I’m a “Last of Us” superfan. The PlayStation duology ranks amongst my favourite video video games of all time, and I used to be vastly impressed by the first season of the HBO present. Sadly, I’ve had a much less enthusiastic response to “The Last of Us” season 2.
I’ve been left feeling largely dissatisfied by the present’s long-awaited return, as every episode makes an increasing number of important adjustments to the supply materials that, in my view, don’t profit the general story.
It’s not that “The Last of Us” season 2 has been particularly unhealthy, it’s simply not hit the heights of season 1, and hasn’t resonated with me in the manner The Last of Us Half 2 video video games did, and continues to do so to this very day.
Nonetheless, with the finale set for this weekend (airing on HBO and Max on Sunday, Might 25), I’m getting ready to watch with an open thoughts and the hope that the season can be salvaged at the demise. For that to occur, listed below are the three things I need to see in “The Last of Us” season 2, episode 7.
However first, a fast spoiler warning: this text accommodates spoilers for The Last of Us Half 2 recreation and should comprise spoilers for future episodes of the HBO present.
Convey Tommy back into the fold
One of the most curious adjustments that the HBO present has made in contrast to the authentic online game is its dealing with of the character of Tommy (performed by Gabriel Luna in the present).
In the Half 2 recreation, Tommy is the one who first heads out to Seattle to discover (and kill) Abby, with Ellie and Dina following in his wake. Alternatively, in the world of the present, Tommy is a pillar of the group in Jackson and a household man with a younger little one. He stays behind to rebuild the makeshift city following its assault by a horde of contaminated, with Ellie and Dina trekking to Seattle on their very own to discover Abby.
I wasn’t a fan of this modification, however with the die now forged, at the very least, I need Tommy to be correctly introduced back into the combine. The excellent news is Tommy’s reemergence seems virtually sure. We all know he is now on the board, as Jesse revealed in episode 6 that the different Miller brother accompanied him to Seattle.
Tommy’s function must be sizeable in the finale, and that’ll make me very pleased.
Don’t change Jesse’s destiny
“The Last of Us” as a franchise has by no means been scared of shock character deaths, and arguably the most out-of-the-blue kill in the collection to date is that of Jesse.
There’s no buildup to this homicide. As an alternative, Ellie and Jesse hear someone breaking into their theater base, dash to confront this intruder (revealed to be Abby), and in a break up second, Jesse is snuffed out through a bullet to the head.
It was a second that left me almost breathless when taking part in the recreation for the first time. I used to be initially satisfied that Jesse hadn’t simply died in such a sudden manner. However in the world of “The Last of Us,” key characters don’t all the time get heroic deaths or dramatic send-offs. This apocalyptic world is way too brutal for each character to go into the darkish evening with a becoming swansong.
The present wants to preserve this essential second intact, and fortuitously, I feel it probably will. Whereas season 2 has made a boatload of adjustments, it has, no less than up to now, stored the narrative broad strokes the similar, and I hope it received’t go so far as to alter a key character’s premature destiny.
Maintain Abby’s iconic line
OK, so I’ll totally acknowledge this one is a bit of a nitpick, however I used to be tremendous dissatisfied that Joel’s iconic line simply earlier than his brutal homicide at Abby’s palms (“Why do not you say no matter speech you bought rehearsed, and get this over with.”) was eliminated in favor of one which lacked the similar punch.
The much-anticipated theatre confrontation between Abby and Ellie, which all indicators level in direction of being the bookend of “The Last of Us” season 2, accommodates an equally iconic second, when Abby, shocked to uncover the individual searching her and her mates down is Ellie and Tommy, spits out “we let you each reside and also you wasted it” earlier than elevating her gun to shoot. Reduce to black.
It’s an actual fan-favorite line, and I’ll be fairly miffed if this dialogue can be eliminated (or considerably reworked). Right here’s hoping the present opts to preserve this intense scene just about unchanged.
Once you land on perfection the first time, why alter things the second time?
