The Last of Us Enters Perilous Territory

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Ahead lie spoilers for the final episode of season two on HBO’s The Last of Us, and also for the original game it is based upon.

In a different take, you might refer to it as a turn of events rather than a twist, given that the term “twist” can sometimes be misleading when discussing such a widely recognized game like The Last of Us Part II. However, for the sake of this conversation, let’s use the term twist. In the final episode of HBO’s adaptation of Naughty Dog’s franchise, titled “Convergence,” Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) catches the Jackson gang off guard in an abandoned Seattle theater. The sequence unfolds swiftly: Jesse (Young Mizuno) is fatally shot as he rushes into the room where Abby has Tommy (Gabriel Luna) at gunpoint, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) faces the repercussions of her quest for revenge against Joel (Pedro Pascal). Overwhelmed with anger and grief, Abby shouts, “I spared your life, and you squandered it!” A gunshot echoes through the room before the screen goes black. When the episode resumes, the plot returns to three days prior, but this time, we follow Abby’s storyline, suggesting that the next season will delve into her experiences during those crucial days in Seattle.

In this rephrased version: The game’s narrative flips between two main characters, with you initially controlling Joel and then briefly Abby in a prelude. The majority of the gameplay from the start revolves around Ellie’s journey for revenge alongside Dina, targeting Abby and her group. The events that unfold during the first 12 hours or so mirrors the structural arrangement of the show’s second season. Notable differences include Joel’s death, Ellie and Dina’s escape to Seattle, where Ellie eliminates several of Abby’s associates (Nora, Mel, Owen, plus two additional characters not featured in the series) before a confrontation at the theater that sees Abby gaining the upper hand against the Jackson group. The first half of the game culminates in a suspenseful cliffhanger identical to the season finale: gunfire, fading to black, and a dramatic reversal.

In my viewpoint, the ingenious shift in perspective within The Last of Us Part II, masterfully directed by Neil Druckmann alongside Craig Mazin, serves to emphasize a core idea: tribalism, or the fluid perception of friend or foe. Without revealing the intricacies of the latter half, the essence lies in reliving the three-day Seattle incident through Abby’s eyes, which challenges Ellie’s heroic status as she pursues vengeance for her mentor. This captivating narrative device springs from a relatively simple yet profound concept, one that may not be as groundbreaking as the themes explored in The Last of Us Part I or the initial HBO season.

In a nutshell, the first part of the game presents a complex concept, wrapped in a straightforward road trip narrative. The protagonist, Joel, although despicable in some ways, is also a loving father who made a questionable decision to save Ellie at the cost of humanity’s potential cure. This duality allows players to both condemn and support his actions, creating a unique emotional bond with the character despite his morally ambiguous choices. The gameplay mechanic involves you controlling Joel throughout, making you partially responsible for his acts, adding another layer to this complex dynamic.

The second part of the game expands on this internal conflict by reversing roles. Ellie, initially an innocent in the first game, becomes a murderer whose actions are justifiable from her perspective, while Abby, who killed Joel, is initially perceived as a villain but eventually gains empathy as you delve into her story. This narrative shift forces players to question their initial allegiance: “Are you still rooting for Ellie and Joel’s bond?

I found myself not really enjoying “The Last of Us Part II”, mostly because the shift in perspective felt too obvious to me. To be honest, much about the game seems overly apparent. One aspect that stands out is a feature where enemies react to your killing one of their comrades by calling out their fallen friend’s name sadly. This mechanism is intended to provoke a sense of remorse in the player, but it becomes meaningless and even absurd when it occurs repeatedly. The perspective shift has a similar issue of being too repetitive, but it manages to serve its thematic purpose within the game. After reaching the cliffhanger at the Seattle theater, you swiftly transition from Ellie’s viewpoint to Abby’s, and this change feels jarring because the memories of Ellie’s three-day experience – including her taking the lives of Nora, Mel, and Owen – are still vivid in the player’s mind.

Unlike the show, the third season of HBO won’t arrive soon, making it difficult to recall characters like Nora, Mel, and Owen. However, the structural twist is effective in the game due to its unique characteristics. As you play as Abby, you get more time to understand her perspective and emotionally connect with the conflict presented. Essentially, the game offers a broader canvas for fostering empathy compared to TV, which must be more precise and focused in its approach.

Currently, it’s unclear if Mazin and Druckmann will successfully pull off this adaptation trick, and it seems that they have stayed too close to the original material in some aspects. The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us is proving to be an intriguing example of an uneven adaptation, as the differences between what they altered and what they chose to preserve are increasingly noticeable. Many elements unique to the show undeniably succeed: for instance, the first season’s acclaimed episode “A Long Long Time” and scenes such as the Battle of Jackson. New characters like Catherine O’Hara’s Gail also add depth. However, some aspects, like the portrayal of Melanie Lynskey’s character in the first season, could have been improved. After all, it is television, and certain elements tailored to the medium can make a series stand out.

In their adaptation, Mazin and Druckmann make subtle adjustments to the narrative’s emotional structure, making it either less complex or smoothing out some rough edges. For instance, in the game, a vengeful Tommy leaves for Seattle first, which allows Ellie more freedom to escape Jackson; however, in the show, Ellie takes the lead, and her impulsiveness is more noticeable. A minor alteration is that Ellie initiating the journey instead of Tommy. A significant change is the reordering of events at the end of the sixth episode, “The Price.” In the original, Ellie uncovers Joel’s confession several years before their conversation on the porch, implying a longer period of estrangement between them and a quick succession from Joel’s confession to Ellie’s potential reconciliation gesture. This complex emotional landscape has been somewhat simplified in the adaptation.

It seems possible that the distinct differences in the HBO series from the original source material are leading towards a bigger idea, but I have my doubts. Despite the changes made by Mazin and Druckmann to adapt the story for television, it’s hard not to think they could have been more daring with their choices. For instance, instead of shifting perspectives, they might have interwoven Ellie’s and Abby’s stories, or moved quicker to the crucial turning point in the narrative. As it is, by sticking to a straightforward approach, The Last of Us on HBO feels predictable, as if the outcome has already been decided. Even for those unfamiliar with the game, the ending of season two suggests a long, morally bleak journey ahead, one that seems destined to lead to a negative outcome.

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2025-05-26 06:54