’t make him weaker; it just feels like an uninformed representation of the growth he’s gone through.
In terms of world-building and character development, episode one does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of TLOU Part II. Joel and Ellie have settled into the community of Jackson, after having been on the road for about a year. The show develops Jackson and the people within it extremely well; every new character grabs the audience’s attention and fits right into the story.
New characters play a major role in this first episode. Isabela Merced portrays Dina, Ellie’s best friend (and future partner), who is a spunky, rebellious teenage girl that fits right into Ellie’s life. Merced brings her character to life perfectly; her acting captures everything players loved about Dina in the game, and translates it well to the screen. Her on-screen chemistry with other characters feels natural, and helps to integrate her into the main cast of characters, as she will play a major role in season two.
As for returning roles, Bella Ramsey does not disappoint as Ellie. Despite the overwhelming backlash that has not ceased since season one aired, Ramsey plays a nuanced and lovable Ellie. Now older, she’s matured, but retains that wittiness that everyone loved about her in season one. Also, Ellie’s noticeable distance from Joel is painful to watch, but keeps the audience wondering what will happen next. She’s developed new relationships with people like Dina, and the way she interacts with others besides Joel demonstrates a growth in her character.
This first episode also introduces a brand new conflict that wasn’t in the game. It appears that the Cordyceps is slowly infiltrating Jackson; despite them being so concerned with keeping the Infected out during patrols, they fail to realize the threat that’s already inside.
Overall, “Future Days” was an incredibly well-made premiere episode. Despite over half the episode being non-game content, it managed to encapsulate the core of what made TLOU Part II loved by fans. Every actor seems to truly understand their character, and relays their development to the audience. It laid down the groundwork for what will hopefully be a fulfilling second season.
