10 things to remember before watching The Last of Us season 2
The Last of Us (2023-) is one of the biggest TV hits in the last few years. The story, based on a video game by Naughty Dog, centers around a dystopian world where a pandemic caused by fungal infections has wiped out functioning societies. Middle-aged Joel (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with safely transporting 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who is immune to the infection.
Fans love how the show weaves themes of grief, family, love, and loss within a quest for survival. The show does justice to its video game, creating a visually captivating post-apocalyptic world. Pascal and Ramsey's nuanced performances stood out, making fans root for them.
With season 2 of The Last of Us on the way, here are 10 important highlights to jog every fan's memory!
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer.
A quick recap before The Last of Us season 2
1) A fungal infection has ended humanity as they know it. The catch? This fungus exists in the real world
The Last of Us is set in a world where the Cordyceps Brain Infection (CBI) has infected and killed billions worldwide. Those infected turn into zombie-like monsters, further biting and infecting the rest. The handful of survivors live in fear. The world as they know it, crumbles into chaos.
In the show, rising global temperatures are attributed to the Cordyceps fungi adapting to human body heat and infecting them. While this is fictional, the fungi are in fact, real, and exist in our world. However, they are pathogenic only in insects.
2) FEDRA operates all quarantine zones, but there are exceptions
The Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) emerged in the Last of Us world after the CBI pandemic. They are an authoritarian group that took over the U.S. government in an attempt to keep the uninfected safe from the fungus.
However, not everyone lives under FEDRA. There are also self-sustained communities, like the one Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) is a part of. Others also survive on their own.
Through the course of the show, we see the differences between FEDRA's tyrannical regime and other ways of living in the post-apocalyptic world.
3) The Fireflies are the FEDRA antithesis
A radical underground group named Fireflies emerged in response to FEDRA's authoritarian system. They are the catalysts as they setup the show's premise.
Marlene (Merle Dandridge), the group's leader, wants Joel and his partner Tess to transport Ellie out of the quarantine zone to a medical facility in Boston.
The group is portrayed as trying to restore democracy and give the surviving humans more agency. However, they are known to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, making them a morally gray entity within the Last of Us world.
4) Joel is a law-breaker
Joel is introduced in the show's opening scene as Sarah's loving, single father. The duo is forced to escape with Joel's brother Tommy, when their neighbor is infected.
Sarah gets injured, and the military official chasing them claims he has to shoot them if he doubts they are infected. Joel begs the official, but Sarah gets fatally shot.
This is a pivotal moment in Joel's life. He lives with the trauma and pain of losing his daughter and ends up becoming a contraband dealer when Ellie comes into his life.
5) Joel's loss decided his initial reaction to Ellie
When Joel is tasked with smuggling Ellie across the country to a medical facility, he keeps her at arm's length. This behavior comes from losing his daughter, and he mentions to Ellie that she is just "Cargo", a task for him to complete in exchange for ammunition.
Through the course of Last of Us, Joel and Ellie meet life-threatening obstacles and save each other countless times, bringing them closer together. By the end of the show, Joel's paternal instincts change the course of their lives.
6) Ellie's immunity comes from her mother's actions
Ellie's mother Anna (Ashley Johnson), gets bitten by an "infected" while she gives birth to Ellie. Even in her last moments, she manages to stab the infected and uses the same knife to cut the umbilical cord connected to Ellie. The infected blood exposes Ellie to the fungi, making her immune.
Anna hands Ellie to Marlene, the Fireflies' leader and her close friend, in an attempt to keep her safe. However, Marlene has other plans for Ellie. She believes Ellie's DNA could be the key to eliminating the pandemic and creating a vaccine.
7) The Fireflies are more focused on the greater good
Marlene's true intentions with Ellie are revealed in the climax of Last of Us. Once Joel and Ellie reach the medical facility, she attacks Joel and takes Ellie away. A team of doctors prepare to surgically remove parts of Ellie's brain to create a cure for the fungal infection.
This scene shows the true nature of Marlene and the Fireflies. Marlene is ready to sacrifice her dead friend's child if it means the future of humanity can be saved.
8) Joel's rage is unleashed
Joel's paternal instincts reach a crescendo when he realizes what Marlene wants to do with Ellie. His rampage kills all the Fireflies in the hospital, including Marlene and the doctors who must operate on Ellie.
While the Fireflies are focused on the greater good, Joel is focused on protecting his kin, especially after Sarah is taken away from him.
9) Joel lies to Ellie about the Fireflies
In the season finale, Joel rescues an unconscious Ellie and drives away to Jackson. She is unconvinced by Joel's story about the Fireflies finding other cures for the fungus.
Joel maintains his lies throughout the conversation, creating doubts about Ellie's future relationship with him. Will his betrayal be a major plot point in season 2?
10) The show is faithful to the video game but made a few changes
There are many video game vs show moments that make fans watch out for what's to come. The video game's timeline is between 2013 and post-apocalyptic 2033.
However, the show is set between 2003 and 2023. While there are only 4 major stages of the Cordyceps infection in the show, the video game has several, more gruesome variants.
The show also focuses more on Joel's relationship with Sarah, establishing his love and grief as a father. Frank and Bill's love story is entirely original to the show. While the characters are in the video game, their backstories aren't explored.
Another interesting plot point is how Tess is killed. In the video game, FEDRA agents shoot her while tracking the three for escaping the quarantine zone. However, in the show, Tess is infected and blows up a building to kill the other infected.
Fans can return to Joel and Ellie's world soon! The Last of Us season 2 premiers April 13 on HBO and Max.
