HBO has dropped the primary teaser for The Final of Us Season 2. Season 1 has already made waves worldwide, and has been hailed as the best online game adaptation of all time. Can Season 2 match the hype? Listed below are ten belongings you might need missed in The Final of Us Season 2 teaser, and what they could imply.
Beware spoilers for each video games and Season 1.
1. Screaming Ellie
Among the many fast flashes we see is that this shot of Ellie screaming, as folks rush right into a room, however what’s occurring?
There are a couple of completely different choices to contemplate. This could possibly be Joel’s notorious demise scene, albeit one which’s been modified from the supply materials – though it wouldn’t be the primary time The Final of Us has taken a couple of liberties. Others on Reddit have steered that this could possibly be a scene referenced within the recreation, the place she provides herself a chemical burn to disguise her chunk.
Our cash is on this being a nightmare, particularly set within the hospital the place the Fireflies had been primarily based. Ellie is in a mattress of some variety, the folks round her are wearing what seem like the form of sensible garments the Fireflies favor, and the vertical blinds within the background. It’s laborious to inform given the blurriness, however it doesn’t seem that the individual behind her is Joel – and given the truth that Ellie rapidly good points a status for slaughtering Wolves (WLF troopers) and Scars (Seraphites) alike, it’s unlikely that both would present that a lot concern for her.
2. Jackson
Following Ellie’s screaming we get this shot of a crowd operating in the direction of Jackson, recognized by the distinctive picket partitions. That simply raises the query: who’re they, and why are they operating?
They could possibly be contaminated, however the concern there may be that their gait doesn’t appear fairly bestial sufficient, and it seems to be like the garments are comparatively well-maintained. May or not it’s a crowd of individuals? In that case, what are they operating from?
A wildcard concept right here is that this could possibly be an assault on Jackson led by the so-called Salt Lake crew: a tight-knit group of younger Fireflies beforehand stationed in Salt Lake Metropolis – however the place are the weapons? May this simply be a distraction tactic? In both case, that is at odds with the sport. The group’s plan was (at finest) to tough up a patrol to get Joel to come back to them, and there was a grand whole of eight of them. Possibly that is an allied settlement in search of refuge?
3. Tommy
Followers of the video games will know that Tommy will get much more display screen time and focus in Half 2 than within the first recreation. Not solely is he one of many leaders of the Jackson settlement, however he heads to Seattle independently of Ellie to get revenge on the Salt Lake crew. Nonetheless, he by no means fought in Jackson itself. This shot of him aiming a rifle appears to be set there given the picket construction behind him, and the fireplace within the background makes this seem to be a siege. Regardless of the crowd is, it’s not pleasant – or operating from one thing worse.
Taken with the earlier clip, evidently the Salt Lake Crew could also be taking a extra offensive method this time round, which is a daring transfer. The storyline of the following few seasons will comply with the sport, and executing it properly means making Abby a sympathetic character. Regardless of her actions, we additionally know why she carried them out, and her plan is comparatively cold (compared to Ellie and her associates merely wandering into Seattle like a gaggle of antiquing bulls). Abby went out of her strategy to keep away from collateral harm, though that meant leaving witnesses. If the Salt Lake Crew are attacking Jackson instantly, it’ll be more durable to make Abby a sympathetic character when the time comes.
Nonetheless, there’s one thing else that makes the Salt Lake Crew being accountable somewhat extra unlikely…
4. Abby
Abby is a central character in The Final of Us Half 2, and simply probably the most controversial. From the second she kills Joel we’re primed to hate her, and don’t be taught till afterward that she did it in retribution for Joel’s homicide of her personal father. In essence, she’s obtained the identical motivations that Ellie did, albeit with somewhat extra data to work with.
The casting of Kaitlyn Dever within the position was each genius and the last word troll transfer. Dever is a proficient actress, and her bodily resemblance to Ellie within the video games led to plenty of followers wanting her to play the half within the sequence earlier than Bella Ramsey was forged. Having her painting Abby – a personality positioned as Ellie’s nemesis – is sure to lift a couple of eyebrows.
This shot exhibits Abby crawling to security beneath a fence as a horde of Contaminated tries to get to her. Followers of the video games will know that that is mere moments earlier than she meets Joel and Tommy. If the identical holds true right here, then we could be virtually sure that the assault on Jackson is by the hands of somebody in addition to the Salt Lake Crew: there’s no manner they’d let Joel or Tommy go free and danger turning a military in opposition to themselves, and if Jackson was underneath assault, neither of them would head out of the city and rescue a random individual. So who’re Jackson combating?
One risk is that the second season will develop on the Jackson phase, and see Abby and her group be a part of the settlement, nonetheless briefly. In spite of everything, there’s plenty of recreation to get via, to the purpose that it’s being break up into at the very least two seasons. There’s sufficient area to develop the occasions that happen in Jackson, and provides Abby some extra focus earlier than she steps as much as share the highlight.
5. Who’s Catherine O’Hara Taking part in?
The casting of legendary Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara in The Final of Us season 2 led to an outpouring of affection from the fandom, in addition to loads of hypothesis about who she’s enjoying. Whereas the commonest concept was that she’d be enjoying The Prophet (could she information us), this quickly got here into query. The Prophet is a personality who solely seems within the backstory or in graffiti all through Seattle, and she or he was lengthy lifeless by the point Ellie and her associates arrived within the metropolis. Nonetheless, it was revealed that O’Hara will seem in three episodes, and share scenes with each Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie). As such, her being the prophet is decidedly unlikely.
When she seems within the trailer, she notably seems to be carrying cozier clothes and is missing the distinctive Glasgow smile that provides the Seraphites their nickname (Scars). The clothes hints that this scene takes place in Jackson, as these scenes are set within the late winter.
One risk is that O’Hara is enjoying Esther, a personality talked about in The Final of Us: One Night time Stay, an occasion that noticed the actors carry out chosen scenes from the primary recreation (in addition to a musical alternate ending that needs to be seen to be believed). There was one new scene, nonetheless: a so-called epilogue of an epilogue which was later tailored into a part of Half 2’s prologue. This scene had Joel point out Esther, an unseen character who Tommy set Joel up with.
All mentions of Esther had been faraway from The Final of Us Half 2, however it’s price noting that Joel mentions that she has an incredible humorousness – and O’Hara has confirmed her comedic expertise time and time once more.
Notably, an enlargement of this relationship would give a purpose for O’Hara to share the display screen with each Ellie and Joel, in addition to a touch that we’ll see Jackson as the primary setting for 2 or three episodes.
It’s additionally price noting that she seems to ask Joel if he damage Ellie, with him seemingly answering the query. Whereas it’s doable it is a case of manipulative modifying, if it isn’t then that is clearly somebody Joel is shut with if he’s prepared to confess his actions.
6. The Celebration
Followers of the sport will know this scene right away. This get together the evening earlier than Joel’s demise can also be the one which results in Ellie trying to forgive Joel following an estrangement, the explanations for that are revealed all through the sport. The scene, set throughout a light-hearted get together in Jackson, can also be the place we see Ellie and Dinah’s first kiss, previous to them turning into full-fledged love pursuits.
The vital factor to bear in mind right here is that we don’t initially see this scene within the recreation till the sport’s third act, simply earlier than Ellie heads to California. On condition that the second recreation is being tailored into at the very least two seasons, there’s no manner we’ll get that far inside a single one. Placing the scene nearer to the start would give some background on Ellie and Joel’s relationship troubles, in addition to the folks of Jackson.
It’s nonetheless doable that this scene might be a flashback, but when so it’ll be a lot nearer to the beginning of the sport’s occasions – maybe shortly after Joel’s demise?
7. Isaac
Jeffrey Wright follows within the footsteps of Merle Dandridge and Laura Bailey in reprising his position within the sequence (though in Bailey’s case, she reprised her position as a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital versus her extra well-known position).
Wright is enjoying Isaac, the chief of the Washington Liberation Entrance (WLF aka Wolves). Though he solely seems in a couple of scenes of the sport, his ruthlessness and want to wipe out the Seraphites make him stand out as a clear-cut unhealthy man: whereas the Seraphites are for probably the most half villainous, genocide clearly isn’t the reply.
Isaac’s look could trace that he has an expanded position within the sequence. With The Final of Us Season 2 poised to be larger than the primary, regardless of a smaller episode rely, we’ve to surprise precisely what we’ll see – and what components of Abby’s story might be proven within the recreation.
8. The Seraphites
One other trace at how a lot of the sport The Final of Us Season 2 will cowl, we get our first glimpse of the Seraphites. This cult inhabits an island that was as soon as the Seattle suburb of Queen Anne and is thought for his or her brutality in fight, disdain for expertise, and battle with the WLF.
Though Ellie comes into battle with the Seraphites a couple of instances over her marketing campaign, the earliest is when she’s on her strategy to the hospital to trace down Nora. Whether or not the season ends right here or goes all the best way to the tip of Ellie’s marketing campaign, we could be pretty assured that it’s this primary encounter we’re seeing right here, as the remainder of Ellie’s encounters with the group happen in ruins.
One different is that this scene is a recreation of 1 somewhat additional within the recreation, throughout Abby’s marketing campaign. Abby encounters the Seraphites way more incessantly, with the group representing her main human opponents for a lot of the sport. Nonetheless, we could be pretty assured that the season received’t get this far for 2 causes: Lev and Yara. The 2 characters are essential characters in Abby’s marketing campaign, and up to now haven’t been introduced to look. In the event that they did seem, this scene could possibly be their first assembly with Abby, which could make the Seraphite within the background Emily.
9. Machine Gun Ellie
In case you thought Bella Ramsey would battle to painting Ellie because the hardened badass she is in The Final of Us Half 2, perhaps this shot will persuade you. A machine gun isn’t a weapon you consider as delicate – it’s a weapon you are taking up in case you’re coming to chew bubblegum and kick ass, however your opponents stole your gum.
What’s attention-grabbing right here is the setting. It doesn’t seem like the home the place Ellie fights the Salt Lake Crew, and if she has a machine gun at this level then the story will go very otherwise. It seems to be like it is a public constructing, which makes the WLF hospital the more than likely choice, or maybe the varsity or TV station Ellie and Dina discover on their first day in Seattle. Both manner, it seems to be like we’re seeing Ellie as extra of a badass than we’ve ever seen earlier than.
It’s price us declaring yet another suggestion, albeit an unlikely one: this shot could possibly be a flashback episode. There are quite a few factors in Half 2 after Joel’s demise the place Ellie reminisces about previous adventures they’d in Jackson, a few of which concerned combating Contaminated.
It may additionally probably be a flashback to half of the primary recreation’s Left Behind DLC. We’ve already seen a part of the DLC tailored in Season 1’s episode of the identical title, however the DLC is break up into two elements, one among which includes Ellie combating cannibals in a derelict shopping center as she seems to be for medication. Given Ellie’s dedication to avenging him, displaying us her dedication to saving him could be becoming.
10. The Subway
There are tons of wonderful set items in The Final of Us Half 2, and the subway is only one of them. The sequence is the place Dina first learns that Ellie is proof against the cordyceps fungus, and the place we get our first glimpse of the Shamblers – a harmful new number of Contaminated.
There’s been plenty of dialogue about spores. Particularly, their removing from the primary season may necessitate some adjustments to The Final of Us Season 2. With the Subway sequence being so pivotal to Ellie and Dina’s relationship as a result of of the spores, it’s a protected wager that we’ll see this addressed. Maybe, given the moist local weather of Seattle, the TV model of the cordyceps has developed a brand new strategy to propagate? Both manner, clickers in an deserted subway station will at all times be a tremendous setpiece and one we’re wanting ahead to seeing.
Need extra on The Final of Us? Try our record of the highest 10 queer characters in gaming, and our assessment of The Final Of Us Half II Remastered.