After nearly nine weeks of tense, traumatic and tearful drama, The Last of Us' opening sequence is about to reach its climax.
Joel and Ellie's arduous journey across America has captivated audiences and critics alike as they seek a cure for a fungal brain infection that is devastating the public, and flee from brutal militias and monstrous monsters.
Adapting the series from the original video game, HBO announced that there will be a second series immediately after the first few episodes.
In this article, we'll take a look at how this might look. Spoilers will be avoided, as will Joel and Ellie escape these grotesque fungal spores.
The journey continues. #The Last of Us will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1d
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 27, 2023
The biggest clues come from the video game's own sequel.
The Last of Us: Part 2 was released on PlayStation 2020 in summer 4 and takes the story five years after the events of the first episode. It continues to expand the world by introducing new characters, factions and locations.
The game was a huge success for Sony, although its makers had to defend its use of violence. Three years later, it is considered one of the best games ever made and successfully continues the legacy created by the original.
Considering that the first series of the TV show remained largely faithful to the game, it's reasonable to assume that the show will continue down this path.
Its director, Neil Druckman, also suggested that this would be the case, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "We don't have any storytelling plans beyond adapting the games."
However, given the wider scope of the sequel, perhaps a series won't be enough to do it justice – so it can only focus on one element of the story (come back here in the future and "what to expect from the series?" three" articles…)
Trauma
The opening sequence of the adaptation was traumatic. He hasn't greeted audiences so regularly since Game of Thrones had more central characters.
This trend will continue in the second series. From the first to the last, difficult and heartbreaking decisions will be made. The more the characters explore this changing America, the more they will lose loved ones.
Viewers will shed one or more tears, and the constant threat of imminent and sudden death will haunt the show as it did in the first series.
Temalar
Thematically, the opening sequence touched on authoritarianism. How does it feel to be ruled by a dictatorship? What do we do next if we have little or no say in how society is run?
The next series will examine religious fundamentalism. As is often the case with post-apocalyptic zombie dramas (I appreciate being called 'infected' in this series, but you know what I mean), humans are often the scariest enemies.
That will certainly be the case when the Seraphites (also known as Scars), a group of violent cultists who communicate with menacing whistles, come to the screen.
How much the show decides to explore the rigor of its fundamentalist beliefs, and what that means for the other characters, we'll have to wait to find out.
As show creators Neil Druckman and Craig Mazlin discuss their work, it's clear that the main theme of the first series is love. Each episode is filled with people trying their best to save a loved one.
There will be a shift for the second series. Instead, it will ask how people deal with grief. Should we be angry? feeling numb? Try to forget? Or to take revenge?
Characters will answer this question differently, and viewers will have to decide which approach they instinctively support.
infected
So far, we've come across three types of viruses in Last of Us. casual or garden "runners" who gather together when a sport is interfered with; Mushroom faced blind but deadly quick-response "clickers"; And the 'bulge', a big lad emerging from the ground in the fifth episode.
In the second series, expect this list to expand.
In the game, players encounter a character named 'The Rat King', who is a gigantic and even more grotesque version of what has been shown on screen so far. This infected is a combination of many people knitted together in a hospital setting.
The game features an unforgettable scene where the characters are ambushed by a mouse king in a dark basement. It's a difficult and disturbing encounter that will be difficult to translate into television.
Variation
Neil Druckman told the BBC that video games should do a better job of representing society when Last of Us: Part 2 first came out. The diversity of gender, sexuality and ethnicity was important to him and the team that made the game.
The second series will introduce us to transgender character Lev, one of the first trans characters to appear in a major high-profile game release. Their story is an emotional one, so expect the show to explore societal attitudes towards transgender rights.
Characters
We have already met one of the main characters of the next series. Dina, a resident of Jackson, makes a fleeting appearance, staring at Ellie and Joel as they arrive in town in episode six. He will be the heart of the second series: Intelligent, loving and loyal.
This casting decision will be key to the success of the series.
Rumors are circulating about who will be playing the role of Abby. Played by Shannon Woodward in the play, she is a strong woman who has suffered a significant heartbreak. The divisive actions are central to the story of the second series and stick in your memory long after you put down your controller.
Three quarters of The Last of Us: Part 2 has a moment that plays with character perspective in a way that would be hard to do on TV. This episode is an important element of the overall emotional impact of the game. Can its on-screen equivalent stand up to it?
When
We don't know when the second series will be ready, with Pedro Pascal hinting that filming could begin in 2023. If all goes as planned, we'll likely rejoin the story in 2025.