We're down to the last few weeks of waiting for the return of "The Last of Us" season 2 continues, with the acclaimed dystopian thriller set to arrive on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13, with the first of the season's seven episodes.
And, happily, we have a bit more intel about that much-anticipated season opener, including the episode title and runtime. As shared by @TheLastofUsNews on Twitter, HBO's episode listing for The Last of Us Season 2 reveals that episode 1 will be called "Future Days" and will run for an hour.
Fans of "The Last of Us Part II" video game — from which the events of season 2 are adapted, albeit with some big deviations from the original game script, the showrunners previously teased — will no doubt clock the "Future Days" reference. The episode title refers to the 2013 Pearl Jam song of the same name, which also popped up in the season's first official trailer for sharp-eared viewers.
It's a track that the character of Joel Miller performs for Ellie on his guitar in the opening of the sequel game, a sweet moment that will seemingly be replicated in the show's second season, as we see Joel (played by Pedro Pascal in the television series) teaching Ellie (Bella Ramsey) how to play the song on acoustic guitar in the season 2 trailer.
With moving lyrics such as "If I ever were to lose you, I'd surely lose myself," the inclusion of the Eddie Vedder-penned tune underscores the close but complicated relationship between the two characters, a connection that will reportedly be put to the test in the upcoming episodes.
What will happen in 'The Last of Us' season 2 premiere?
Warning: spoilers ahead!
Does that "Future Days" episode title mean that the franchise's biggest shocker — that Pascal's Joel will meet his demise at the hands of cast newcomer Kaitlyn Dever, who plays controversial character Abby in the show's second season — will occur in the season's very first episode?
Given that Joel's death understandably devastates Ellie and kickstarts her quest for revenge against Abby, titling the season premiere after such an intimate part of their connection could be a clue that she's going to lose him early on.
We'll have to wait and see how the hour-long premiere plays out, but we do know that "TLOU" season 2 will pick up five years from when we last saw it, after Joel made the impossible decision to potentially sacrifice all humanity in favor of saving Ellie.
For the past half-decade, Joel and Elli have been living in a survivors' settlement in Jackson, Wyoming, alongside Joel's brother Tommy (Gabrielle Luna) and new characters like Bella's love interest Dina (Isabel Merced). You can get sneak peeks of those characters and their Wyoming-set life in a batch of new stills, which were recently released by HBO.
The official "TLOU" season 2 synopsis reads: “After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”
Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things related to "The Last of Us" season 2 ahead of next month's big premiere, including new trailers, production stills, character details, plot points and more.
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