Summary
The official teaser trailer just dropped forThe Last of UsSeason 2, and it’s certainly given fans of the original game series plenty to look forward to. The two-minute video packs a punch with the reveal of several familiar faces and references to critical plot points from the events of the second game.
Season 1 of the seriesstayed true to its source material — for the most part. Set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal pathogen that turns humans into zombie-like victims, the storyline follows a smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he escorts a girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the country to find The Fireflies, a group of revolutionaries who might be able to find a cure to the disease. As the only known person immune to the infection, Ellie is humanity’s last hope for salvation and a prime research subject for a potential antidote. The game vaguely describes how Ellie’s immunity is linked to a mutation of the fungus in her body, but the Season 1 finale of the television series dives a little deeper with a flashback of Ellie’s mother being bitten by an infected creature just moments before giving birth.
Season 2 starts five years after the events of Season 1 with the promise of hitting many of the important notes of its video game counterpart. From the looks of the teaser andleaked images from production, it seems like the series will be remaining pretty faithful to the original games with room for some tasteful creative liberties.
The Love Triangle Fans Have Been Waiting For
Jesse (Young Mazino) is an integral supporting character in the second entry ofThe Last of Usgame series who befriends Ellie and ultimately accompanies her on a quest to avenge Joel’s untimely death, which players know takes place fairly early into the sequel game.
And there’s no Jesse without Dina (Isabela Merced), the free-willed teenager whosepast relationship with Jesse and ongoing fling with Elliemakes for a juicy love triangle. Both Jesse and Dina have fleeting screen time in the actual games, but it’s possible there’s room for more expansive character development in a narrative TV format.
Introducing A Familiar Antagonist
Abby is a central character to the events that unfold inThe Last of Us Part IIand acts as a foil to Ellie throughout the game. It is at Abby’s hands that Joel meets his demise — a decision she’s driven to make after Joel murdered her own father years prior.
On Jan. 9, the series creators announced thatKaitlyn Dever was cast to play the formidable character. But it wasn’t until the newly released teaser that fans got their first look at theBooksmartactor in this pivotal role.
Meet the Scars
Also known as the Seraphites, the Scars are members of areligious cult introduced inThe Last of Us Part IIwho are at war with a military organization called the Washington Liberation Front for control of Seattle. In the teaser, we see a group of them on the hunt, along with some cryptic graffiti scribed in blood that reads “Feel Her Love.” The phrase is one that appears on various other Seraphite murals throughout the second installment of the game series.
A Special Gift From Joel
The teaser trailer shows more than a couple shots of Ellie fiddling with a guitar that players of the original games will certainly recognize by its signature moth symbol on its neck. The instrument isthe first thing players see when they boot upThe Last of Us Part II, and it doesn’t take more than 20 seconds for it to make its debut in the trailer.
After Joel’s death, the guitar becomes one of the few persistent reminders of Ellie and Joel’s connection. In the sequel game, Joel promises to teach Ellie how to play shortly before his passing, and she attempts to teach herself nonetheless once he’s gone.
The trailer shows footage of Ellie playing the guitar for Dina, along with a brief moment where Joel is casually strumming on the porch just before he and Ellie have a heart-to-heart, which fans of the game franchise will recognize as one of the most climactic conversations in the series.
Rumors are swirling thatthe follow-up season will only span seven episodes, which is two episodes shorter than the show’s pilot season. Ass a result, fans are eager to find out if that’s enough screen time to cover the entire storyline ofThe Last of Us Part II, or if the video game adaptation will require another season to reach its conclusion.
The official release date forThe Last of UsSeason 2 has yet to be confirmed, butit’s expected to premiere sometime in 2025.
