The Last Of Us Season 2 Just Changed The Game For The Better
The hero moment we never knew we needed.
The first season of The Last of Us was so beloved partially for its dedication to the source material. Aside from a few expansions on the story, the HBO series adapted the Naughty Dog game to the letter, featuring whole episodes that felt ripped from playthrough. Given the simpler story at the heart of The Last of Us, a faithful retelling made a lot of sense. But the rules of engagement change in a major way with The Last of Us Part II, a bigger, meaner, and altogether more controversial story. Season 2 has a lot more material to adapt, and thus a few more opportunities to get creative with the narrative fans know and love.
The Last of Us showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin didn’t waste much time experimenting with the form of Season 2. From its very first episode, our story remixes canon, fleshing out the conflict between leading man Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever), a stranger set on revenge against him. It also reverses the roles that key characters play in the story, leaving some fans to worry that Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) would be left out in the cold. This week’s episode of The Last of Us takes something of a risk with that character, but it does open the door for what could be a richer story down the line.
Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2.
The Last of Us takes a big risk switching out Tommy for Dina.
The first two episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 focus on the game’s inciting incident. The season begins with the fallout of Joel’s blindsiding attack on a Firefly stronghold, which resulted in the murder of many innocents. One of his victims just so happens to be Abby’s dad, sending her spiraling in the quest for revenge. In Episode 2, she finally manages to catch up with Joel, but the circumstances surrounding their encounter are a bit different from those in the game.
Originally, Abby gets caught in an avalanche of Infected, and she’s saved by Joel and Tommy while they’re out on patrol. The Last of Us switches things up by pairing Joel with Dina (Isabela Merced), a young resident in Jackson who’s become a surrogate daughter to him. Dina’s a capable fighter, but she’s no match for Abby and her group: they knock her unconscious to get to Joel without interference, making it all the easier for Abby to murder him at the end of the episode.
Tommy, meanwhile, is dealing with his own ambush back in Jackson. The Infected have somehow grown smarter, sneakier, and more capable of hunting. These are called Stalkers in the game, and they represent the second stage of infection. They’re dangerous enough on their own, but in Episode 2, they form a massive horde with Runners, Clickers, and one gigantic Bloater to overrun the city of Jackson. Tommy steps up to defend the wall alongside his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), establishing his love for Jackson and the people in it. This change also establishes Tommy’s capability as a soldier, something we don’t see much of in The Last of Us Part II.
Ellie will never be the same after Episode 2 — but what about Tommy?
Episode 2’s big change will undoubtedly be controversial for loyal fans of the games. The Infected attack on Jackson was created solely for the show, and there’s no telling how this massive event will change this story further. Tommy’s involvement in it will also undoubtedly change his arc moving forward: without spoiling too much about the game, he plays a big role in Ellie’s impending quest for revenge. Witnessing Joel’s murder is as important for his arc as it is for Ellie’s — but now that he’s been switched out for Dina, it’s hard to say what he’ll do next. Will he stay behind and help rebuild Jackson while Ellie and Dina set off to avenge Joel? We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.
However, one way this change improves the show is how it strengthens Dina’s role in Ellie’s whole mission — now she’s got skin in the game, and is even more motivated to help avenge Joel. Switching the two characters is a risky change, but it’s made this already-complex tale just a little more interesting.
