The Last of Us Season 2 Is Fixing One Major Criticism

by

Key Takeaways

  • The Last of Us S1 was critiqued for not having enough infected.
  • The upcoming Last of Us season will likely address criticisms, with early teaser clips showcasing more infected.
  • Season 2 of The Last of Us will tell the second game’s story, which introduces more infected types.

As a long-time fan of both The Last of Us video games and HBO adaptations, I must say that the upcoming season 2 of this gripping post-apocalyptic series has me thoroughly excited! While the first season was a fantastic adaptation overall, it did lack the sheer terror and intensity of the infected hordes that were so prevalent in the original game. However, from the glimpses we’ve seen in teasers for season 2, it seems like they’re addressing those concerns head-on!

HBO’s series “The Last of Us” received wide acclaim from both fans and critics for its accurate portrayal of Naughty Dog’s popular video game. However, the first season had its fair share of praise as well as constructive criticism.

In January 2023, the initial season of “The Last of Us” premiered, encompassing the entire narrative from Naughty Dog’s first game across its nine episodes. This gripping tale follows an unexpected pair – a sorrowful father named Joel and an immune teenager named Ellie – as they traverse a post-apocalyptic United States overrun by humans infected with a lethal fungal virus. The upcoming Season 2 of “The Last of Us” will continue the story of Joel and Ellie, resuming five years after the events of the first game, and will adapt the storyline from “The Last of Us Part 2”. With a larger scope and narrative in the second game, there are numerous creative possibilities for the TV show to flourish even further, addressing some of the criticisms that were directed at its earlier season.

The Last of Us Season 2 is Adding More Infected

One significant point of feedback about Season 1 of “The Last of Us” was the scarcity of infected human characters, which is quite different from the game, given it falls under the zombie-horror genre. Many viewers were taken aback as the TV series seemed to minimize the role of these creatures. In the game, players often encounter and must navigate around groups of runners, clickers, and assorted infected types to advance. However, aside from a few sporadic runners, and notable infected scenes in Episode 2 and Episode 5 on HBO’s “The Last of Us”, the series largely lacked any zombie presence.

Following the renewal of The Last of Us for another season, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann acknowledged the scarcity of infected characters in Season 1, hinting at a greater presence and possibly new types in Season 2. As stated to Variety in 2023, Mazin suggested, “It’s quite plausible that we will see more infected later on, maybe even different kinds.” Reflecting this promise, The Last of Us Part 2 features a higher number of encounters with the infected. Given the success of the initial season, it appears that Season 2 of The Last of Us will have sufficient resources to delve into these aspects in the forthcoming episodes, as it seems they are already well-prepared to do so.

It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds.

The second season of “The Last of Us” isn’t set to premiere until 2025, yet trailers for the upcoming series suggest that it has already tackled the issue of the infected. The teasers show a multitude of infected in various clips, including a massive horde advancing through snow, Kaitlyn Dever’s character Abby being pinned under a fence by runners, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) trapped with infected encircling them on a subway train. A scene also shows an infected following closely behind Ellie. From the trailers, it seems that the threat of the infected in “The Last of Us” Season 2 may not be something for fans to concern themselves with, as this is merely a glimpse of what’s to come in future episodes.

TLOU Season 2 Will Introduce New Infected Types

Just as a top-notch video game sequel does, The Last of Us Part 2 enhanced the original’s formula by introducing fresh and sophisticated enemy types for gamers to confront. Unlike the first game, which featured runners, clickers, stalkers, and bloaters, The Last of Us Part 2 added shamblers and the feared Rat King to the mix. It’s likely that The Last of Us Season 2 will present some of these new infected species in its initial episodes, with glimpses of them already visible in the preview trailer.

The sequence where Ellie is pursued by an infected creature hints at how stalkers might function in the upcoming season of The Last of Us. In the game, stalkers are a stage of infection between runners and clickers, characterized by human-like appearances but with fungal growth sprouting from their heads. They’re both unsettling and dangerous in the game, often lurking behind cover to observe players before launching an attack. Their crouching and crawling movements provide added stealth, as demonstrated in the trailer for The Last of Us Season 2. It is worth mentioning that stalkers were present in the original The Last of Us game, but they did not appear in the TV series.

The preview for Season 2 of “The Last of Us” suggests that shamblers may appear in the series, resembling bloaters in size but capable of releasing clouds of corrosive vapors. In the opening scene on Day 1 in Seattle, Ellie comes across a shambler when she and Dina are pushed into the underground subway system. The trailer for “The Last of Us” Season 2 features Ellie and Dina in the Seattle subway, implying that they might encounter shamblers in the same episode. Although there may be some criticism regarding how closely “The Last of Us” Season 2 follows the storyline of “The Last of Us Part 2,” it seems that the infected won’t be one of the issues this time around.

The Last of Us Season 2 is expected to be released on HBO in 2025.

Read More

2024-10-14 00:33