Review

"The Last of Us" is back - and immediately hits the pit of the stomach again

16.4.2025

Translation: machine translated

Five years have passed in the world of Joel and Ellie - and nothing is the same as it was before. "Future Days", the prelude to the second season, is more than just a look back: It's an emotional wrecking ball.

No bang. No. The second season of «The Last of Us» starts more with a deep breath that wants to forget, but remembers, breaks off and starts to burn. «Future Days», the first episode of the new season, shows right from the start that the series is back to challenge. Emotionally. Morally. And narratively.

We - that's Michelle, Domi and me, Luca - took a close look at this episode in the new season of our podcast: the Spoiler Factory. It's for everyone who doesn't just consume films and series, but lives them. Here we don't just retell, but classify, dissect, celebrate - or criticise. And yes, there will be spoilers.

Here's a little sneak peek:

If you haven't seen the first episode and still want to know what it was like, here's a short summary of our impressions - without spoilers.

The past weighs heavily

«You and Joel, same f*cking person», Joel's brother Tommy says to stubborn Ellie right at the beginning, eliciting a rare smile from the three of us. And what we see in the meantime are no over-excited effects, no gimmickry - but a depressing honesty that is anything but empty. This is exactly what makes «The Last of Us» still so terrific.

We were particularly touched by how consistently the series continues its ambivalence. The moral grey area in which «The Last of Us» is so strong. It is not only retained - it is expanded. Because the past is not over. It has left its mark on faces, relationships and feelings of guilt. And also in the way people protect themselves from each other - and keep quiet about each other.

Pedro Pascal as Joel in «The Last of Us» is one of the best casting decisions in the history of the series.
Source: Sky Media Village

Michelle has already felt picked up by season one, even though she doesn't know the game - perhaps precisely because the series takes its time to show people, not superheroes. Instead, it allows vulnerability without exposing it. A bit like therapy: uncomfortable, but honest and necessary.

For Domi - our walking «The Last of Us» wiki - it was fascinating to see how consciously the series sets itself apart from the game without betraying the original. The beginning in particular takes one of the game's most important characters and presents them to us in a completely different way than the game did before. And myself? I was surprised at how calm and reflective this opening was. How he has understood the medium he is playing in and utilises it to give more depth where a game reaches its limits.

What remains is an episode that builds up what still needs to be torn down. It prepares without putting you off. And which has more of an emotional impact than anything that has happened so far. Because it shows the wreckage of the decisions that were once made and the people who are left behind to live with them.

More of this, please.

Where can you find the podcast?

You can subscribe to us via any podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Youtube Music or Podigee. Under the following link you will find our podcast equipment.

Hosts

Luca Fontana

Luca is living proof that our parents were lying: There are no square eyes from watching too much TV. Rumour has it that he was already watching «Star Wars» films and reading Marvel comics in his mother's womb. Today, after many years of field research, he knows his way around the Disney universe better than Al Capone in 1930s Chicago. He uses the same password for his 14 streaming subscriptions because otherwise he would forget them. The only people who are allowed to disturb him in his «work» are his two cats.

Michelle Brändle

While others break into a sweat just drawing a stick figure, Michelle uses every tablet test as a template for digital artwork. Somewhat more tangible are those from the 3D printer, which regularly model her smartphone reviews. The gadget enthusiasm that almost every new member of the editorial team succumbs to can be seen on their desk, which is flanked by a home-made RGB keyboard and matching RGB mouse. She only feels even more emotion, which even gets under her skin in the form of tattoos, for Pokémon.

Domagoj Belancic

If anyone games more than Phil, it would be Domi. If his dog didn't regularly drag him out into the sunlight, he would have long since collected all the platinum trophies on the Playstation. His heart also burns for another well-known Japanese company, Nintendo. This is proven by the various retro consoles that adorn his office, as well as his encyclopaedic knowledge of all Pokémon - even those that have yet to be invented.

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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