Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2.
Season 1 ofThe Last of Usfollows the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), as Joel’s perspective evolves from transporting Ellie cross-country to forming a special bond with this young girl, one that fills the hole in Joel’s heart left there by the loss of his own daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker). Ellie gives Joel something new to live for, and that ignition withinJoel comes to a crossroads at the end of Season 1, when he discovers that in order to utilize Ellie’s immunity against the cordyceps virus, she would need to die in order for a vaccine to be synthesized. Unwilling to lose another daughter in his life, Joel murders 18 Fireflies and one unarmed doctor, an act that later costs him everything andchanges the fabric ofThe Last of Usforever— including the second season’s new opening credits.
What’s Different About ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2’s Opening Credits?
The opening credits for HBO’sThe Last of Usadaptation feature cordyceps whirling into the shapes covering buildings, dead bodies, and cityscapes, representing how the fungal infection has taken over the world in this series, accompanied by the beautifully heartbreaking music fromGustavo Santaolalla. The intro previously ended with the fungus forming two silhouettes, representing Joel and Ellie. After Joel’s gruesome death at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) inSeason 2, Episode 2, “Through The Valley,“not only is Pedro Pascal’s name absent from the credits moving forward, butonly Ellie’s silhouette remains at the end. This small change is a gut punch that cements the loss of Joel for both Ellie and the audience, as well as the fact that Pascal won’t be a significant part of the show moving forward.
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“This is a next level of grief.”
‘The Last of Us’ New Opening Credits Reflect a New Journey for Ellie
Showcasing Ellie alone in the opening credits is a perfect representation of what she is going through now as a character. Of course,Tommy (Gabriel Luna)is still in her corner, and Dina (Isabella Merced) is accompanying her on her revenge tour in Seattle,but emotionally, Ellie is completely closed off from everyone. The series' latest episode also represents a narrative departure fromThe Last of Us: Part II,with a three-month time jump after Joel’s death; in the game, Ellie and Dina leave for Seattle almost immediately. This change allows the viewers and the characters within the show to truly mourn Joel, fully witnessing how it affects other characters and the town of Jackson as a whole. Once Ellie is finally released from the hospital after being there for months, her return to the home that she and Joel used to live in hits like a brick wall. As Ellie finally lets her emotions loose and begins to cry uncontrollably into Joel’s jacket, she immediately wipes the tears from her eyes when Dina summons her downstairs, once again putting on a mask and hiding her true feelings from everyone around her.
Even though Ellie is bottling up her true emotions, her conviction of anger-fueled revenge is very evident, and she is willing to let people help support that cause.Season 2 Episode 3 is exquisitely titled “The Path,“indicating thatEllie has two choices in her journey forward— one of forgiveness, the other of revenge. While that revenge is surely justified, even to a point where some will call it justice, this choice is perpetuating that cycle of violence that led to Joel’s death in the first place. This choice is perfectly represented when Ellie chooses Joel’s gun over his watch from his belongings. With Ellie’s protector no longer there for her, she has now been left to walk the path of vengeance alone.
New episodes ofThe Last of UsSeason. 2air Sundays on HBO and Max.
The Last Of Us
After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity’s last hope.
