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The next season of HBO’s smash-hit The Last of Us TV show is on its way, and it will apparently add extra context for certain characters from the games. This would echo what Season 1 of The Last of Us did with Bill and Frank, characters whose history was merely hinted at in the first game but got an entire episode to themselves in the adaptation.
Among the most significant advantages that a TV show or movie has over a video game is its ability to shift perspectives and tell a story more efficiently: because there’s no need to consider gameplay, a show can switch focus to another character with ease, commanding the viewer’s attention without the need for interactivity. This is a big reason why the Bill and Frank episode of TLOU Season 1 works so well, as the show could afford to take a one-hour detour to explore a more intimate, slow-paced relationship between two characters in a way that the video game simply couldn’t. It’s likely that audiences will see more of this sort of storytelling in the next season of The Last of Us.
Further Fleshing Out The Last of Us Universe in Season 2
What Characters Could Be Fleshed Out in The Last of Us Season 2
While they may not get a full episode like Bill and Frank did in TLOU Season 1, Druckmann has stated that this upcoming season will provide additional backstory for certain characters. The Last of Us Part 2 greatly expanded the series’ cast, introducing a number of new faces whose pasts are merely gestured toward, rather than fully explained or shown objectively. Given the unique strengths of the TV show format, and the show’s plan to run for several more seasons, many of these characters could benefit from added context.
Minor characters like Jesse, who is affable and endearing in the second game, could perhaps get more fleshed-out in the TV show. But there are more essential figures, like the Washington Liberation Front leader Isaac Dixon, who could become far more multidimensional and complex through this method of storytelling, helping audiences understand their motivations and personality a bit more. The show may also be able to offer a more intimate look at factions like the Seraphites through the perspective of characters like Lev. There are a number of other minor characters who could become more substantial via extra backstory, including:
- Maria Miller
- Nora Harris
- Manny
- Mel
- Yara
Season 2’s added backstory wouldn’t have to be limited to tertiary characters: more attention to
Joel and Ellie’s development in Jackson
could paint a more complete picture of their changing emotional states between games.
How Added Backstory Could Inform The Last of Us 3
If any of the above characters were to get the Bill and Frank treatment in TLOU Season 2, it could dramatically alter player perception going into The Last of Us 3. For example, new details about Lev’s family history in the show could change his possible characterization in the next game, if only because audiences now know more about his past. Similarly, reshaping the WLF by humanizing characters like Isaac would open the door to more nuanced storytelling in the next game.
Video games can be powerful tools for evoking empathy—this is something that TLOU 2 strove for with its multi-protagonist structure—but its limited windows of perspective also limit their emotional scope, only showing certain characters from the point of view of the protagonists, which is a restriction TV shows don’t necessarily have. Thus, The Last of Us Season 2 should synergize with TLOU 3 by providing new backstories, expanding the narrative mosaic of the franchise and forming new context moving forward.
