In the event you’ve performed each The Final of Us video games and are watching together with the present, there’s a fairly sturdy probability you’ve been ready to see how the HBO collection approaches a really explicit second — and questioning if that second has been modified in any respect for TV. Nicely, it didn’t take too lengthy to search out out.
The second episode of season 2 simply aired, and The Final of Us’ creators made positive to tear the bandage proper off. And never solely did they not tone issues down, they one way or the other made issues much more intense, whereas additionally utilizing the second as an opportunity to additional broaden this post-apocalyptic world.
Clearly, there shall be spoilers to comply with for The Final of Us, which cowl each the second sport and the present up by means of episode 2 of the second season. To be sure to don’t see this pivotal spoiler, right here is one other photograph of Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller within the present. Don’t scroll previous him in case you don’t wish to be spoiled on a significant growth.
Picture: HBO
OK, so, sure, that occurred. The inciting incident in The Final of Us’ second chapter, the one which sends Ellie on a ceaseless and questionable quest for revenge, is Joel’s dying by the hands (and golf membership, and shotgun) of Abby. Within the sport, it was a brutal sequence that concerned watching helplessly because the protagonist of the primary sport was tortured and murdered, considered by means of the eyes of his surrogate daughter Ellie, who’s the playable lead in The Final of Us Half II.
That brutality hasn’t been lessened for the HBO present. In reality, it feels even harsher in stay motion, significantly when Joel is performed by such an enthralling man like Pascal. Functionally, the scene performs out largely the identical because it did in The Final of Half II, as do the moments main as much as it. There are some small adjustments, like how the characters are paired up when issues go down, however the final result is similar. Which is all to say that it’s wince-inducing, filled with blood, screams, and tears.
What the present does add, although, is a completely new storyline, one which manages to ratchet up the depth to an attention-grabbing new diploma. Whereas Joel is being kidnapped and tortured, and a large snowstorm is brewing, the present introduces one other wrinkle: a completely gigantic group of contaminated who descend upon Jackson, the comparatively secure city the place Joel and Ellie have been dwelling.
It provides a brand new layer of desperation to the second, as — previous to realizing he’s been ensnared in a entice — Joel is singularly centered on racing to get again and assist his neighborhood. In reality, one of many causes he’s OK partnering up with a stranger like Abby within the first place is the promise of weapons and reinforcements.
Picture: HBO
This new narrative thread is a part of the present’s try to expand the story of The Last of Us beyond just its main characters. Within the sport, gamers noticed issues solely from Ellie’s perspective, so there wasn’t any actual focus in town. However within the present, there are a number of viewpoints and, thus, extra alternatives to flesh out the world. Jackson performs a giant a part of that; within the episode you see the townsfolk utilizing each instrument at their disposal to fend off the assault, and the devastation to the city afterwards could be very clear. This addition makes the second really feel bigger than Joel and Ellie, whereas additionally including an additional layer of pressure and violence to an already tense and violent scene.
As co-creator Neil Druckmann, a author and director on each the sport and the present, defined to me forward of season 2: “One of many issues we have been capable of do within the present that we couldn’t do a lot of within the sport was get to know Jackson as a neighborhood, and perceive what’s at stake right here, what are the threats from the skin.”
Sure, the second will doubtless be an enormous shock for these coming in unaware, because it’s uncommon that such a pivotal character is killed off in a TV present like this. However very similar to the notorious Pink Wedding ceremony in Sport of Thrones, for the many individuals who already knew what was coming, they will now chill out and watch the present with out questioning the way it’s going to strategy the dying sequence, or if it was going to strategy it in any respect.
Nicely, chill out somewhat — that is nonetheless The Final of Us.
