With the second season of The Last of Us airing its final episode last month, anticipation has already begun to build for the next season of HBO’s beloved video game adaptation. The previous season featured many emotional highs and lows, which (spoiler alert!) included the death of fan-favourite Joel, played by Pedro Pascal. Season 2 ended with Ellie (Bella Ramsay), who stepped into the shoes of the “primary protagonist” after the death of her father-figure Joel, in an intense confrontation with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) when a gunshot rings out.
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Following the cliffhanger ending, what does season 3 have in store? We may have our answers already. The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann, during the Emmys FYC panel, confirmed many suspicions. Talking about the creative freedom HBO granted the showrunners, he said as quoted by Variety, “I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way, meaning like, we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”
His declaration aligns with what audiences witnessed at the end of Season 2. As the gunshot echoes, the perspective shifts to Dever’s character, Abby.
Abby was responsible for the death of Joel, making her one of the most loathed characters in both the video game and the series. “I guess the controversy surrounding Abby was never really a concern for me, just given my first meeting with Craig and Neil and how wonderful they are and how talented they are,” the 27-year-old continued.
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“I’ve never felt so carried on a set in my life,” Dever said, “I know we just watched Episode 2, doing that scene in the chalet… I was going through a lot personally, but it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had as an actor, just because it really, really felt like such a team effort.” The actress’ mother had passed away after a years-long battle with cancer during the shoot of The Last of Us.
Co-creator Craig Mazin, who was also present at the panel, addressed Joel’s death, which came as a surprise to those unfamiliar with the video game. “In a show where we try and keep things as grounded as possible, and we want people to feel in real danger, then yes, sometimes the people that we can’t imagine dying die. That’s because, for me, this is not a show about revenge. It’s a show about grief,” he said.
