The Last of Us season 2 just did something the game couldn’t

The Last of Us’ latest episode, ‘The Path’, best highlights the benefits of working in the medium of television in a way that we haven’t seen since season one’s beloved ‘Long, Long Time’. You see, fans of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II - and that includes myself - shouldn’t expect a carbon copy of the game when it comes to season two, just as we didn’t receive a carbon copy of the studio’s first game when season one launched. TV series and games come with very different demands; those demands can lead to unique benefits.

A game relies on, to state the obvious, gameplay - and that’s something that I feel Naughty Dog is acutely aware of. It’s a studio renowned for its world-class storytelling, but that storytelling never falls into the category of simple cutscenes you, as the player, feel detached from. Gameplay and storytelling are intertwined with cutscenes often bookended by high-octane action segments. As such, throughout both The Last of Us Part I and Part II, I always feel incredibly involved and complicit. When I do enter a cutscene, I barely have time to sit back and detach before I once again resume control. It’s a huge part of the reason why I think the storytelling is so affecting; it wholeheartedly consumes your attention almost to the point where it feels as if you’re living this story.

A TV show’s success, however, isn’t reliant on your involvement at all. Gameplay isn’t a factor here; a TV series doesn’t need to avoid viewer passivity, it’s a granted factor. It’s why HBO’s The Last of Us doesn’t constantly need to make a return to violent action. Certainly, as shown during last week’s infected attack on Jackson in ‘Through The Valley’, that can prove engaging for the viewer and necessary for the story, but it’s not a necessity of the medium. As such, television adaptations can elongate the quieter moments of the story in a way that a video game simply cannot afford to do for pacing reasons.

As I said, that’s what we saw in season one’s ‘Long, Long Time’ which offered an alternative lived experience of this post-apocalyptic landscape through Bill and Frank. In season two’s latest episode, ‘The Path’, it’s a more in-depth exploration of the processing of grief that we’re granted - and I have a feeling that the remainder of this season is going to be all the stronger for it.

ICYMI: Check out what’s in store in the weeks ahead below.

It goes without saying that I’m talking about the events following the murder of Joel in last week’s episode. In the game, that scene is followed by Ellie visiting both Joel’s house and grave alongside Dina before the duo quickly venture off to Seattle in search of Tommy who’s already beaten them to it. That scene in the house is beautifully handled, and it does deliver what you need to know about Ellie’s grief before the action of Seattle gets underway. That’s not to say though that the story doesn’t benefit from a more in-depth exploration of this.

In the TV series, Ellie’s grief is largely handled very similarly. Those aforementioned house and grave scenes are recreated, plus we gain the addition of Ellie’s speech during the Jackson town meeting which reminds us of her bullish disregard of authority and the rules - although you can totally understand why she feels that way in this specific situation. Bella Ramsey is exceptional in this episode; I, admittedly, feel that way every week, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular hour helped bag them nominations come awards season. That scene involving Joel’s jacket broke me. Bella so wonderfully handled the rapid shift from the outpouring of Ellie’s grief to the barrier going back up in time for Dina’s arrival.

I am digressing though. What this episode allowed beyond Ellie’s processing is an expanded look at the same of other characters; Dina, Tommy, and even peripheral figures like Gail and Seth were all granted space to reflect. The reason why this is important is that it brings home what Joel meant to those other than Ellie, and that’s going to be crucial when the events of Seattle eventually unfold. You see, in The Last of Us Part II, Dina’s decision to accompany Ellie to Seattle feels much more driven by her adoration and love for Ellie more so than her thirst for revenge for Joel. I’m not saying she didn’t have the latter; theirs is just not a relationship that the game took time to explore.

In the TV series though, this episode places both reasons on equal footing. Yes, Dina is clearly in love with Ellie even if she’s still in denial of her sexuality here. I’m sure acceptance will come with time, but the very fact that Dina turns up to Ellie’s garage with a full plan more than proves her feelings. What HBO’s The Last of Us has taken time to do though is build Joel and Dina’s relationship so that Ellie’s yearning for revenge is shared. Dina isn’t quite so bloodthirsty in how she puts that across, but it’s something very much confirmed by her actions. You need look no further than the scene where Dina finally informs Ellie of what she knows. As Dina explains, there was no point telling Ellie whilst she was still injured in the hospital. If they wanted to stand a chance, Dina needed Ellie at full health. Dina isn’t as impulsive as Ellie, but this scene proved to me that she wants revenge just as much as Ellie does; she’s just more methodical in how she approaches those feelings.

Credit / HBO

You have to remember that Dina, like Ellie, doesn’t have any family. In the game, it’s mentioned that her mother died (circumstances unknown) and that her sister was murdered. You can tell in that opening episode of season two, ‘Future Days’, that Joel has become somewhat of a father figure to her too. It’s going to make subsequent events all the more potent because both Ellie and Dina’s elongated processing of grief allows for a much stronger yearning for vengeance to emerge.

I will admit I’m much less certain of what Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are setting up when it comes to Tommy. In the game, he can be somewhat, like Ellie, a bit of an impulsive hothead. While he’s initially against the idea of venturing to Seattle, he ends up leaving in the dead of night ahead of Ellie and Dina unbeknownst to anyone until morning light. Embarking on a one-man revenge mission and leaving behind your wife isn’t a move I think any of us would advise Tommy of pulling.

Here though, Tommy is much more integral to the town of Jackson; something the episode’s town meeting reminds us of. He’s less of a hothead and far more driven by ideas of justice and community. That’s not something that always comes naturally to Tommy, as evidenced by his conversation with Gail. With that in mind, it’s not a total surprise that this iteration of Tommy hasn’t snuck off to Seattle - as far as we’re aware anyway. Let’s not forget that he has a child now too. Interestingly though, I don’t feel like this episode particularly solidified that Tommy was against the idea of revenge either. He stayed pretty quiet during that town meeting with the character’s scenes largely centred around his pure grief. I can’t quite work out the path that’s being set up for Tommy but I have a feeling that when it's unveiled, it’ll be one that began to be charted in this particular episode.

In HBO’s iteration of The Last of Us, Ellie and Dina haven’t just arrived in Seattle driven by impulsive rage. ‘The Path’ allowed for the dust to settle. This is simmered, calculated rage driven and internally justified by notions of justice. For me, that makes the duo’s arrival all the more powerful and we’ll definitely reap the benefits of that in the season’s remaining four episodes.

The Last of Us Season II is available on Sky and streaming service NOW.