Day One

So, remember when The Last of Us was about surviving a terrifying world where danger was around every corner? When every episode had you tense, wondering who might not make it to the end? Lately, that edge is slipping. Fast.

The most recent episode felt less like a post-apocalyptic survival story and more like a very slow emotional drama. Not the good kind either. The kind where characters mostly just stare off into the distance, speak in half-whispers, and talk about their feelings for what feels like an eternity.

Look, emotional scenes can be powerful. A good story needs heart. But there's a difference between giving characters depth and completely losing the plot. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if next episode was just 40 minutes of people walking around silently, thinking about what they should have said one season ago.

And where did the danger go? Where are the infected? Are they on a break? Did they retire? Because the whole apocalypse angle is barely even showing up now. The tension that made this series unforgettable is being replaced with long pauses and moody conversations.

It's like someone tried to turn the show into a low-budget indie film about grief. Which, sure, could work in small doses. But when it becomes the entire focus of an episode, it's hard not to feel like the story is stalling.

Even the strongest characters can't carry a plot that seems to have forgotten where it was going. You can only do so much with sad music and slow camera pans before viewers start checking their phones and wondering if they accidentally put on something else.

The strange thing is, the show still looks great. The acting is solid. The world feels lived-in. But the pacing has ground to a crawl, and the intensity that once defined it is barely flickering. It's not suspenseful, it's just... quiet. Not in a thoughtful way. In a dull way.

Some fans might call this "character development." That's fair. But development doesn't mean nothing has to happen. We used to get gut-punch moments that moved the story forward. Now we get speeches and flashbacks that feel like they belong in another show entirely.

If The Last of Us wants to get back on track, it needs to remember what it's about. This isn't supposed to be a therapy session with end-of-the-world scenery. It's supposed to be raw, intense, unpredictable. Right now, it's just kind of sad and slow.

Hopefully this is just a blip. The kind of detour that makes sense later on. But for now, it's hard not to feel like the show is losing its voice. The drama's starting to outweigh the danger. The mood is starting to replace the momentum. And the audience is starting to lose patience.

Here's hoping the next episode actually brings the world back to life again. With some urgency. Some risk. Maybe even a little chaos. You know, like how it used to be.

The brilliance of the story lies in this:

At first, you have no idea who Abby is or why she's doing what she's doing. She's just a stranger killing someone you deeply care about after spending 20 hours playing as them. Naturally, you hate her. By the time the game gets to Seattle, Tommy is already on a warpath, and Ellie is hell-bent on revenge and is willing to kill anyone who gets in her way.

Then everything changes. You start playing as Abby.

At first, you still see her as the villain. But slowly... almost without realizing it, you begin to understand her. Her father. The Fireflies. What Joel took from her. You learn that Abby isn't evil. She's a survivor. A respected leader. Loved by many. A WLF not by choice, but by necessity. And then it hits you: Abby stops killing. She walks away. No vendetta against Jackson. No revenge against Joel's brother. Just... justice.

Ellie, on the other hand, says she's seeking justice, but it's revenge. And that realization forces you to question your own morality. What would you do? And the hardest question of all: is Ellie actually a terrible person?

I won't spoil the ending, but to me, it's one of the most powerful, emotionally complex moments in storytelling because of that flipped perspective.

The game masterfully plays to each character's strengths: Ellie is small but smart and deadly. Dina excels at understanding and managing the infected. Abby is a physical powerhouse, able to go fight virtually anyone.

That balance, that nuance, needs to carry over into the show. But so far, it feels like they've abandoned it.

I'm still all in, but my concern isn't just about Pascal. It's about the story itself. Some of the most important narrative elements are already missing.

It was understandable that Episode 3 of S2 was a bit unexciting and uneventful as it followed the incredible, action-packed, emotional Episode 2, an episode that changed the course and dynamic of the show. Some time to regroup and refocus was needed and Episode 3 provided that.

Breath caught I expected Episode 4 to push ahead with plot development and action and show us where the show is heading. There is a great, protracted action scene that is edge-of-your-seat stuff. It also highlights the shows origins as a game as it feels like it could be straight out of a video game.

There's also an introduction to a character who is clearly going to play a major part in the show going forward. The fact that he's played by a known actor (Jeffrey Wright) gives it away.

Unfortunately, however, that's the extent of the highlights of Ep 4. Much of the rest of the episode is spent on the dynamic between Ellie and Dina and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, it just feels clumsy, contrived and boring.

This was always the problem with writing Joel out of the plot: Ellie isn't interesting and engaging enough to carry the show on her own and that's now coming home to roost. As long as Ellie remains the main character the show will always be a shadow of its former self.

As one of few people who liked TLOU2 video game, I start slowly disliking the show.

We waste time on cringy, I guess what are supposed to be "heartfelt moments", but we rush through the most interesting action sequences that the story had to offer.

So far there is nothing this TV Show in it's second season, would do better than the overhated game.

I see people who hated TLOU2 and they are starting to say the game was better.

The unnecessary changes are the most painful of all things.

Why did they decide to leave Tommy in Jackson? He was an integral part of the story in the games.

Why is the tone switched to "we are on a happy trip" from the grim and dark tone present in the game.

That was one of the reasons, why I loved The Last of Us Part II, the darkness, the violent scenes, constant fights between protagonists who were ON THE JOURNEY TO KILL 6 PEOPLE! Here it feels like we are watching Date Trip, some sort of extended Honeymoon.

And the "I'm gonna be a dad scene"... c'mon. The interaction between Ellie and Dina in the game during these reveals was way better and more human than what we have here.

Maybe Neil Druckmann deserves more credit than people give him, because he isn't writing these episodes, but he did write the game.

This series is slowly losing its grip. Once a exciting survival adventure with a duo that created a sparkling "father/daughter" chemistry have now turned into a teenage girls drama.

I don't think Bella Ramsey as Ellie, can carry this series by herself and it's getting more and more obvious each episode. Her acting is not diverse enough and it's not believable enough. It has become quite clear that we needed a Joel to balance things out.

I haven't played the games so my view on things are not colored by how the games was, but I think it really is time for this series to step up if they are going to keep the audience. They need to compensate from the loss of one of the main core characters, otherwise this will just be a waste of time.