The Last of Us franchise has become one of the most universally loved stories in both gaming and TV. There’s a reason the show got the green light: The video game is a modern classic that raised the bar for future games with its graphics, character design, adventure gameplay, and mature aesthetic. The Last of Us lets people know that video games are much more than just a cheap diversion; they are artwork in their own right. The Last of Us TV show took it a step further and cemented the series as one that is complex enough to be told in multiple mediums. The zombie genre has more respect than ever, and post-apocalyptic storytelling is now respected even more due to the success of the first season.
This is where things get interesting and controversial, though. The second The Last of Us game is known for some plot decisions and character developments that fans thought were a slap in the face to the first game. The Last of Us season 2 now stands on the precipice of either greatness or a repeat of the same mistakes its source material made. Is it possible for the series to tweak the plot while still staying faithful to creator Neil Druckmann’s vision?
What will happen to Pedro Pascal’s version of Joel?
One of the biggest controversies in the video game is the decision early on to kill Joel. Being the main character in the first game, Naughty Dog’s slashing of the protagonist was a daring, and some say dumb, plot point that ruined the second game right from the beginning. Other people who weren’t so attached to Joel and were willing to look at the story on a deeper level understood that maybe Joel’s story wasn’t as relevant to the second game as they originally thought it would be. The Last of Us is about survival, fatherhood, the human condition, guilt, and revenge. All of those themes are still in the air even without Joel.
The TV series has an even tougher choice in whether it is going to follow the game closely because of who is playing Joel. Pedro Pascal has become perhaps the biggest actor in the world right now. Pascal’s charisma and ability to embody every character he plays with a dedication and attention to detail have earned him a place in Hollywood’s upper echelon of stars.
Taking Pascal out of the show leaves a void that would be even more jarring than it was in the video game. Looking at the trailer for The Last of Us season 2 gives no indication as to how much time Joel has left in the series. Pascal is heavily featured, and he’s done his usual press tour with co-star Bella Ramsey.
We know that the second game is going to translate to two seasons of the show. This means that storylines in the game might be stretched out or explained more. This is where the writers need to make the fans understand why Joel needs to die. There is a four-month time jump in the video game between the story of the first and second games. Perhaps the TV show can show much of what happened during this period. It can introduce Abby later in the season, give Pascal his time to shine, and then execute the removal of his character in a less jarring way than in the video game.
Kaitlyn Dever can help fans pull for Abby more than in the game
There was an immediate disconnect in the video game between the people playing the game and the character who kills Joel. Abby’s motive for taking down Joel because he killed her father (who was a doctor in the hospital during the climax of the first game) isn’t enough for anyone to side with her.
The TV show’s Abby actress, Kaitlyn Dever, has a chance to portray Abby in a way that will help viewers understand her point of view. She may not be more likable, but Abby will be a more fleshed-out character because TV will always have an advantage over any other medium in regard to character work. TV actors get hours of your time to win you over. Dever’s depiction of Abby will make or break the show’s second season plot.
Themes are stronger than plot in shows like The Last of Us
Media literacy might be dying in 2025, but smart viewers are still out there. So many people who play games and watch films and TV series worry about what happens in the story. If fans give the second season of the show a chance by focusing on the themes, such as loss, perseverance, and human extinction, instead of focusing on a single character, then the decisions the writers make regarding character deaths will be more or less meaningless. (And hey, killing off lead characters worked for Game of Thrones — for a while, anyway.)
