After years of waiting, HBO’s “The Last of Us” finally returned to our television screen on Sunday (April 13) with an exciting season premiere entitled “Future Days.”
It was almost perfect, but as the credits rolled, I just couldn’t help feeling just a tiny bit unsatisfied.
It wasn’t because of the quality of the episode itself. Nope, the HBO adaptation of the popular video game series (which I hold close to my heart) was every bit as high-quality as the previous season. Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that episode 1 should have been twined with the second chapter or at least packed an extended runtime.
There’s no denying that part of my wish that “The Last of Us” season 2 kicked off with a two-part premiere is motivated by my intense love for the franchise. I always want more of "The Last of Us."
However, I promise this isn’t just a case of a fanboy wanting more episodes and wanting them right now, I think there’s a key storytelling reason that “The Last of Us” season 2 should have given us episode 1 and episode 2 together, rather than making us endure a tortuous wait.
Before I dive into my reasoning, I want to warn you this article contains major spoilers for "The Last of Us Part II" video game, including events that haven’t happened yet in the TV show.
If you’ve never played the games and are experiencing Joel and Ellie’s story for the first time via the HBO show, I suggest you stop reading. Final warning, spoilers incoming ….
Sometimes a little more is better
On the surface, “Future Days” is a pretty packed episode. It catches up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Belle Ramsey) and reveals that their relationship has deteriorated.
It also introduces us to a load of new characters, from Dina (Isabela Merced), Jesse (Young Mazino) and Gail (Catherine O'Hara) in Jackson to the revenge-fueled Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
Plus, Ellie encountered a new type of infected, and we saw a worrying hint that cordyceps are spreading into Jackson via underground pipes. You couldn’t really accuse the episode of not setting up plenty of narrative hooks.
And yet, I do feel like there was a piece of the puzzle missing. And that is (seriously final spoiler warning):
Joel’s brutal murder by Abby.
This shocking moment happens within the first hour or so of "The Last of Us Part II" video game and is the inciting incident of the game’s story. It’s the catalyst for Ellie’s blood-soaked mission of revenge and the continuation of the cycle of violence underpinning the series.
It shattered my soul the first time, but after completing the game and seeing the full picture, I now totally understand its importance to the overall narrative of "The Last of Us." I have huge respect for Druckmann (and co-writer Halley Gross) for making such a bold decision that was always going to be unpopular with some people. And so, it very much proved to be.
While I was very pleased with season 2 episode 1, I believe concluding the premiere with this tragic death would have really kicked the series off with a bang and it would have had every single audience member who hadn’t played the game saying to themselves, “Did that just happen?”
Of course, you might say, well, if it happens an hour(ish) into the video game, the first episode of the show’s second season is an hour, so we’re about on track in the timeline. But let’s not forget that "The Last of Us Part II" is a 30-hour game. The show is going to have to cut narrative corners at some point, even if this adaptation of "Part II" is stretched across multiple seasons.
Putting myself into the mindset of a non-game player, I wonder if the first episode would have felt intriguing, but lacking that one big hook. The death of Joel — much as I’m feeling emotionally unprepared to see that moment play out again — really would have given the premiere an epic watercooler moment that would have launched season 2 with a bang.
Trying to squeeze Joel’s death — which absolutely deserves its full build-up and proper attention — into the first hour of the new season would have probably been a mistake. This is why I’m suggesting HBO should have packaged together season 2’s first two episodes or perhaps expanded the runtime of episode 1 to make it a feature-length premiere.
Two-part premieres aren't uncommon in the modern TV landscape, and one here would have allowed the show to take its time building up to the crucial scene and ensured every single viewer returned next week.
“The Last of Us” season 2 is confirmed to be a pretty trim seven episodes, and if the rumors of it concluding at the theater confrontation between Ellie and Abby are accurate, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover in just six more episodes. And there's even less time to do so if season 2 includes another standalone episode a la season 1’s award-winning “Long, Long Time."
Hopefully, season 2’s back half doesn’t become an all-out sprint after such a deliberately paced premiere.
Time to practice some patience
I won't pretend to know more than Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Both are infinitely more talented and with a better understanding of narrative pacing than I’ll ever have. So, I’ll wait to see how the rest of season 2 plays out before I can cast any final judgments on their choice to hold back "The Last of Us Part II’s" most talked-about moment from the premiere episode.
However, I will grow increasingly concerned if Joel’s horrible fate doesn’t befall him in the next chapter. At that point, we’ll either see a major rework of the game’s story, or the show could be in danger of dragging its heels.
As I said, the story of "Part II" really can’t kick into gear until that moment happens. If we get midway through the season and Joel is still alive, I’ll start to wonder about season 2's direction.
But Mazin and Druckmann have earned my trust, and I have no doubt they’ll do the sequel’s incredible (but very bleak) story the same justice they did for the first game.
Plus, the season 2 premiere was still a fantastic hour of television. All the same, as a game player, that controversial moment was always in the back of my mind. I remain confident it’s coming very soon, and when it does happen, I have no doubt it’ll be done with the care it deserves.
I'm both excited and seriously nervous to see how non-game players react to Joel's death. And with "The Last of Us" season 2 episode 2 less than a week away, I may not have very much longer to wait until I find out.
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