The Last of Us Season 2 Callback to 2016 Pulls at the Heartstrings

The Last of Us Season 2 features one of the strongest episodes on modern television, with the perfect balance between action and drama. While the source material was much more focused on certain aspects like the action, this new medium allowed the showrunners to try something different and highlight other characters going through an emotional rollercoaster. The original game was controversial for the right reasons, especially regarding violence and gore.

Regardless of creative change, showrunner Craig Mazin is eager to follow the original story, meaning certain moments will happen. The game was already sad; however, the live-action version takes it to a new level for players, especially when an iconic song starts playing before the credits roll.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 Closed With a Powerful Performance

The latest episode of The Last of Us Season 2 featured the moment that traumatized the entire gaming community: Joel’s death at the hands of Abby, literally and figuratively. The HBO adaptation may have given Pedro Pascal’s Joel more material to work with before he meets his untimely demise, like going to therapy and becoming a valuable member of the Jackson community. All of this was meant to humanize the character and slowly build up to that moment at the lodge.

While the execution is different from the game, the scene roughly follows the same sequence where Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby delivers a lengthy monologue and slowly tortures Joel to a bloody pulp. One of the key changes the show made was keeping Ellie conscious after Abby kills Joel as she crawls to his body until Jesse arrives to help her bring his remains home.

The episode ended with a song most players are familiar with; however, what’s interesting is that Ellie’s original voice actor, Ashley Johnson, was singing, a callback to the initial reveal in 2016. This may not mean much to new fans introduced to The Last of Us through the show, but this song is forever seared into the hearts and minds of longtime players.

Ellie Will Walk a Darker Path in The Last of Us Season 2

Fans of the game will realize that Joel’s death will be the start of Ellie’s descent as she leaves Jackson to hunt down Abby and her crew. The Last of Us Part 2 was gruesome, and it did not hold back, especially with how violence and anger can send a person down a dark path. It will be interesting to see how the HBO adaptation handles this part of the story.

The second episode had one of the best action sequences and gory moments, and this could indicate that future episodes will be just as violent, if not even more. While the show is based on a video game, this version allows the story and drama to breathe, and it was peak filmmaking with the song choice by the end.

For more Thumb Wars coverage, check out Craig Mazin’s comments about the controversy surrounding The Last of Us Season 2, and how Naughty Dog is milking The Last of Us franchise with another bundle.

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