The Last of Us was back on Max with an exciting episode last week for the premiere of season two after a two-year wait. While it did change some things, nothing significantly uprooted the story. Some things were out of order, like Abby's motivations getting introduced early, and there were new characters like Gail.
6 Biggest Changes In The Premiere Of The Last of Us Season 2 From The Games
Did Max make some good changes for The Last Of Us Season 2 premiere? These are some of the key differences fans will notice.
Overall, though, these changes were slight in the grand scheme of things. The same cannot be said about episode two because the adaptation took some wild swings for The Last of Us. Also, it was a hard one to watch because of that moment. Fans of The Last of Us know exactly what that is even without watching episode two. Let's get to the changes with spoilers on for the show and games.
Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Part 2 & The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2!
6 How Abby And The Others Set Out
No Need To Sneak Out, As a Distraction is Needed
How Abby is introduced in the show is different from the game as covered in episode one. There’s another little change at the beginning of episode two as well to jumpstart her exploration. In the game, Abby wakes up in the cabin to find Owen awake. Abby follows him into the woods because he has something he wants to show her. After a brief exploration, they come upon a clearing that shows Jackson in the distance, but who Abby and Owen are is a mystery to players
While the pairing's intentions towards Jackson are unclear in the game, the show wastes no time in making it very clear that it's a revenge mission. Abby’s team can already see Jackson from the bay window of the cabin. Abby doesn’t sneak off to find a patrol so much as she says she’s going out as a distraction.
5 Ellie is Paired With Jesse Instead of Dina
Eugene’s History Gets Clearer with Ellie and Jesse Instead of the Romantic Ellie and Dina Pairing
The game’s introduction to Dina happens in the patrol portrayed in episode two. Jesse has Dina and Ellie pair off, which leads to some fun times, like the discovery of Eugene’s drug stash. In the show, Dina goes off with Joel instead, which is different on two levels.
Again, Dina and Ellie were supposed to be partnered up, and instead Ellie goes out with Jesse. Joel and Tommy were paired up in the game, which changes how things play out for Joel’s execution in the show with Dina. While Ellie and Jesse still find Eugene’s stash, it’s not hidden, and the two don’t enjoy a good smoke or roll in the hay together.
4 Dina is Paired with Joel Instead of Ellie
Dina Helps Save Abby Instead of Joel's Brother, Tommy
Joel and Tommy rescue Abby in the game the same way Joel finds her in the show. While patrolling alone, Abby stumbles into a group of infected. They then give chase, Abby gets trapped in a building structure, and Tommy and Joel rescue her.
In the show, Joel rescues her while Dina waits by their horses before all three speed off to Abby’s cabin. Once Abby’s team reveals themselves for who they are, they drug Dina with a sleeping cocktail because they have no beef with her. Tommy gets pretty messed up in the game because he resists, so it’s a shame Dina doesn’t get to show that level of fire when they start beating on Joel.
3 Tommy Shows More Leadership
Maria is Put to the Side for Tommy to Control More of Jackson
Tommy doesn’t get shortchanged in episode two compared to his role in the game, though. He actually steps up in Jackson, giving a riveting and funny speech to the defenders of the city. This never happens with any character in the game, and in many ways, Tommy never shows any leadership.
His wife, Maria, always seemed like the big cheese of Jackson. Besides this speech, a new character is introduced with Amy, who is in charge of communications, and it could be interesting to see where her character evolves in Jackson.
2 Joel’s Execution
Ellie Mourns the Body Instead of Being Knocked Out Cold
This is the big scene that every fan knew was coming eventually, but didn’t want to happen. To rip the bandage off, Joel gets murdered by Abby. In the game, she never explains who she and the others are, but she spells it out perfectly clear for Joel and the audience in the show.
The Last Of Us: 8 Scenes That Need To Be In Season 2
There are some essential scenes from The Last of Us Part 2 that need to be in Season 2 of the HBO series for the emotional stakes involved.
When Joel was in Salt Lake City, he killed many of the Fireflies to save Ellie. Abby reveals that the Fireflies are no more, and instead, Abby and the others have joined a new paramilitary group called The W.L.F., who reside in Seattle. Abby’s attacks on Joel are mostly the same, except she stabs him in the neck to finish the job instead of bashing his brains in. Also, once they all leave, Ellie grieves with Joel’s dead body, which doesn’t happen in the game as she gets knocked out.
1 Jackson Gets Attacked
The Infected Invade Jackson and Provide No Time for Grief
The previous changes were significant, but the biggest switch happened with Jackson. Since Abby accidentally awakened the infected, the horde found itself bound to Jackson after chasing her off to wreak even more havoc. It’s a scene reminiscent of the episode of Game of Thrones when the White Walkers attack Castle Black.
This attack never happens in the game, as things go from Joel dying to Ellie waking up to deal with the pain she just witnessed. The battle was a significant flex on the budget Max gave The Last of Us season two. However, some may find that this action scene, while cool, dilutes Joel’s death as there are now more problems to deal with than the death of the protagonist.
The Last of Us
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, John Hannah, Josh Brener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Brad Leland, Marcia Bennett, Brendan Fletcher, Jerry Wasserman, Wendy Gorling, Jessica Belbin, Haysam Kadri, Sarah Himadeh, Caitlin Howden, Max Montesi, Natasha Mumba, Gina Louise Phillips, Taylor St. Pierre, Ryan D. Clarke, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Logan Pierce, Corina Akeson, Jason Burkart, Andrea Greening, Arran Henn
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
- Writers
- Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Halley Wegryn Gross
- Producers
- Greg Spence, Allen Marshall Palmer, Emiliano Urquiza, Cecil O'Connor
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
- Story By
- Neil Druckmann, Bruce Straley
- Creator(s)
- Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin
