Review: The Last of Us season two finishes with a bang

James Cox

* Warning: This article contains spoilers if you have not seen The Last of Us season two *

The Last of Us season two finished with a bang, literally, leaving viewers with an agonising wait for season three.

After the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) in episode two, a huge shock for those who didn't play the video game, there were questions over whether the show would be as good to watch.

The emphatic answer is yes.

We got the flashback episode going into his relationship with Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and a slower pace with Ellie's journey to Seattle with Dina (Isabela Merced), but the season finale was action-packed.

Ellie finally confessed her secret with Joel to Dina, about how her father figure killed a hospital full of people to save her when she was due to be sacrificed in a bid for a cure to the zombie pandemic.

The awkward reunion between Jesse (Young Mazino), Ellie and Dina is broken up when the former pair must set out to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna).

The last of us subverts the zombie genre as it has always been more about the human characters and their relationship, much more so than the likes of The Walking Dead.

This is one of its biggest strengths and it was shown again in the season two finale, as Ellie and Jesse were forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

There is also more action as we see more of the brutal guerrilla warfare between the militia WLF (wolves) and cultish seraphites.

Ellie's confession to Dina appeared to be the end of her quest for vengeance over the brutal killing of Joel, until she realises Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is hiding out in an aquarium on a dock.

As Jesse and Ellie part ways, we see one of her character's most intense yet vulnerable moments as she tells him: "Let me tell you about my community. My community was beaten to death in front of me while I was forced to f***ing watch.”

After a close call with the seraphites, Ellie kills Owen (Spencer Lord) and his girlfriend Mel (Ariela Barer), with a tragic conclusion.

After Tommy and Jesse come to her rescue, the trio prepare for a return to Jackson.

This leads to the dramatic conclusion as Abby catches up to shoot Tommy in the leg and kill Jessie before confronting Ellie.

"I let you live," she shouts, before firing.

We're left with a huge cliffhanger, before a time shift which the show is known for.

It shows Abby looking out over WLF HQ, an abandoned stadium, and suggests season three will focus on her backstory, like in the game.

The season finale of The Last Of Us is on Sky Go and NOW TV