Convergence

They really fumbled what could've been a brilliant adaptation of *The Last of Us Part II*. While Season 1 was a solid and faithful take on the source material, this season veers off in all the wrong directions. It dilutes the raw, powerful, and deeply misanthropic journey of Ellie-a descent into darkness that defined the game.

The season finale, in particular, feels rushed and poorly written. Pacing issues plague the entire last episode, leaving key moments feeling unearned and emotionally flat.

One baffling choice is the scene where Ellie travels to the Seraphite island. It serves no clear narrative purpose and wastes precious screen time that could've been used to deepen character arcs or build tension. It adds nothing and, worse, detracts from the urgency and cohesion of the story.

But the most disappointing aspect is what they've done to Ellie. In the game, she's a force of nature-driven by rage, grief, and a near-mad obsession with vengeance. Here, she's portrayed as weak and indecisive, stripped of the raw intensity that made her character unforgettable. Her moral descent was supposed to be tragic, not muted.

I'm genuinely disappointed. This adaptation could've captured the bold, devastating spirit of *Part II*. Instead, it plays it safe, softening what should have been a brutal and unfortettable journey.

The show has become playing a video game with only the cut scenes. It is a rushed, unimaginative, and disappointing excuse for TV. The acting is subpar, the dialogue is uninspiring, and the situations they end up in and get out of are not believable. Not a single episode will leave you waiting until next week because nothing happened and nothing is going to happen. This season may have taken a hopeful favorite show from you, but it also takes away the pain of waiting years for another season. The finale which should spend every second of air time preciously shocks you with how willing they are to prove they cannot write a show.

It felt way too rushed. Stuff just kept happening one after another with barely any time to process any of it, and the ending didn't really hit at all. There were a lot of big moments that should've had more impact, but they didn't land because everything moved so fast.

If I hadn't played the games, I honestly don't think I would've understood half of what was going on. It felt like the show was relying on people already knowing the lore instead of making it accessible to new viewers.

That said, Isabela Merced did a really solid job. And visually, the show looked great. The set design, effects, and overall aesthetic were really impressive. You can tell a lot of effort went into making it look good.

So yeah, there's no question that season 2 failed to live up to season 1. While those who played the game were likely expecting this and tempered expectations, those who didn't had a much further distance to fall on the rather big letdown.

I won't waste any time talking about the various controversies in casting choices, agendas and messages that many are busy arguing over in every corner of the internet. So with all that aside, this whole season felt like one big checklist of major plot points which simply weren't significant enough for me to remember or care about 2 years from now when we get the next 10ish episodes that have been teased a bit by the show runners. This season had its share of low points and cringe worthy moments which will be what stick around in my mind and I suspect the same will be for many others.

The really frustrating part is that the show still did have its moments of greatness pop up here and there. 2/7 episodes this season were up there with the prime quality of the first season but all in all, the squeeze isn't worth the juice we get from this kind of setup.

6/10 watchable and skip-able.

Don't get me wrong. I still love the show. Compared to what's out in tv right now, this is still grade A tv. But clearly a lot less than season 1. Especially for a season with only 7 episodes. The pace was as if it was 24 episodes.

There was so many tangents jn plot, story, script and needless scenes for a 7 episode season. They did pretty well at gritty scenes but lost sight if the big picture at having impactful moments. The. If part of this season that failed where season 1 shined is getting us to have enough background in the characters to care about if they make it or not.

Now we have to wait 2 more years for another couple episodes. This show endangers thme "stranger things" curse if taking so long between seasons that I forget to care anymore.