Summary

The Last of Usseason 2 will reverse the themes of a tragic death from season 1, proving the switch in focus for the HBO show’s continuation.Details aboutThe Last of Usseason 2are becoming more frequent given that the show is in production throughout 2024. From the return ofThe Last of Usgame characterslike Isaac - once again played by Jeffrey Wright - to looks at new cast members like Isabela Merced and Kaitlyn Dever, more updates about the second season of the show are coming to light.

For many, these tidbits of information will undoubtedly ease the wait forThe Last of Usseason 2’s release date, currently expected at some point in 2025. Until then, however, it is worth exploring what the second season - based onThe Last of Us Part II- will entail.Season 2 will take place a few years afterThe Last of Usseason 1’s timeline, though many events will impact the story. In a more indirect, thematic fashion, a tragic death fromThe Last of Usseason 1 will be reversed in season 2, continuing the story of the compelling post-apocalyptic world.

Bella Ramsey as Ellie speaking next to Joel looking stoic in The Last of Us

The Last Of Us Season 2 Set Photos Reveal First Look At Original Voice Actor’s Return

The Last of Us season 2 set photos reveal a first look at an original voice actor from the video game returning to their role in live-action form.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Will Reverse Endure & Survive’s Season 1 Themes

The Meaning Of A Season 1 Title Will Be Flipped For The Last Of Us Season 2

One of thehigher-ranked episodes ofThe Last of Usseason 1 was episode 5, titled “Endure and Survive.” The episode saw Joel and Ellie team up with brothers Sam and Henry to escape Kansas City. The title comes from the tagline of a comic book Sam and Ellie read but is made much more tragic by the episode’s end. The meaning of the title is that the world ofThe Last of Usis full of people who endure and survive, but Henry and Sam cannot.

At the end of the episode, Sam succumbs to a zombie bite and Henry is forced to kill him. After this, Henry takes his own life out of grief and guilt. This flips the title of the episode on its head, as Henry could not endure the fact that Sam did not survive. InThe Last of Usseason 2, these themes - and Henry and Sam’s deaths - will be somewhat reversed.

Henry sitting in a chair and Sam with a painted-on superhero mask in Last of Us episode 5 on HBO

Warning! The following paragraphs contain spoilers for The Last of Us Part II and The Last of Us season 2.

The driving force ofThe Last of Usseason 2’s story will be the same as it is inThe Last of Us Part II. Early in the story, Joel is killed by a girl named Abby. Ellie then embarks on a revenge quest, kickstarting the story. InThe Last of Usseason 1, Henry could not endure Sam’s death, but Ellie will do the opposite in season 2. Ellie’s rage, anger, and need for revenge against Abby allow her to endure the fact that Joel did not survive, reversing the themes of season 1’s episode.

Pedro-Pascal-as-Joel-Miller-from-The-Last-of-Us

The True Meaning Of The Last Of Us' Endure & Survive Title

Enduring & Surviving Are Core Components Of The Last Of Us

In the world ofThe Last of Us, Endure and Survive applies to the people that inhabit the world. Many stories inThe Last of Us' universe surround these two words, enduring and surviving. Characters like Joel, Ellie, Tommy, Abby, and so many others from both games - and the TV show - are shown to endure numerous hardships just to survive in an unforgiving world. This links to the bleak reality ofThe Last of Us' world, as the society its characters are striving to endure within is not all that worth living.

The Last Of Us

Cast

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.

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Imagery from Joel in The Last of Us season 2

Gabriel Luna as Tommy looking to the side next to Bella Ramsey looking shocked in The Last of Us

Ellie wanders through an abandoned building with a gun in The Last Of Us season 2