With a third season already confirmed, The Last of Us would benefit from copying one of the best moments of Season 1 when the focus shifts to Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby. The Last of Us Season 2 concluded at the end of May, rounding off a dramatic season that saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) killed for revenge, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) set out for vengeance of her own. After Season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger, leaving the fates of Ellie and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) uncertain, The Last of Us will be taking a very different approach.
Fans of The Last of Us video games will already know what story the third season of the live-action adaptation will explore. The Last of Us Season 3 is expected to put Kaitlyn Dever in the driver’s seat as we will follow Abby in the days leading up to her reunion with Ellie. Taking a break from Ellie’s story to shift focus to Abby, The Washington Liberation Front (WLF), and the Seraphites is a good idea for the series, and this creates the perfect opportunity for one of The Last of Us Season 1’s best moments to be repeated.
The Last of Us Season 1 Included A Brilliant Standalone Episode
The Last of Us Season 1 became an immense success during its release in 2023. While the majority of the season detailed Joel and Ellie’s trip across the United States to find the Firefly facility in Salt Lake City, one episode acted as a standalone story that provided essential backstory. Adapted from 2014’s The Last of Us: Left Behind, an expansion pack to the main video game on which the series is based, The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 7, “Left Behind,” is regarded as one of the strongest episodes of the show so far.
“Left Behind” took us back to the Boston Quarantine Zone before Ellie ever met Marlene (Merle Dandridge), Joel, or Tess (Anna Torv), and before she ever even learned that she is immune from the Cordyceps’ control. In the days before the beginning of The Last of Us season 1, Ellie is collected from the FEDRA boarding school by her best friend, Riley (Storm Reid), who had joined the Fireflies, to an abandoned mall, where they have fun on an escalator, carousel, photo booth, and arcade. Their fun is interrupted by Riley revealing she’ll be leaving Boston the next day, however.
Initially angry, Ellie storms out, but soon returns and dances with Riley at a Halloween costume store. The pair even share a kiss after Ellie begs Riley not to leave and she agrees. Unfortunately, their romantic moment is interrupted by an infected that bites both Riley and Ellie. Riley wants them to turn together, but Ellie never does. “Left Behind” is a beautiful episode that marks a major turning point for Ellie and gave us important backstory, so The Last of Us season 3 would benefit from pulling off this same trick.
How Can The Last of Us Season 3 Repeat This Great Season 1 Trick?
The Last of Us Season 2 ended by bringing us back several days to Abby’s version of Day One. The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 4, “Day One,” saw Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) arrive in Seattle, see the aftermath of a battle between FEDRA and the WLF, find a music store, come upon the massacred bodies of Seraphites, and escape through infested subway tunnels. The Last of Us Season 2’s finale, “Convergence,” took place on Day Three, so we’ve now been set up to see Abby’s version of events, detailing the actions of the WLF and the Seraphites.
While much of The Last of Us Season 3 will be seperate Ellie’s overarching story and provide important backstory for Abby’s own motivations, just as the video game does by allowing players to operate as Abby, the season would still benefit from also exploring side-stories. Perhaps the most likely story that could be detailed in a standalone episode would focus on the Seraphites, a group of religious cultists who operate under the rule of the enigmatic Prophet. We haven’t met the Prophet yet, so a standalone episode would provide the perfect opportunity to introduce her.
In the day’s leading up to Ellie and Dina’s arrival in Seattle, there was clearly an epic battle between the WLF, FEDRA, and the Seraphites, which Ellie and Dina see the aftermath of. This leads up to the WLF staging an all-out attack on Seraphite Island, which Ellie catches glimpses of in The Last of Us Season 2’s finale. It would be fantastic to learn more about the Seraphites and their members, perhaps introducing Lev and Yara from The Last of Us Part II, who befriend Abby, which opens up many new possibilities for The Last of Us Season 3.
Do you want to see more standalone episodes in The Last of Us season 3? Let us know in the comments!
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