Another week, another piece on The Last of Us, am I right?
But no, in all honesty, I’ve been waiting anxiously and impatiently for The Last of Us Season 2 since the very minute Season 1 ended, as I am a longtime fan of the franchise. I never would have imagined that HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us would take off as much as it did when it was first released, but honestly, I am here for it, and it has only seemed to grow over time.
But there have been some things that have changed throughout the series that I’ve liked…and some of them I haven’t. Aside from that, there is one change that I genuinely don’t want them to make – a death that has to stay there. So, before you get into this, this is your spoiler warning from The Last of Us video games.
As Someone Who’s A Fan Of The Games, A Lot Has Changed So Far
This series has changed a decent amount from the video games. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not like the story has changed a lot. We’re not dealing with a strange Until Dawn adaptation here. What we’re dealing with is a well-adapted video game franchise that is deciding to not only dive deeper into aspects that we haven’t explored but also add substance to the story.
That’s not to say that some of the changes have been, well, for the better. Personally, one of the things I wanted to keep from Part 2 of The Last of Us was Joel’s death. I feel that the entirety of the story and the theme of what grief does to us and the cost of love in a world where everything dies wouldn’t have hit as hard if he hadn’t been driven (pun intended) with that golf club.
But in the game, it’s not Dina who sees him get killed, but Tommy, and personally, that hits me harder. Adding more to Dina’s backstory with Joel is great, but it doesn’t hit the same. There’s this utter gut punch that slams you when you realize that Tommy literally watched his older brother die in the game – and to me, that’s better, and would have been excellently used in the show if they decided to go that route. The Dina change isn’t one I’m super happy about.
Even so, there are plenty of Last of Us changes that I do like.
But I Don’t Mind Them – In Fact, I Welcome The Change
This isn’t an article about the changes to The Last of Us. If anything, I really enjoy most of the changes.
I love that we’re seeing way more of Jackson this time around because, in the game, it feels like a footnote rather than an expanded piece of lore that we should have explored more. I like that we’re getting a lot more backstory on certain characters and groups without giving away too many spoilers about who they are.
I also love the addition of new characters. Catherine O’Hara’s therapist was not one I ever envisioned for the series, but man, it was fitting to see Joel sit down with someone and talk about everything he has gone through.
Even if we’ve only seen one scene of that so far, that’s beside the point.
These changes don’t hinder the story—they enhance it. While I might not agree with everything, I can’t argue that they’re not well-thought-out and hold a different kind of weight than what we are used to.
Another change that I’ve liked is that we’ve dug a little deeper into Jesse…which brings me to my most significant point.
However…I Really Hope They Keep Jesse’s Death The Same
This is quite hard for me to say, but I need them to keep Jesse’s death, and I’ll tell you why.
When I first played The Last of Us games, I knew Joel was going to die. I was a victim of the leaks that came out a month before the game’s release. I wasn’t upset about his death—in fact, I really welcomed it because that is bold and good storytelling, regardless of what people tell you. But because I knew from the leaks, it did not hit as hard as it should have.
Do you want to know what did? Jesse’s death. We meet Jesse at the beginning of the game, and he really seems like a nice guy with a sarcastic chip on his shoulder. At some point in the game, he willingly goes to Seattle to help Ellie and Dina despite knowing that Jackson is most certainly not going to be very happy about it, alongside Tommy. He’s a good guy.
And then he’s shot by Abby, and it’s so sudden, you can barely comprehend it until you’re sobbing as we move into the next scene. I remember thinking, “Oh my god, NO!” and legit began crying moments later because I couldn’t believe they did that.
And now, it feels like we’re seeing Jesse a lot more. Young Manzino from the Beef cast is kicking it up a notch and giving us a sarcastic but kind and intelligent version of Jesse. We’ve seen his friendship with Ellie way more. And it makes me nervous that they might change things up and not kill him off this time around…heck, maybe they might even kill Tommy instead. I don’t know.
It Would Double The Impact Because We Know Him More And Push Ellie To Seek Further Revenge
But hear me out – I need him to die now because, at this rate, we’ve gotten to know him way more than we ever thought we would. Jesse’s death would actually mean so much more than it did in the game.
While the idea of The Last of Us cast dwindling is a sad thought, the idea of Jesse dying would not only hit harder with the audience but would also inspire Ellie to go on her final hunt for Abby in Season 3 (whenever that comes around). It would be a fitting end to his character and would probably be one of the most heartbreaking deaths of the show. Heck, it would be a TV death that will continue to make The Last of Us an HBO show the world talks about.
I feel like I’ve been able to accurately predict who dies in this show based on the game, but there have been moments when my expectations have been beyond subverted. Jesse’s death could be another one.
Then again, this show is not afraid to rip out my heartstrings, clearly, with Joel’s death, so maybe I’m overthinking for no reason.
Either way, I’ll continue to watch the next three episodes and cry during each one because I love this show so much, and hopefully, wait for the doom to begin relatively soon. Well, we might already be there at this point, but you get me.