The Last of Us season two review: More zombies, and more heartbreak

HBO’s The Last of Us took a riveting action game bolstered by intimate human moments and made a richly human drama supported by terrifying action. In returning for season two, and now using the sequel game as source material, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had quite a bit more work cut out for them. The first season greatly expanded the emotional depth and breadth of Joel and Ellie’s cross-country journey while also fleshing out the stories of many others they meet along the way, and the cast (led by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey) was outstanding. But some fans felt the balance of action and drama was off, and I had a few issues with the pacing — though the final product was still outstanding in my eyes. That was over two years ago, and now it’s encore time. Season two premieres on HBO this Sunday, April 13 (you can stream it on Max), and I am once again happy to report that the show does a faithful job of capturing the first part of a complex story while also fixing a few ... Read full article.