The Last of Us season 2 leaves viewers 'crying' minutes into season premiere

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Last of Us season 2, episode 1 and the video game The Last of Us Part II

The much-anticipated return of The Last of Us has finally arrived, with fans set to enjoy seven new episodes, a shorter run than its predecessor.

The first episode, titled Future Days, begins in the immediate aftermath of Joel Miller's (played by Pedro Pascal) horrific hospital massacre as he rescues Ellie (Bella Ramsey), before leaping forward five years to their life in Jackson, Wyoming.

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Joel and Ellie find themselves at odds after his deception about the true events at the hospital.

Joel, a former smuggler, also attends therapy sessions as he grapples with Ellie's growing emotional detachment from him, reports .

The episode introduces a character named Eugene, the husband of Joel's therapist Gail (Catherine O'Hara), whom Joel has killed, though the circumstances remain unclear.

Fans were deeply moved by the opening episodes and took to social media platform X (formerly ) to share their reactions to the season two premiere, Future Days.

One viewer posted: "I'm still crying my heart fell out through my butt I feel like I've been stabbed [sic]."

Another queried if "the Thing happened", to which the original poster replied: "no but they still managed to devastate me entirely [sic]."

A third fan declared: "I'm just going to cry forever," while another admitted: "i literally started crying during the RECAP. this season isn't gonna go well for me. #TheLastOfUsS2 [sic]."

One viewer remarked: "Joel really had such a hard life. He raised his daughter on his own, then lost her in his arms and spent 20 years of his life immersed only in pain and guilt.

"Then he couldn't allow himself to fully love tess, then lost her. He met ellie and saved her only to then lose her too #tlou [sic]."

Another audience member chimed in: "HE DESERVED TO BE HAPPY [sic]."

Viewers also shared their thoughts on Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever), who was out for revenge against Joel for killing the doctor operating on Ellie in season one.

Abby informed her friends that they would "kill him slowly" when they found him.

Fans of the video game are all too aware of the deeply ominous foreshadowing of these scenes.

One person posted: "I'm so scared and my mom and stepdad don't know what's going to happen but I do and I'm not prepared for it."

A second viewer confessed: "IM NOT READY TO SEE IT A SECOND TIME [sic].

"Is it too much to hope that the producers of the show learn from the game's mistakes and will have Abby die at the end of the season?" a third pondered.

Another fan warned: "To the non gamers I hope they are mentally ready for this gut wrenching episode."

HBO recently confirmed that it had greenlit season three, so the future looks promising for the hit series.

Season two serves as an adaptation of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us Part II, which is twice as long as the first part.

Judging by the current trajectory, it appears that the second season of the HBO series will only cover half of the game's narrative, leaving the remaining half to be adapted in the third series.

However, the show's creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have previously voiced their ambition for a four-season arc for The Last of Us.

HBO has not yet confirmed whether the third season will be the final one, leaving fans on tenterhooks as they watch the unfolding story.

The Last of Us season 2 airs on HBO in the USA on Sundays and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in UK on Mondays