Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 which may spoil events in The Last of Us Season 2.
Summary
HBO’sThe Last of Usproved itself to be a faithful adaptation of Naughty Dog’s video game. Sometimes the series was faithful down to every word, and other times things were changed in the transition from game to television. When it comes toThe Last of UsSeason 2, which will adapt the second game in the franchise, even more of these changes are being made to the screen story, and one, regarding the character of Abby, is a risky move.
Fans of Naughty Dog’s games will know thatThe Last of Us Part 2is quite different from the first game. While the story continues the journeys of familiar characters like Joel and Ellie, it also introduces a whole new group of characters into the mix and changes locations multiple times. One of these key new players is Abby Anderson, a character who becomes the nemesis of Ellie and ultimately another playable protagonist for the player. The differences between Ellie and Abby’s perspectives and gameplay styles is the foundation on whichThe Last of Us Part 2is built, but translating this into a screen story is forcing the creators to make some changes.
Abby Will Be Built Different In The Last of Us Season 2
Abby is introduced inThe Last of Us Part 2as a tall, muscled woman, who has an edge over her opponents due to her sheer size and bulk. Kaitlyn Dever was cast as Abby inThe Last of Us Part 2, and quite quickly her casting raised questions ofwhether the actress would be bulking upfor the role. Neil Druckmann, creator ofThe Last of Usand showrunner of the series, revealed in anEntertainment Weeklyinterview that the TV show’s version of Abby will not match the physical appearance of the character in the game, and will instead be closer to Dever’s natural size and weight.
Why Changing Abby Makes Sense
The news of this change to Abby has caused division among fans ofThe Last of Us Part 2. Druckmann was quick to justify theirreasoning for altering Abby’s physique, revealing that a large motivator for Abby’s muscle in the game was to give her a different gameplay style from Ellie. In the game, Ellie is speedier and more nimble, but doesn’t have the brute strength and power that Abby has. This results in both characters feeling and playing quite differently in their portions ofThe Last of Us Part 2.
For the series, Druckmann revealed that there isn’t as much “violent action moment to moment” and that they were instead focused on the drama of the story. The creator added that they were prioritizing theperformance quality of the actor playing Abby, rather than their ability to match her character’s appearance. This led them to Dever who Druckmann said “has the spirit of the game in her.”
There’s not as much violent action moment to moment. It’s more about the drama. I’m not saying there’s no action here. It’s just, again, different priorities and how you approach it.
Given this information, it seems logicalThe Last of UsSeason 2 would make such a change to Abby. Abby’s character in the game was built the way she was to suit the gameplay requirements and made sense given the frequency of fight encounters inThe Last of Us Part 2. But the series focuses more on the character-driven moments and dials down the violent scenes. Therefore, finding an actress with the performance chops to pull off Abby’s character arc is more of a priority than finding one to match her size.
Abby’s New Physique Could Cause Problems
While the justification for changing Abby’s physicality makes sense for the series, there’s still a plethora of problems this alteration could cause. For starters, there are fans of Naughty Dog’s game who will no doubt be disappointed that Abby will not look exactly as she did inThe Last of Us Part 2. Abby’s impressive size and muscle received criticism from some at the time, but in many other ways, it was a step forward for representing strong women in video games, and it’s a shame that opportunity won’t carry over into the series version.
There’s also the fact thatAbby’s character build had story motivationsbeyond just gameplay. When Abby was a teenager living with her father and the Fireflies in Salt Lake City she was of average weight and build. However, the murder of her father motivates her to train to become a weapon for revenge. This results in the Abby that players meet in the present timeline.
Many see Abby’s physicality as a core part of her identity, particularly in the way it plays into the tragedy at the heart of her story. So for the series to change this, there are concerns Abby’s character may no longer be as impactful. This change also potentially causes issues further down the line, as thethird act sees Abby change shape again, which results in a shocking character moment. Without having that muscle to begin with, that moment may not bear the same weight when it comes time for it in the series.
In the end, there comes a point whereThe Last of UsTV show and game need to be treated as separate entities. In this case, the producers are doing what they believe needs to be done for the version of the story they are telling. While that may ruffle the feathers of fans who want to see the game transposed as faithfully as possible, ultimately this change may open up new avenues for Abby’s character that weren’t possible in the game.
The Last of UsSeason 2 will debut on Max in April.
The Last Of Us
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection eradicated most of humanity. When a teenage girl named Ellie is found to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.
