Look, we all saw it coming. The moment HBO announced they were actually going through with adapting Part II, the internet basically caught fire. If you’ve spent any time on Reddit or Twitter lately, you know the vibe. People are already claiming The Last of Us Season 2 sucks before the first episode even drops, and honestly? They kind of have a point, even if for all the wrong reasons. It’s a mess of expectations versus a very brutal, very intentional reality.
The first season was lightning in a bottle. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey captured that lightning, bottled it, and sold it to millions of people who had never even picked up a PlayStation controller. It was a prestige drama about a dad and a daughter figure. Simple. Emotional. Safe. But the source material for Season 2? It’s a sledgehammer to the face of everything you liked about Season 1.
The Joel Problem is Real
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the golf club in the room. If you know, you know. If you don't, well, brace yourself. The primary reason people are shouting that The Last of Us Season 2 sucks is because the story makes a choice that feels like a betrayal.
In the game The Last of Us Part II, Joel—the man we spent thirty hours protecting—is taken out of the equation early. And not in a heroic, "save the world" kind of way. It’s ugly. It’s pathetic. It’s fast. For a TV audience that has fallen head-over-heels for Pedro Pascal’s "Internet Daddy" persona, this is going to be a biological rejection.
Imagine watching The Mandalorian and Mando just gets stepped on by a random creature in the first ten minutes of Season 2. That’s the level of narrative whiplash we’re looking at here. It’s bold storytelling, sure, but boldness doesn't always equal "good" in the eyes of a general audience that just wants to see Joel and Ellie go on more adventures. Showrunner Craig Mazin has been vocal about sticking to the spirit of the game, and that spirit is, frankly, miserable. It’s a game about the cycle of violence. It’s not meant to make you feel good. But do people want to spend eight hours of their Sunday nights feeling like garbage? Probably not.
Abby and the Perspective Shift
Then there’s Abby. Casting Kaitlyn Dever was a smart move—she’s a powerhouse—but the character is a literal personification of why some fans think the story direction for The Last of Us Season 2 sucks.
The narrative forces you to play as the person who "ruined" the story. In a game, you’re forced to inhabit her body, to see through her eyes, and eventually, to stop hating her. Television is a passive medium. You can’t force a viewer to empathize in the same way you can force a player. If the audience decides they hate Abby in episode two, they might just turn off the TV. They don't have to "press X" to move her forward.
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This creates a massive pacing issue. Part II is a long, bloated story. It’s twice as long as the first game. Splitting this into two seasons (which HBO is doing) means we might spend an entire year waiting for a resolution that some people already decided they didn't want. It’s risky. It’s almost masochistic.
Why the Pacing Might Kill the Hype
Season 1 moved like a freight train. Every episode was a new location, a new guest star (shoutout to Nick Offerman), and a self-contained arc. Season 2 is different. It’s a slow-burn revenge quest set mostly in a rain-soaked Seattle. It’s grey. It’s muddy. It’s repetitive.
The structure of the second game is controversial for a reason. You play three days as Ellie, then you reset and play the same three days as Abby. On screen, that is going to feel like hitting a brick wall. Imagine the momentum of the show just stopping dead in its tracks halfway through the season so we can go back in time and see what the "villain" was doing.
- Fans want more Joel and Ellie.
- The story gives them Ellie alone and angry.
- Fans want a clear hero.
- The story gives them two broken people who are both "wrong."
It’s not "bad" writing in a technical sense. Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin are incredibly talented. But it’s "unpleasant" writing. There’s a segment of the audience that equates "I didn't like what happened to the characters" with "the show sucks." In the era of social media, that nuance gets lost.
The Casting Controversy and Performance Pressure
Bella Ramsey was incredible in Season 1. Anyone who says otherwise wasn't paying attention. But Ellie in Part II is a different beast. She’s nineteen. She’s a killer. She’s lost her humanity. There’s a physical intensity required for this role that is going to be hard to translate.
When people say The Last of Us Season 2 sucks, they are often subconsciously reacting to the loss of the "found family" trope. We’re losing the banter. We’re losing the puns. We’re replacing them with a grueling, psychological deconstruction of grief.
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And let’s be honest: the "anti-woke" crowd is already hovering. They hated the second game because it featured a diverse cast and didn't cater to traditional protagonist tropes. That noise is going to get louder. It’s going to drown out legitimate criticisms about pacing or character motivations. It makes the conversation around the show toxic before it even starts.
Is It Actually Bad? Or Just Hard to Watch?
There’s a difference between a show being "bad" and a show being "upsetting." Succession was a show about terrible people doing terrible things, and we loved it. But we didn't have a previous season of Succession where those people were actually nice to each other.
The transition from Season 1 to Season 2 is a total tonal shift. It’s like going from a warm blanket to an ice bath.
- Violence: It’s more visceral. It’s not "cool" action; it’s desperate and gross.
- Characters: New characters like Lev and Yara are great, but they take screen time away from the faces we already know.
- Themes: It’s about how revenge is a fool’s errand. That’s a downer.
If you go into this expecting a repeat of the "road trip" vibes, you’re going to think The Last of Us Season 2 sucks. It’s just inevitable. The show is doubling down on the most divisive story in modern gaming history. You have to respect the guts it takes to do that, even if you hate the result.
The Reality of the "Sophomore Slump"
In TV, the second season is where shows usually find their footing—or lose it. Think about True Detective or Westworld. They had incredible first seasons and then got lost in their own complexity.
The Last of Us has the opposite problem. The story is too focused. It’s a laser beam of misery pointed directly at the audience. There are no side quests. No Bill and Frank detours that end in a beautiful, bittersweet tragedy. It’s just a downward spiral.
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The production value will be top-tier. The acting will be Emmy-worthy. But the "vibe"? The vibe is going to be rancid. And for a lot of people, that’s enough to write it off.
How to Prepare for the Chaos
If you're worried that The Last of Us Season 2 sucks, you should probably adjust your expectations now. Don't look for a hero. Don't look for a happy ending. This isn't a show about saving the world; it's a show about how the world already ended and now we're just picking at the scabs.
- Re-watch Season 1 with a grain of salt. Realize that the "happy" moments were the exception, not the rule.
- Read up on Abby. Don't let the internet's hate for her dictate your opinion. Try to understand her side of the story before the show starts.
- Accept the change. The show is evolving. It’s not a dad-simulator anymore.
- Ignore the leaks. There’s a lot of context missing from the spoilers floating around.
The backlash is coming. It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be annoying. But whether the show actually "sucks" or if it’s just a masterpiece that makes people uncomfortable is something we’ll have to decide for ourselves once the credits roll.
Prepare for the "Joel was a monster" think-pieces. They’re coming. Prepare for the "Abby is actually the hero" essays. They’re also coming. In the end, the show is going to be a mirror. What you see in it depends entirely on what you’re willing to forgive.
Actionable Insights:
- Manage Expectations: If you are watching for Pedro Pascal's Joel, understand that his role will likely be limited to flashbacks after the early episodes.
- Context Matters: If you find yourself hating the new characters, try to view the story through the lens of "grief" rather than "adventure."
- Wait for the Full Arc: Because the season is split or covering only half of the second game, judging it based on the first few episodes will lead to frustration.