The Last of Us season 2 has finally begun and the HBO show has already made some big tweaks from the Naughty Dog game. But be warned, we'll be getting into big spoilers on that below so make sure you've seen the first episode and have played the games.
The second season begins with a scene introducing Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her group of friends. Set in Salt Lake City – the same location as the end of season 1 – it features the characters speaking about a number of casualties and then placing a Fireflies pendant over a grave.
As the scene goes on, it becomes clear that they're speaking about Joel as Abby says she wants to "kill him slowly" for what he's done. Not only that, but they're setting out in pursuit of him.
Now, if you're familiar with The Last of Us Part 2 game then you'll know that they're speaking about the aftermath of Joel's rampage at the hospital to save Ellie's life. He killed almost all of the Fireflies to help her escape – and Abby and her team want revenge. However, in The Last of Us Part 2, this motivation is only revealed much, much later on – and fans are pretty divided on the decision to bring it in earlier.
"I loved the episode but personally I wish they didn't jump on introducing Abby and her crew," wrote one on Reddit. "The end scene with all of them walking through the forest would have been enough to foreshadow what is going to happen next without explicitly saying 'let's go kill Joel slowly'."
Another added on Twitter: "Including Abby and her friends at the beginning of the episode ruined so much mystery regarding her intentions. I know this was probably done to avoid pissing people off all over again like with the game, but that was the whole point!"
"Re-ordering the events of the game ruins the perfect pacing of the Abby story," a third tweeted. "For 50% of the game you’re angry at her because she’s only been shown to be a cold blooded murderer. The challenge for audiences is to step outside their bias and embrace her complexities."
Others understand why they made this choice. "I suspect this was done to manage the response and to avoid some of the backlash that occurred in the game," they added on Reddit. "I think this is a situation where internet drama has guided the writing choice to help protect the actor."
Another pointed out: "I don’t like that Abby and her motivations were revealed early, but at the same time there was a lot of, 'who’s this girl and why should I care?' when people first played the game. So I see why they did it."
For more on the show, read our The Last of Us season 2 review and stay up to date with our The Last of Us season 2 release schedule.
