Fans (including yours truly) of the Emmy Award-winning drama series, The Last of Us, are eagerly awaiting the second season following the announcement of some new cast members. The show's take on the divisive story of Naughty Dog's 2020 video game, the second chapter of The Last of Us Part, has left players divided into two camps with regards to the sequel's shocking event.
The first season concluded following the original storyline as the game ... Joel Miller, a tough smuggler, fought his way through a hospital in Utah to save his surrogate daughter Ellie, who was unconscious, from being killed for a cure to the fungal zombie pandemic. Actor Pedro Pascal received critical acclaim for his emotional performance as Joel, portraying his affected cynicism, disturbingly practical approach to violence, deep vulnerability, and trauma. Fans of Pascal, who affectionately call him "Internet's dad," are eagerly anticipating his return in the upcoming season.
Currently filming in Vancouver, Canada, filming the second season may be overshadowed by the popularity of Pascal, which could be a risky move for the show's creators. However, the second season of the popular video game-inspired TV show will introduce four new cast members who show-runners hope can carry the show moving forward. The show's creators have revealed the names of the actors and the characters they will be playing. Danny Ramirez, known for his role in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, will play Manny, a loyal soldier. Tati Gabrielle, from You and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, will play Nora, a medic. Spencer Lord, from Riverdale, will play Owen, a conflicted soldier in love. Ariela Barer, from How to Blow Up a Pipeline, will play Mel, a surgeon and Owen's rebound girlfriend. The official press release suggests that the characters will be facing emotional turmoil in the upcoming season, and they will likely be introduced early on.
The story follows four characters who are led by team leader Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever from Justified. Abby's desire for revenge drives the group to the remote community of Jackson, Wyoming. During the game's opening act, Joel's bad luck or fate brings him straight into the hands of Abby and her friends: and Joel pays for his violent misdeeds with his life, to the horror of Ellie, who is held down and forced to watch Joel get beaten to death by Abby.
When major plot details were leaked before the release of The Last of Us Part 2, the response on X (formerly Twitter) to Joel's death was overwhelmingly negative. While the impact of Joel's brutal death may have lessened with time since the game's launch, a significant new audience of unsuspecting television viewers is about to witness Pedro Pascal's character suffer a similar fate in a future episode.
Pascal played a small part in Game of Thrones, but this time he is the main attraction in The Last of Us. As the biggest name in the cast, he brings with him a lot of star power. The question now is whether the showrunner, Craig Mazin, will stick to the game's storyline or make changes to keep Joel and Pascal's fans engaged for as long as possible in the second season.
Some theories among fans suggest that Joel's death may occur in episode two, after a brief introduction to Joel and Ellie's life in the community of survivors in Jackson. Additionally, there are new characters to meet, such as Ellie's friends and love interest Dina (played by Isabela Merced) and Jesse (played by Young Mazino), a patrolman who has learned some skills from Joel. After Joel's death, the trio sets out on a journey to Seattle to find and kill Abby and her former Fireflies. Abby's story follows her time with the Western Liberation Front (WLF), a paramilitary group, and runs concurrently with Ellie's adventures. However, Abby doesn't become the primary point of view character until halfway through the game, when players see the preceding three days in Seattle from her perspective.
Some fans of The Last of Us Part II are speculating that the TV show adaptation of the game will show the events in chronological order for both Abby and Ellie. This would involve switching focus in each episode, similar to the converging stories of Rick and Michonne in The Walking Dead. However, this would require significant padding of the season's events, particularly for action sequences. While there were some elements from the game, like Joel's love interest in Jackson and more WLF in-fighting, they are not enough material to be noteworthy. Despite this, Craig Mazin has shown the ability to create incredible original stories within Naughty Dog's fungus-filled sandbox. For example, in the TV show, he turned minor characters Bill and Frank from the first video game into a sweet and sad love story in the episode "Long, Long Time", which could make even the most hardened soul ugly cry.
Delaying Joel's death could undermine the central themes of The Last of Us Part II, which explores concepts of hate, guilt, and forgiveness. Without Joel's death to trigger Ellie's story, the adaptation would require a substantial amount of new material, making it more like fan fiction than an adaptation. Recent casting news suggests that while the adaptation may deviate from the game's storyline in some ways, the critical event from the game will likely play out as it did, occurring much earlier than fans of Joel and Ellie would have preferred. The event will be unpleasant, savage, and harsh, but it is an essential aspect of the story.
If this isn't getting you excited enough check out the teaser trailer.