As reviews continue to be released online, Rotten Tomatoes now reveals that The Last of Us season 2 has debuted with a critics' score of 91% from 33 reviews, as of writing. Though this score could fluctuate as more reviews come in, it currently falls behind season 1, which has a stunning 96% score. An audience score for the sophomore outing won't arrive until after the premiere on April 13, but season 1 also excelled here with 88%.
|
The Last Of Rotten Tomatoes Scores |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
RT Critics' Score |
RT Popcornmeter |
|
1 |
96% |
88% |
|
2 |
91% |
TBD |
What This Means For The Last Of Us Season 2
The Critical Response Explained
Even though season 2 may be a few points behind the acclaimed The Last of Us season 1, the sophomore outing is obviously still off to a great start, with anything above 90% indicating a widespread critical embrace. Reviews so far praise the continued excellent work from creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann as Joel and Ellie's story continues, with the show featuring bigger and bolder action sequences, as well as a deeper exploration of its central characters and their struggles.
One common complaint that crops up, however, is that season 2, which adapts only a portion of the events of The Last of Us Part II video game, feels incomplete as a story. Featuring only seven episodes as opposed to the nine episodes of season 1, season 2 can struggle at times because much of it feels like setup for future seasons. In his The Last of Us season 2 review for ScreenRant, Graeme Guttman awards the show's sophomore outing a 7 out of 10 score, praising the performances and brutal action while criticizing the season's lack of storytelling breathing room:
Like the first season, there are many moments pulled straight from the games, and they are shot like a video game, too. But much of the power of Part II lies in the moments it lingers on and, in trying to tell such a massive story (even in part) over only seven episodes, there isn't much time to sit with the emotional weight of the choices some characters make.
Mazin and Druckman have previously confirmed that they intend to adapt the events of The Last of Us Part II video game across multiple seasons.
Our Take On The Last Of Us Season 2 Reviews
The HBO Show Could Prove More Divisive With Audiences
If season 2's truncated runtime is the show's biggest problem heading into these new episodes, audiences are probably still in for a treat. Very likely, The Last of Us season 3 will get the green light over the next few weeks or months, meaning the story will eventually continue, with more answers coming as the story goes on. Perhaps a season 3 would get a larger episode count, meaning it could address problems mentioned in the season 2 reviews.
Despite its flaws, which sound relatively minor overall, The Last of Us season 2 is shaping up to be an intense and emotionally devastating return for the hit HBO show. It's possible that viewers will feel differently and that season 2 won't match the 88% of season 1. Parts of the sequel video game, after all, were divisive, and season 2 could face similar criticisms if it faithfully recreates them. For now, though, the show's sophomore outing is off to an impressive start.
