"Slowly. When we kill him, we kill him slowly."
As character introductions go, it doesn't get much more unnerving than Abby Anderson's debut in last night's season 2 premiere of The Last of Us. In a change to the Naughty Dog video game that's proven to be somewhat divisive, the show immediately explains why Abby is seeking revenge against the man who killed her father in the season 1 finale, Joel Miller.
Abby convinces her friends to help her track Joel down, but they decide to investigate a new faction (who will turn out to be the Washington Liberation Front/WLF) first, and we don't see them again until the closing moments of "Future Days" when Abby's crew arrives to the outskirts of the Jackson settlement.
Dever - who was actually in line to play Ellie back when a movie based on The Last of Us was in development - spoke about her character's "chilling" debut during an interview with THR.
“The way into Abby is knowing how grief feels and how loss affects you, especially in the immediate aftermath. There’s just this shock and this desire to make it all go away.”
“She’s a chilly ice queen!” Dever adds. “She just needs something to make it all better. And in that moment, the only thing she can think about is revenge. She’s heartbroken, she’s sad, she’s lost and she’s trying to pick up the pieces.”
Will Abby ultimately make good on her vow to make Joel pay for the death of her father? If you've played the game you'll know the answer, and even if you haven't, you'll probably have some inkling of how things play out.
Other new cast members for season 2 include Young Mazino (Beef) as Jesse, Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) as Manny, Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) as Mel, Tati Gabrielle (You) as Nora, and Spencer Lord (Heartland) as Owen.
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 1's cast also featured Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence, Ashley Johnson as Anna, and Troy Baker as James.
Filming took place in Vancouver, since a significant part of the story in The Last of Us Part II game is set in the Pacific Northwest.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and Druckmann. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam also executive produce.
What did you think of the season 2 premiere of The Last of Us? Drop us a comment down below.