The Last of Us was released on the PS3 just months before the PS4 dropped. It was the last great exclusive for the PS3, which spelled a fitting end to one of Sony’s most uneven console generations. The game was followed up by a sequel in 2020, The Last of Us Part 2, which had a more divisive reception than the original.
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Beyond Naughty Dog’s series, HBO greenlit an adaptation from the games that launched in 2023, and it was applauded more than anyone could have probably guessed. And now, season two is here on Max. What did the premiere change from The Last of Us Part 2’s opening?
WARNING! Spoilers ahead!
6
Abby’s Build And Intro
The Ellie That Never Was
Abby is the biggest character being added to season two. She was introduced in The Last of Us Part 2 as one of the two playable characters, besides Ellie. In the game, she’s kind of a hulked-out character body-wise and personality-wise who is ready to throw down at any moment.
Abby’s physique in the show, so far, is comparable to Ellie’s, but even more so than that, Abby is pretty short. Making her a more nimble character is an interesting choice, and she may try to outsmart Ellie rather than take her on like in the game. Finally, showing her at the grave markers in Salt Lake City did not happen this soon in the game in a different context.
5
How Did The Game Open?
Setting Up Tommy’s Promise
The second season of the show opens with Abby before quickly going to Jackson to check in on Joel, Ellie, and the others. It’s an establishing way to start a second season of a show in a location lightly touched on previously. The game’s opening is much different, though, and paints Joel and Ellie’s downfall better.
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In The Last of Us Part 2, Joel is playing a guitar while telling Tommy what he did for Ellie back in Salt Lake City. Tommy says he’ll never tell Joel’s secret, and then the two finish their patrol. There’s a small scene between Joel and Ellie wherein Joel gifts Ellie his guitar and promises to teach her lessons. Time goes ahead to the present four years later, with Ellie now in control.
4
Joel Has A Nephew
The Cliffhanger Is Born
One of the biggest changes last season was Tommy’s partner, Maria, being recast as a black woman instead of a white woman. True Blood fans probably recognized the actress, Rutina Wesley, right away for portraying Sookie’s best friend, Tara. Beyond the recasting, it was also shocking for The Last of Us fans to see Maria pregnant.
Now that time has passed, Maria has given birth to her son, Benjamin, which truly changes the Miller family overall. Besides his adopted daughter Ellie, Joel now has a flesh-and-blood nephew. This never happened in the games, which could change a lot of actions.
3
Joel Needs Therapy
And Gail’s Introduction
The post-apocalypse seemingly has no reason to have a therapist around. Everyone is suffering from traumatic events, but medical attention is more needed than curing the mind. That’s the mentality that was presented in The Last of Us games, but the show decided to switch things up a bit.
Gail is a new character for both season two of the show and the franchise as a whole, technically. She’s a therapist who Joel sees in episode one, played by the great Catherine O’Hara, who many may know from Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek, Beetlejuice, and the list goes on. Instead of Joel coming to his own conclusions like in the game, it looks like Gail will push Joel more in season two of the show.
2
A Bigger Time Gap
From Four To Five
This change is a bit innocuous, and it’s a hard one to see how it can change things for the characters in the games right now. The time gap between The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 begins with a gap of four years. In the show, it says five years passed between the end of last season and the beginning of this season.
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This may have been done simply as an excuse to make Benjamin older so that he could have a bigger role. The showrunners may have also changed things up to play with the past a bit more between Ellie and Joel’s breakdown to whatever event led Joel to kill Gail’s husband Eugene. A bigger gap also gives Abby more time to prepare to fight back against Joel along with her fellow Fireflies.
1
Ellie and Dina’s Patrol
The Clickers Are Evolving
There’s a patrol mission in both the game and season opener that eventually pairs Dina and Ellie together. In the game, there’s a lot more exploration, which ends in a romantic scene between the two while they wait out a storm. The Clickers they encounter are many, but the usual suspects.
In the show, Ellie confronts a Clicker that is seemingly smarter than the brain-dead versions they typically encounter. Back in Jackson, Ellie explains the situation to a council that seems hesitant to believe in a smarter Clicker. This seems like foreshadowing that the show is going to use more evolved Clickers to surprise viewers and to keep The Last of Us survivors on their toes. Also, the way the dance scene is presented is out of order between the game and show.
