The next season of The Last of Us is set to continue the narrative by adapting The Last of Us Part II. The show could show these events in order to show familiar elements in a new way. This would recontexualize the narrative, as it builds up Abby and the cycle of violence with a different, new understanding. It could also change or add events to build up characters more, like Abby, Joel & Tommy heading to Jackson instead and meeting Ellie before leaving again for the Abby's hideout. Either way, this serves as a possible outline for season 2 and as summary of the game.
The Last of Us Part II and possible season 2 spoilers ahead!
The first part kicks off with Tracking Lessons, right where The Last of Us ended. Tracking Lessons sees Abby hang around with her dad Jerry, before he is called away. Jerry is hesistant when he finds out he has to operate on Ellie, but Abby convinces him to do so anyway. However, Abby finds her dad murdered after the (failed) operation, and she swears to kill the man who did it. This immedately sets up Abby's side in an effective way. It then jumps to the game's Prologue, which sees Joel spilling the whole thing to Tommy and swearing him to secrecy while they're on patrol.
The second part starts with Abby & Owen exploring in The Aquarium. There, Abby again expresses she wants revenge on the man who killed her father. She shares that she has no intention of giving up, despite all leads having dried up. Meanwhile across the Pacific West, Joel takes Ellie to a museum in Birthday Gift for, well... her birthday. At the museum, Ellie spots a mural calling the Fireflies liars. Although it doesn't say much, this starts seeding doubts in Ellie about Joel and whether or not he shared the truth about them. Regardless, this is an episode of (relative) happiness.
The third part solely focuses on Ellie & Joel. It starts with Finding Strings, where Ellie, Joel & Tommy go on patrol. However, at the end of the patrol they stumble upon a dead couple. Ellie's doubts start to grow more when they find a note, but Joel sticks to his story. As Ellie doesn't believe Joel, she decides to head back to Salt Lake City in St. Mary's Hospital to confirm her doubts. When Joel finally arrives, Ellie again confronts him. Only now, Joel confirms what really happened. Although Joel claims he did it out of best interest for Ellie, she doesn't want to speak with him anymore.
The fourth part begins with Abby visiting Owen in Winter Visit, and telling him she has found Joel & Tommy in Jackson and plans to head there soon. It then jumps a few months to the day of the dance. After a brief altercation with Joel at the dance, Ellie storms off. Later that night, Ellie passes Joel's house, who is on his porch playing guitar. They don't speak, but Ellie gives one last look to Joel. As this episode only features a few brief moments, it can be used to explore Abby & Owen's relationship at the Washington Liberation Front or explore Ellie's & Dina's relationship more deeply.
The Events of March 2nd
The fifth part starts where the game starts, with Waking Up. Ellie is waken up by Jesse, with whom Ellie explores Jackson. Jesse then leads her to the stables, where they're met by Dina. Before Jesse can brief them, Ellie & Dina engage in a snowball fight with some kids. After the briefing, Ellie & Dina go on patrol to clear out infected in the town nearby. It then shifts perspective to Abby with The Overlook, showing she made it to Jackson. At the chalet, Abby heads out to Jackson to get Joel, despite Owen telling her the town is too fortified, but quickly comes across infected.
The sixth part follows up on Waking Up with Patrol. An incoming storm forces Ellie & Dina to take shelter, allowing them some time to catch up and smoke some weed. Meanwhile, Abby is hit by storm and is being overrun by infected as seen in The Horde. Soon though, she is saved by the very man she is hunting: Joel. The storm makes it impossible to flee to Jackson, so they flee to Abby's hideout instead. There, Abby's crew realizes who she brought in. Before Joel can react though, he's shot by Abby. Joel still taunts Abby, but is cut short when Abby hits him in the head with a golf club.
The finale opens with Jesse walking in on Dina & Ellie, sharing Joel & Tommy are missing. They head out to find them, and like in The Chalet, Ellie is the first to find them. However, Ellie is quickly restrained and forced to witness Joel's brutal murder. Before she is knocked out herself though, she swears to kill Abby, setting in motion the cycle of violence. The next day, similar to Packing Up, Joel is buried, and Tommy racing off afterwards to find Abby's crew in Seattle. Tommy makes Maria keep Ellie & Dina in Jackson, but instead Maria lets them go and tells them to bring her ''dumbass'' husband home.