In 2027, HBO will take us back to the Cordyceps-ravaged, zombie-infested wasteland one last time in the third and final season of The Last of Us. As teased by the season 2 finale, The Last of Us season 3 is borrowing the boldest narrative trick from the video game, as it suddenly switches perspectives from Ellie to her mortal enemy, Abby. Ellie spent season 2 ruthlessly hunting down Joel’s killer, so she could make her pay, but season 3 will follow Joel’s killer herself as she tries to move on from her most gruesome mistake.
Abby will become The Last of Us‘ new main character in season 3, and we’ll be forced to walk a mile in her shoes (not literally, like in the game, but she is our new protagonist) to see that she’s not the reprehensible monster that Joel’s murder made us think she was. We’ll come to see that Abby contains multitudes: yes, she’s a killer (not too dissimilar to Joel), but she’s also a loving, caring person to the people around her (again, not too dissimilar to Joel).
While The Last of Us season 3 will cover the same timeframe and story events as season 2, its themes are closer to season 1. Season 2 was all about revenge, as we followed Ellie on a warpath to find the heartless murderer who beat her father figure to death, but season 3 is all about what happens after that. Abby did avenge her father, and did make the killer pay, and it didn’t make her feel any better; it just left her feeling empty and aimless. So, now, she’s looking for a nobler purpose to dedicate her life to, and that’ll lead her down a similar path to Joel, achieving redemption by taking care of an innocent young ward who gives her a new lease on life.
The Last Of Us Already Reinvented Itself In Season 2
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The Last of Us season 3 is bringing in a new genre, a new main character, a new supporting cast, and a whole new story disconnected from Joel and Ellie — not to mention making the bad guy the good guy — so it’s a huge risk. But The Last of Us has taken this kind of risk before, so it’s nothing new. Season 3 won’t be the first time The Last of Us has come back as an entirely different show, because it already reinvented itself last year. Season 2 was already a different show in many ways, as it jumped forward five years and shifted focus to Ellie.
Joel was the main character of The Last of Us season 1, and we saw him overcome 20 years of grief by taking responsibility for another teenage daughter. Then, season 2 promptly killed off Joel and made Ellie the new character as she went looking for his killer. Where season 1 had been a Lone Wolf and Cub story, season 2 was a straightforward revenge thriller, charting Ellie’s descent into darkness as she did more and more despicable things in her relentless pursuit.
Now, season 3 will feel like yet another show. This one has nothing to do with Joel and Ellie, and instead takes a look over the other side of the fence to see that they’re not so bad after all. It’ll be another Lone Wolf and Cub story like season 1, as a grizzled killer finds some hope and salvation in a precious little sidekick. For Joel, that sidekick was the mysterious immune girl he had to bring to the Fireflies, but for Abby, it’s a young runaway Seraphite who becomes an unlikely companion when they’re both facing death.
I can’t wait to see what The Last of Us season 3 does with Abby and Lev’s story. Kaitlyn Dever has the chops to carry this new series, and Abby’s section of the game is deeply emotional, terrifyingly intense, and beautifully cathartic.
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