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The Last of Us Season 2 has finally adapted the one part from The Last of Us Part II that fans were desperately hoping they wouldn't. Part II of this game, back when it was released in 2020, was responsible for one of the most controversial moments, even leading to police reports. The creators of The Last of Us Season 2 made some prominent changes to Abby's character in an attempt to prevent any similar reaction from the audience.
Disclaimer: This piece has some MAJOR spoilers from The Last of Us Season 2. Reader's discretion is advised.
The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2 featured the death of Joel in Abby's hands. This has been adapted from The Last of Us Part II, but the show avoided the game's fate by exploring Abby's character and her motive behind killing Joel before Episode 2, titled Through the Valley, where she actually kills him.
The Last of Us Season 2 adaptation of Abby's character is very different from The Last of Us Part II, and here's how.
Why was Abby's character from The Last of Us Season 2 controversial in The Last of Us Part II
When The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020, it was responsible for a lot of controversy and hate from the audience. The main reason behind this was the fact that Joel was shockingly killed by Abby in the early part of the game. The fact that Joel, one of the most beloved characters, was killed off at the very start of the game was heartbreaking for the players. Additionally, the fact that he was killed off by somebody whom the gamers didn't know, understand, or know the backstory of made it even worse.
Abby, in the game, was then subjected to intense hate from the people in the gaming community. In the game, as it progressed, players had to play a majority of it as Abby's character. This was an opportunity for the players to understand Abby's character and her motives behind murdering Joel. This change of perspective was intended to make players sympathize with Abby's character, but for a majority of the players, it failed to make up for their resentment and anger.
The hate and resentment went so far that players started targeting and harassing Abby's voice actor, Laura Bailey, online. The hate went so far that these players resorted to death threats towards Bailey and her newborn son. Bailey, terrified for herself and her family, had to contact the police for her safety. The creators of The Last of Us Season 2 wanted to avoid any such reaction towards the show and the cast, so they made big changes in the show, preempting a controversy.
How The Last of Us Season 2 branches itself from the game with regards to Abby's character
The resentment and hate towards Abby's character in the game exceeded all limits, even inching into real life. In an attempt to prevent any such mishap, HBO's The Last of Us adopted a different approach from the game.
In the game, all that the players knew about Abby was that she knew Joel, implying that there was some history there before she brutally murdered him. The fact that players had no backstory for Abby before she killed Joel only added fuel to the fire. The Last of Us Season 2, on the other hand, has been focused on Abby's character and her journey since it started.
The creators made it clear that Joel's killer wasn't just some random villain who everybody is now supposed to hate. They focused on the fact that Abby had lost her father, a Firefly, in Joel's hand, and they slowly built the tension that gave way to Joel's death.
The unknown killer killing of one of the major characters might have had a greater suspense to it, but the fact that there was a slow buildup and tension to Abby finding Joel, and it being revealed beforehand just how personal this revenge was to her, gave The Last of Us Season 2 an upper hand.
The creators of the show were able to avoid the game's fate and still deliver a devastating and heartbreaking death when they had Abby tell Joel to his face that he killed her father.
Even though the show changed the surroundings in which Joel's death came, it could not minimize how heartbreaking and devastating it would be. In conversation with USA Today, creator Craig Mazin talked about Joel's death, saying:
"People are going to be upset. That's sometimes how good drama goes. This was something that was always meant to happen. So much of the first season was, in a weird way, leading to this moment. And it's upsetting."
Joel's death was always going to be upsetting for fans, however, it was important that the creators of The Last of Us Season 2 took real steps to make sure that their cast and the audience had a different experience.
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