The Last of Us: Future Days Books Included
April 13, 2025 11:14 PM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Five years after the events in Salt Lake city, a now 19-year-old Ellie makes a discovery while on patrol with her best friend Dina. Back in Jackson Hole, Joel seeks help to mend his relationship with Ellie. [Season 2 premiere]
It's interesting to see how they're padding the story while still following all the basic plot points of the game. Ellie getting bit (again) in the abandon supermarket is chekhovs bite, but it makes more sense maybe than the way her revelation to Dina that she's immune works out in the game (I am wondering if we're going to stumble on a dope stash in a library basement).
Completely lost as to who Katherine O'Hara's character is and who her husband was. Was that something in the last season that I missed? But I think it's useful in a way to get more of Joel's interiority, his understanding of his lie to Ellie.
I wish there was a polymarket on which episode Joel becomes a golf ball in. I was kind of disappointed they didn't do it right away in this one. The shock of that in the first few hours of playing the game was really effective if you went in cold. Maybe they want to make it count. But Joel had season 1, (and he'll be in lots of flash backs I'm sure). Pull the band aid off!
posted by dis_integration at 11:01 AM on April 14
Completely lost as to who Katherine O'Hara's character is and who her husband was. Was that something in the last season that I missed? But I think it's useful in a way to get more of Joel's interiority, his understanding of his lie to Ellie.
I wish there was a polymarket on which episode Joel becomes a golf ball in. I was kind of disappointed they didn't do it right away in this one. The shock of that in the first few hours of playing the game was really effective if you went in cold. Maybe they want to make it count. But Joel had season 1, (and he'll be in lots of flash backs I'm sure). Pull the band aid off!
posted by dis_integration at 11:01 AM on April 14
I was kind of disappointed they didn't do it right away in this one.
Yarp. No one else in my watching group has played the game and keeping it in is killing me. The sooner we're all on that page the better.
posted by roolya_boolya at 2:39 PM on April 14
Yarp. No one else in my watching group has played the game and keeping it in is killing me. The sooner we're all on that page the better.
posted by roolya_boolya at 2:39 PM on April 14
Katherines character is an entirely new confabulation, the incident she discussed with Joel was something that happened in the "5 years later" gap - I'm guessing her husband got bit, Joel took him out and it was messy.
My real concern is how they handle Abby - her first intro didn't have her looking nearly as built as she should be, and the glimpse we have after 5 years didn't show much. I'm hoping they didn't capitulate to the most shitheaded of the right wing complaints that she looked too mannish and it was an attempt by the woke left to make everyone trans and gay (and all the other dipshitted things they wailed about). It's tricky to discuss actual criticism of the plot of TLoU2 because the loudest complaints came from the worst people on earth.
posted by FatherDagon at 4:21 PM on April 14
My real concern is how they handle Abby - her first intro didn't have her looking nearly as built as she should be, and the glimpse we have after 5 years didn't show much. I'm hoping they didn't capitulate to the most shitheaded of the right wing complaints that she looked too mannish and it was an attempt by the woke left to make everyone trans and gay (and all the other dipshitted things they wailed about). It's tricky to discuss actual criticism of the plot of TLoU2 because the loudest complaints came from the worst people on earth.
posted by FatherDagon at 4:21 PM on April 14
yeah i think the actor is doing fine so far as abby but i wish they had cast katy o’brien or someone like her built like a tank for abby.
posted by dis_integration at 4:25 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
posted by dis_integration at 4:25 PM on April 14 [1 favorite]
FatherDagon: "I'm guessing her husband got bit, Joel took him out and it was messy."
Screencrush suggested that the husband was a Firefly, so it's possible Joel put him down as part of his incursion (although the timing doesn't really work for that)
FatherDagon: "My real concern is how they handle Abby - her first intro didn't have her looking nearly as built as she should be"
I love the actress (Loretta represent!!) but yeah... Abby needs to be a musclemommy and I ain't seeing it.
posted by coriolisdave at 9:22 PM on April 14
Screencrush suggested that the husband was a Firefly, so it's possible Joel put him down as part of his incursion (although the timing doesn't really work for that)
FatherDagon: "My real concern is how they handle Abby - her first intro didn't have her looking nearly as built as she should be"
I love the actress (Loretta represent!!) but yeah... Abby needs to be a musclemommy and I ain't seeing it.
posted by coriolisdave at 9:22 PM on April 14
Screencrush suggested that the husband was a Firefly, so it's possible Joel put him down as part of his incursion (although the timing doesn't really work for that)
A ton of the populace were fireflies, but the husband definitely wasnt one of the hospital crew from s01 finale. If so, literally everyone in town would know Ellie's secret (And hate Joel as much as Abby does). This is a much more recent incident that hasn't been detailed yet.
posted by FatherDagon at 2:19 PM on April 15 [1 favorite]
A ton of the populace were fireflies, but the husband definitely wasnt one of the hospital crew from s01 finale. If so, literally everyone in town would know Ellie's secret (And hate Joel as much as Abby does). This is a much more recent incident that hasn't been detailed yet.
posted by FatherDagon at 2:19 PM on April 15 [1 favorite]
Hello all! I have a hyperfixation on last of us part Ii with a specialisation in Abby's guns. Joking aside, I enjoyed this a lot, I can't believe we got the dance payoff in ep one, but since that's from early game trailer even it's good they give it us up front. The girls are wonderful and fun, but the even more baby-faced than Ellie Bella is going to make future scenes hit even worse. This could be good, for the journey we have to take with her character.
Eugene btw is the old stoner with the grow room under the library. He was a firefly with Tommy and taught Dina electronics (as we saw Joel do this ep instead). He died of a stroke in his seventies, I wonder if that will turn out to be a lie the town is told, or if they are changing that.
Elephant in the room time. Abby's physicality is a character in it's own right. It's what she does with her grief, she makes herself into a weapon, she spends years dedicated to beating him to death with her own hands. She becomes a protector and a tool, but stays human and can step away from the depths Ellie plummets to head-first. I love that they (ND) let us have a woman built like her, and I hate that they (crybaby men) are stopping us having her here. Kat Denning is an amazing actress, huge fan, but there are women who can act and are built for the role. Tbh I think even Florence Pugh could have been great, but of course Katie O'Brien is made for it, the age issue doesn't have to be a issue, people are being aged down already, the issue is more that Bella looks very, very, young even for her aged down age. Interestingly it looked, when they showed the cgi-younger Abby, like they had also made her smaller in general, and we haven't seen her (iirc) full bodied after the time jump, so maybe they are going to have a little something for us anyhow. It feels weird to spend these many words discussing women's bodies, but the euphoria that Abby's "unfeminine" presentation gave me really drove home how much representation matters.
posted by Iteki at 8:42 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
Eugene btw is the old stoner with the grow room under the library. He was a firefly with Tommy and taught Dina electronics (as we saw Joel do this ep instead). He died of a stroke in his seventies, I wonder if that will turn out to be a lie the town is told, or if they are changing that.
Elephant in the room time. Abby's physicality is a character in it's own right. It's what she does with her grief, she makes herself into a weapon, she spends years dedicated to beating him to death with her own hands. She becomes a protector and a tool, but stays human and can step away from the depths Ellie plummets to head-first. I love that they (ND) let us have a woman built like her, and I hate that they (crybaby men) are stopping us having her here. Kat Denning is an amazing actress, huge fan, but there are women who can act and are built for the role. Tbh I think even Florence Pugh could have been great, but of course Katie O'Brien is made for it, the age issue doesn't have to be a issue, people are being aged down already, the issue is more that Bella looks very, very, young even for her aged down age. Interestingly it looked, when they showed the cgi-younger Abby, like they had also made her smaller in general, and we haven't seen her (iirc) full bodied after the time jump, so maybe they are going to have a little something for us anyhow. It feels weird to spend these many words discussing women's bodies, but the euphoria that Abby's "unfeminine" presentation gave me really drove home how much representation matters.
posted by Iteki at 8:42 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
I am also absolutely tickled by Joel getting therapy and then it being from the queen of mean, it's like they thought who would be an absolute nightmare therapist, oh yeah, Moira! Mary McDonnell could have done very well here too if we were going to have more of this interaction, although a little less unhinged flavour.
posted by Iteki at 11:44 PM on April 16 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 11:44 PM on April 16 [1 favorite]
Excuse the multi post, but I was reminded of this comment from Frayed Knot. Hope they're still around and ready for their satisfaction, I will be tagging then when it happens. I also see my/out predictions were for a ninty minute opening ep culminating in the swing. Guess not, does that mean season cliffhanger? Would be weird, the abruptness and earlyness of it is the killer.
posted by Iteki at 2:31 AM on April 17
posted by Iteki at 2:31 AM on April 17
I was looking forward to this, but it left me a little disappointed. I found the exposition to be clunky, and I’m wary of the new plotline they appear to be adding where Jackson itself is coming under threat. I hope it turns out to be more than just an artificial attempt to raise the stakes, which I don’t think is necessary given how much we already care about Ellie and Joel from last season/part 1!
posted by Carmelita Spats at 4:08 PM on April 19
posted by Carmelita Spats at 4:08 PM on April 19
Do you mean them seeing the town at the end? More or less straight from the game, Owen wakes Abby, brings her for our first jog, shows the town. He is clear that they can't storm the town, that's crazy, they are well organised and defended. Abby feels betrayed.
posted by Iteki at 12:31 AM on April 20
posted by Iteki at 12:31 AM on April 20
Iteki: "Do you mean them seeing the town at the end?"
I expect they mean the cordyceps growing into the town inside the blocked sewer pipe.
posted by coriolisdave at 10:36 PM on April 20 [2 favorites]
I expect they mean the cordyceps growing into the town inside the blocked sewer pipe.
posted by coriolisdave at 10:36 PM on April 20 [2 favorites]
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posted by Rhaomi at 11:15 PM on April 13