The Last of Us season 2 could be even better than the game if it does this right

The Last of Us season 2 has the potential to not only honor its acclaimed source material but surpass it by embracing television’s unique storytelling strengths. HBO’s first season proved that thoughtful adaptations can deepen a story’s emotional resonance, as seen in its expansions of characters like Bill and Frank or its chronological reordering of key flashbacks.

With The Last of Us season 2 adapting The Last of Us Part II, a narrative defined by moral complexity and fractured perspectives, the series is poised to address the game’s pacing limitations and enrich its most polarizing arcs.

The game’s ambitious structure, which interweaves dual protagonists and non-linear timelines, often sacrifices character depth for thematic boldness. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have already hinted at significant deviations in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, including cut content and new story beats.

By fleshing out underdeveloped threads, Abby’s pre-WLF history, Ellie’s psychological spiral, and the relationships between Dina, Jesse, and Ellie, season 2 could transcend the game’s constraints and craft a more cohesive exploration of vengeance, grief, and redemption.

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Expanding Abby’s backstory, from firefly idealism to WLF brutality in The Last of Us season 2

One of The Last of Us Part II’s boldest narrative choices was forcing players to confront Abby’s perspective after she kills Joel. However, the game’s pacing limits the exploration of her life before this pivotal act.

The show can explore Abby’s early years as a Firefly, her bond with her father, Jerry, and her growing disillusionment with the WLF’s militaristic ways.

In the game, her backstory is shown through brief flashbacks, like her father’s death and her relationship with Owen. The series could expand on these, depicting her idealism as a young medic and her struggles within the WLF.

Druckmann has already confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that The Last of Us season 2 will feature brutal cut content from the game, including the Jackson Party and The Hunt sequences37. These quieter moments could humanize Abby before her quest for vengeance, mirroring season 1’s expansion of Bill and Frank’s story.

Additionally, the show’s casting of Kaitlyn Dever, whose portrayal emphasizes emotional vulnerability over physicality, suggests a shift toward internal conflict82. By exploring Abby’s moral compromises within the WLF (e.g., her participation in raids against the Seraphites) or her guilt over abandoning Owen, the series could make her redemption arc more resonant.

Druckmann has emphasized that the show prioritizes drama over action, which aligns with this character-driven approach1.

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Ellie’s descent into paranoia in The Last of Us season 2 can be explored

In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie’s trauma is conveyed through fragmented gameplay and time jumps, but The Last of Us season 2 can linger on her psychological deterioration. Bella Ramsey has teased a darker season focused on the dangers of unconditional love 1, and elongating Ellie’s journey could amplify the tragedy of her choices.

The game compresses Ellie’s Seattle timeline into three days, but the series might stretch this period to emphasize her growing isolation and recklessness. For example, scenes of Ellie lying to Dina about her motives, or hallucinating Joel’s presence during combat, could underscore her fractured mental state.

The inclusion of cut content like the Seattle Sewers level a horror-filled sequence involving infected, might also mirror her internal chaos7.

Moreover, the show could expand on moments only hinted at in the game, such as Ellie’s guilt over abandoning her immunity quest or her fraught dynamic with Tommy, whose own vendetta against Abby mirrors hers.

By interweaving flashbacks of Ellie’s life in Jackson, such as her attempts to repair her relationship with Joel, the series could contrast her past innocence with her present brutality.

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Deepening relationships between Dina, Jesse and more explored in The Last of Us season 2

While The Last of Us Part II prioritizes Ellie and Abby’s arcs, supporting characters like Dina and Jesse often feel underserved. The series can rectify this by fleshing out their histories and motivations, making their eventual tragedies more impactful.

Dina’s pregnancy and Jesse’s loyalty to Ellie are key to the story, but their past is barely explored in the game.

The show could add new scenes, like the Jackson Party, to highlight their bond with Ellie and their roles in the community. Exploring Dina’s past as a Firefly sympathizer or Jesse’s leadership struggles could deepen their characters.

Similarly, Jesse’s death in the game feels abrupt, but the series might foreshadow his fate through quieter moments, such as his disagreements with Ellie over her obsession with revenge. By humanizing these characters early on, their losses would resonate more deeply, reinforcing the story’s theme that vengeance extracts a toll on everyone it touches.

The Last of Us season 2 doesn’t need to replicate the game’s structure to succeed, it needs to reinterpret it. By leveraging television’s capacity for extended character development, nonlinear storytelling, and thematic depth, the series can illuminate corners of the narrative the game could only hint at.

Whether through Abby’s moral complexity, Ellie’s psychological decay, or the quiet humanity of secondary characters, The Last of Us season 2 has the potential to transform a divisive story into a universally poignant tragedy. As Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly, the show will “mess around with time” and perspective11, and in doing so, it might just surpass the source material.

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Interested viewers can watch the show on Max.