Despite mainstream media rushing to frame the reaction to The Last of Us Season 2 as manufactured “review bombing” outrage, the backlash surrounding Joel’s early departure is much deeper—and far more authentic—than critics would have audiences believe.
In a now widely circulated article from Collider, the site claims that the Last of Us show has fallen prey to “review bombing,” dismissing the outcry from viewers as little more than coordinated trolling.
Abby in The Last of Us Part II (2020), Naughty Dog
READ: Andor Season 2 Starts with Major Controversy as Many Star Wars Fans Object to Repulsing Scene
“It would appear that the trolls are out of their caves,” writer Rahul Malhotra begins, before blaming the show’s declining audience score on Rotten Tomatoes on “disgruntled viewers” with a supposed vendetta against female-led productions. It’s a familiar screech resounding from a mainstream access media machine that often tries to cover up fan dissatisfaction by blaming it on ideologically-driven coordinated hate campaigns.
But this narrative (once again…) doesn’t hold up.
A Familiar Outrage Repeats Itself—Organically
What the Collider article ignores is that the backlash to Joel’s removal isn’t just coming from longtime gamers—it’s now being echoed by new viewers experiencing this part of the story for the first time.
In 2020, fans of The Last of Us Part II were blindsided by how quickly the sequel pivoted away from its central character. Many expressed that Joel’s absence left a narrative void that the rest of the game couldn’t fill. Now, five years later, audiences who never played the games are reaching the exact same conclusion.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered (2024), Naughty Dog
These viewers didn’t come in with pre-loaded expectations. They simply connected with Joel over the course of Season 1, only to feel like the story suddenly ripped its emotional core away in Season 2. That’s not trolling. It wasn’t back in 2020, and it’s not now. That’s storytelling fallout, and it’s happening again.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The Last of Us Season 2 debuted with strong critic reviews—currently holding a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes—but the audience score is another story entirely. As Collider itself admitted, the audience score recently “dropped further to 52%.” Rather than entertain the idea that real viewers might be expressing valid frustration, the article leaps to accusations of coordinated manipulation, claiming this is what happens when review-bombers “target women.”
Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us (2023), HBO
READ: Explosive Leaked Clip Confirms Sweet Baby Inc. Pressured Developers to Submit to Narrative Demands
That’s an irresponsible stretch by Malhotra. While some complaints do involve casting concerns—specifically around Bella Ramsey’s performance as Ellie—it’s not about gender. It’s about whether the portrayal aligns with the character fans knew from the games. That’s a valid discussion in any adaptation. Dismissing all critique as prejudice is not only reductive—it’s dishonest.
Selective History and Bad-Faith Comparisons
The Collider piece doesn’t stop there. It ties Joel’s exit to an entire chain of unrelated controversies.
“In fact, Rotten Tomatoes was forced to rework its audience rating system after Captain Marvel witnessed similar targeting in 2019,” Malhotra wrote. “Halle Bailey’s casting in The Little Mermaid remake also ruffled the feathers of trolls, while Rachel Zegler’s pro-Palestine comments got them to tank the recent Snow White remake’s IMDb scores.”
This isn’t analysis—it’s agenda-building.
Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The article lumps together every backlash into a single monolithic strawman, equating legitimate story criticism with online trolling. And just like with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the reaction is once again being blamed on toxic fans rather than acknowledged as a response to narrative choices that didn’t land with the broader audience.
The Real Issue: Joel Was the Anchor
What critics keep missing—perhaps deliberately—is that Joel was the emotional center of the show. Pedro Pascal’s performance resonated with audiences, even those who had never touched the games. The character was complex, flawed, and deeply human. Removing him early in the season was always going to be a risk. Viewers are reacting to that narrative gamble, not engaging in some coordinated effort to manipulate scores for sport.
Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us (2023), HBO
It’s entirely possible that some of the criticism of this show is carried over from angry gamers who still hold a grudge against Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog. The game was marketed with outright lies, showing Joel in later scenes long after the character met his end. It was a classic bait and switch deceptive marketing example that understandably ruffled the feathers of fans.
But to chalk all criticism up to some kind of coordinated attack? That’s an absurd argument with no basis in reality. It’s a claim that shatters the boundaries of responsible journalism and wades into the swamp of ideologically-driven propaganda.
Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us (2023), HBO
One quote from Collider puts that double standard in full stunning view: “Why is it that review-bombers always seem to target women?”
The answer? They don’t.
Viewers have pushed back against plenty of male-led projects when storytelling falters. The real question is why some media outlets treat audience feedback as valid one week—and smear it the next when the product doesn’t align with their preferred messaging.
A Lesson Unlearned
The reaction to Joel’s exit isn’t new. It’s just new to TV audiences. In 2020, gamers expressed the same disappointment. Now, viewers without any prior knowledge are reacting exactly the same way. That’s not trolling. That’s proof the issue was never about gender, identity, or review-bombing.
The Last of Us Part I (2022), Naughty Dog
It was always about the story—and whether the writers understood the bond audiences had with one of the most compelling protagonists in gaming history.
Do you think The Last of Us is just another victim of review bombing? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
The more they lie to people’s faces, the more people will come to our side.
And they wonder why people don’t trust them anymore.
They never should have trusted them to begin with.
Was the drop in viewer ratings review bombing too? Or has the word now become a label for any negative reaction?
“it’s not about gender” – YES IT IS! Gender is critical, including in this context.
Honestly, I hate to say it, but you’re almost as woke (narrative-wise) as the mainstream media is, ThatDarkPlace. It’s absolutely about gender. Both men and women prefer to watch men in action movies and shows.
An exception might be the scream queens in horror movies, but, even then, the real star, the reason people watch, is the villain.
They will do their best to defend the propaganda. The best approach is to not watch that garbage.
[…] A principal fonte de descontentamento entre os fãs parece ser a morte precoce de Joel, personagem central interpretado por Pedro Pascal. Essa decisão narrativa, que já havia sido polêmica no jogo The Last of Us Part II, agora repercute entre os espectadores da série. […]