Five years after Joel’s fateful decision, The Last of Us season 2 premiere finds him estranged from Ellie, threatened by revenge, and facing smarter infected.
The apocalypse is back — and more emotionally charged than ever. HBO’s The Last of Us returns for season 2 with a premiere that drops us five years into the future, where Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are now residents of the fortified Jackson, Wyoming settlement. But the illusion of peace quickly unravels. Joel’s haunted by the past, Ellie’s hiding a deadly secret, and a smarter breed of infected is stalking the region. Meanwhile, a new character with a score to settle is closing in fast, setting the stage for a heartbreaking and explosive season.
A lot has changed in the five years since The Last of Us left us reeling with Joel’s hospital massacre and the lie he told Ellie to protect her. Season 2 kicks off with a haunting image: a tower of giraffes wandering through the wreckage of a Firefly stronghold — the very one Joel left soaked in blood. Survivors of the slaughter, including characters played by Spencer Lord, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Danny Ramirez, gather in grief and regroup, pondering a move to Seattle. But one among them has a singular, deadly mission: Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby wants revenge on Joel. And she wants it slow.
Back in Jackson, Joel and Ellie are anything but a happy family. Joel has taken on the role of construction foreman, clashing with Maria (Rutina Wesley) over how quickly to expand the town’s infrastructure. Ellie’s gone full teenage rebellion, sneaking out beyond the walls, grappling with a complicated crush on her best friend Dina (Isabela Merced), and still quietly carrying the weight of her immunity — and Joel’s deception.
While Joel tries to maintain some kind of relationship with Ellie, their interactions are tense and filled with unspoken resentment. Their fractured bond is on full display during an emotionally loaded therapy session with Gail — played brilliantly by Catherine O’Hara, who delivers bitter brilliance while sipping morning cocktails. After admitting Joel killed her husband, she forces Joel to confront his deepest truth. He can’t say it out loud — not fully — but he manages to choke out, “I saved her.” And we see just how much that choice still tears him apart.
Ellie, meanwhile, hides her infection scar under a tattoo and keeps her immunity a secret — even from Dina. As the pair set out on patrol, they discover mutilated corpses and an abandoned grocery store crawling with danger. Ellie comes face-to-face with a terrifyingly smart infected who fakes her out before attacking. She kills it, but not before it bites her — a wound she conceals, slicing it open and stitching herself up in secret.
That infection — and its unnerving behavior — rattles the community’s leaders, including Maria. Though Ellie insists she handled the threat, it’s clear a new kind of infected is evolving. And that’s not the only thing to worry about.
The emotional stakes climb when Ellie and Dina share an electric moment at the town’s New Year’s Eve barn dance. Their kiss — tender and charged — is interrupted by town bigot Seth (Robert John Burke), who hurls a slur. Joel tackles him like a freight train, prompting Ellie to explode with fury: she doesn’t need saving. Not from Seth. Not from anyone.
Later, Joel’s attempt to reconnect through music ends in silence. He picks up his guitar and retreats. Ellie walks past him without a word.
But threats are looming. Beneath Jackson, fungal tendrils snake their way through the clay pipes. And outside the gates, Abby has arrived — hardened, ready, and hell-bent on vengeance. The slow burn has begun, and by the looks of it, The Last of Us is preparing to devastate us all over again.
Spores for Thought:
With The Last of Us season 2 diving deep into trauma, mistrust, and revenge, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann aren’t pulling any punches. From subtle nods to The Last of Us Part II to powerhouse performances by Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Isabella Merced, and Kaitlyn Dever, this premiere sets a bleak, beautiful tone for what’s to come. Buckle up — the emotional infection has only just begun.
