The Last of Us fans slam ‘disappointing’ and ‘lacklustre’ season two finale

The Last of Us season two has drawn to a conclusion and fans aren’t too happy about what they have seen, with many calling it “lacklustre” and a “mess”.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Last of Us season two

After the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) earlier in the season, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) has made it her mission to get revenge on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and the rest of the Washington Liberation Front for the murder of her friend and father figure.

The finale, titled “Convergence”, builds up to an explosive confrontation between Ellie and Abby as they finally come face-to-face for the first time since Joel’s death.

Although Ellie does manage to exact some violent vengeance – albeit regretfully – on some WLF members, the episode ends with Abby ambushing Ellie and her friends, Dina (Isabela Merced) and Tommy (Gabriel Luna), at gunpoint after first killing Jesse (Young Manzino).

Season two has faithfully stuck to the narrative of the video game series the show is based on (season two is adapted from the first half of 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, with season three set to follow the second half of the game and focus on Abby’s story). But still, fans have been left divided about how the finale played out.

“I finished watching The Last of Us season two and Jesus Christ this is the most lacklustre disappointing season I've ever seen. The finale felt rushed at the end,” complained one fan.

open image in gallery

A second wrote: ”It's like HBO said ‘How can we make the worst season finale possible??’ and then they went out and did it. The Last Of Us is trash.”

A third disgruntled fan added: “The Last of Us season two’s finale ends with the theatre part leading into Abby’s first day. I have no idea how anyone is gonna want to tune into that for a whole season. This TV show has proved if anything how much of a mess this story really was. What a f***ing shame man.”

Others were slightly more receptive to the episode, with fans praising Ramsey’s performance.

“Wow, have to say that this finale was something and now at least we don’t have to wait too long for the third season, but Bella Ramsey delivered a great performance as always and I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the choices made at the end, but at least this was good,” said one person.

Another exclaimed: “Man, The Last of Us season two finale crushed me. What happens to Ellie in this episode is just so brutal, as she's caught in the cycle of violence. Also, Jesse gets a great moment to shine, putting his selflessness on full display. Looking forward to season three, after THAT cliffhanger!”

“Seeing a lot of hate for The Last of Us season two finale and I thought it was pretty solid. It’s unfortunate everything is so rushed,” said a third.

open image in gallery

Although a third season has been confirmed by HBO, a release date has yet to be announced.

It comes after showrunner Craig Mazin hinted that there could be a fourth season of the show in the future.

Speaking to Collider, Mazin explained that “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth.”

Asked by the publication about why the writers chose to end season two where they did, Mazin responded: “We always think ahead. We thought ahead to season three and season four, to try to get as much visibility as we can, so that we don’t end up in a situation where we’re sitting down and getting into details for a season and then going, ‘Oh, man, if only we hadn’t had that person say that one line or be in that spot or wear that jacket, this would be so much cooler.’”