When it was announced that The Last of Us, a hugely successful Naughty Dog video game, would be adapted to an HBO show, fans of the game, myself included, reacted in the same way described above–excited, yet fearful that the shift from a video game to a TV show would ruin some of the best elements of the piece. We wanted the show runners to find actors who would do the two main characters, Joel and Ellie, justice. Actors who look and sound like them, and are able to tell the same story with great chemistry and awe, just like how it is in the video game.
Whether or not it was successful is up for debate, but in my honest opinion, the first season of The Last of Us was a pretty great adaptation of the game, and I was very pleased with what I saw and felt while watching it. Sure, some plotlines were not that faithful to the game, like the entirety of Frank and Bill’s plot in episode 3, but I have to say I quite enjoyed the changes. It made the show thicker and much more interesting to watch.
The second season of The Last of Us, which is based on the second game, premiered last week, and unlike last time, my biggest hope is that it will be as different from the game as possible. Why? Because I absolutely hated playing the second game. So, if there is any time for creative freedom from the show’s writers (I’m looking at you, Craig Mazin), I say it is right now.
Here’s why…
Disclaimers: I will be mentioning big spoilers from the second game, which will probably (and unfortunately) appear in some form in the second season; consider yourselves warned. This review was also written before episode 2 of season 2 came out.
Characters
One thing I look forward to the most when I return to a game or a show is the character development. I want to see how the protagonists evolved, changed, and learned. Yes, even in the events of a zombie apocalypse. Ellie’s character development in the first game (and season) was spectacular. She slowly opened up to the world, to Joel, and discovered herself as a young teen in a scary world. Ellie in the second game was a shell of herself. Everything that was built in Part 1 was ruined in Part 2 in her journey for vengeance over Joel, and in the end, she didn’t even get to avenge him like how she (and we as the gamers) fought for throughout the entire journey of the game. And worst of all, it was by her choice; she just walked away! I understand that in a post-apocalyptic world, people don’t get their happy endings, but the only thing I got from Part 2 was frustration. Nothing about it was satisfying, and I don’t want to have a repeat of these feelings when I am watching season 2. I am even willing to overlook that Bella Ramsey still looks like a 15-year-old, as long as her character isn’t completely ruined by the end of the season.
Joel also had some extremely out-of-character moments in Part 2, like the way he completely welcomes Abby and her crew, without suspicion or caution. I’m sorry, but that is not the Joel I grew to love and admire in Part 1, and it’s definitely not the Joel I want to see in season 2.
The same goes for Abby. If I am being forced to spend most of the gameplay with a character I already hate because of what she did to poor Joel, then I need a better understanding of her character before she has that golf club in her hands. And it seems like the show writers are already setting the show in that direction, considering Abby’s introduction in the first episode, and even her looks, removing her muscles and making her look much more realistic and down-to-earth.
Abby Vs. Ellie
Nothing could have prepared me for the sparks of anger I felt every time Abby showed up on my screen and I was forced to play the game through her. It wasn’t even because of what she did, it was because the creators tried so hard to prove their point about morality and vengeance through Abby, that they forgot the people who play the game are not five years old. They basically tried to show that Abby is good and Ellie is bad, with cheap tricks that seriously made me feel like my intelligence was being mocked. For example, the dogs in the game–“Here is good Abby, Abby is nice to dogs, she pets them. Here is bad Ellie, Ellie is not nice to dogs, she hurts them.” I mean, C’mon!
Abby with a dog in The Last of Us Part 2
No matter how hard they tried to change it, I was rooting for Ellie for the entirety of Part 2, and that will not change in season 2. I want Ellie to win, to succeed in her revenge journey, and I will take any plot change in the show to make it happen.
Plot Structure
I could have understood having to say goodbye to Joel if it wasn’t for the rushed way it was done. I could have sympathized with Abby if I had any clue who she was and what her motives were when she was first introduced. I could have gotten behind Ellie’s decision to let Abby go if she hadn’t thrown it all away again when she went after her the second time (but we have at least until season 3 to worry about that).
Something about the back-and-forth between Abby and Ellie in the game just wasn’t working. Every time it felt like we were getting somewhere with one character, the gameplay shifted back to the other, and it felt disorienting. Hopefully, in the show, the structure can be different, so that we’re not forced to only see the story of either Ellie or Abby, but a combination of them both.
Via tloufans
Here’s what I actually want to see in season 2
First, more Joel, and not just in flashbacks. I want more scenes of him with Ellie, even if she’s mad at him. I want the lead-up to his departure to be more present, and I want a chance to properly say goodbye to him before having to run off to Seattle with Ellie.
Second, the audience needs a better understanding of Abby, and not through lazy writing. We’re way past “Abby is nice because she pets dogs and saves strangers even though they are supposedly her enemies.” (Yes, I am talking about Lev, and yes, I think it was stupid Abby turned on her people for a kid she barely knew.) I don’t expect the entire premise of Part 2 to change this season, so I at least hope that we won’t be mocked as viewers when we see the plot happen on our TV screens.
Lastly, I just want to feel good about this season. It’s a tragic show with a sad premise, but that doesn’t mean the audience has to feel bad while watching it. I want to be shocked, excited, and thrilled, and if the show goes by the guidelines of Part 2, I fear the only thing I would feel is that I wasted my time.
I’m counting on you HBO, please do not let me down.
