'I'm Gonna Be a Dad': The Line That Exposed The Last of Us Season 2's Biggest Problem, Explained
The Last of Us Part II is many things, but what it is not is a light and carefree story. The show's creators disappointed fans with a sharp change in the show's mood and Ellie's character, and here's what went wrong.
The Last of Us Season 2 is full of scenes that are copied frame-by-frame from the game. Take the New Year's Eve party, where Jesse and Ellie have the same poses and Dina has a recognizable smile.
Fans Are Disappointed That Season 2 Lost the Dark and Depressing Mood of the Game
The show deviates from the original plot in some moments, but this is not the most egregious thing the writers have changed. Fans are most unhappy with how Ellie and the mood of the story itself have lost their hopelessness and gloom.
Reddit user cwhagedorn wrote:
“Ellie in Part II, like the game as a whole, is moody as hell. She's angry, depressed, tired, and surviving on her rage alone. The lighter moments in the game are all tinged with her sadness and affected by the weight of the story. [...]
I'm really not seeing that mood translated into the show.”
In The Last of Us Part II, we see a much more mature Ellie – a trained warrior who has experienced hardships too great for a child. But in the series, Ellie hasn't changed at all since the first season.
The Ellie in the Show Is Not the Ellie We Know From the Last of Us Part II
In the game, Ellie is a storm of emotions – she's angry and traumatized. The game doesn't shy away from her darkness, and that mood is central to the story's impact, making her eventual emotional breakdown devastating.
In the show, however, that intensity feels diluted. While Bella Ramsey's performance remains strong, the writing and direction soften Ellie's edges.
The lighter mood of the show undermines the darker tone that defined the game. Scenes that should be heavy with dread instead feel oddly polished.
The Pregnancy Reveal Scene in Episode 4 Is the Biggest Failure of the Show's Creators
And the main confirmation of this is the scene from Episode 4 where Ellie admits that she is immune and Dina tells that she is pregnant. Redditor kh7190 commented:
“I saw Ellie's reaction to Dina being pregnant in the show and it's quite the opposite in the game. [...] She's overall happy and handling it pretty well - a far cry from the rage that carried her all the way north to seek revenge in the game. The vibe is all wrong.”
This scene in the game was raw and full of tension. Ellie's reaction was a mix of love, fear, and dread that helps the player understand that this isn't just another plot point, but a twist that will have heavy consequences.
Ellie's conflicted reaction – protective yet frightened – conveys her emotional turmoil perfectly.
The show rushes the moment and makes it lighter, stripping it of the meaning it should carry. Dina is pregnant – now both of them have a double responsibility, and in a few months she will be "a burden," as Ellie said in the game, which is extremely dangerous in the conditions of a zombie apocalypse.
And yes, "I'm going to be a dad"? Well done, The Last of Us writers, you just turned what could be one of the most powerful scenes of the season into a meme.
