The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has proved every doubter wrong with one season 2 moment

After a chilling opener centred around this season’s antagonist-of-sorts Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the Sky Atlantic sci-fi reintroduces us to Ramsey’s Ellie as she’s put through a brutal training regime – so brutal, in fact, that viewers may initially believe she’s in a genuine fight for her life.

From the off, it is clear we’re dealing with a different beast this time around, an older, more street-wise and physically imposing Ellie who is ready to scrap hard, even if it puts her in danger.

Of course, even in season 1, Ellie was never afraid of confrontation, but she was ultimately a much more vulnerable protagonist who largely relied on weaponry to hold her own out in the battlefield.

Now, though, we witness the growth of a character who feels like she’d be as useful in a tussle as Joel or Tommy, and that’s credit to the star playing her.

Ellie’s physical evolution is displayed vividly in the stature of Ramsey, who holds themselves in a more commanding manner than the last time we saw them in season 1 – a deliberate choice that continues throughout their episode 1 performance, with the stockier-looking character, consistently crossing her arms with rolled-up sleeves displaying fresh tattoos, proving a more assertive screen presence this time around.

For fans of the source material, who got to make the most of the gameplay improvements Ellie’s more filled-out build offered, this should come as a welcome relief: This evolution is a key component of Naughty Dog’s 2020 follow-up both story-wise and gameplay-wise, and Ramsey channels the PlayStation sequel’s take on the character right off the bat.

However, there’s also an emotional evolution for Ellie from scene one, as the fractured relationship between the teenager and Joel (Pedro Pascal) is hinted at in the opening conversation with Jesse (Young Mazino), who has the unfortunate role of relaying Joel’s strict rules around combat, and explored further throughout the episode.

While season 1’s Ellie didn’t exactly like being told what to do, by the end of that run she respected her new father figure, displaying a reluctant acceptance that out in the wilderness, for her own sake and Joel’s, she had to follow his rules.

Here, though, there’s not just a desire for independence, but a need for it. In one short chat with Mazino’s Jesse, Ramsey lays out Ellie’s mindset, her anger at being coddled by Joel displaying a self-confidence and doggedness that has come from years of growing in maturity, stature and respect within her wider circle, but not in the eyes of the person closest to her – and the venomous line delivery emphasises this.

We’ve all been there, as a late teen, feeling ready to take on the world and grow as people, even if we’re not quite as ready as we might believe.

It’s a running theme throughout the game series’s Part 2, as Ellie brushes up against what she perceives to be an overbearing approach from Joel, and – like the physical aspect of the character – Ramsey channels this emotional weight with ease from the opening scenes.

The arrogance in Ramsey’s performance perfectly blends hints of her season 1 childishness with a boldness that is rooted in her growing self-assuredness, echoing the character developments in the game.

This blend comes through most clearly in the scenes with Pascal’s Joel himself, as they bump heads in increasingly tense stand-offs. The performance of the leading duo as they pull apart the touching dynamic that developed in season 1 is powerful and compelling, leaning on the bond they built across the previous run.

The two leading stars have spoken extensively about their chemistry both on and off screen, and how they constructed that across a year or so of filming in challenging conditions. Without said chemistry, would the disintegration of their bond hit as hard? Would a newly cast Ellie nail these moments to the same devastating degree? It’s hard to imagine so.

For Part 2’s most major twists to hit with full force, there has to be a tangible connection between the leading duo, and Ramsey’s ability to run the entire spectrum opposite Pascal – from genuine affection in late season 1 to simmering resentment in season 2’s opener – is already helping to lay the groundwork for those narrative beats to prove even more impactful.

Of course, all of this comes from the analysis of one episode in a much longer season – and predominantly one scene of that episode – but already it’s clear that those who worried about Ramsey’s ability to evolve their performance from season 1 to season 2 – and thus from game one to game two – needn’t do so.

Both physically and emotionally, The Last of Us has the right person in the right role. Doubters be damned.

The Last of Us season 2 is now showing on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

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