Summary
- The Last of Us Part II's controversial pacing, particularly surrounding Abby's story, can be improved in Season 2 by utilizing a more traditional style of storytelling that consistently switches between Ellie and Abby.
- Joel's role before his death in The Last of Us Part II can be expanded upon in Season 2, giving fans more time with the beloved character and addressing the criticism of his early demise.
- The plot hole regarding who told Abby Joel's name can be clarified in The Last of Us Season 2, providing an explanation and closure to this aspect that caused controversy among fans.
HBO's The Last of Us season 2 will be adapting the story of the second game, and the upcoming season can resolve these 10 The Last of Us Part II controversies and fan debated.
The Last of Us Part II is the sequel to the acclaimed original video game, and while the sequel has attained a similar level of popularity, its reputation among The Last of Us fans is far more divisive. Luckily, HBO's The Last of Us season 2 has the chance to resolve some of these issues, and here's how it can pull this trick off.
HBO's The Last of Us season 1 is an immensely faithful adaptation of the original PlayStation video game, with it only changing a few important details throughout the first batch of episodes.
This lack of changes can most likely be attributed to the story of The Last of Us being one of the most acclaimed video game narratives of all time, with the HBO series wanting to stick to the beloved arcs of Ellie and Joel. However, The Last of Us Part II does have a fair share of problems that can be fixed, including these 10.
Joel and Ellie looking at Jackson in The Last of Us episode 9
One of the most controversial aspects of The Last of Us Part II is the pacing of Abby's story. Throughout the first half of the game, the player grows to hate Abby, only for them to suddenly control her for the second half.
While this bold choice did work for many, moving away from Ellie for a large chunk of the game was risky, something that The Last of Us season 2 can alter. Season 2 could consistently go back and forth between Ellie and Abby's The Last of Us Part II stories, utilizing a more traditional style of pacing.
9 Joel Can Have A Bigger Role Before His Death
Much of the controversy surrounding The Last of Us Part II have to do with the death of Joel, which occurs incredibly early in the game. Joel's death is he inciting incident of the film, meaning that he isn't around for much of the game's sequel.
While The Last of Us Part II does contain several flashback sequences that feature Joel, he is mostly absent from the main story. However, HBO's The Last of Us season 2 could spend more time with Joel before killing him off, remedying this criticism of the game sequel.
8 TLOU Season 2 Can Reveal Who Told Abby Joel's Name
One of the biggest plot holes in The Last of Us Part II has to do with Joel's death, with the reveal of who told Abby Joel's name being kind of muddled. Joel is an experienced survivor, meaning that he should have kept his identity a secret to strangers like Abby.
It is possible that Joel or Tommy told Abby, or it could be that Marlene revealed Joel's identity while assigning the mission. Due to the contorversy surroudning this plot point, The Last of Us season 2 should clarify it, revealing who told Abby Joel's name.
7 Abby's Reasoning For Not Killing Ellie & Tommy Can Finally Be Explained
When Joel is killed, Abby and her companions have Ellie and Tommy pinned, meaning that they could easily kill them. Ellie and Tommy both hand a hand in causing Joel to kill Abby's father at the end of The Last of Us, and they both made it clear that they wanted to kill Abby after she killed Joel.
While Ellie and Tommy are roughed up, Abby and her friends let them go, leaving them to hunt them down in Washington. There isn't a reason for her to spare them, something that The Last of Us season 2 needs to address.
6 Ellie's Kill Count Problem Can Be Fixed In TLOU Season 2
Ellie kills a lot of people throughout The Last of Us Part II, something that has caused the game's ending to be pretty controversial. Upon finding Abby, Ellie surprisingly decides to spare her, driving home the game's theme of the destruction that revenge causes.
However, Ellie kills countless numbers of survivors throughout the events of the game, creating a dissonance when it comes to her final decision. The Last of Us season 2 needs to spend more time developing Ellie's mind change, repairing this video game problem.
5 Tommy's Weird Washington Guess Can Be Further Explained
The Last of Us Part II's main journey sees Ellie traveling to Washington, believing that Abby has headed back there. However, Tommy only comes to this conclusion due to seeing one of Abby's friends wearing a Washington Liberation Front jacket.
It seems like a massive gamble to make a dangerous trek across the country based on someone simply wearing a jacket, as it could have been stolen off another survivor. Season 2 can easily fix this, giving Tommy a better reason to make his Washington guess.
4 Abby's Friends Can Be Explored Before Ellie Kills Them
In the first half of The Last of Us Part II, Ellie kills several of Abby's closest friends, although they aren't characterized before their deaths. In later segments of the game where Abby is playable, these characters are further fleshed out, although the player already knows that these characters have died.
Exploring Abby's friends before their death will allow Ellie's murders to have much more impact, with this strategy handling The Last of Us season 2's new characters much better.
3 The Seraphites Can Be Explained More Before Their Role In Season 2
The Seraphites are one of the most interesting additions to The Last of Us Part II, but their role is sadly small in the grand scheme of things. However, The Last of Us season 2 could flesh out the lore of the Seraphites even more, giving more exploration to the post-apocalyptic religious cult.
Custom image of Kaitlyn Dever looking sad and Abby from The Last of Us Part II with a silhouette of Lev between themThe Last Of Us Season 2 Must Cast This Game Character To Make Abby's Story Work
HBO's The Last of Us confirmed Kaitlyn Dever will play Abby in season 2, but one other crucial character's casting is needed for Abby's story to work.
2 TLOU Part II's Pearl Jam Plot Hole Can Finally Be Fixed
One of the most apparent plot holes in The Last of Us Part II has to do with a Pearl Jam song that is featured in the game. In the game, Joel plays Pearl Jam's "Future Days" on his guitar, but this causes some problems in The Last of Us' timeline.
In The Last of Us, the Cordyceps outbreak occurs in September 2013, destroying civilization. "Future Days" wasn't released unil October 2013, meaning that Joel shouldn't know it. Neil Druckmann has explained that Joel learned it through early live performances, but this is a stretch, something season 2 should address.
1 TLOU Season 2 Can Tweak Ellie's Reaction To Joel's Lie
The Last of Us famously ends with Joel lying to Ellie about the cure not being a success, with him actually taking her away from the hospital due to an attempt at a cure killing her. When she finds out in The Last of Us Part II, Ellie hates Joel for a while, with this permanently damaging their relationship.
While this does show that Ellie is selfless, even if Ellie had died a successful cure wasn't guaranteed, meaning that The Last of Us season 2 should alter Ellie's reaction to this Joel reveal.
The Last of Us Season 1 Poster
Based on the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us developed by Naughty Dog, the story of the TV series takes place twenty years after a parasitic fungal infection wreaks havoc across the world that turns humans into zombie-like creatures.
Joel (Pedro Pascal) agrees to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of a quarantine zone, only to discover she may be the key to discovering a cure. The Last of Us TV series is a collaborative effort between one of the original creators, Neil Druckmann, and the creator of the award-winning HBO series Chernobyl.
Post a Comment