Violence, roasted zombies, and a new character: 'The Last of Us' returns

BarcelonaViewers thirsty for epic thrills are in luck. The Last of Us, aspiring to occupy the throne of global phenomenon left vacant Game of Thunder, premieres its second season this Monday, based on the second video game in the series. Max's series jumps five years forward from the previous season, when Joel and Ellie began their journey through the post-apocalyptic United States affected by a strange fungus that turns those infected into zombies. The new season is shorter than the previous one and will only have seven episodes, the last of which will air on May 25, just in time to enter the Emmy nominations.

Five years after that first adventure, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) now live in Jackson, a Wyoming community surrounded by snow and, in principle, totally isolated from the fearsome fungus. Although the environment is relatively safe, the father-son relationship between them all has become strained: Ellie is more adolescent than ever, and when the series starts, it becomes clear that Joel has done something she cannot forgive him for. In this second season, the couple continues to face zombies, but now they also have a new enemy, Abby, who has sworn to take revenge on Joel: when at the end of the first season he finished off all the Fireflas The militia that kidnapped Ellie to find treatment for the infection also killed a surgeon, Abby's father. Now she just wants to find Joel so he can suffer as much as she did.

Why is the Abby in the series different from the Abby in the video game?

The addition of Abby is one of the biggest new additions to the new season. To play such an important character, the production has chosen actress Kaitlyn Dever, who, although not well-known to the general public, has demonstrated her dramatic talent in miniseries such as Dopesick (Disney+), where she played a fentanyl addict, or Believe me, where a sexual assault victim was. Interestingly, Dever was close to playing the role of Ellie: it was when The Last of Us It was supposed to be a movie, not a TV series. When the video game finally became a Max series, the actress was already too old to play a character who's practically a teenager.

The video game's huge fan base means any deviation from the original source material is overanalyzed. This time, it's Abby's physique, which is much less muscular than in the game. Neil Druckmann, one of the series' creators along with Craig Mazin, has defended the change, stating that it has to do with the series' priorities. "It's not that there isn't any violent action, but we're more interested in the dramatic aspect. It's just, again, different priorities and how they're approached," explains Druckmann, who assures that Dever "has the spirit of the game within her." Still, faced with the possibility of criticism and harassment from fans of the game, the production decided to strengthen the security detail for the actress.

"Personally, I think we have an incredible opportunity to delve deeper into someone who may be physically more vulnerable than the Abby in the game, but has a stronger spirit," explains Mazin. "The question is, 'Where does her formidable nature come from and how does it manifest?' That's something that will be explored now and later," she says. When Abby debuted in the video game, she became quite hated by players, and it's likely that a similar thing will happen with the series. But Druckmann believes viewers will eventually understand her complexity. "It was important that we find an actress we could connect with, just like we could with Bella," she adds.

Another addition to the series is Catherine O'Hara, who is also currently in the news thanks to the comedy The studio (Apple TV+). The actress plays a therapist trying to help Joel come to terms with his past actions.

'The Last of Us' will have a third season.

Just days before the premiere of the new season, Max announced that the series has been renewed for a third season, news that hasn't surprised anyone. "I can't stress enough how proud HBO is of the excellent milestone we believe the second season of The Last of Us"Craig, Neil, Carolyn, and the entire executive producers, cast, and crew have crafted a masterful sequel, and we're thrilled to carry Craig and Neil's powerful storytelling into a third season that we know will be just as moving and extraordinary," said Francesca Orsi, Vice President.