Please be aware of spoilers!

The first episode of season two, “Future Days”, was an episode that really wasn’t that great, it was okay, nothing more, Joel and Ellie were in Jackson, having lived there for a number of years. And Joel is struggling because his relationship with Ellie wasn’t doing so well. I figured it was silence before the storm. What did annoy me right away was Ellie’s and Dina’s behavior when on patrol, don’t take it seriously, don’t listen to the one in charge, frivolous. I mean, it’s not that they are wandering around in Disneyland! In this episode we also meet a group of young men and women, lead by a girl named Abby, and they are searching for Joel, she wants him dead! Abby Anderson was initially a member of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), often referred to as "Wolves”.

Before I watched episode two, “Through The Valley”, I learned about what would happen and I knew immediately that this wouldn’t make me happy. So yes, episode one was the silence before the storm, and granted, I thought episode two was thrill ride of an episode. Abby comes to find Joel seeking revenge because Joel killed her father. By the way, Joel does save Abby in the beginning of the episode of a huge number of zombies but that didn’t matter to her, she wanted him dead because of what he did. The scene itself is very uncomfortable to watch, and that Abby character is so f*cking annoying, it becomes harder and harder to watch. Yes, Joel could defend himself but he doesn’t, he also doesn’t even try to explain why he killed her father. Perhaps because he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. But he did it because at that point he loves Ellie, he’d do anything for her. Ellie is made to watch how that Abby bitch beats Joel to death with a golf club. But she does leave Ellie alive, which is a mistake. While this is all happening the zombie creatures overrun Jackson with thousands. You can say many things about this episode, but it really was a heavy episode, well executed. So yes, apparently five years ago, the gamers were also angry about killing off Joel, the 2^nd game didn’t became as a success as the first, so let this TV show be one of the very few TV shows where they stayed true to the game, while they knew this could very easily kill the show! Balls, I give you that! Or was it just stupidity?

But still, it left me hanging, Joel Miller killed of, half of the reason was gone why I loved the first season. After some deliberations with the wife at home, we decided to continue watching because it was only a few more episodes, plus I wanted at least to give the show a chance. The 3^rd episode, “The Path” is another slow moving episode where the town Jackson is recovering from the zombie attack and the Council deliberates and ultimately denies Ellie’s request to go after Abby. She therefore goes anyway, alone with Dina. Coming to Seatle, we as a viewer see a really large platoon passing through.

Episode four, “Day One” is the worst episode of the season, just cringe. An almost perfect first season turns into a lesbian teen drama with some horror stuff in season two. I am never interested in intimate scenes on TV shows like this, it doesn’t belong there, the same goes for intimate scene/s between straight people, but that’s just me. Plus I thought the scene itself was quite distasteful. I mean, after what just happened with these zombies, she is bitten, she says she is immune, but she is a carrier nonetheless. A pregnant Dina, exchanging saliva with a girl who is a carrier, being all dirty from their journey to this place, infected hand going all places, just yuk! So, Dina is pregnant, and yes, Ellie is gonna be a dad! I am just not sure what I have been watching just now. Ellie is on a mission, but the way she and Dina are going about, it is a pure wonder they aren’t dead yet. Why do they think they are safe just a few hundred meters from where these zombies are? No reconnaissance whatsoever! And how is it that Ellie can take on men twice her size on more than one occasion? At least Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon was the only highlight of this episode, by far!

In “Day Two” the WLF discovers that the virus is airborne. Now that Ellie knows Dina is pregnant and Ellie is going to be a father (!), she must decide whether to continue with her plan-and risk putting Dina in danger- or give up on her quest for justice, ultimately she asks Dina to come with her. Jesse has caught up with Dina and Ellie, just when they are in a lot of trouble as they are closing in on WLF soldiers. Dina and Ellie were about to lose a battle against smart zombies. In the woods they get separated because of the enemies of WLF. Ellie sneaks into a hospital, the building where it was discovered the virus is airborne. There Ellie finds Nora, she was there too when Abby killed Joel, she kills her brutally. Note - Better episode than last one, more action, less snogging, still nowhere near the quality of the 1^st season. Dina who seems to be more persistent than Ellie is. She also seems to be the brains of this operation, Ellie only the muscle. Strange that Ellie would rather bring Dina back home than continue with finding Abby to get her revenge for Joel. Only the last 5 minutes we see Abby who seeks revenge when she finds Nora. What I do like are the smart zombies, this was a nice evolution.

In “The Price” We get a flashback episode where Joel still lives, which reminds us a bit about the first season. Not surprisingly, one of the best episodes this season, which leads up to the present. We also see the entire scene of the New Years Eve party when Joel is on the porch playing on his guitar when Ellie comes home. She first passes him by without saying anything, but she double backs. Joel tells her about what happened earlier with the fireflies when he saved her.

The season finale “Convergence” is action packed, still, I am continuedly annoyed about Ellie’s choices and boy she’s lucky a few times this episode. Jesse learns Dina is pregnant, he is angry at Ellie for bringing them in this kind of danger. When he and Ellie go to find Tommy, Dina stays behind because she is wounded and can barely walk. He points out she didn’t even bother to get her horse at the music store, which was I was thinking also for the last couple of episodes. When Tommy calls in that he needs help, Ellie realizes where Abby is, what Nora said about a wheel, a ferries wheel, at the beach. She decides to not go with Jesse to help Tommy but to go after Abby. She kills two of Abby’s people, one of them a pregnant woman. Tommy and Jesse go back for Ellie. Abby comes after them, wounds Tommy, kills Jesse and shoots at Ellie… Next scene we see Abby in “Day one” in Seattle, assumably we now are going to see Abby’s side of the story and this is most likely where I give up the show.

Final Word:

A short season and to be honest, I am glad it is over. Sure, it is not all bad, but it is just not my cup of tea anymore, especially when Abby will become a the major character in the following seasons. I find her so annoying, I’d rather watch other TV shows of which the characters I can enjoy. Yes, this will be my first and last watch of the 2^nd season, I won’t be buying it on Blu-ray, like I did with the first season and as I said, I don’t think I will continue to watch it beyond this season. After a very strong first season, the 2^nd has become a huge letdown. They really could have made the choice to go a different way with Joel’s character, because of all the backlash when the game came out, but the creator(s) was/were too stubborn.

Screencaps taken from cap-that.com