The Last of Us Season 2: How HBO Can Perfect Ellie's Storyline and Captivate Fans

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us Part II!

Summary

In order for the story to be effectively conveyed, The Last of Us season 2 needs to tackle the criticism of season 1 by presenting Ellie with the opportunity to eliminate a greater number of human adversaries. The upcoming season will primarily center around Ellie's quest for vengeance following Joel's demise, necessitating her involvement in a significant amount of human casualties.

Ellie's violence is crucial to the thematic purpose of the story, and its absence in season 2 would significantly minimize its impact.

The upcoming season of The Last of Us will delve further into Ellie's character development from the previous season. However, the HBO show needs to address a significant criticism in order to ensure the success of the story. Despite being highly acclaimed in 2023, The Last of Us faced some challenges as fans pointed out certain aspects that were lost during the adaptation from the video game series to television. To fully convey Ellie's narrative, season 2 must tackle this criticism.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Needs To Let Ellie Kill More Humans

In the upcoming season of The Last of Us, HBO's highly acclaimed adaptation of the popular video game series, the narrative will shift towards the compelling story of The Last of Us Part II. Season 1 captivated audiences with its adaptation of the first game, but season 2 will delve even deeper into Ellie's journey, offering a more significant portrayal of her character. Consequently, one vital aspect of the HBO series will require adjustment.

To ensure the success of The Last of Us season 2's storyline, it is vital that the show allows Ellie to engage in more confrontations resulting in the demise of humans. One of the major criticisms faced by season 1 was the limited instances of Joel and Ellie eliminating human adversaries. While they did encounter and eliminate clickers, their encounters with hostile humans were infrequent and often reactionary. Conversely, in the game, Joel and Ellie shed the blood of various individuals without being provoked, and this repugnant inclination forms a significant aspect of their character development.

Why The Last Of Us Season 2 Won't Work Without Ellie Being More Violent

The storyline of The Last of Us season 1 revolves around the pursuit of a cure for the Cordyceps infection, resulting in Joel and Ellie primarily combatting the infected. However, in The Last of Us season 2, the focus shifts towards a deeply personal narrative as Ellie embarks on a quest to avenge Joel's demise. Notably, the majority of adversaries in The Last of Us Part II are fellow humans, encompassing Fireflies, WLA members, and Seraphites. Consequently, Ellie will find herself confronting a significantly larger number of human opponents in season 2.

Scaling back on the violence in The Last of Us season 2, as was done in season 1, would severely hamper its impact. Without Ellie displaying heightened levels of brutality, the core essence of the narrative, which explores the harrowing extent to which revenge can consume an individual, would be compromised. The Last of Us Part II builds up Ellie's callous violence gradually, and the absence of such relentless aggression in season 2 would significantly diminish its thematic significance.

Fortunately, The Last of Us season 1 has already demonstrated its openness to portraying a more aggressive side of Ellie. Although Ellie's violent acts in season 1 are usually impulsive, episode 8 of The Last of Us explicitly illustrates the extent of her capacity for violence. It is imperative for The Last of Us season 2 to further develop this concept in order to effectively adapt the narrative of The Last of Us Part II, thereby addressing the critiques received by season 1.