This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
Recently, the adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO was renewed for a second season. It has received critical acclaim, but heading into the next part of the story, some argue what is coming will be divisive, with non-gamers in particular not ready for a big scene.
Reddit is burning up with discourse about the moment in The Last of Us Part II where Joel is beaten to death, and Ellie is forced to watch. The original poster thinks people will rage abandon the show if this moment makes it in, and even those who have seen it multiple times are going as far as to say they will not be ready to see Pedro Pascal be snuffed out.
Other chatter include users thinking casual audiences will accept it because it happened in the game years before the show made it to air. One adds it will be likely Pascal will get to continue on for longer than we think through flashbacks, or his role may get fleshed out. In addition, there is greater faith in HBO’s general audience than gamers as HBO shows change quite a bit.
Ultimately, the debate is summed up by a later comment that says this change is similar to work on Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. Essentially, in order to tell a compelling story and keep audiences hooked, you have to not care about what they think and be willing to shake things up. If you don’t, you risk going down the root of procedurals with characters who are invincible.
The Last of Us airs Sundays on HBO Max streaming service.
