Day One

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.

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.

Unfortunately, Episode 4 continues the issues that have plagued the series so far most notably the portrayal of Ellie. The decision to bring this version of Ellie to life just doesn't work. The actress simply cannot carry the emotional weight of the character. Her performance feels hollow, forced, and at times almost like bad cosplay rather than a grounded, complex portrayal. There's a lack of depth, presence, and rawness qualities that Ellie demands, and here, they're sorely missing.

It's hard to stay immersed when every dramatic moment is undercut by a performance that lacks authenticity. It constantly pulls you out of the story, making it difficult to care about the emotional beats.

Beyond that, the pacing continues to be painfully slow. With so many key events to cover from the game, it's genuinely hard to believe they'll manage to wrap things up meaningfully in such a limited number of episodes. The slow pace might have worked in another context, but here it just makes the stakes feel diluted and stretched thin.

Disappointing overallespecially for fans who know how powerful this story could 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.

I won't get into spoilers but seriously there should have been someone, anyone in the writers room to say something along of the lines of « hm, that sequence of events at the end between the two female characters feels forced and out of nowhere, shouldn't we rethink this? »

It makes no sense to the viewer so why couldn't the writers pick it up??

You know there's a problem when as a viewer I'm more interested in Jeffrey Wright's character and I roll my eyes at the main characters' actions.

C'mon writers, do better than this teen drama drivel.

My 6 rating is solely based on the action sequences that were outstanding, the character building of the two female characters, not so much.