The Last of Us Season 2 finale proves one thing - the game should have been adapted differently

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Last of Us Season 2 and The Last of Us Part II.

The Last of Us Season 2 finale has proved divisive, with some claiming it to be disappointing and lacklustre and others proclaiming it as a triumph that completely clicked with them.

Having played through The Last of Us Part II, indy100 sits in the second of those two camps, excited at the prospect of what's to come in Season 3 which was commissioned before Season 2 started airing.

However, despite thinking this, indy100 understands why this wouldn't have clicked with those who have not played the game.

There has already been talk of events at the end of the episode feeling rushed and the impact of Ellie killing Mel, who was pregnant, being different in the TV series and not as shocking as the level of violence was toned down. In the game, Ellie doesn't know Mel's pregnant until after she's killed her. Owen moves in on Ellie and tries to grab her gun before she shoots him and Mel then attacks Ellie, with Ellie then killing Mel and Owen revealing with his dying breath that Mel is pregnant.

But the main thing that stuck out to indy100 in terms of why Season 2 of The Last of Us should have been adapted differently comes immediately at the end of the episode as it feels like it was stuck in no man's land.

The Last of Us Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger between Abby and Ellie - but a teaser scene after this may not have been necessary / HBO

Season 2 ends on the obvious cliffhanger - did Abby shoot Ellie in the theatre or not? This would have been a great cliffhanger for TV in its own right without anything beyond this, but it then cuts to Abby waking up and overlooking a stadium that's been turned into a mini community, like Jackson.

It shows 'Seattle Day One' at the very end, offering those who don't have a clue as to what to expect next, before ending.

It feels like the adaptation was caught in two minds between ending on a genuine cliffhanger with no more context or developing the story further as it's in the next stretch where the true colours of The Last of Us Part II shine through.

For those who haven't played the game, it seems this short scene at the end just serves to offer more confusion. Because of this, the TV series has become symptomatic of feeling like something being split into parts that wasn't meant to be split. It's in the next few hours of the game that the true story and purpose of The Last of Us Part II takes shape.

indy100 can't wait for Season 3, but having to stay patient with that tease could now severely dampen its impact for those who haven't played the game.

Without giving too much away, it's the not knowing what's going on in the immediate aftermath of such a cliffhanger, while building new perceptions of different characters as realisation kicks in of what's happening, that is such a cornerstone section of the game.

It takes The Last of Us Part II so far beyond it being just about a revenge quest. It forces the player to see things very differently as the hours go on. It's an absolute triumph for a game as players work this out with the shocking cliffhanger still fresh in the mind.

But for TV, either the true cliffhanger ending, or the next section being developed to an extent with at least another episode, would have felt like much better options than the tease we got. The scenes in the show have served up a sense of confusion more than anything else for those who haven't played it.

If it ended in the theatre, viewers would be really keen to find out what happens in Season 3. If more of what happens next is developed, viewers would start to realise and question more about what they've established so far. But with the tease, it just leaves viewers thinking, eh?

It's not that Indy100 feels as though another season (or maybe more) to tell this story is not needed. It's that the end point of Season 2 could have been so much more impactful without that short tease.

Elsewhere from indy100, The Last of Us Part III could actually happen under one condition and huge plot details for The Last of Us Season 3 have been revealed by a cast member.

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