The Last of Us Season Showrunners explain Bold Cliffhanger Ending: “We have to take risks”

The last of us Season 2 showrunner Craig Mazin Recently he opened on the team’s decision to end the season on a controversial cliffhanger, explaining that while they considered other routes, the final choice was held to remain faithful to the DNA of history.

Mazin said during a press conference attended by Gamesradar+:

“We were open to a different ending. We talked a lot about it. We considered everything. You know, of course, you want to plan. Maybe we should simply intertwine the stories.

“Maybe we should simply go back and forth. Maybe we should try it, maybe try it, and then in the end, I just remember having said:” Isn’t this part of the genetics of how this story works? It only makes part of genetics. “”

ATTENTION: spoiler in advance for The last of us Final of season 2.

Unlike the game, which allows the brutal comparison between Ellie and Abby, the show cuts the scene shortly, immediately after Abby shoots Ellie. Here’s where it ends.

Next moment, we see Abby wake up in the WLF mixture in Seattle: first day. For fans of The last part of us 2This indicates that season 3 will shift attention to Abby, showing her side of history while Ellie and Dina have unleashed through Seattle. But for the new ones in the world, the cut leaves a chilling implication … Ellie has just died?

According to Mazin, that ambiguity was a calculated decision and a bet.

“Now, what it means is that we have to take risks as a television program and HBO [has] supporting us by taking risks. But once again, we have just killed Pedro Pascal: they understand that this show will be a different show every season, which is a kind of thing difficult to do when you are a successful show.

“You keep asking people how” I know you love it, we are taking it away and giving you this time, “and then,” Oh, well, do you know what? We actually really like it. Oh, it’s nice. “Now we are giving you this, because that’s how the story works, right?”

I love it or hate it, The last of us He is not playing safe. This is not a comfort show, it is an emotional narrative pressure cooker and the ending of season 2 is a reminder that the creators are fully supported on the most risky side of the adaptation.

With season 3 already prepared to immerse yourself deeper over Abby, the show continues to echo the structure and emotional tension of the games, only not always in ways that fans expect.

So … how do you feel for that ending? Audace or too much bait and switch move?