The Last of Us Season 2 critique
One critic argued The Last of Us Season 2 was panned for changing Ellie’s portrayal, softening the impact of Joel’s death and altering Abby’s characterization compared with the game’s Part II. (screenrant.com)
A recent ScreenRant critique argued HBO’s *The Last of Us* Season 2 drew backlash by reshaping Ellie, Joel’s death and Abby from the way *Part II* played in 2020. (screenrant.com) Season 2 premiered on April 13, 2025, ran for seven episodes, and adapted only part of Naughty Dog’s 2020 game *The Last of Us Part II*. HBO renewed the series for Season 3 on April 9, 2025, before the second season debuted. (press.wbd.com 1) (press.wbd.com 2) The specific complaint was not that the show abandoned the game’s plot entirely, but that it changed how key beats landed. ScreenRant pointed to a softer version of Ellie, a reworked staging of Joel’s death, and an Abby introduced with different timing and emphasis than in the game. (screenrant.com 1) (screenrant.com 2) One of the biggest changes came in Episode 2, when the series paired Joel with Dina instead of Tommy before Abby kills him. The show also added a large infected assault on Jackson, a set piece that does not play out that way in the game. (screenrant.com) (time.com) The showrunners said before release that they were making “a different version” of the story rather than a scene-for-scene copy. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann also said Season 2 would begin adapting *Part II*, not finish it, which left major character arcs split across multiple seasons. (variety.com) (deadline.com) That matters for Abby in particular, because the game withholds and then expands her perspective over many hours of play. Druckmann said the series changed the order of Abby’s backstory on purpose, moving information earlier than the game did. (screenrant.com) (time.com) The broader critical response was stronger than the “panned” label suggests. Rotten Tomatoes listed Season 2 as Certified Fresh, and Metacritic categorized the season’s reviews as generally favorable to acclaimed, even as audience reaction was more divided. (rottentomatoes.com) (metacritic.com) Coverage after the finale also showed the split was often about adaptation choices, not basic production quality. Rolling Stone, USA Today and other outlets highlighted changes to Joel, Ellie and Abby while still treating the season as a deliberate reinterpretation of the game rather than a simple rewrite. (rollingstone.com) (usatoday.com) So the critique sits inside a larger argument that has followed *Part II* since 2020: how much the story depends on when viewers learn to sympathize with Ellie, Joel and Abby. Season 3 will test that again, because HBO has already committed to continuing the unfinished *Part II* adaptation. (press.wbd.com) (variety.com)
