NOW ENTERTAINMENT April 13 Month 00--19, 00,2025 2023
Your Weekly TV Entertainment Brought To You By Olean Times Herald & The Bradford Era
The return of the acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us” reunites audiences with Joel (Pedro Pascal, “The Mandalorian”) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey, “Game of Thrones”) five years after the events of Season 1’s pulse-pounding finale when it airs on HBO and streams on Max Sunday, April 13. Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced in “The Last of Us”
Cover Story At a crossroads: Past choices lead down new paths in “The Last of Us” Season 2 By Joshua Amy Eventually, we all make choices that come to define us. When that happens, we must decide which path forward we will take and be willing to face the consequences for that action — no matter what they may be. Faced with the question of survival for those you love, would you hang on to your morals or do everything you can to protect them? Would they forgive you? These are questions at the heart of “The Last of Us” Season 2, which premieres Sunday, April 13, on HBO and Max. The return of HBO’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama reunites audiences with Joel (Pedro Pascal, “The Mandalorian”) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey, “Game of Thrones”) five years after the events of Season 1’s pulse-pounding finale. Now, the hardened smuggler and smart-mouthed teen have settled down into a life nearly resembling a time before the fungal plague turned billions into horrifying creatures. The surrogate father-daughter
duo has found community in Jackson, Wyoming with Joel’s brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), and his partner, Maria (Rutina Wesley, “Queen Sugar”), as well as new friends Dina (Isabela Merced, “Alien: Romulus,” 2024) and Jesse (Young Mazino, “Beef”). But behind the fortified walls of their safe haven, all is not well. Decisions made in Season 1 — those spoiler-heavy, life-changing decisions made in order to protect loved ones — have forged a major rift between Joel and Ellie. The second season’s tagline, “Every path has a price,” acts as an ominous reminder that Joel’s earlier actions will have consequences that could drive away the very person he fights hardest to protect. And as paths tend to do, our duo’s paths have branched apart, leading Ellie on a new journey west. Ellie won’t be flying solo, however, as she’ll be accompanied by her friend-recently-turned-girlfriend Dina. The
character is more than just a romantic lead, as Dina is a very capable survivor in her own right. Speaking to Empire, Merced touched on how her character brings important levity to an otherwise dark story: “In the middle of an apocalypse, I would be the first one cracking jokes in the most inappropriate times.” Backing up their co-star, Ramsey says, “She brought such a light and energy and silliness to the show in such a brilliant way.” In Seattle, now 25 years post-outbreak and ruled by an iron-fisted paramilitary organization, this season introduces viewers to Abby (Kaitlyn Dever, “Dopesick”). As a skilled member of the Washington Liberation Front, Abby faces her own tough choices to make as the WLF fights for control of the city — but her own deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong fuel her own expedition. With Ellie headed her way, their paths are certain to meet, for better or worse.
The wedge between Joel and Ellie at the heart of this season is sure to get fans talking given their journey so far. The first season sees Joel, closed off after losing his daughter (Nico Parker, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” 2025) in the outbreak, charged with smuggling Ellie cross-country to a resistance group hoping to use her immunity to develop a cure for the infection. Over this journey, the two develop a strong emotional bond as they face both the horrors of the infected and the desperate lengths people take to survive. In an interview with Variety, Pascal and Ramsey both note that they, too, felt the pain of Season 2’s estrangement. “This season was much more of an isolated one for Ellie. It was a lonelier experience, but I don’t say that in a negative way,” Ramsey states. Pascal mirrors this sentiment, noting that “to not have them near me for every part of Season 2 felt like a cruel separation.”