Everything to know before 'The Last of Us' season 2

Watching

• The Last of Us. More than two years after the season 1 finale first aired, The Last of Us is returning for a highly-anticipated second season and preparing for its own time jump. Here’s everything you need to know before the second season starts.

• The Gardener. Netflix’s new Spanish psychological thriller packs plenty of intensity into just six episodes. We break down the ending here.

• The Pitt. This Max hit is really about the daily challenges facing the overburdened, underresourced department charged with healing the most urgent ills of a broken society—challenges that are, no matter how hard the staff pushes itself, ultimately insurmountable. Read more.

Reading

• Exit Wounds. With his latest memoir, former war correspondent Peter Godwin puts the focus on the three most important women in his life. Read more.

• Flirting Lessons. Jasmine Guillory’s latest romance novel begins with mild mannered event planner Avery Jensen realizing she needs some help in the art of seduction. Luckily, she finds herself a willing teacher in Taylor Cameron, a known heartbreaker who is looking for a wholesome distraction. Read more.

• Audition. Katie Kitamura’s fifth novel begins with a tense Manhattan lunch date between an accomplished middle-aged theater actor and a mysterious younger man. Over the course of 197 disquieting pages, Kitamura unravels a provocative narrative that questions the relationship between truth and performance. Read more.

Talking About

• The Last of Us has attracted scrutiny and strong opinions, particularly for its alleged parallels to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here’s what to know.

• Twenty years ago, John Legend was an upstart singer and pianist, bouncing between Philadelphia and New York trying to get a record deal. The singer speaks with time about the Get Lifted, the album that jump started his success here.