The director of Episode 2 from The Last of Us Season 2 recently talked about that intense scene and explained some changes from the video game.
The new episode aired last night on Max, finally showing the shocking moment that fans had been bracing for. After Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) and her group—the Wolves—bring Joel (Pedro Pascal) back to the lodge, they take their chance to get revenge.
Some details were changed in this version: Dina (Isabela Merced) is at the lodge instead of Tommy (Gabriel Luna), and Manny (Danny Ramirez) doesn’t spit on Joel’s dead body or call him a “pendejo.” Director Mark Mylod, known for Succession, explained to Variety why they made these changes and why certain parts were left out.
Advertisement It was a choice. In some of the takes, Danny did do the spitting move. There was a spit version also. It just didn’t feel right in the edit, or it wasn’t the best take for the rest of the moment to support Danny’s performance. It became what felt like the most powerful incarnation of that moment, rather than wanting the spit because it matched the game. A lovely thing about working with Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin is that there’s a huge respect and adoration of the game’s canon, but always in any given moment it’s what’s best for the emotional truth of that moment on camera.
Mylod also talked to Variety about another small but powerful change from the game to the show—Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) giving Joel one last hug after his death. In the game, the scene jumps straight from Ellie mourning on the floor to being back in Jackson. Mylod explained why they added this moment, saying it showed the deeper sense of grief and loss Ellie was experiencing at that time.
The shot was just about desolation, absolute finality and loss. We specifically shot the scene in a very unflashy way. It was very much about the humanity, vulnerability, anger, all the emotional elements of the character. It had to be honest and observational and not standing too far back, so there was almost a voyeurism of being uncomfortably close to to the action and emotion, to the ferocity of Abby, to the extraordinary pain, both physical in Joel’s and emotional in Ellie’s. That top shot was about breaking out of that camera grammar to a place that was final, judgmental and hopefully heartbreaking to see the desperate need for that final physical contact.
Now that Joel is dead, if The Last of Us Season 2 continues to follow the main storyline from the Game of the Year-winning The Last of Us Part II, Ellie and Dina will go to Seattle to get revenge on Abby and the Wolves. The Washington Liberation Front, led by Isaac (played by Jeffrey Wright), is a harsh militia group. They usually don’t trust outsiders and are more likely to kill someone than shelter them.
The Last of Us has already been confirmed for Season 3. This news emerged even before Season 2 began, indicating that Max has strong confidence in the show’s success. So far, Season 2 has been well-received by critics, earning a nearly perfect 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, regular viewers have rated it much lower, giving it just 53%. The Emmy-winning series was created for TV by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin. Druckmann also made both games, and Mazin is known for his work on Chernobyl.
The first two episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 are now available to stream.
Source: Variety