Latest news with #TheLastofUsPart2
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Last of Us: Season 2 Episode 6 Review
Episode 6 of season 2 of The Last of Us is directed by Neil Druckmann, and when viewed through that lens, its intentions become clearer. It contains some of the scenes that fans of The Last of Us Part 2, and presumably its creator, hold dearest. This allows Druckmann to tightly control the sacred bond between Joel and Ellie, as well as giving space to further explore characters barely present in the game – the final moments of Eugene's life strains the connection between the protagonists in new ways. Joe Pantoliano imbues the doomed Eugene with a dash of class, Bella Ramsey slots nicely back into the role of a younger Ellie, and Druckmann steadily steers the whole ship, but this chapter is undeniably Pedro Pascal's. His pitch-perfect portrayal of Joel reminds us of what both Ellie and the show have lost. Framed around each of Ellie's birthdays following their return to Jackson, episode 6 delicately displays Joel's urge to fulfil his role as a father. It's rooted in the very first scene, in which we see him as a teenage boy: The conversation between Joel and his father, played with warmth yet underlying hardness by Better Call Saul's Tony Dalton, presents the poisoned chalice passed down from Miller to Miller. That struggle of generational fatherhood is what has driven Joel ever since. Sarah was his world before the outbreak. Then he grieved her, holding onto her memories until Ellie arrived. By the end of this episode, she's 17, and he's on the brink of losing another daughter. It's a crossroads he's contending with, and one brilliantly displayed by Pascal throughout, as he battles to do the right thing by her. It's perhaps best conveyed in the final moment between them – and the very last conversation between Ellie and Joel before his death. Their porchside chat is perhaps the most affecting in all of the game, so it's a huge relief to see it recreated so well here. The vulnerability in Pascal's face is all-consuming, as he barely utters a word but lets his eyes speak for him. He's terrified of losing Ellie, but he's expressing it in a way that he can't really control, and a way that will infect her, too – his tears filling that cursed cup once more, ready for Ellie to sip from and make the same selfish mistakes he did. It adds extra heartbreaking context to her 'I'm gonna be a dad' quip from earlier in the season. She'll aim to break this cycle, but little in her present-day actions suggests this. Though that's giving more thought to the present day than episode 6 can muster, which is my major reservation about this episode. The series of flashbacks is heartfelt and works excellently when it comes to building out the protagonists of The Last of Us' past and future, but I can't help but feel like momentum has stalled here. It feels off to spend a whole episode exploring Ellie's history when we've just ratcheted the tension on who she's become. And with only one episode left to go in the season, it feels like the only road to a satisfying finale will involve covering a lot of ground in a short period of time. It's not so much a criticism of what this episode does, but more of its place within season Ramsey feels much more at home as a younger Ellie, portraying a wide-eyed, excitable version of the character with a far greater verve than the more fearsome evolution we got last week. It's best shown in her and Joel's visit to a nearby museum, where Ellie takes a heartstring-tugging trip into orbit, thanks to a tape recording and a long-forgotten space capsule. The smile that dances across her face is a rare moment of levity in a show, that, up until this moment, has been irrepressibly bleak. As we watch the pair enjoy their respite, it feels like some of that season 1 magic has been rebottled. But, as ever, what The Last of Us giveth with one hand, it taketh with the other, not letting us sit with this flash of joy for long. Episode 6 finally answers a question posed in the season premiere: What did Joel do to Eugene to make Gail resent him so much? Pantoliano is given his time to shine as Eugene, a member of the Jackson community whose time is ticking away thanks to an infected's bite. His introduction enables Joel and Ellie's dynamic from season 1 to resurface, and echoes of their experience in Salt Lake City can be felt. Joel has lived long enough in this world to be wary of Eugene – any sense of optimism (or hope that Eugene can be healed) is long gone. Not Ellie, though: She still carries an element of naivety and wants to help Eugene. The mercy killing carried out by Joel only sows more seeds of distrust between him and his surrogate daughter. In his lie to Gail about it, Ellie realises just how easy it is for Joel to hide the truth. It's in this moment that the fissures in their relationship really start to crack wide open. What Joel did isn't necessarily wrong, but it runs counter to Ellie's moral code and how she would've dealt with Eugene. It effectively means that she now knows that Joel has been lying about what happened in that Firefly hospital, and the revelation of him lying about Eugene is a great choice by Druckmann. It's an example of adaptation for the better – which this season largely hasn't landed for me – and a much more impactful, and logical, option than having Joel and Ellie traipse all the way back to Salt Lake City as they do in The Last of Us Part 2. It's something the episode as a whole does to great effect as it further explores the intervening years and Joel and Ellie's dynamic, offering new glimpses into previously unseen moments. Joel catching Ellie doing things she maybe shouldn't be doing at 17 and his built-in resentment for Seth (due to his former life as a policeman, like Joel's dad) add more shades to the character, even though he's long gone in the present day. These little touches and grandstand speeches combine to great effect to help us fully understand why Joel made every decision that led to his death, all the way up to rescuing his eventual killer from a horde of infected. Above all else, it's the desire to be a protector that forged the Millers' poisoned chalice – and eventually led to his downfall.
Tom's Guide
06-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
Your PS5 games are about to look a whole lot smoother thanks to this new update — here's what it does
Sony just dropped a system update for the PS5 and PS5 Pro, finally putting the problematic VRR stuttering to rest. The PS5 system update, version 25.04-11.40.00, doesn't actually specify this particular fix in its release notes. Instead, Digital Foundry highlighted the change in a post on X, referencing an email correspondence with Sony PR. In the unlikely event you you don't get a system update message upon startup, first make sure you're connected to the internet. Head to Settings -> System, then System Software. Click "Update System Software," and you should be good to go. Sony PR contacted me yesterday to confirm that - as already detected by some - the latest PlayStation firmware resolves the VRR hiccup issue. Both the PS5 and PS5 Pro have long suffered from stuttering issues when using VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) for several months now. In an ironic twist, VRR is intended to diminish stuttering using some key enhancements. These include real-time syncing of the console and TV's refresh rate and an unlocked framerate to give games that buttery-smooth look. The PS5 initially used the technology without any constraints, but a more recent system update that went out in the past few months most likely caused VRR syncing issues when playing specific games in this mode. The problems persisted after playing for around 30 to 40 minutes across a variety of games. Luckily, the issue has been quelled across both Sony consoles, and you can rest assured that playing titles like The Last of Us Part 2, Diablo 4, and more will run smoothly in VRR mode now. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
The Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The Last of Us Season 2 stumbles with major changes
FOLLOWING the success of HBO's The Last of Us first season in 2023, it was a no-brainer that the second season would be greenlit to adapt Sony and Naughty Dog's controversial The Last of Us Part 2 video game and bring the story of Joel and Ellie full circle. However, with the new season, it is now clear that the 2023 season's success was nothing more than a fluke or an isolated lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Adapting hefty source material such as The Last of Us Part 2 – with its complex characters, themes, nuance and controversial creative decisions – to television was always going to be an arduous task but one could argue that it would also be easy, as the groundwork has already been set. Unfortunately, the second season of The Last of Us handles the source material as literal groundwork. In other words, the game and everything that transpires in it is treated as nothing more than a suggestion, which is how the show's co-creator Craig Mazin has developed the season. New threat Set five years after the conclusion of the first season, The Last of Us picks up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) fully settled into the normalcy of living in Jackson, a barricaded town consisting of other survivors from the Cordyceps pandemic. Everything goes well until a mysterious group from Seattle arrives. Belonging to a bigger militia outfit called the Washington Liberation Front, the small group is led by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) to Jackson, looking for Joel due to his actions at the end of the first season. At the same time, an infected horde is riled up into attacking Jackson. In the ensuing chaos, the town suffers massive losses. The tragic events on that day lead to Ellie and Dina (Isabella Merced) trekking halfway across the country to Seattle, as they seek to settle the score with Abby. Radical changes, major damage Though the first season took creative liberties in condensing and expanding The Last of Us Part 1 into a nine-episode season, the second season makes far more radical changes to the point that HBO and Sony's properties look like different entities. Early in the season, it becomes clear Mazin has changed the order of events that occur in the game, as the domino effect quickly spirals into disrupting several other aspects of the narrative, such as how important secondary characters are removed from the story, leading to critical scenes, sequences and set pieces to be removed as those characters do not exist in the new narrative. With the passing of each episode, the aftermath continues to snowball, affecting other aspects, such as how certain main characters have their characterisation either reversed or swapped. A big victim of these changes is the main character herself, a 19-year-old Ellie, who is infantilised by Mazin to behave like a clueless, happy-go-lucky child that constantly needs to be watched over. From wrath to whimsy In the game, Ellie is persistently wallowing in depression and anger. Fueled entirely by an unquenchable thirst for revenge, Ellie's descent into an endless pitch black hole forms the crux and backbone to The Last of Us Part 2. From her brusquely calling Dina a 'burden' after finding out about her concealed pregnancy in the middle of their dangerous mission to committing acts of extreme violence, the heavy tone prompts players to plead – in their heads – for her to stop before there are further losses, either to herself or to those around her. In Mazin's new version, Ellie is consistently jovial five episodes into the season. In the fourth episode, several major tonal whiplashes occur, frenetically shifting between comically out-of-place jokes and Ellie behaving more her age and in-character. Mazin's fundamental misunderstanding of the character also robs Ellie of agency and the bloodthirst she is supposed to have from the traumatic incident that put her on the path for revenge. Fans familiar with the game often joke that Ellie 'kills half of Seattle' on her mission, yet this iteration of Ellie by Mazin struggles against the infected and barely kills three people, two of which were accidental. The poor writing and direction bleeds into Ramsey's performance as well, turning it extremely uneven due to the tonal inconsistencies. At points, it was so bad that whenever Pascal, Merced, Dever or any of the supporting cast were on screen, their great performances would completely eclipse Ramsey's. Missing voices, misguided vision Unlike the first season, a bulk of this season was written primarily by Mazin. Show co-creator and writer Neil Druckmann's – also the game's co-creator and writer – absence is clearly felt. It certainly does not help that Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part 2, was not involved with the first five episodes, which forms the most jarring bulk of the season. Already greenlit, the third season will cover the second half of The Last of Us Part 2 and if there is a merciful god, Druckmann and Gross should have majority control over steering the series back to what it is supposed to be: a story that is not dumbed down for general audiences and is brave with making hard decisions in its narrative, without being weighed down by infantilised main characters or having its nuance and complexity stripped. The Last of Us second season is streaming on Max.
The Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The Last of Us, defanged
FOLLOWING the success of HBO's The Last of Us first season in 2023, it was a no-brainer that the second season would be greenlit to adapt Sony and Naughty Dog's controversial The Last of Us Part 2 video game and bring the story of Joel and Ellie full circle. However, with the new season, it is now clear that the 2023 season's success was nothing more than a fluke or an isolated lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Adapting hefty source material such as The Last of Us Part 2 – with its complex characters, themes, nuance and controversial creative decisions – to television was always going to be an arduous task but one could argue that it would also be easy, as the groundwork has already been set. Unfortunately, the second season of The Last of Us handles the source material as literal groundwork. In other words, the game and everything that transpires in it is treated as nothing more than a suggestion, which is how the show's co-creator Craig Mazin has developed the season. New threat Set five years after the conclusion of the first season, The Last of Us picks up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) fully settled into the normalcy of living in Jackson, a barricaded town consisting of other survivors from the Cordyceps pandemic. Everything goes well until a mysterious group from Seattle arrives. Belonging to a bigger militia outfit called the Washington Liberation Front, the small group is led by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) to Jackson, looking for Joel due to his actions at the end of the first season. At the same time, an infected horde is riled up into attacking Jackson. In the ensuing chaos, the town suffers massive losses. The tragic events on that day lead to Ellie and Dina (Isabella Merced) trekking halfway across the country to Seattle, as they seek to settle the score with Abby. Radical changes, major damage Though the first season took creative liberties in condensing and expanding The Last of Us Part 1 into a nine-episode season, the second season makes far more radical changes to the point that HBO and Sony's properties look like different entities. Early in the season, it becomes clear Mazin has changed the order of events that occur in the game, as the domino effect quickly spirals into disrupting several other aspects of the narrative, such as how important secondary characters are removed from the story, leading to critical scenes, sequences and set pieces to be removed as those characters do not exist in the new narrative. With the passing of each episode, the aftermath continues to snowball, affecting other aspects, such as how certain main characters have their characterisation either reversed or swapped. A big victim of these changes is the main character herself, a 19-year-old Ellie, who is infantilised by Mazin to behave like a clueless, happy-go-lucky child that constantly needs to be watched over. From wrath to whimsy In the game, Ellie is persistently wallowing in depression and anger. Fueled entirely by an unquenchable thirst for revenge, Ellie's descent into an endless pitch black hole forms the crux and backbone to The Last of Us Part 2. From her brusquely calling Dina a 'burden' after finding out about her concealed pregnancy in the middle of their dangerous mission to committing acts of extreme violence, the heavy tone prompts players to plead – in their heads – for her to stop before there are further losses, either to herself or to those around her. In Mazin's new version, Ellie is consistently jovial five episodes into the season. In the fourth episode, several major tonal whiplashes occur, frenetically shifting between comically out-of-place jokes and Ellie behaving more her age and in-character. Mazin's fundamental misunderstanding of the character also robs Ellie of agency and the bloodthirst she is supposed to have from the traumatic incident that put her on the path for revenge. Fans familiar with the game often joke that Ellie 'kills half of Seattle' on her mission, yet this iteration of Ellie by Mazin struggles against the infected and barely kills three people, two of which were accidental. The poor writing and direction bleeds into Ramsey's performance as well, turning it extremely uneven due to the tonal inconsistencies. At points, it was so bad that whenever Pascal, Merced, Dever or any of the supporting cast were on screen, their great performances would completely eclipse Ramsey's. Missing voices, misguided vision Unlike the first season, a bulk of this season was written primarily by Mazin. Show co-creator and writer Neil Druckmann's – also the game's co-creator and writer – absence is clearly felt. It certainly does not help that Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part 2, was not involved with the first five episodes, which forms the most jarring bulk of the season. Already greenlit, the third season will cover the second half of The Last of Us Part 2 and if there is a merciful god, Druckmann and Gross should have majority control over steering the series back to what it is supposed to be: a story that is not dumbed down for general audiences and is brave with making hard decisions in its narrative, without being weighed down by infantilised main characters or having its nuance and complexity stripped. The Last of Us second season is streaming on Max.
Tom's Guide
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
‘The Last of Us' season 2 let me down — here's 3 things the finale can do to win me back
I'm a "Last of Us" superfan. The PlayStation duology ranks among my favorite video games of all time, and I was hugely impressed by the first season of the HBO show. Sadly, I've had a less enthusiastic response to 'The Last of Us' season 2. I've been left feeling largely disappointed by the show's long-awaited return, as each episode makes more and more significant changes to the source material that, in my opinion, don't benefit the overall story. It's not that 'The Last of Us' season 2 has been especially bad, it's just not hit the heights of season 1, and hasn't resonated with me in the way The Last of Us Part 2 video games did, and continues to do so to this very day. Nevertheless, with the finale set for this weekend (airing on HBO and Max on Sunday, May 25), I'm preparing to watch with an open mind and the hope that the season can be salvaged at the death. For that to happen, here are the three things I want to see in 'The Last of Us' season 2, episode 7. But first, a quick spoiler warning: this article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 game and may contain spoilers for future episodes of the HBO show. One of the most curious changes that the HBO show has made compared to the original video game is its handling of the character of Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna in the show). In the Part 2 game, Tommy is the one who first heads out to Seattle to find (and kill) Abby, with Ellie and Dina following in his wake. Alternatively, in the world of the show, Tommy is a pillar of the community in Jackson and a family man with a young child. He stays behind to rebuild the makeshift town following its attack by a horde of infected, with Ellie and Dina trekking to Seattle on their own to find Abby. I wasn't a fan of this change, but with the die now cast, at the very least, I want Tommy to be properly brought back into the mix. The good news is Tommy's reemergence appears almost certain. We know he's now on the board, as Jesse revealed in episode 6 that the other Miller brother accompanied him to Seattle. Tommy's role should be sizeable in the finale, and that'll make me very happy. "The Last of Us" as a franchise has never been scared of shock character deaths, and arguably the most out-of-the-blue kill in the series to date is that of Jesse. There's no buildup to this murder. Instead, Ellie and Jesse hear somebody breaking into their theater base, sprint to confront this intruder (revealed to be Abby), and in a split second, Jesse is snuffed out via a bullet to the head. It was a moment that left me nearly breathless when playing the game for the first time. I was initially convinced that Jesse hadn't just died in such a sudden way. But in the world of "The Last of Us," key characters don't always get heroic deaths or dramatic send-offs. This apocalyptic world is much too brutal for every character to go into the dark night with a fitting swansong. The show needs to keep this important moment intact, and fortunately, I think it most likely will. While season 2 has made a boatload of changes, it has, at least so far, kept the narrative broad strokes the same, and I hope it won't go as far as to alter a key character's untimely fate. OK, so I'll fully acknowledge this one is a bit of a nitpick, but I was super disappointed that Joel's iconic line just before his brutal murder at Abby's hands ('Why don't you say whatever speech you got rehearsed, and get this over with.") was removed in favor of one that lacked the same punch. The much-anticipated theatre confrontation between Abby and Ellie, which all signs point towards being the bookend of 'The Last of Us' season 2, contains an equally iconic moment, when Abby, shocked to discover the person hunting her and her friends down is Ellie and Tommy, spits out 'we let you both live and you wasted it' before raising her gun to shoot. Cut to black. It's a real fan-favorite line, and I'll be pretty miffed if this dialogue is also removed (or significantly reworked). Here's hoping the show opts to keep this intense scene pretty much unchanged. When you land on perfection the first time, why alter things the second time?
