Post-apocalyptic tales of zombies need something special to stand out from the crowd. An HBO series called The Last Of Us started in 2023 and brought a new exploration of this concept, one that connected to post-COVID fears even if the adapted source predated that period.

This three-disc set provides all seven of Season Two’s episodes. The plot synopses come from IMDB.

Future Days: “Five years after the events in Salt Lake city, a now 19-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) makes a discovery while on patrol with her best friend Dina (Isabela Merced). Back in Jackson Hole, Joel (Pedro Pascal) seeks help to mend his relationship with Ellie.”

Given that five-year leap in the series’ chronology from the end of S1 and “Days” as well as the two-year gap between seasons, “Days” almost feels like a pilot. It needs to reintroduce characters and update them in a manner that means more exposition than otherwise might’ve been the case.

“Days” handle these moments efficiently. It gives us a good start to S2 and starts the year’s new threads on an effective note.

Through the Valley: “As a storm brews in the mountains, the people of Jackson Hole prepare for the worst amid increased sightings of Infected. Meanwhile, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) weighs her options.”

Abby offers a character new to S2, one out for revenge because a primary Last of Us role killed her father – necessarily, as it happens, but that doesn’t satisfy her. I don’t know where this will lead, but “Valley” gives the concept a twist when the character in question saves her from the infected.

In addition to that thread, “Valley” provides a massive battle scene, one so major that it surprises me S2 presents it so early, as it feels like a “season climax” event, especially since it also involves the death of a series regular. This adds up to a strong show.

The Path: “After Dina shares crucial intel, Ellie prepares to petition the town council. Near Seattle, a religious group flees a war.”

Set three months after the stunning events of “Valley”, “Path” largely acts to catch up on the aftermath. This means less action than the prior show and more interpersonal drama as the characters struggle to come to terms with matters.

Inevitably, this makes “Path” less visceral and dynamic than “Valley”, but I don’t view that as a negative. Instead, the episode pushes S2 ahead well after the major shocks of “Valley” and points us toward future narrative developments.

Day One: “In Seattle, Ellie and Dina find themselves amid a brutal battle between the zealous Seraphites and a ruthless militia.”

We meet two new characters here, both played by “name” actors, albeit one more recognizable/famous than the other. They arrive via a dark and chilling prologue.

In addition to those elements, we get the development of narrative threads and some pulse-pounding action. All of this adds up to a strong show.

Feel Her Love: “The WLF makes a dangerous discovery at a great cost. Later, Ellie must decide whether to continue with her plan - and risk putting Dina in danger - or give up on her quest for justice.”

Though not as good as “Day One”, “Love” nonetheless pushes matters ahead well. Ellie’s journey gets the most development and we end with an intriguing twist to propel us toward the last two episodes of S2.

The Price: “Joel surprises Ellie for her birthday. Years later, Ellie prepares to confront Joel about her past.”

In an unusual move, “Price” comes to us via flashbacks that mostly follow Ellie’s birthdays from 15 to 19. This becomes an unconventional way to build toward the S2 finale but it works, as it fills in some narrative spaces and also gives us an emotional view of the core characters.

Convergence: “Amid the battle between Seattle's warring factions, Ellie's search draws her toward a devastating confrontation.”

If that implies a real resolution… not so much. Indeed, “Convergence” feels a little frustrating, as it essentially concludes on a cliffhanger.

Still, it develops matter well enough and gives us some progression. Too bad viewers will need to wait at least two more years to see where matters go from here because Season Three looks unlikely to debut prior to 2027.

The Last of Us appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on these 4K UHD Discs. A native 4K production, the Dolby Vision episodes provided excellent picture quality.

Sharpness consistently looked tight and well-defined. Any softness seemed intentional, and the end product maintained a solid level of delineation.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

Colors leaned toward a modern mix of amber/orange and teal, with a push toward green in forest settings and few other hues tossed out occasionally. The 4K reproduced the tones as intended, and HDR gave them a nice boost in intensity.

Blacks looked deep and dark, while shadows demonstrated appealing clarity. HDR added range and impact to whites and contrast. This wound up as a great-looking package of shows.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the series’ Dolby Atmos audio also satisfied. Unsurprisingly, the occasional Big Action Moments fared the best.

These climaxed early in the series, as the first episode offered the most evocative soundscape. In that one, the world quickly deteriorated, and with plane crashes and other expansive moments, it used the speakers to become vivid and engaging.

After that, soundfields tended toward a more environmental side of the street, though occasional Big Action Moments nonetheless arose. These used the spectrum in a positive way, with music that also spread across the spectrum in an appealing manner.

Audio quality worked nicely, with speech that consistently appeared concise and natural. Music seemed warm and full.

Effects displayed excellent reproduction, with accurate, dynamic tones that brought deep bass as necessary. I felt pleased with the series’ audio.

Across all three discs, we find The Making of The Last of Us Season 2 featurettes. With one per episode, these span a total of one hour, 13 minutes, 23 seconds.

Across these, we find notes from series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directors of photography Catherine Goldschmidt and Ksenia Sereda, VFX supervisor Alex Wang, directors Mark Mylod, Kate Herron, Stephen Williams, Nina Lopez-Corrado and Peter Hoar, SPFX supervisor Joel Whist, prosthetics designer Barrie Gower, production designer Don Macaulay, stunt coordinator Marny Eng, supervising location manager Nicole Chartrand, writer Halley Gross, and actors Bella Ramsey, Catherine O’Hara, Pedro Pascal, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, Young Mazino, Rutina Wesley, and Jeffrey Wright.

The segments discuss story/characters, cast and performances, creature design, digital and practical effects, photography, sets and locations, stunts and action. Though the segments can lean superficial at times, they still deliver generally positive insights related to the various episodes.

On Disc One, Growing the World of The Last of Us occupies two minutes, three seconds. It brings info from Ramsey, Mazin, Mazino, Wesley, Luna, Merced, Pascal, Dever, Druckmann, O'Hara and Wright.

The reel looks at the expanding universe of Last of Us. It exists as promo fodder and not much more.

Welcome to Jackson spans three minutes, 24 seconds and features Druckmann, Wesley, Mazino, Mylod, Macaulay, Ramsey, Luna and art director Callum Webster as they talk about the S2 Jackson set. Expect a few insights and a lot of fluff.

Disc One concludes with Battle of Jackson, Deconstructed. This 11-minute, 13-second show brings info from Mazin, Luna, Mylod, Druckmann, Wesley, Wang, and Gower.

As implied, this one digs into aspects of the major fight featured in S2's second episode. Though it brings some of the usual happy talk, it comes with enough substance to deserve a look.

On Disc Two, we find a pair of reels under the banner Journey to Season Two, with one that focuses on Joel (3:39) and another that concentrates on Ellie (2:58). Across these, we get montages of Season One clips.

These allow viewers a reminder of what happened with the roles prior to S2. It acts as a useful update for those who’ve not seen S1 in a while.

Four Character Featurettes occupy a total of three minutes, 36 seconds. These involve Pascal, Ramsey, Dever and Merced.

We get basics about Joel, Ellie, Abby and Dina and also thoughts about coming back for S2. All four seem pretty fluffy and promotional.

We conclude Disc Two with Mushroom Taste Test, a four-minute, 33-second clip in which Ramsey, Dever, Mazino and Merced sample mushrooms in a variety of forms. It seems as puffy as that description implies.

Finally, Disc Three comes with a few more elements. Pedro and Bella Q&A spans six minutes, 34 seconds.

As implied, we get a chat between Pascal and Ramsey as they ask each other questions like "do you sing in the shower?" and "would we have been friends in school?" It comes with some charms but doesn't offer any real insights.

Open Book lasts five minutes, seven seconds and brings notes from Merced and Mazino as they go through a Q&A not dissimilar to "Pedro and Bella", though the questions lean less goofy. Though fairly fluffy, it comes with a few decent remarks.

With Stalker Showdown, Deconstructed, we find a three-minute, 21-second reel. It involves Mazin, Druckmann, Gower, Williams, Ramsey, Wang, Whist, and stunt double Cassandra Ebner.

As anticipated, "Stalker" resembles Disc One's "Battle of Jackson" exploration. It comes with some good beats but seems too brief to offer much depth.

Camera Roll occupies three minutes, 13 seconds and brings info from Ramsey, Merced and Mazino.

Shot in the same session as “Mushroom Taste Test” - though mysteriously minus Dever - they look at photos from the shoot and offer their memories. We get a smattering of decent notes.

Next comes In Action. Via this four-minute, 34-second reel, we get thoughts from Dever, Ramsey, Eng, Mylod, Pascal, Whist, Merced, Ebner, Lopez-Corrado, and horse wrangler Danny Virtue.

We get info about stunts across S2. It turns into another erratic mix of fluff and facts.

Ellie’s Path goes for 16 minutes, 39 seconds. We get material from Ramsey, Druckmann, Mazin, Gross, Pascal, Dever, Merced, Hoar, Williams, Lopez-Corrado, Luna, and Mazino.

The program looks at character and story beats across the season, with an obvious emphasis on Ellie. It doesn't offer much of real interest.

Disc Three concludes with Beneath the Surface. It runs 16 minutes, 41 seconds and provides remarks from Druckmann, Mazin, Wang, Mylod, Dever, Gower, Merced, Herron, Goldschmidt, Ramsey, Whist, Lopez-Corrado, Sereda, Eng, costume set supervisor Steve Holloway, costume set assistant Steve Oben, costume designer Ann Foley, key breakdown artist Samantha Stroman, and prosthetics supervisor Paul Spateri.

"Surface" digs deeper into the series' various effects as well as costumes, sets and locations. It becomes a generally informative affair.

Season One of The Last Of Us fared well and Season Two continues that high level of quality. The series mixes action and character depth in a satisfying manner. The 4K UHD discs boast excellent visuals, solid audio and a generally positive array of bonus features. Bring on Season Three!