Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 premiere and The Last of Us Part II.
Since the live-action adaptation debuted in 2023,The Last of Ushas been touted asone of the best video game adaptations ever made— partially because of the laundry list of amazingly talented actors that brought the game to life, but the most important ingredient was the team behind the camera.Craig Mazinteamed withThe Last of Usgame writer and directorNeil Druckmannto bring the acclaimed video game to life on the small screen, with their creative partnership delivering a faithful adaptation of the game while adding new characters and scenes that weren’t possible within the game’s narrow perspective. Since the two mediums are vastly different from both a production and narrative standpoint, changes are needed in order to make the series as compelling as something that is fully immersive, but the show’s creators still take their time to put inmoments and subtle references to the source material.
The premiere ofThe Last of UsSeason 2 has quite a few Easter eggs for game players — Ellie (Bella Ramsey) upgrading her guns on a workbench, climbing on trucks to get into abandoned buildings, and throwing a bottle to distract infected, as well as the sniper training scene between Ellie and Tommy (Gabriel Luna),Curtis and Viperreferences, even aGustavo Santaolallacameo. Season 1 was filled with little nods to gameplay moments, but if the Season 2 premiere, “Future Days,” is any indication of what’s to come, this season could deliver even more moments that cause game players to recreate the pointingLeonardo DiCapriomeme. The most clever gameplay mechanic this premiere delivers isDina (Isabela Merced) showing viewers what Listen Mode looks like in live-action.
What Is Listen Mode in ‘The Last of Us’?
WithinThe Last of Us video games, you hold down the R1 button on your PlayStation controller to activate Listen Mode,which lets you identify enemies as they appear as a white silhouette, utilizing the character’s heightened sense of hearing and spatial awareness. In Listen Mode, you can see how many infected or enemies are in the area and their location as you see them through walls and barriers. In Listen Mode, the characters are locked into a crouching position, and their movements are significantly slowed down compared to moving around in the crouching position without Listen Mode activated. While Listen Mode does not have a time limit for its usage within the game, its range is limited, but it can be extended with supplements you find throughout the game. Allies also show up in Listen Mode, but they have a white diamond above them.
InThe Last of Us’s Season 2 premiere,as Dina listens before she and Ellie enter the building,she clocks the sound of two clickers. She maps out a plan for herself and Ellie to follow to safely and efficiently eliminate the adversaries.The way she focuses on the sounds of the clickers and how they are different perfectly recreates how Listen Mode workswhile also translating it to this new medium. While Ellie is ready to jump right in and face the infected head on, Dina takes her time to scout the threat ahead, showing the audience how capable she is from the start andfleshing her character out earlier in the seriesthan the game.
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Ramsey also talks about the frustration and distance Ellie is experiencing when it comes to Joel.
How Is Dina Different From the Game in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
The Last of UsSeason 2 wastes no timeexpandingJackson’s communityfor the viewers, much more than they even did in the game.The Last of Us Part IItakes a while to define the characteristics of Dina, thrusting game players into this new way of life for Ellie years after the events ofThe Last of Us Part I. The series also takes its time in showcasing more of how the town operates, whether in the day-to-day jobs each person takes on to help protect and expand the community or the council of Jackson, which makes the final decisions for the town as a whole. Dina works for Joel (Pedro Pascal), Jackson’s foreman, as they repair houses to provide shelter for incoming immigrants seeking shelter from the harsh environment that the infected have plagued the world with.This detail is new to the series, as Joel and Dina don’t really interact at all inThe Last of Us Part II, although it’s noted in the game that she does look up to him as a leader of Jackson.
This new addition is a great detail for Dina’s character in the context of the series, showcasing that not only is she Ellie’s best friend, according to Joel, but also how integral she is to Jackson and that she is more than capable of holding her own. A new character like Dina can be hard for viewers to latch on to sometimes. Still,hernewly added relationship with Joelmakes her instantly lovable. Pair that with her chemistry with Ellie, which is built to perfection in this episode, ramping up untilthey kiss at the New Year’s dance. The momentsets the stage for a new fan favoritewho promises to have a key role in this season and beyond.
Dina’s relationship with Joel isn’t the only dynamic that’s beenenhanced from the game, asEllieand Dina seem much closer, with Dina even dropping a classic dad joke Ellie is known for. The patrol we see in the Season 2 premiere is a new addition to the series, prior to the one that happens the morning after the New Year’s Day dance in the game. These tiny moments give fans a fresh perspective on the characters to make up for moments of gameplay that can’t be adapted without making the series redundant. The premiere’s fun reference to Listen Mode as well as these expanded scenes immediately show us who Dina is as a character — bubbly, funny, confident, and not afraid to get down to business when needed.
The Last of UsSeason 2 airs every Sunday on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
The Last Of Us
