The Last of Us Season 2 finale is a perfect adaptation

I so very deeply adore The Last of Us and it’s with that in mind that I was somewhat dreading the arrival of the season two finale of HBO’s TV adaptation. With filming on season three not expected to commence until next year, it’s likely going to be a long while before the show - or franchise as a whole, for that matter - returns to us, and I wasn’t exactly feeling ready to say a temporary goodbye to these characters that I love so much. It’s with that in mind then that I found myself shocked by the beaming smile that wouldn’t leave my face after the credits on episode seven, ‘Convergence’, rolled.

I should explain exactly what it is I mean by that as the episode sees the events of ‘Seattle, Day Three’ play out and for those who have played Naughty Dog’s acclaimed The Last of Us Part II, you’ll know that the day includes some incredibly dark scenes. My delight does not make light of those; throughout the episode I felt tension, joy, sadness, and even shock. Yes, my hand flew to my mouth in a sudden gasp, and that’s as someone who’s played the game umpteen times.

The reason that I felt so elated is that I was instantly hit with the realisation that I’d just witnessed my favourite episode in the series, not just season, to date. I’m perfectly aware that that sentiment isn’t going to be shared by everyone. ‘Convergence’ doesn’t feature a major set piece like the infected horde attack in ‘Through The Valley’, nor does it tap into the beloved connection between Joel and Ellie as we saw in last week’s ‘The Price’. It doesn’t hit you with the unexpected softness of season one’s ‘Long, Long Time’, all of which are fan favourites. What it is though, for me, is the most faithful season two has felt when compared to Part II itself.

The Last of Us Part II is my favourite of the two entries; it’s something I could rave about all day long. There’s a beautiful duality that runs throughout the game, and one that you’re so complicit in. For me, there’s no experience across the world of entertainment quite as emotionally affecting. You’re both the aggressor and wronged, tasked with finding the joy and light amongst the prevailing heaviness and devastation. I can understand why that’s not for everyone but for me, there’s something intoxicatingly resonating about the difficult tale it thrusts you into.

Credit / HBO

I always knew, or perhaps I should say suspected, that Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann would struggle to adapt The Last of Us Part II. You just don’t have player complicity with a TV show and the relentless pace at which you must survive as both Ellie and Abby in the game is a part of its magic. Even still, I have wholeheartedly enjoyed watching this iteration of the story unfold. Yes, like everybody else, I was a tad concerned that it was taking Ellie’s rage too long to manifest but when it finally did, it did so gloriously. The season is, I will agree with the wider consensus, tonally different to the game. There’s an added levity I feel that’s been met with some criticism, although I personally don’t mind seeing it as this is, after all, an adaptation.

That tonal difference though is nowhere to be found in season two’s finale. ‘Convergence’ is the first time this season where I forgot I wasn’t actually playing the game. It’s surprising just how much a storm can change everything. Seattle felt like Seattle; rain-soaked, volatile, and oppressive. The constant jumping between Ellie’s plight and the preparations for the WLF’s attack on the Seraphite’s island added an unexpected intensity that provided that relentlessness I feel carries the game.

And, perhaps most importantly, all of our key characters felt like they were in the right mindsets. Ellie is fully consumed by notions of revenge here while shreds of humanity still filter through - and I think the importance of that latter point is something many are forgetting. Ellie is, already, a cold-blooded killer. She brutally killed Nora and here, although it is with reluctance, she’s added Mel and Owen to that body count too. What I adored though was Ellie’s heightened visceral reaction to discovering Mel is pregnant. While in the game, that realisation somewhat manifests as a panic attack, here we see a desperate and traumatised Ellie grapple with the decision of whether to save the baby. Every shred of who I know Ellie to be is present here; she’s broken, ruthless, determined, and merciless, just as viewers have been hoping for, but so too is she, on a smaller level, aware of the depravity of her actions. It’s why Ellie’s downfall is so painful to watch, and Bella Ramsey provides her best performance to date in this episode.

Credit / HBO

It’s also within this episode that Jesse and Dina lose faith in Ellie’s plight, the rift between them beginning to develop. For those who criticised the added levity in prior episodes, it made way for a moment like this. It’s clear that neither Jesse nor Dina believe in what they originally set out to achieve in Seattle any longer, aligning them with where we find them both in ‘Day Three’ of the game. The fraughtness between Ellie and her closest allies falls ahead of Ellie’s arrival at the aquarium, fuelling the very worst tendencies in her for a showdown with Mel and Owen that’s gut wrenching to watch.

I also think this episode featured some very clever teasing. You see, I always wondered how the TV show would switch from Ellie’s point of view to Abby’s with their respective seasons dropping several years apart without alienating the viewer, but the finale plants plenty of clever seeds. If you’ve watched the episode then you’ll know that a chunk of it focuses on the WLF’s preparations and arrival on the Seraphite’s island, something Ellie isn’t totally aware of in the game. It’s incredibly clever because as the viewer, we’re left wondering if they succeed. Well, as a game fan, I know the answer to that question, but ‘Convergence’ is cleverly teasing future events for new fans so that when they do unfold in Abby’s chapter of this story, they don’t feel totally foreign.

Likewise, viewers have been left wondering what happened between Jesse and Tommy. We know Jesse went off to save him after hearing calls on the WLF radio. Again, us game players will know what becomes of that but it’ll be such a brilliant ‘a-ha’ moment when casual TV fans see those events unfold during Abby’s season. The show has been careful to prepare the plot in a way that reminds you just how intertwining these two stories are. Heck, we even get that scene with Isaac where it’s teased that Abby, Mel, and Owen are missing. Casual viewers aren’t heading into season two totally blind. They’re entering Abby’s story with plenty of questions, and I think that’s going to really help the transition. And on the topic of teases, yes, I saw those sky bridges while Ellie and Jesse were traversing the city.

Credit / HBO

It’s perhaps apt that I should mention the transition into Abby’s story because that’s where the season ended, with the reveal that it’s back to ‘Seattle Day One’. Abby made her grand return both in the theatre and in the ‘Day One’ opening and I feel quite satisfied that this character, my all-time favourite, is in safe hands with Kaitlyn Dever. The tease of that theatre scene was perfect; neither Kaitlyn nor Bella fell into copying Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson’s intonation and yet, I could’ve been playing the game. It was so perfectly curated. And when Abby exited her dorm revealing the WLF’s stadium base? Well, I felt like a kid on Christmas.

The Last of Us season two is not a straightforward adaptation, on that I can agree with the masses, but if you ask me, it’s all the stronger for its differences. ‘Convergence’ isn’t a carbon copy of the game and yet, it felt like the game had been truly brought to life. Mazin and Druckmann have shifted events around over the course of the season, but they’ve done so so that we end up here. While the tension amongst Ellie, Dina, and Jesse has been slow to build, it culminates so perfectly in the finale and the small steps away from Ellie’s plight create an appetite to delve into Abby’s portion of the story in a way that I was worried the TV series wouldn’t be able to achieve. All that’s left to say is this, bring on season three.