Into the Ellie of the Beast.
The Last of Us season two begins right where the first season ended.
He replies, “I swear.”
However, this is not what I want to talk about right now.
What I want to talk about is what, and who, the series shows us next.
The scene pans to a group of young people standing over some crosses.
They’re who are left of the Fireflies following Joel’s massacre at the end of series one.
This relatively brief scene introduces viewers to Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever.
She is determined to find Joel.
“Fifties, grey, beard, six-foot tall, scar on his right temple.
When we kill him.
We kill him slowly.”
This short scene does two things for the viewer.
It is Owen that calms Abby’s initial spit of anger.
It is Owen that Abby is confident she can depend on.
She is not just a narrative gadget there to service Joel’s inner turmoil.
She has her own background and stories.
When we meet Gail, she reveals it is her first birthday without her husband in over 40 years.
She also smokes pot, and drinks whisky.
She calls him out for lying to her, she tells him she isn’t going to validate him.
She also reveals this clanger - Joel killed her husband Eugene, and she is angry at him.
First, the infected.
She isbrilliantas Dina, and her chemistry with both Rasmey’s Ellie and Pascal’s Joel is immediately apparent.
She oozes charisma and warmth.
Fourth, I enjoyed how quickly Rutina Wesley’s Maria shut down Tommy’s casual and perhaps inadvertent sexism.
What did you think of the second season’s debut?
The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals."
