The Last of Us critics turn on Bella Ramsey following Season 2 leaks
The Cordyceps hive mind is spreading its tendrils as The Last of Us Season 2 grows in the dark like a mushroom. HBO's hit series might not be returning in 2024, but as things slowly crawl toward release, some juicy set leaks give a tease of what's to come.
When The Last of Us Season 1 bowed out in 2023, it neatly polished off the events of the first game. This leads us directly into 2020's The Last of Us Part II, although we know the game's story will be told over multiple seasons of the series. As Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal once again step up to the plate, it seems some of you aren't happy.
The Last of Us critics aren't happy with Bella Ramsey
Fresh leaks have given us a first look at Ellie and girlfriend Dina - played by Madame Web's Isabela Merced. Filming is underway in Vancouver, and while the scene is fairly light on spoilers, it shows the pair on horseback. Unfortunately, a vocal minority have taken to the comments to take a shot at Ramsey.
Despite Rasmey now being 20, some claim she looks too young. Bearing in mind that Ramsey was already technically 'too old' to play the 14-year-old Ellie in Season 1, and with a time jump leading into Part II, her video game counterpart is only supposed to be 19 at this point.
Still, opinions were divided on Ellie, with some saying she looked the same. One grumbled, "I assume there's no four-year gap in the show? They don’t seem to make any attempts to make Ellie look older," while another moaned, "I thought they were gonna at least try and make her look older. Smh, Neil [Druckmann] just can't be trusted anymore."
Bella Ramsey teases 'buff' Ellie for Season 2
Click to enlargeOf course, this is just one shot and is hardly a representation of the entire series. Also, it seems a little trivial to bring a show's success down to whether one of the leads looks old enough. Ramsey teased herself that we'd see a buff Ellie in Season 2, which is what we'll need to take on the might of Abby.
Booksmart's Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as the antagonistic Abby Anderson in Season 2, and for those who've played the second game, you'll know she's a physically imposing figure. We're yet to see Dever in action, but seeing the reception to Ramsey, we're expecting similarly unfair complaints.
The most volatile critics have said that HBO should've recast Ellie for Season 2, which is a wild statement to make. Thankfully, there are plenty who have pointed out it's not all about looks. At the end of the day, Ramsey smashed it in Season 1, and we're sure she'll do it all over again.
