Polygon.com / 31.05.25

The Last of Us season 2 failed Ellie in service of safe TV

Without interactivity, the Ellie Williams that players know from the Last of Us games was never going to be the same person as the character who appeared on a television screen on Sunday nights. But by the time season 2 of HBOs The Last of Us reached its finale, it became evident that the TV version of the games immune teen protagonist isnt just an alternate interpretation. Ellies character from the games has been butchered, and the show is worse for it. Despite a long list of differences between the games and Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmanns screen adaptation, there was reason to be hopeful at first. In season 1, The Last of Us made a convincing case for an Ellie mired in teenage rebellion. The TV version of Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) was comparatively defiant and immature, but that framing was believable for someone who was only 14 when the show began. And I didnt entirely mind that the adaptation veered from the game version of Ellie, because some of the changes were positive. F...
Read more