- 5/10/2025
The Last of Us Season 2 has sparked significant controversy since its premiere, primarily due to its narrative choices and the portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships. This backlash has manifested in various forms, including review bombing on platforms like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic. Critics and fans alike have expressed their dissatisfaction with the direction the show has taken compared to its first season and the original video game.
Key Points of Controversy
Character Focus Shift: One of the most notable changes in Season 2 is the shift in focus from Joel (Pedro Pascal) to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced). Many viewers have reacted negatively to this change, feeling that it detracts from what they enjoyed about the first season. The emphasis on a same-sex relationship has been particularly contentious among certain segments of the audience, leading to accusations of a "woke agenda" being pushed by the creators[1].
Review Bombing: Following the release of episodes, there has been a significant drop in audience ratings across major review platforms. For instance, while critics have praised Season 2 with a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, audience scores have plummeted to around 42%[2]. This disparity highlights a divide between critical acclaim and viewer reception, with many negative reviews echoing similar sentiments about political agendas and character portrayals[3].
Joel's Death: The abrupt death of Joel in Episode 2 was another major point of contention. This moment was anticipated by gamers familiar with the source material but shocked many new viewers who found it jarring and poorly executed[4]. The scene's brutality and its placement early in the season led to a sharp decline in viewership numbers—down by over 31% from the premiere episode[5]. Critics argue that this decision disrupted narrative momentum and alienated audiences who had invested emotionally in Joel's character.
Targeted Harassment: The backlash has also included targeted harassment towards cast members, particularly Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever (who plays Abby). Online discussions often devolve into personal attacks regarding their appearances or acting abilities, reflecting broader issues within fan communities regarding representation and diversity[6]. This kind of vitriol is not new; similar patterns were observed during the release of other media featuring diverse casts or narratives.
Comparison to Video Game Reception: Interestingly, this controversy mirrors past reactions to The Last of Us Part II video game itself, which faced severe backlash upon its release for similar reasons—particularly regarding character arcs and themes surrounding violence and revenge[7]. Critics argue that both adaptations—the game and now the show—have been victims of review bombing driven by misogyny and homophobia rather than genuine critiques of storytelling quality.
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Key Points of Controversy
Character Focus Shift: One of the most notable changes in Season 2 is the shift in focus from Joel (Pedro Pascal) to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced). Many viewers have reacted negatively to this change, feeling that it detracts from what they enjoyed about the first season. The emphasis on a same-sex relationship has been particularly contentious among certain segments of the audience, leading to accusations of a "woke agenda" being pushed by the creators[1].
Review Bombing: Following the release of episodes, there has been a significant drop in audience ratings across major review platforms. For instance, while critics have praised Season 2 with a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, audience scores have plummeted to around 42%[2]. This disparity highlights a divide between critical acclaim and viewer reception, with many negative reviews echoing similar sentiments about political agendas and character portrayals[3].
Joel's Death: The abrupt death of Joel in Episode 2 was another major point of contention. This moment was anticipated by gamers familiar with the source material but shocked many new viewers who found it jarring and poorly executed[4]. The scene's brutality and its placement early in the season led to a sharp decline in viewership numbers—down by over 31% from the premiere episode[5]. Critics argue that this decision disrupted narrative momentum and alienated audiences who had invested emotionally in Joel's character.
Targeted Harassment: The backlash has also included targeted harassment towards cast members, particularly Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever (who plays Abby). Online discussions often devolve into personal attacks regarding their appearances or acting abilities, reflecting broader issues within fan communities regarding representation and diversity[6]. This kind of vitriol is not new; similar patterns were observed during the release of other media featuring diverse casts or narratives.
Comparison to Video Game Reception: Interestingly, this controversy mirrors past reactions to The Last of Us Part II video game itself, which faced severe backlash upon its release for similar reasons—particularly regarding character arcs and themes surrounding violence and revenge[7]. Critics argue that both adaptations—the game and now the show—have been victims of review bombing driven by misogyny and homophobia rather than genuine critiques of storytelling quality.
SOCIALS:
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheBetterN
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GamingTranscript
00:00welcome back everyone um yeah so I'm gonna try my best to finish up this item sorter it's a lot
00:17bigger and bulkier than I thought it would be I was really hoping to get more items out of this
00:25but to fit it all in one chunk doesn't look like I've got more than 20 items available so anyways
00:33yeah so today's video quick I'm going to I'm actually going to discuss two things I had an
00:41epiphany considering one of my favorite comedians Bill Burr he's kind of going through a I don't
00:51know if you could call it a sociological crisis he's always struck me as someone who's been a
00:57little bit right of center which is coincidentally where I find myself I'm very I'm actually very
01:05liberal in a lot of ways or I guess you could say libertarian in some ways but uh I I don't
01:13I don't want to be pigeonholed into liberal conservative democrat or republican I I really
01:20tried to objectively listen to all arguments and make the best decision I can from that um
01:26but uh like I was saying Bill Burr has has always struck me as someone who's who's been rather
01:32conservative uh he's always praised strong fathers even though his father seems to have gone a little
01:39too far in his childhood you know veering into um abusiveness a little bit so uh but yeah so
01:50the reason why I'm bringing this up real quick is because I don't get to the other thing the other
01:54topic I want to discuss is the um the reaction to HBO's The Last of Us but let me let me say on
02:02topic real quick gotta focus on uh on Bill Burr uh because I've loved this guy I've I've followed him
02:08ever since the uh the Chappelle uh Chappelle show which is where I first became uh aware of him
02:13and then he started doing uh his own stand-up and of course he had that uh that small part in
02:19Breaking Bad you know I love the guy so and I still I still love the guy uh but I'm noticing in a lot
02:25of his videos or videos that are about him there's a lot of hate towards him I think people on the right
02:31feel um I don't want to use the term butthurt but they're they're salty they're they're bitter they
02:38feel betrayed um I think I think that's a little it's just my opinion I mean you know take it with
02:46a grain of salt but um I think that's a little um overreactive um sorry I'm trying to think and do
02:57this at the same time uh it's that's not not easy for somebody I'm not a person who can walk and chew gum
03:05at the same time apparently so um but anyways uh I love some of Bill Burr's older skits
03:11and uh here lately he's veered more into political discussion and um you know there's a lot of
03:21comments I mean a lot of comments in his videos or videos about him that are rather negative calling
03:27him you know sell out saying that his uh his wife uh basically has his testicles and her
03:35purse his wife by the way is uh very liberal so um the kind of an odd couple uh she's black he's
03:44very white um they have two I want to say two children together son and a daughter both very
03:52young I think they've been together as a couple for about 10 years I want to say and uh I'm not a
04:00professional when it comes to this so I'm trying to take a mental snapshot of what this side looks
04:07like because that side I got working I finally after a lot of tinkering I finally got that that side
04:13working so I'm trying to copy that in my in my brain and then rebuild it over here so we're going to
04:21come out three blocks for the comparator and the redstone dust um but anyways uh so here's the thing
04:33you know my epiphany about Bill Burr is I don't think it's accurate to say that his wife is controlling
04:40his thoughts and he's lost his independence um I could totally see why people would think that
04:46because like I said he's gone from a individual that's you know kind of like me very much like
04:53me actually in some ways where he's been um very liberal in some ways but then also very right of
05:00center um you know which is where I find myself on many uh many topics um but yeah I I honestly my
05:10epiphany is this I'm kind of um rambling a little bit and I apologize my epiphany is this I don't think
05:15it has anything really to do with his wife maybe it could but they've been together for 10 years
05:20and this the shift to the left for him seems very um really all of a sudden really in the past two
05:29years some people say it's been you know 10 years in the making I don't really see it um he was you
05:34know highly critical of women in his Saturday Night Live appearance um and I feel rightfully so
05:40um I was at two years ago tops right but uh but here yeah so so basically really in the past year
05:48you know two years if you want to really push it uh you know he's he's really had this hard leftward
05:56turn and um I don't think it's uh I don't I don't think it's really has anything to do with his wife I
06:03think I feel this is my epiphany I have I believe it has a lot more to do with his kids you know
06:11specifically his daughter but his kids uh people don't understand when you have children it changes
06:19you I don't mean just physically it changes you mentally I was always somebody who couldn't stand
06:27um I think I'm gonna have to I think I'm gonna have to start this over oh excuse me I've got hiccups
06:35um because I gotta put repeaters on the back of those blocks and I can't I can't do that if this
06:44is here so let me tear this open um anyways yeah so so he's got kids now he's a father right he's a
06:51father so my epiphany was this as a parent you really have uh two choices okay you can take the
07:04liberal approach the more leftward approach right and you can try to make the world safer
07:10all right a lot of liberals that's the essence of their core you know they want to make the world
07:17safer I always say that uh conservatives are thinkers and liberals you know tend to be more
07:23emotional and uh I'm not being critical of either side you honestly a well-balanced human being is a
07:31little bit of both you know you can embrace change where change is needed but you know humans of human
07:38society civilization has been around for more than 10,000 years so we've picked up some good habits in
07:44that time period you know the whole family unit unit has been uh very successful at providing
07:50relatively safe um you know living conditions for for children um because men and women naturally want
07:57to kill each other so you know the family has uh like I said you know we exist today because
08:06of the family unit anyways I'm veering off of course again I apologize uh my thought was my thought was
08:14this as a parent when you have kids you can either uh try to make the world safer which I feel is a more
08:22liberal mindset nothing wrong with that I just think it's rather impossible uh you can make small changes
08:30here and there it's certainly worth uh trying to make the world a better place I believe in making the
08:35world a better place but let's be honest we're not going to make the world a better place
08:39overnight it's typically generational you know real change in the world is very slow um and our
08:48children are only children for you know 10 years or so so the other alternative the more conservative
08:54alternative is um you can't really make the world a better place overnight so the best thing you can do
09:02is um is um make your children tougher you know and that's what that's what the more conservative
09:09approach is I think you need both I've tried I've certainly tried I've only got one daughter I've
09:16certainly tried to um you know raise her to be tough um I've I've um I've really
09:25it's the word I'm looking for I've really um I think this needs to go here this probably isn't
09:34going to work I'm probably going to have to tear this down and redo it but because yeah I'm just kind
09:40of winging it to be honest um but I've tried to to make sure she's got you know thick skin that she
09:46is capable of you know facing the world and not uh not backing down you know faith you know
09:55I've tried to make sure she's got thick skin you know and a lot of people have been highly critical
10:01of that they're like oh she's a girl you know let her win let her win and uh I don't let her win
10:06because she is going to be and she already has beat me in several areas and uh you know she's earned
10:15that because I don't give her anything she has to earn it if she wants to beat her old man
10:21she's got to give it her all you know and she has so when she accomplishes something it's earned
10:28it's not fake oh yeah I really feel like you know letting your kids win so to speak is kind of
10:38detrimental to them because the world's not going to do that the world is not going to let your kids
10:44win it's a mean nasty place and I'll beat you down if you let it um but anyway so that's that's my
10:52epiphany I don't think Bill Burr is uh doing anything uh based on what is I mean I'm sure his wife is
11:00having some influence on him don't get me wrong she's I'm sure I'm sure she's showing him things in a
11:06different light um which is what couples should do you know hopefully he's rubbing off on her
11:12a little bit as well um but yeah I think it's I think it's more his kids I think he has the sudden
11:20urge to make the world a safer place like I said you can't really you can't really do that in a short
11:26period of time you've got to um toughen them up while you do that because you're never going to be able
11:34to make the world entirely safe for them so um but yeah that was that was my big epiphany uh you know
11:42I still think Bill Burr's funny I really wish he would kind of like stay out of politics because
11:46that's very divisive once you start calling one side or the other idiots uh I try to never do that
11:54you know I may see things in a more liberal or a more conservative sense but you know I never make
12:00I never call my friends and neighbors my co-workers idiots just because they may lean a little more
12:06to the left or a little more to the right you know so I think we need to we need to really stop doing
12:12that to each other but um so my other thought was hopefully this is all gonna work now my other thought
12:21was you know about the last of us and it's getting a lot of heat right now you know they spoiler alert
12:27spoiler alert if you if you if you haven't if you're weeks behind on the last of the season two
12:34uh they killed off Joel just like they did in the video game I really thought you know they were going
12:39to course correct and save the franchise uh yes the last of us two was uh critically praised
12:50a lot of people liked it a lot of people love it okay and their opinions are valid all right but
12:57obviously I'm just being factual here I'm not trying to you know hurt anyone's feelings but obviously
13:03they're a small minority the first game and I know there's been a couple re-releases and it's on
13:09more platforms but the first game has sold about 40 million copies um or maybe it's 30 million all I
13:17know is like the second one has sold 10 million and just recently I think it just recently went on
13:24steam it's not doing so good people are not overall overall people are not happy okay some people are
13:32happy the majority of people that like the first game did not like the way that Joel's death was
13:37handled um you know and that's that's understandable so I really thought the show was going to like
13:44course correct and change that because that's been a very very unpopular opinion or if you have to
13:53kill off Joel for the story at least make it more palatable somehow give him more of a um a heroic end
14:01you know what I'm saying like like people are suckers I know I am I'm a sucker for you know a heroic
14:07finale you know seeing the hero go down in flames but sacrificing themselves to for the greater good you
14:13know that's that's acceptable that's the way a hero should go out but instead it seems like they've
14:18tried to vilify him even more than in the game and uh it just doesn't fit it just doesn't fit you
14:25can't you can't make your fan base you know love Joel as much as we did in the first game uh you know
14:35see a bit of ourselves in him you know his his need to uh protect Ellie you know you can't make us you
14:42love this man for who he is and then just do an about face and say oh well now because we need to
14:49kill them all for the story's sake we're gonna do our best to make you hate him that's just that's
14:54just not going to to work not when you've got uh dynamic complex characters like that because um
15:01you know to be frank um we're all suckers for you know a redemption arc so there's a there's a lot of
15:11characters um that i have you know come across omni-man being one of the biggest i mean the what
15:18the way he treated his son in that first season oh my god that's yeah it's not redeemable but yet
15:24part of me wants to see him wake the fuck up and realize you know that he loves his son um even after
15:32doing those horrible horrible things to him so um but yeah i'm so tired i'm so sick of people assuming
15:43that you that we don't like the way joel's death is handled uh because we're all racist bigot
15:52misogynist you know what i'm saying it's like we all loved ellie in the first game and i don't think
15:59anybody has a problem with her being um gay or bisexual i'm not sure if she's lesbian or bisexual
16:07it doesn't to be honest it doesn't even freaking matter to me i don't care i'm gonna say something
16:13and it's probably gonna sound a little controversial i'm probably gonna offend some people and if i do
16:19i apologize it's just i'm being honest this is from the heart your gender what you have between
16:25your legs or the color of your skin is the least interesting thing about you i don't care who
16:33you're sleeping with i don't as long as it's not an animal then it's not a child if it's a consenting
16:39adult by all means enjoy yourself okay i don't care about your skin color i don't care about your gender
16:47at the end of the day we all want the same things we all want to be loved we all want
16:53to have something that carries on after we're gone for some people that's children for some people
17:00that's faith for some people that's you know paintings a park um you know community service
17:09so you know whatever whatever gets you through your day it's your life live it the way you want to
17:16and you know i'm so tired of people insisting that we all have the same opinions okay i personally
17:25love the fact that people feel differently i love listening to little old ladies you know that are
17:34conservative and learning something i love listening to a young black man who's more liberal and learning
17:41something i love the fact that we're different when we have different strengths and different
17:46weaknesses so i'm just i'm serious man i'm so tired of people insisting that we all think the same
17:54and both sides do it i'm not i'm not giving a pass to either side um both extremes do it i'm just i'm tired
18:01of it so um you know like what you like love who you love and you know god bless you you know i don't mean
18:12that in a religious way i'm just saying you know i hope you find everything you're looking for in life
18:19so um anyways thanks for watching uh probably gonna be my last minecraft video for a little while so
18:30um i'm gonna get more into the horror games i'm really enjoying those but um finally i'm just so
18:38happy i finally got i don't know you know i i take that back i might be doing a lot more minecraft i
18:44don't know but i'll catch y'all later thanks for watching and uh and take care enjoy what you
18:50want to enjoy and don't let anybody try to change you okay bye
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