Why The Last Of Us Season 2's Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Is So Much Worse Than Season 1

The Rotten Tomato audience score for The Last of Us season 2 was significantly worse than the score for season 1, and there are a few reasons why. The entirety of The Last of Us season 2 proved divisive to viewers, and the ending of The Last of Us season 2 was no different. From Joel's (Pedro Pascal) death to Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) more questionable choices, the entire show wasn't what many viewers unfamiliar with the games were expecting. As a result, The Last of Us season 2's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is significantly lower than the first season's.

The Last of Us' divisiveness isn't new, but there's a confusing factor in its Rotten Tomatoes score: season 2 did tremendously well with critics. The review aggregator's "Critics Consensus" feature called The Last of Us season 2 a "challenging expansion that retains its predecessor's superb performances and verisimilitude." Audiences obviously don't feel the same way, and it's hard to tell for certain what exactly was the biggest cause of backlash after an almost universally-acclaimed first season. There were a variety of factors at play, and they all contributed to the show's lower ratings.

How The Last Of Us Season 2's RT Scores Compare To Season 1

The Last Of Us Season 2's Audience Score Is Nearly 50% Lower Than Season 1's

The Last of Us season 2's Rotten Tomatoes score currently stands at 94% with critics and an astonishingly low 39% with viewers. Conversely, The Last of Us season 1 had 96% with critics and 86% with audiences. That stellar set of scores even factors in The Last of Us season 1, episode 3's review bombing due to depicting a gay couple. As of May 27, The Last of Us season 2 scored 47% lower than its predecessor among viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. That's a huge shift in opinions, made even stranger by the fact that there was only a 2% drop in scores between seasons among critics.

How The Last Of Us Season 2's Audience Score Has Changed

The Last Of Us Season 2's Scores Dropped After Joel's Death & Hit Their Lowest At Episode 6

Interestingly enough, The Last of Us season 2's drop in review scores was a somewhat gradual process. The Last of Us season 2, episode 1 opened to a respectable score of 74% with audiences. Then, understandably, episode 2 - which featured the brutal death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) - dropped significantly to 55%. By episode 5, The Last of Us season 2 had already reached a 41% score from audiences, just 2% shy of its current score of 39%. The last two episodes didn't have much impact on the season's overall score, even considering the divisive cliffhanger ending of The Last of Us season 2.

The biggest driver of negative reviews for The Last of Us season 2 seems to be Joel's death. It's a somewhat understandable point of controversy, too, as his sudden and brutal murder robbed the show of one of its main protagonists just two episodes into the season. Evidently, many viewers of The Last of Us season 2 were keenly aware of Joel's absence, and not even his flashback appearances could help the show's audience approval ratings. Joel's death was the turning point in The Last of Us season 2's review scores, and they never recovered from it.

The Last Of Us' Game Changes Have Proved Divisive

Ellie's Personality & A Few Key Moments Being Different Affected The Last Of Us Season 2

One of the biggest reasons The Last of Us season 2 alienated so many viewers is because of the creative liberties it took with The Last of Us Part II. However, there's a split between reviewers who thought the show was faithful to the game and those who thought it took too many liberties. There were certainly some controversial decisions in The Last of Us season 2, though, and those changes alienated some fans of the video games. There's a long list of changes just in The Last of Us season 2, episode 7 alone, and the larger shifts were divisive.

Perhaps the biggest change in The Last of Us season 2 concerned Ellie's characterization. Ellie's "dad" line in episode 4, for example, emphasized how much cheerier and less gritty she is in the show versus her revenge-obsessed game counterpart. Other changes weakened her connection to Joel, such as the porch flashback between Ellie and Joel in episode 6. In general, however, it felt like The Last of Us season 2 pulled some punches with the morally ambiguous and often disturbing story of the games. Of course, there are also likely some reviews that were made in bad faith by viewers who didn't want to watch a story about a lesbian character.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Was Always Going To Be A Hard Sell To Audiences

The Last Of Us' Story Was Already Divisive To Gamers, & TV Viewers Had The Same Problems With Joel's Death

Probably the single biggest reason The Last of Us season 2 has proven so divisive to audiences is because its story is inherently divisive. The Last of Us Part II is built around one central event that saw the extremely likable protagonist, Joel, brutally murdered in its opening scenes. Many viewers and players alike loved Joel, and the game and show just didn't feel the same without him. Then, both the show and the game made the risky decision to empathize with Joel's killer, Abby. No matter how well it handled Abby, there was always going to be audience members who couldn't forgive her for Joel's murder.

Most of those problems only applied in earnest to new TV viewers, but The Last of Us season 2 also had a problem with appealing to gamers. When The Last of Us Part II came out, it split the fanbase in half, with some gamers loving it and others hating it. The Last of Us season 2 was stuck between a rock and a hard place: make a faithful adaptation that appeals to gamers who liked the game, or make changes to try to draw in those who disliked it. The show ended up splitting the difference and alienating both camps, which contributed to its lower audience ratings.

What The Last Of Us Season 2's RT Audience Score Means For Season 3

The Last Of Us' Rotten Tomatoes Score Likely Won't Change Much, But Could Make Season 3 More Faithful To The Games

Ultimately, The Last of Us season 2's audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes likely won't have much impact on The Last of Us season 3. The Last of Us season 3 is set to focus more heavily on Abby's story rather than Ellie's. As such, most of the story for The Last of Us season 3 is already set, and HBO isn't going to make massive changes to things that have already been seen. Abby's perspective will definitely give us a different interpretation of those events, but The Last of Us can't make a huge course correction, barring a Rashomon-style storytelling decision.

There is, however, still a chance that fan backlash could have some impact on The Last of Us season 3. HBO may take the criticisms of the show's changes to The Last of Us Part II to heart and strive for a more faithful adaptation in season 3. Alternatively, it could make new changes to the game that make Abby even more likable and empathetic, which would help soften some of the blow of following Joel's killer for an entire season. It's too soon to tell for sure, but The Last of Us season 3 may end up listening to its viewers in the long run.