HBO’s multi-season approach to the next chapter of The Last of Us saga suggests that Ellie and Abby’s Seattle storylines will each get their own separate season – and that’s the right way to go. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s announcement that The Last of Us Part II will be adapted into two or possibly even three seasons has been met with some skepticism. But The Last of Us Part II is a massive game with a lot of different story threads to explore in the TV adaptation.
During that time, Abby becomes more of a symbol of Ellie’s vengeful rage than a character in her own right. So, by the time Abby catches Ellie and the game goes back to show her story, the audience has to subconsciously undo all that rage and see her as a human being. The key to making that work is making Abby’s story its own separate thing.
Giving Abby’s story its own season – essentially making Dever the star of the show for a season – would help to make that connection. Abby isn’t just the villain of Ellie’s story; she’s the hero of her own story . Dever needs to be given the space to become every bit the star of The Last of Us that Ramsey is.
6 Showing All Of Ellie's Story Before Any Of Abby's Is Key To The Emotional Rug-Pull Showing Ellie and Abby’s stories simultaneously would ruin the emotional rug-pull that the game pulls off so masterfully. In the game, players play through all three of Ellie’s Seattle days, constantly fixated on finding Abby and exacting revenge, before they get to see Abby’s perspective.
4 It'll Be A Totally Unexpected Follow-Up To The Season 2 Finale Cliffhanger The story of The Last of Us Part II is all about upending the audience’s expectations. There’s a four-year time jump in the opening moments of the game and Joel is brutally murdered within the first act. These narrative choices were specifically designed to keep the audience on their toes and hammer home that they have no idea where this story is going.