Returning to the dystopian future of The Last of Us was a worldwide desire that had to wait two years, but here we are again following Joel and Ellie and at this point “the secret” of the story is hardly unknown and – exactly for this reason – the series has reversed the game and already puts us face to face with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the most feared antagonist in history. That is why naming the episode Future Days is almost evil. But let’s go back.

We meet Ellie and Joel again after he saved her and lied about it. Because in five years they barely speak to each other, it is implied that she discovers that she was taken off the operating table and everyone was killed because Joel wanted her as his daughter, putting his desires ahead of saving humanity. She doesn’t even realize how much time she’s wasting in this fight since the series then introduces us to Abby, who promises to look for Joel and kill him “slowly”.

Outside the settlement of Jackson, Wyoming, the world continues to deal with the Cordyceps pandemic. Inside, everything is working very well. Ellie has become stronger and, at 19 years old, remains arrogant and impulsive. She has a busy romantic life and is currently starting to fall in love with Dina (Isabela Merced). Joel, on the other hand, is undergoing therapy, but the progress is unsatisfactory.

Between Ellie once again facing infected people, the first episode was faithful to the game but lukewarm. What appears to be peace is certainly temporary and they will soon have more adventure.

In general, this was the return of The Last Of Us, with a slow pace and the already-known “fear” that partly takes away the suspense of the drama. Pedro Pascal continues to be perfect in the role, now more emotional and full of guilt for what he did. Some people classify him as a “villain” because of the massacre that closed the first season. In fact, killing the entire medical team to get Ellie out of there seemed a bit exaggerated to me, but that sealed his fate.

Catherine O’Hara in her role as Joel’s analyst stole the show; her monologue about how much she hates Joel – even though she treats him as a patient – ​​could not go unnoticed. The “problem” of the series continues to be, unfortunately, Bella Ramsey. A quick online reading is enough to see that the actress is divisive: there are Game of Thrones fans who love her and a large remainder who detest her.

This falls under the umbrella of those who question Bella’s versatility as an actress, but since there are scenes where she manages to reverse the doubts, I believe it’s not a lack of talent, but the material that exists to be worked on. I haven’t played The Last of Us, but everything I’ve seen and read about the game makes me realize that no one there was necessarily heroic or sweet, and Ellie always gave me the vibe of being annoying.

Physically very different from Ellie in the game, the actress faces complaints ranging from her appearance to her professional skills. I understand many of the complaints, without embracing them. Ellie is an annoying character: arrogant, insecure, aggressive, full of swear words and resentments; it is quite difficult to transform her into a sympathetic figure.

To make matters worse for Bella, Ellie goes up against Joel and Pedro Pascal, yes, he manages to impose his charisma even on an unsympathetic and controversial character. The comparisons are inevitable and make it impossible to consider that part of what didn’t work in the episode was the fact that the series will increasingly be about Ellie, that is, we will have much more of Bella Ramsey than Pedro Pascal by the end of the series.

In just two scenes, another one that is very different from what the game presents is Kaitlyn Dever. She, who was considered for the role of Ellie when The Last of Us was supposed to be a movie, managed to convey more emotion and fear than Bella. I have no doubt that Kaitlyn will steal the show and humanize Abby.

So, it was a slower and calmer return, almost measured. The threats are – to some extent – ​​announced and known, but there is still much to explore and threaten Joel, Ellie and the people in Jackson. The fact is that peace is momentary, soon the confrontations will put everyone in check. For those who know, know.