The Last of Us Season 2 Alters the Game’s Timeline Leaving Fans Confused

HBO’s The Last of Us burst into 2023 to showcase how simple and easy it was, after all, to adapt a successful video game due to many before it getting the concept so wrong. However, even though season one of The Last of Us was a huge hit for the streaming network, it seems as though some fans aren’t too pleased about its perplexing timeline change from the game, The Last of Us Part 2.

As excited fans of either the Naughty Dog game franchise or the series (or both) get ever closer to The Last of Us season 2’s big reveal in only a few months, series creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin previously revealed that they would be including a game-changing detail when the HBO show returns. Although the series will follow the main narrative when it comes to many of its plots and characters, its timeline will not follow the exact layout of The Last of Us Part 2, even though it has stayed mostly faithful to the first game in season one. Now, fans can expect some shifting around when it comes to season 2 and even though it looks set to be as explosive as ever, some fans are confused about why the timeline needed to be changed, leaving some unhappy about the restructuring.

Related

The Last of Us’ HBO Show Seemingly Tugs a Tight Leash on Naughty Dog’s Upcoming Part 3

Considering how long HBO’s Last of Us adaptation could intend to run, Naughty Dog may or may not have a whole lot of time to put a Part 3 together.

The Last of Us Season 2’s Timeline Change Isn’t Going Down Well With Some Fans

HBO’s The Last of Us season one included content that wasn’t in its game and, as far as many fans are concerned, this only added to its compelling narrative, especially regarding getting a deeper look into Bill and Frank’s relationship and how they handled their post-apocalyptic period together. Series creator Craig Mazin told Entertainment Weekly recently that he and Neil Druckmann are “going to mess around with time the way it was in the source material,” with Druckmann stating that season 2 will have “some deviations of where we place things.” Since the timeline alteration has been confirmed for The Last of Us season 2, some fans are worried that this tweak will impact season 2’s storyline in a way that might ruin what made it so good to begin with.

“This goes against everything Craig Mazin and Druckmann wanted originally in the series”, explained one fan on Reddit in reply to an image that seemingly revealed a “Happy New Year 2029” banner behind Joel. “They had a chance to turn it around. Now it is gone. Congrats Druckmann and Mazin. Congrats,” replied another commentor. The reason some fans are up in arms about the timeline change is that they feel it’s stepping too far away from the time jump in Naughty Dogs’ game and also, apparently, due to Ellie’s youthful appearance in season 2 being even less believable now. “That makes Ellie’s age even less believable lmfao”, echoed another Redditor.

This timeline change could open up a host of interesting possibilities, even though some seem to be very much against it. That scene with Joel and Abby could even be pushed back to the end of season 2 of The Last of Us or even saved for season 3 and, instead, the time adjustment may include a chunk of important flashbacks that showcase more of Jeffrey Wright’s role as Isaac, a deeper look into the Seraphites or a big portion of Abby’s life up until that Joel moment. Like how HBO extended Bill and Frank’s story for season one, season 2 may be looking at doing the same with characters or factions that didn’t get a chance to shine in the game.

The Last of Us season 2 will be released via HBO on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Related

The Last of Us Fandom Suggests Convincing Story Arc To Match Abby’s Physique in Season 2

The Last of Us community has come up with some great story ideas regarding Abby’s character arc for season 2.

The Last Of Us

Release Date

January 15, 2023

Network

HBO Max

Showrunner

Craig Mazin

• 
• 

  Bella Ramsey

  Ellie Williams

• 

Source: Reddit