The Path

The first episode this season was all over the place but was generally boring and difficult to get through at times. The characters and dialogue were irritating with a few exceptions. The second episode was completely the opposite and felt rushed with a tremendous amount of action and consequential events happening very quickly with little to no buildup. Tommy and Maria running around through hordes of infected without a scratch was so implausible that it just seemed ridiculous. The battle itself was very poorly thought out but it was at least interesting to watch.

This third episode is like the first but without any action at all. They seem to be setting up plot points for future episodes but nothing really happens this episode, at all. I know nothing about the games but it seemed obvious to me what was going to happen this episode. Some others seem to be happy about events that may be coming but this episode falls flat on its own. An episode needs to at least be somewhat entertaining. There was nothing here that I really enjoyed. I don't care what happens in the game, the show must stand on it's own and each episode needs to have some merit to be worth watching.

This episode has less than half an episode worth of material stretched thin, large parts of time are skipped over and nothing really substantial happens. Looking back, I don't even remember being engaged at any point and pretty much found myself skipping through wondering when something interesting would happen. It didn't. The remaining characters aren't appealing or engaging. The dialogue is rather drab and the pacing has gone from erratic in episode one, to hectic in episode two, to anemic in episode three. They blew the load too quickly in E02. The pacing of the episodes/events this season was poorly thought out and the quality of the series has suffered greatly for it.

This was a pretty bold direction to take the third episode of the show, because even though I expected a natural comedown after all that transpired in episode 2, I didn't think it would get quite this much slower.

The Path mostly works, but having such a direct focus on Ellie might've been a little detrimental? I don't know, I guess I was personally just really interested to see Abby after what happened in the last episode. She had a huge episode 2, sure, but she wasn't seen much in episode 1, and then wasn't seen at all in episode 3, and season 2 is only seven episodes, so skipping over her entirely felt weird. But, if the structure now is to kind of focus on either Ellie or Abby, alternating each episode, before they clash by the end, I could see that potentially working, too.

That's all to say that on its own, The Path was solid but a little underwhelming, though I think if this season ends well, we'll be able to look back on it as an essential part of the overall thing.

As a fan of The Last of Us Part II, it's frustrating to see an adaptation that, despite carrying the name and basic structure of the original work, completely disregards its essence. An adaptation should honor the story and its characters - even with some creative liberties - but here we see a deep distortion of the motivations, emotions, and emotional journey that made the game so impactful.

The characters feel like mere shadows of who they once were. Their actions often make little sense, and their relationships lack depth. Ellie, for instance, is a major disappointment. It's simply not believable that four years after the events of the first game, she would show so little emotional growth. The absence of character development and the way her decisions are portrayed strip the narrative of credibility.

I don't blame the actors - many are clearly doing their best with what they're given. But it's hard to shine with a script that fails to capture the soul of the source material. The writing choices feel artificial, cold, and at times, almost disrespectful to what the original game built so carefully.

I'm really trying to enjoy it. Truly. But it's hard when you realize that what's being told is no longer the story of The Last of Us - it's a watered-down version, lacking the same weight, the same pain, the same humanity. The series doesn't just disappoint - it feels like a betrayal to those who were moved, challenged, and changed by the game.

Solid aftermath episode.

Ellie is here for the first time in this second season more likeable and human than the episodes before.

Scene stealer is Isabela Merced. Every scene she's in, she's great.

Some changes compared to the game: the game was fast paced and continued directly after the shocking event. Here, the episode continues three months later.

The relationship between Ellie and Dina was more bold in the game than here.

The episode takes its time, is beautifully shot, has some nice landscapes and road trip vibes, teases us a new group of religious survivors, but uses their scenes to show us that the mission of Ellie and Dina won't be easy against the powerful and relentless W. L. F.

Good episode that takes its time and seperates itself from the source material and tries to stand on its own feet. Apprecheated and recommended.

I don't envy the writers of The Last of Us, having to come up with something to follow S2 Episode 2. Episode 2 was brilliant, a perfect whirlwind of action, drama and emotion. It was so climactic it felt like a season finale. A very tough episode to top.

This tragedy and finality left a lot of intrigue for Episode 3. Where to from here? Would Ellie now be the central character or would someone else emerge to at least share the spotlight? Ellie / Bella Ramsey is not capable of carrying the show, a fact which made Joel's death so much more intriguing from a plot perspective.

I was not expecting quick or elaborate answers to these questions as Episode 3, I felt, was always going to be one for regrouping rather than moving forward. And so it is, mostly, though we have some idea of where the next few episodes are taking us.

So, not the most exciting episode but that was to be expected.