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 here 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 individuals rush right into a room, however what’s occurring?
There are a number of totally different choices to think about. This could possibly be Joel’s notorious dying 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 number of liberties. Others on Reddit have prompt that this could possibly be a scene referenced within the sport, the place she offers herself a chemical burn to disguise her chew.
Our cash is on this being a nightmare, particularly set within the hospital the place the Fireflies had been based mostly. Ellie is in a mattress of some type, the individuals round her are wearing what seem like the type of sensible garments the Fireflies want, and the vertical blinds within the background. It’s arduous to inform given the blurriness, but it surely doesn’t seem that the individual behind her is Joel – and given the truth that Ellie rapidly positive factors 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 appears 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 principle 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 return to them, and there was a grand whole of eight of them. Perhaps that is an allied settlement looking for refuge?
3. Tommy
Followers of the video games will know that Tommy will get much more display time and focus in Half 2 than within the first sport. 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. Nevertheless, 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 hearth within the background makes this appear 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 strategy this time round, which is a daring transfer. The storyline of the subsequent few seasons will observe the sport, and executing it nicely 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 mates merely wandering into Seattle like a gaggle of antiquing bulls). Abby went out of her method to keep away from collateral injury, although that meant leaving witnesses. If the Salt Lake Crew are attacking Jackson straight, it’ll be more durable to make Abby a sympathetic character when the time comes.
Nevertheless, there’s one thing else that makes the Salt Lake Crew being accountable slightly extra unlikely…
4. Abby
Abby is a central character in The Final of Us Half 2, and simply essentially 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 slightly extra info to work with.
The casting of Kaitlyn Dever within the position was each genius and the final word troll transfer. Dever is a gifted actress, and her bodily resemblance to Ellie within the video games led to a variety of followers wanting her to play the half within the sequence earlier than Bella Ramsey was solid. Having her painting Abby – a personality positioned as Ellie’s nemesis – is sure to boost a number of eyebrows.
This shot reveals 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 may be virtually sure that the assault on Jackson is by the hands of somebody apart from the Salt Lake Crew: there’s no means they’d let Joel or Tommy go free and danger turning a military in opposition to themselves, and if Jackson was below assault, neither of them would head out of the city and rescue a random individual. So who’re Jackson preventing?
One risk is that the second season will broaden on the Jackson section, and see Abby and her group be a part of the settlement, nevertheless briefly. In spite of everything, there’s a variety of sport to get by, to the purpose that it’s being break up into no less than two seasons. There’s sufficient house to broaden 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 taking part in. Whereas the most typical principle was that she’d be taking part in The Prophet (might 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 he or she was lengthy lifeless by the point Ellie and her mates arrived within the metropolis. Nevertheless, 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 sporting cozier clothes and is missing the distinctive Glasgow smile that offers 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 taking part in Esther, a personality talked about in The Final of Us: One Night time Dwell, an occasion that noticed the actors carry out chosen scenes from the primary sport (in addition to a musical alternate ending that needs to be seen to be believed). There was one new scene, nevertheless: 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, but it surely’s price noting that Joel mentions that she has an important humorousness – and O’Hara has confirmed her comedic expertise time and time once more.
Notably, an growth of this relationship would give a motive for O’Hara to share the display 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 harm 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 keen to confess his actions.
6. The Occasion
Followers of the sport will know this scene right away. This social gathering the night time earlier than Joel’s dying can be the one which results in Ellie making an attempt to forgive Joel following an estrangement, the explanations for that are revealed all through the sport. The scene, set throughout a light-hearted social gathering in Jackson, can be the place we see Ellie and Dinah’s first kiss, previous to them turning into full-fledged love pursuits.
The essential factor to remember right here is that we don’t initially see this scene within the sport till the sport’s third act, simply earlier than Ellie heads to California. On condition that the second sport is being tailored into no less than two seasons, there’s no means 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 individuals of Jackson.
It’s nonetheless doable that this scene shall 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 dying?
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 taking part in Isaac, the chief of the Washington Liberation Entrance (WLF aka Wolves). Though he solely seems in a number of scenes of the sport, his ruthlessness and need to wipe out the Seraphites make him stand out as a clear-cut unhealthy man: whereas the Seraphites are for essentially the most half villainous, genocide clearly isn’t the reply.
Isaac’s look might trace that he has an expanded position within the sequence. With The Final of Us Season 2 poised to be greater than the primary, regardless of a smaller episode rely, we now have to marvel precisely what we’ll see – and what components of Abby’s story shall be proven within the sport.
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 know-how, and battle with the WLF.
Though Ellie comes into battle with the Seraphites a number of instances over her marketing campaign, the earliest is when she’s on her method 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 may 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 various is that this scene is a recreation of 1 slightly additional within the sport, throughout Abby’s marketing campaign. Abby encounters the Seraphites way more often, with the group representing her main human opponents for a lot of the sport. Nevertheless, we may be pretty assured that the season gained’t get this far for 2 causes: Lev and Yara. The 2 characters are essential characters in Abby’s marketing campaign, and to this point 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
When you thought Bella Ramsey would wrestle 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 the event 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 appears like it is a public constructing, which makes the WLF hospital the probably choice, or maybe the varsity or TV station Ellie and Dina discover on their first day in Seattle. Both means, it appears like we’re seeing Ellie as extra of a badass than we’ve ever seen earlier than.
It’s price us declaring yet one more 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 dying the place Ellie reminisces about previous adventures that they had in Jackson, a few of which concerned preventing Contaminated.
It may additionally probably be a flashback to half of the primary sport’s Left Behind DLC. We’ve already seen a part of the DLC tailored in Season 1’s episode of the identical identify, however the DLC is break up into two elements, one in every of which includes Ellie preventing cannibals in a derelict shopping center as she appears 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 resistant to the cordyceps fungus, and the place we get our first glimpse of the Shamblers – a harmful new number of Contaminated.
There’s been a variety 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 due to the spores, it’s a secure 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 method to propagate? Both means, clickers in an deserted subway station will all the time be an incredible setpiece and one we’re trying ahead to seeing.
Need extra on The Final of Us? Try our listing of the highest 10 queer characters in gaming, and our assessment of The Final Of Us Half II Remastered.
