From what we know so far about The Last of Us season 2 and what we've seen in the first trailer – I think I've worked out the timeline of season 2 (and I think *that* horrible scene happens earlier on than we think).
In the trailer, we see what appears to be the first four-ish chapters of The Last of Us Part 2 – though it mostly seems like scenes from chapter one. Joel and Ellie are together in Jackson, Wyoming, we meet a grieving Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) who has a (not great) encounter with Joel in the snow, and we see a hysterical Ellie during *that* fateful scene. But of course, it's a TV adaptation and it's not going to follow the game exactly – which is why we also see Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) and Lev in the trailer even though they don't appear until the second half of the game, around Chapter 5.
To add a bit more confusion, showrunner Craig Mazin previously said that season 3 will not only continue Part 2 but have a larger episode count – and that they might even need a fourth season because they're "taking their time" in terms of telling the story.
The conceit of the game, and partially why it became so controversial, is that the player controls both Ellie and Abby in two separate narrative arcs. Abby, who is an anti-hero of sorts, does something that stirred up a metric ton of controversy within the first chapter of the game. It's hard to tell whether the seven-episode second season will stay mostly in Ellie's perspective (the first half of the game) or dip into the first chapter or two of Abby's arc. If Isaac and Lev are already being introduced, then we think it might be the latter.
The Last of Us season 2 is coming to HBO and Max sometime in 2025. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2024 and beyond.
