Season 1 of "The Last of Us" saw Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) dealing with a lot of external drama — surviving legions of zombie-like infected folks being the biggest challenge, obviously.
But the second season of the dystopian HBO drama, which premieres on Sunday, April 13, will also see a lot of interpersonal conflict between the close pair, a rift that was difficult for star Bella Ramsey to navigate.
While appearing at Deadline’s Contenders TV event this past weekend, Ramsey joined "The Last of Us" co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann to discuss the much-anticipated sophomore season, which will pick up five years from the events of that shocking season 1 finale.
If you need a refresher, that finale saw Joel decide to save Ellie from the procedure that would save humanity — by creating an immunity to the cordyceps fungus that has ravaged the world — but kill her.
Ellie, as you might remember, doesn't entirely know that Joel lied about what really happened in the finale but, per clips from the official trailer, she will seemingly find out in the new episodes, a discovery that will surely complicate things with Pascal's Joel in season 2.
"There’s definitely some doubt that Ellie has about that lie that Joel told her at the end of Season 1, so I think that plays a big part in the shift in the relationship,” Ramsey told Deadline.
“It’s really difficult playing being cold to him … it’s sadder for sure. And it will continue to just get sadder and more cold … so look forward to that.”
In a recent interview with TV Insider, Craig Mazin delved further into the tension between the teenager and her father figure.
“Joel and Ellie have fallen into a bit of a pattern that a lot of parents find with kids as they grow up,” Mazin said. “Her relationship with Joel has become strained, and we are not sure why. Joel’s hope is that it is just the usual teenager-disconnecting-with-parent thing.
"But we know from the end of season 1, there is this matter of the lie that Joel told Ellie. So we can’t help but wonder if maybe Ellie’s burgeoning understanding of what happened is partly to blame for the rift.”
Mazin — who directed the season 2 premiere episode, entitled "Future Days" — also shared that the performances of Pascal and Ramsey are "staggering" in the new eps. “I am deeply grateful to them. I don’t know how it gets better than this.”
Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things related to "The Last of Us" season 2 ahead of next week's big premiere, including new trailers, production stills, character details, plot points and more.
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