The Last of Us, HBO's adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved video game series, returned for its second season tonight, and fans of the games are surely nervous. Why? Well, let's check to make sure no newbies are here, because they are about to get exposed to nuclear-grade SPOILERS.
Okay, the coast is clear. The second season of The Last of Us on HBO is based on The Last of Us Part II, the second and so far most recent game in the series. In that game, Joel — the hardened survivalist who helped his surrogate daughter Ellie survive a zombie-ridden America in the first game — dies. And he dies brutally, beaten to death by a woman named Abby. Joel killed Abby's father at the end of the first game, when Abby's dad was about to perform life-ending surgery on Ellie. Ellie is the only person in the world known to be immune to the cordyceps fungus, which has turned much of Earth's population into mindless monsters. Abby's dad was operating on Ellie in the hopes of creating a cure, but Joel wasn't willing to sacrifice someone he loved even for that.
Joel's decision is complex, and we can see in the season 2 premiere episode that it's driven a wedge between him and Ellie. Abby is introduced in this premiere episode, entitled "Future Days," but she and Joel don't meet...yet. That means Joel is still alive and ticking at the end.
But will that last? When The Last of Us Part II first came out in 2020, fans were outraged after the plot twist of Joel's early death; it resulted in a backlash that has become part of a games industry legend. Is it possible that the showrunners behind The Last of Us TV show will learn from that experience and change the story?
I really doubt it. They've already laid the groundwork for Joel's fatal encounter with Abby. So far, The Last of Us has been uncommonly faithful to its source material, in part because Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann is one of the showrunners. I can't imagine he'll change the story he wrote so drastically.
Still, fans get to breath easy for at least another week...but come next Sunday, I would prepare for blood.
There are only seven episodes of The Last of Us airing in season 2, although the showrunners have plans for at least one more season after this, and maybe more than one. We'll be covering it all right here! Check out our spoiler-free early review of the whole season below:
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