The third season of HBO drama series The Last of Us may explore an original storyline not seen in the video games, following set footage that captured actors Gabriel Luna and Young Mazino filming together.
Production on the upcoming season recently resumed after a brief summer break. Newly surfaced video from the set shows Luna returning as Tommy Miller alongside Mazino as Jesse, sparking expectations of expanded roles for both characters.
Neither character appears directly tied to the narrative arc centered on Abby, which viewers expect to dominate the upcoming episodes.
Set Footage Points to New Narrative
The finale of season two established that the HBO adaptation will maintain a structure closely mirroring the video game The Last of Us Part II. After depicting events from the perspective of Ellie, the series stepped back to recount the story from the viewpoint of Abby.
As a result, season three will focus heavily on actor Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and the events that took place during three crucial days in Seattle. However, the video game leaves several major storylines unshown, creating narrative gaps that the television adaptation can fill.
One of the largest missing periods involves Tommy. The television series had already modified Tommy's backstory compared to the video game, establishing that he was defending the settlement of Jackson from infected creatures when Abby killed Joel.
Tommy's Uncharted Seattle Mission
Following Joel's death, Tommy traveled to Seattle accompanied by Jesse with the intention of finding Ellie and Dina to stop their pursuit of vengeance. In the season two finale, Jesse explained that he and Tommy had separated to search for the two women.
Tommy does not reunite with Ellie in the story until after she has committed one of her most significant acts of violence during that night. The timeframe between their separation and reunion remains largely unexplained in the game.
Players of The Last of Us Part II learn only partial details of Tommy's actions through Abby's chapters. In those sequences, Tommy becomes a formidable threat to the Washington Liberation Front, using his sniper rifle to eliminate soldiers across Seattle.
A History of Expanding Video Game Lore
Expanding Tommy's actions in Seattle aligns with the adaptation's established strategy of introducing storylines that were absent from the original games. The first season incorporated new material, including an opening episode detailing a scientist's theories on fungal pandemic origins, as well as an expanded depiction of characters Frank and Bill.
Season two continued this approach by featuring expanded scenes for military leader Isaac, played by actor Jeffrey Wright, providing deeper context for characters barely explored in the game.
Dedicated scenes exploring Tommy's sniper campaign and survival in Seattle would mark a continuation of HBO's effort to develop supporting characters beyond the framework of the original games.
