The Last of Us creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann explain why season 2’s biggest twist occurs so early in the season despite the show’s early season 3 renewal. The second season begins a multi-season adaptation of the second game in Naughty Dog’s beloved Playstation video game series focused on survivors trying to carry on in the wake of a viral fungal outbreak. In The Last of Us season 2, episode 2, “Through the Valley,” Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller’s past finally catches up to him as the settlement of Jackson faces a horde of infected.
As The Last of Us season 2’s most recent episode depicted the final moments of Joel, Mazin and Druckmann sat down with Variety to explain why that moment was brought to screens so soon into the new season. While the show’s guaranteed future left them with plenty of freedom, Druckmann felt that leaving it to a later point would do a disservice to the story, while Mazin didn’t want to leave those aware of the twist suffering too long. Check out the showrunners’ responses below:
Craig Mazin: Every choice was on the table, as I recall.
Neil Druckmann: Ultimately, I think we needed just to settle back into the show. Because even in the game, there’s like an hour or something before you get to this moment. But we also knew it needed to be early enough, because this is the inciting incident for this story. So yes, we always pick every permutation, but the later it got in the season, it just felt we were kind of dragging our feet instead of just getting to the meat of what the story is about.
Mazin: There’s a danger of tormenting people. It’s not what we want to do. If people know it’s coming, they will start to feel tormented. And people who don’t know it’s coming are going to find out it’s coming, because people are going to talk about the fact that it hasn’t shown up yet. Our instinct was to make sure that when we did it, that it felt natural in the story and was not some meta-function of us wanting to upset people.
What Joel’s Death Means For The Rest Of The Last of Us Season 2
Joel’s Story Isn’t Over
While promotional materials have shown that Pascal still has a handful of appearances as Joel, trailers for The Last of Us season 2 were carefully edited to ensure that those not aware of The Last of Us Part II‘s twist weren’t spoiled. This followed in the footsteps of the game’s marketing, where promotional materials for the 2020 release didn’t depict Joel’s death or make any mention of Ellie’s motivations. As such, save for those who were aware of leaks, The Last of Us Part II caused much discussion upon release thanks to its twist.
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Though Joel may be dead in the ongoing narrative of The Last of Us, there are still many moments between him and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) that will come into play. The season is set to feature flashbacks that will further explore the time between the pair between seasons, from them bonding as a family, to the falling out that saw Ellie distance herself in episode 1. Furthermore, with the television series willing to expand on backstories, both newcomers and franchise veterans may be treated to new scenes between the father and daughter duo.
Our Take On The Last Of Us Season 2’s Major Death
The Incident Has Wide-Reaching Consequences For The Series
As one of the second game’s most infamous story decisions, many wondered how The Last of Us television series would handle Joel’s death. The Last of Us show made changes and introduced Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby earlier. Joel’s death happening as soon as possible was necessary, as audiences are meant to feel his loss just as much as Ellie does, while giving her the motivation for the next chapter of her story. With the season opening at such a dark moment, many may be left wondering what horrors are yet to come.
Source: Variety
The Last Of Us
8/10
- Release Date
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January 15, 2023
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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Craig Mazin
- Directors
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Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Writers
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Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin