Since 2013, The Last of Us has captured the hearts of many gamers and non-gamers alike with its beautiful scenes, action-packed battles and boss fights against the Infected, and its deep and fleshed out characters. Since its release, the ending of the first game has been debated and fought over by many, and even more since the release of the second game. Now with the show out on HBO Max and a second season waiting to be released, many fans are wondering, what liberties will Neil Druckmann and his team take? Many fans of the first season know the game and show are similar, but not everything shown is exactly like the game. This leaves fans wondering, “What will take place within season 2?”
As most viewers may know by now, Season 1 ended the exact same way the game did – with Joel’s murderous rampage of the Fireflies within the Salt Lake City hospital. It’s brutal, bloody, and sorrowful as Joel makes his way through the floors to save Ellie before her surgery. He succeeds in his mission and saves her, but ultimately lies to Ellie about how it happened. Since she was knocked out by an anesthetic and was unconscious during Joel’s actions, she has no memory of what happened in the hospital. In a later scene, Ellie makes Joel promise that what he said about the hospital is true, he lies, and viewers can tell Ellie has her doubts. Since she does not know what truly happened, all she can do is take his word for it. It is a very bittersweet ending after seeing the adventures these two go on and seeing their relationship grow stronger with each day. This massive lie Joel has told puts an uncomfortable, agonizing weight on their relationship.
In 2020, the second chapter of this haunting story was released on Steam. While met with many positive reviews on how this game’s story and characters are complex and well written, another side of the fandom believes that the second game knocks over the entire story of the first game. New characters are introduced, such as Abby and her friends, who plot to kill Joel after he murders Abby’s father in the first game. We find out during Abby’s own murderous rampage that her father was the head doctor and surgeon with the Fireflies, who was determined to find a cure or a vaccine. While that may sound like a good plot on paper, the way Druckmann and his team executed the second game left fans unsatisfied and disappointed, while others understood the direction they were going with. Druckmann tried to explain to fans that this story is supposed to highlight “The Cycle of Violence” and how it leaves people empty, alone, and broken.
When HBOMax released the first season in 2023, it was met with many positive reviews. Fans praised the changes made from the game’s original story, such as Sam and Henry’s characters, and the deeper dive into Bill and Frank’s romantic relationship. While viewers did enjoy these changes, many complained about the story not staying true to the original source material. Some claimed that the writing in the show was subpar compared to the first game’s writing. Now that the second season is being released over the span of seven weeks, and many fans are wondering, what is going to happen next? What liberties will the writers and directors take? Who will they kill off, and who will live to see the end of the story? Many questions and theories have been circulated around the internet regarding the second season, such as Joel’s death, Dina and Ellie’s relationship, and Tommy’s havoc that he brings to Seattle after Joel’s death. Fans have speculated how these scenes will be shown on screen and what the directors will explore within the show. With trailers being released over the course of the past few months, many fans have conjured up suggestions and ideas to what they expect and want to see from this series.
The Last of Us story has captured the hearts of many with its lovable characters and fantastic story. While the ending has made fans all over the world wonder if characters are right or wrong, most can agree that this story has impacted them in some way or another. With the release of the first season, and a second one on the way, so many fans are excited to see if their theories are right or wrong. All fans are excited to see what the writers and directors are cooking up, and are awaiting the 9 o’clock episode every Sunday.
