(Spoiler warning for Episodes 1–5 of HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2.)
It has now been just shy of five years since the release of The Last of Us Part II. In that time, the discourse has been, to put it bluntly, absolutely insufferable. It has been angry, it has been bigoted, and it has been unfairly cruel. And much of it has centered around the character of Abby.
At this point in the video game, we are supposed to hate Abby. And that hatred is supposed to be blind. She showed up out of nowhere, a stranger, and was saved from certain death by Joel. How does she repay him? By torturing him to death without a second thought. We do not know why. We do not care why. We only want to see her pay for what she’s done.
For those of us who played the game, we know what is to come—Abby is a much deeper character than we are initially led to believe. She has layers. She cares deeply about those close to her. The more we learn about her, the more vulnerable we see that she is, until we finally learn what exactly her motivations are and how they mirror Joel’s in Part I.
Unfortunately, the hate for Abby went far beyond the anger over what she did to Joel, extending to sexist comments about her muscular physique and even death threats toward her voice actor, Laura Bailey. The darkest corners of the internet brought true hate to a character, and a human being, who didn’t deserve it. And it went on, sadly, to become a defining part of The Last of Us Part II. There are people who can never be happy, never be satisfied, and will pick away at someone for simply their appearance.
Giving Into the Hivemind
Ever since HBO announced its TV adaptation of The Last of Us, I’ve wondered how showrunners Neil Druckmann (creative director for the games) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) would address the inevitably of this sect rising up again. After all, how is it fair to throw a rising actor like Kaitlyn Dever (who, for the record, has been crushing the role) into this waiting cesspool of hate?
Midway through Season 2, we now have our answer: by undermining the narrative to preemptively curb the outrage. I was surprised that we saw Abby in Salt Lake City to open the season, offering us even a hint as to who she was. I was shocked when she openly admitted out the gate that Joel killed her father. And, after this week’s episode, “Feel Her Love,” I was simply annoyed that we were once again reminded of it when Ellie is beating Nora to death.
The writers REALLY want you to know that Abby and her friends see her as justified—which is important, as it’s a defining part of her character. But to me, shoehorning it into Ellie’s story takes away from Abby’s side, which is still coming and deserves to be told on its own terms. I can’t help but feel that the writers are playing scared, desperately trying to keep a group of people happy who will never allow themselves to be. And because of this small minority, the show has to suffer the consequences of their insatiability.
What Other Compromises Await?
I’m not sure how or whether this season will stick the landing when all is said and done. With only two episodes left, it feels inevitable that it will end on the cliffhanger that many players expect it to. But the mystery around Abby was answered long before viewers even had the chance to get to know her—and I am afraid that telling her story next season won’t resonate the way it did in the game. If anything, teasing her story now will only anger those who want to see Ellie’s story continue and likely view Abby as nothing more than your classic revenge villain.
The Last of Us Part II offers one of the darkest and most emotionally challenging stories of any game I have ever played. But the show’s writers seem to have missed this—or, in Druckmann’s case, willingly compromised on it. They have sacrificed story for safety, and the show is suffering because of it. Perhaps they should have called it The Dumbest of Us instead, since, in a sad reflection of our society today, that seems to be the audience they care about the most.
Mark is a contributor to The Punished Backlog, often promising articles and occasionally delivering when he actually commits to it. Mark games mainly on his PS5 and his Switch, and some of his favorite games include God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and his all time favorite, Red Dead Redemption 2. When not gaming, Mark is an avid fan of all Boston sports teams and his Villanova Wildcats. He also loves hiking, skiing, and traveling across the U.S.
