After nearly nine weeks of tense, traumatic and tearful drama, the opening series of The Last of Us is about to reach its climax.<\/p>\n
Joel and Ellie\u2019s arduous journey across America has gripped viewers and critics alike, as they dodge ruthless militia and terrifying monsters, while seeking a cure for a fungal brain infection that devastated the population.<\/p>\n
HBO, which adapted the series from the original video game, quickly announced after the first few episodes that there would be a second series.<\/p>\n
In this article we\u2019ll examine what that could look like. Spoilers will be avoided, in much the same way that Joel and Ellie dodge those grotesque fungal spores.<\/p>\n
\nPart II \u2014> HBO https:\/\/t.co\/dJxiggcFDR<\/p>\n
\u2014 Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The biggest clues come from the video game\u2019s own sequel.<\/p>\n
The Last of Us: Part 2 was released on the PlayStation 4 in the summer of 2020, and picks up the story five years after the events of the first instalment. It goes on to expand the world, introducing new characters, factions and locations.<\/p>\n
The game was a big success for Sony, despite its makers having to\u00a0defend its use of violence. Three years on, it\u2019s considered one of the best games ever made,\u00a0successfully living up to the legacy created by the original.<\/p>\n
Given that the first series of the TV show has largely been faithful to the game \u2013 it\u2019s reasonable to assume the show will continue along that path.<\/p>\n
Neil Druckman, its director, has also suggested that will be the case, telling the\u00a0Hollywood Reporter, \u201cWe have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, given the wider scope of the sequel, maybe one series won\u2019t be enough to do it justice \u2013 so it could focus on just one element portion of the story (come back here in future to read a \u201cwhat to expect in series three\u201d article\u2026)<\/p>\n
Trauma<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The opening series of the adaptation has been traumatic. Not since Game of Thrones have more central characters said hello and goodbye to viewers with such regularity.<\/p>\n
That trend will continue in series two. There will be difficult and heart-breaking decisions made from the first to the last episode. Characters will lose loved ones as they explore more of this changed America.<\/p>\n
Viewers will shed a tear, or several, and the constant threat of imminent and sudden death will haunt the show as it has done in series one.<\/p>\n
Pedro Pascal plays Joel Miller in The Last of Us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Themes<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Thematically the opening series has touched upon authoritarianism. What does it feel like to be governed by a dictatorship? If we have little or no voice in how society is run, what do we do next?<\/p>\n
The next series will thrust religious fundamentalism under the spotlight. As is often the case in post-apocalyptic zombie dramas (I appreciate they\u2019re called \u2018infected\u2019 in this show, but you know what I mean), the humans are often the scariest enemies.<\/p>\n
That will certainly be the case as the Seraphites (also known as Scars), a group of violent cultists who communicate via menacing whistling sounds, arrive on screen.<\/p>\n
How much the show decides to explore the inflexibility of their fundamentalist beliefs, and what that means to the other characters, we\u2019ll have to wait to find out.<\/p>\n
Listening to the creators of the show, Neil Druckman and Craig Mazlin, discuss their work, it is clear that love is the central theme of the first series. Every episode is laced with people trying their best to save a loved one.<\/p>\n
For series two there will be a shift. Instead it will ask how people deal with grief? Should we get angry? Go numb? Try to forget? Or get revenge?<\/p>\n
Characters will answer this question differently and viewers will be challenged to decide which approach they instinctively support.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The moment where Joel and Ellie catch a glimpse of a character that will go on to play a significant part in the second series<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Infected<\/h4>\n
So far we\u2019ve met three types of infected in the Last of Us. The common-or-garden \u2018runners\u2019, who flock together when a spore is interfered with; The mushroom faced \u2018clickers\u2019, blind but with deadly rapid reactions; And the \u2018bloater\u2019, a big lad who appeared out of the ground in episode five.<\/p>\n
In series two, expect that roster to expand.<\/p>\n
In the game, players come across a character named \u2018The Rat King\u2019 \u2013 a massive and even more grotesque version of what\u2019s been shown on screen so far. This infected is a combination of many individuals meshed together in a hospital setting.<\/p>\n
The game features a memorable set-piece, where the characters are ambushed by a rat king in a dark basement. It\u2019s a difficult and unsettling encounter that will be tricky to translate to television.<\/p>\n
Diversity<\/h4>\n
Neil Druckman told the BBC when the Last of Us: Part 2 was first released that\u00a0video games needed to do a better job of representing society. Diversity of gender, sexuality and ethnicity was important to him and the team making the game.<\/p>\n
Series two will introduce us to the transgender character Lev \u2013 who was one of the first trans characters featured in a major high-profile gaming release. Their story arc is an emotional one, so expect the show to explore societal attitudes to transgender rights.<\/p>\n
\nWho do you think should be cast as Abby in Season 2 of #TheLastOfUs<\/a> ? pic.twitter.com\/i82TRIhk7w<\/a><\/p>\n
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