The Last of Us Season 2 unfortunately didn't manage to replicate what made the first season of the show so special. That much was abundantly clear when it aired earlier this year, as the show was criticized at every turn for its dodgy storytelling and what fans perceive as disrespect of certain scenes from the games.
At the end of it all, the momentum that the first season managed to create was shot down, and Season 2's finale saw a whopping 55 percent drop in viewers compared to Season 1's. A lot of that was due to the creative direction that show took, and while you'd hope that we might get a more authentic Season 3, Ellie actor Bella Ramsey would rather people that don't enjoy the show just go and play the game again.
The Last Of Us Star Bella Ramsey Tells Season 2 Haters To "Just Play The Game"
Ramsey made these comments in the most recent episode of The Awardist podcast (thanks Twisted Voxel), during which they discussed the negative reception towards Season 2, and was asked what they'd say to its more diehard critics. Their response is probably not what these people want to hear.
"I would say, you don’t have to watch it," says Ramsey. "If you hate it so much, the game exists. You can just play the game again, you don’t have to watch it. But if you do want to watch it, then I hope you enjoy it."
To be completely fair, they probably do have a point. It's unlikely that The Last of Us will suddenly undergo a dramatic transformation between Season 2 and 3, and if you didn't like the former, you're probably not going to like the latter either. That being said, it's understandable that fans of the game would want to see a faithful adaptation, and you can understand the disappointment some people felt not seeing that in Season 2.
Then again, it's not like Ramsey has any control over where the show goes from here too, so their advice to just replay the games if you hate the show is probably the only advice they could possibly give. All we (and Ramsey) can really do is hope that Season 3 gives us more of what we liked from the first season, and less of what we hated from the second.
Your comment has not been saved