The Last of Us season two review bombed on Rotten Tomatoes

Video game fans are back to one of their favorite pastimes, hating on The Last of Us: Part 2. This time it’s not the game itself, which was released back in 2020, instead it’s the premiere of season 2 of the award-winning TV show adaptation. The Last of Us’ first season earned a win at The Game Awards for Best Adaptation, as well as many other awards across television award shows, most notably, the Emmys. The Last of Us became the first ever live-action video game adaptation to be nominated, with a total of five major nominations.

The Last of Us season two review bombed by fans, calling back to 2020

Paul Tassi, an author and Senior Contributor for Forbes, wrote on social media: “Welcome back 2020!” in response to an image of The Last of Us’ Season 2 Rotten Tomatoes page. The second season has a 96% approval rating from critics according to the review aggregator, but fans have arrived in full force, bombing the show’s score to 51% before the second episode of the new season even aired. Compare that to season one, which fans gave a much better 87% score.

For anyone reading this having only watched the TV show, this may be confusing. The Last of Us appears to be a universally loved video game series, and the TV show only skyrocketed it to more mainstream acclaim. But, back in 2020, in the early days of lockdown, a certain subsection of video games made their presence known. The Last of Us: Part 2 may be one of the most controversial video games of all time. There is a valid argument about the game’s controversial story, themes, characters, and gameplay mechanics. But a vocal minority decided to rally behind what many have deemed a misogynistic hatred of the game’s newest character.

It's a shame to see many of the same trends cropping back up for the second season of the TV show. There were many notable differences between the first season and the story of The Last of Us: Part 1, so it would not be surprising if the team behind the second season, including the Director of the video game series, Neil Druckmann, jump at the opportunity to rethink this story and take it in at least a slightly new direction. Overall, judging an entire season of television based on a five-year-old video game and one or two episodes does not seem fair. Many gamers would fairly criticize a reviewer for posting their review of a ten-hour game after only playing two.

Since the original post, the Rotten Tomatoes score for season 2 has gone up a few percentage points. Ultimately, we will have to see how the general public receives this second season. Will it go on to earn more award nominations again? Since The Last of Us: Part 2 won Game of the Year in 2020, does that indicate potential for its adaptation? No matter what, this will be an interesting show and fan reception to keep your eyes on.

The Last of Us: Part II

June 19, 2020

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