Anyone who played The Last of Us: Part II notice anything peculiarly poignant about the season premiere of The Last of Us? Maybe something to the tune of an almost shot-for-shot adaptation of the first hour-plus of gameplay? I remarked on this to my wife as we were watching the show, particularly because I think it’s wildly important with regards to the narrative pacing of the season relative to the game (more on that later). She didn’t see the significance until the Internet started to pick up on it, too. As I get you set for everything you need for episode two of The Last of Us, check out the similarities between shot and game from the Instagram post below.
What’s it all mean? Let’s get to it. As far as notes on when to tune in for the second installment: HBO will release episodes of The Last of Us, beginning with the premiere on this Sunday evening, April 13th, on Sundays at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT.
For casting and story notes, read on.
The Last of Us story notes
Let’s just start here: there are already some advanced stills from the second episode. Go ahead and take a look for yourself in the post below.
Again, all-too-familiar for those of us who played The Last of Us: Part II. And, for those of us who didn’t, a clear indication that our protagonists are in urgent peril. Joel looking like a brooding wolf—but a sense of urgency. Abby flattened against a wall—from whom is she hiding? And just upon what is Ellie looking with such confused terror? Why does Tommy look so utterly ragged?
It sure seems to me that we can expect a rhythmic shift in this season of The Last of Us; where the first few episodes of season one were devastating in their exposition, it feels like we’re headed toward an early-season run of installments here that are devastating because of their pace. We saw at the end of last week’s episode: Cordyceps are growing with great force in the old electrical piping Joel and Dina were gutting. Abby, with the sole purpose of killing Joel slowly, looks down upon Jackson, Wyoming like the Grinch looked down upon Whoville. And, in the above still, she seems to be within the bounds of civilization. For what that’s worth.
I expect this next week’s installment to be edge-of-your-seat type stuff. We know the writing in this show by now. It doesn’t take long for the shadows at the perimeter to cast their darkness to our core.
Joel and Ellie
It’s fair that viewers might be frustrated with the five-year time jump in the season premiere, especially as it relates to the ambiguous-but-made-very-obvious tension between Joel and Ellie. The episode even went so far as to walk us through the seconds after the fade-to-black scene that marked the end of season one’s finale. Still no absolution there, either.
Joel seems just as confused as you about this whole discord, for the record. How about that scene between Pedro Pascal and Catherine O’Hara’s Gail, who suckered Joel just as much as she suckered me. Nice strategy there with the bottle, Gail. There’s obviously some history to unpack there, seeing as Gail plain-as-day told Joel she didn’t forgive him for killing Eugene—her late husband. I can understand why she’d be a little bummed to let her partner’s murderer trauma-dump on her couch.
In any case, Ellie is 19 years old and has totally shut Joel out. She won’t say why to any of her new friends—including her electric love interest, Dina (same one who works electrical with Joel)—and doesn’t agree with Uncle Tommy that her behavior might be a little disproportionately punishing to poor 63-year-old Joel, who just wants what’s best for her. If you left that episode with anything other than the clearest understanding that protecting Ellie is now hardwired into Joel, you weren’t paying enough attention. He can’t help himself. That is, of course, until Ellie demands it of him in front of an entire happy barnfull of patrons at the Jackson dance.
In the dark recesses of our hearts, we can surmise what happened, can’t we? We all saw Ellie’s face at the end of the first season. She knew Joel was lying. I’m sure of it. And I’d bet you anything they’ve yet to have an honest talk about it, and all this cold-shoulder-silent-treatment-go-fuck-yourself-I-don’t-need-your-help etc. etc. etc. will be water under the Jackson, Wyoming bridge once our two heroes air it all out. Maybe smash a guitar.
Here’s hoping they get the opportunity to!
