The Last Of Us Season 3 Needs One Change To Fix Ellie

Published Aug 25, 2026, 8:02 PM EDT Casey Duby is an avid TV writer, watcher, and reviewer. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021 with a focus in Writing for Film and Television, where she wrote several pilots and watched countless more. She's been working in television ever since. Casey loves thoughtful content that makes her ponder our world and the people in it, and she's learned that any genre can surprise her. With favorites in every genre from horror to politics, family to action, nothing is off limits. Casey has experience working in TV development and writing scripted shows. Currently working as a Writer/Critic in Los Angeles, with an AMC A-List membership to boot, she is always hunting for the next good story and great theme song. The Last of Us season 1 was released to near-unanimous praise, but the same can't be said for its significantly more divisive second season. In some ways, HBO's series was boldly loyal to the plot of The Last of Us Part II, which dared to kill off Joel in the very early hours of its gameplay. True to the game's pacing, The Last of Us season 2 saw the end of Pedro Pascal's Joel in just the second episode. Eliminating half of the duo that made season 1 so successful did have an impact on many viewers, but it wasn't the real mistake made by The Last of Us season 2. In fact, if the rest of the season had been able to remain that true to the source material, public opinion would perhaps not have become so divided by the season's end. The real trouble began when Ellie set off in pursuit of Abby, doggedly ignoring not only personal advice but also the majority vote agreed upon by the entire Jackson, Wyoming, community. Dina was the only one who agreed to accompany Ellie, and when the two snuck out on their own, Jesse and Tommy soon felt forced to pursue them and bring them safely home. The way this played out may be a seemingly small departure from the events of the game, but it impacted Ellie's characterization through the rest of the season. Had Tommy been more true to his in-game persona at this pivotal moment, Ellie's story would have been primed for a much more open-minded viewing. Even so, it's not too late to bring both characters back to their roots in The Last of Us season 3. HBO's Tommy Should Be Closer To The Video Game In The Last Of Us Season 3 In The Last of Us Part II, it's actually Tommy who first heads out on a reckless solo mission to avenge Joel. He isn't a voice of reason that Ellie ignores; he's the spark that ignites her into action. In season 2, HBO posited Ellie as the story's only irrationally vengeful character who ignores a sea of pleas to stay home and instead draws Jackson's most valuable citizens into Seattle, leaving their home vulnerable. Though The Last of Us is very emotionally dark, the game eased players into Ellie's headspace with more understandable decisions. Bringing Jackson's rogue leader back home is a much more justifiable action than immediately setting off to kill Abby against the thoroughly established wishes of the entire town. On a deeper level, The Last of Us Part II paid much closer attention to detail when it came to Ellie's state of mind, and the game's specific sequence of events is the reason she was able to take things as far as she did. Though the game's Ellie, too, wanted Abby brought to justice, Tommy beating her to the punch made the desire feel human and universal, rather than a lone, outlier reaction on Ellie's part. It also allowed both Ellie and the players of The Last of Us Part II to delude themselves about Ellie's true motives. It wasn't until much later in the story that the game's Ellie was forced to admit to herself that Abby was the real driver of her actions. The ability to lie to herself that she was killing strangers and endangering Dina for the definitively more noble cause of saving Tommy carried her to the point of no return. Though season 2 delivered a safe, rational, out-of-character Tommy, The Last of Us season 3 has an opportunity to bring out his vengeful side and steer Ellie's characterization to a more realistic place. HBO's The Last Of Us Still Has A Lot Of Story To Tell HBO's The Last of Us has only reached the midpoint of The Last of Us Part II​​​​​​'s story. The upgrade of Abby's Kaitlyn Dever to a main cast member ahead of season 3 suggests that the show will be, at least in broad strokes, following the plot of the game, the back half of which rehashes Ellie's harrowing three days in Seattle from Abby's perspective. Despite pursuing her the whole time, the game's Tommy isn't featured heavily in Abby's story. Nonetheless, The Last of Us season 3 would benefit from finding more screen time for Gabriel Luna's Tommy to drive home the dark, angry, vengeful side of his character that was absent in season 2, especially considering the role he has yet to play in the story's epilogue. Even after the show tells Abby's side of the story and closes out the confrontation between her and Ellie that ended The Last of Us season 2 on a cliffhanger, the girls' saga will still be far from over. There are more troubling choices in Ellie's future and, in the game's narrative, they are once again catalyzed by Tommy. With the way he's been characterized thus far, HBO's Tommy isn't likely to follow the game's trajectory, but bringing him back on track would do wonders for Ellie's controversial choices and demeanor. Though it will primarily be Abby's story, The Last of Us season 3's surprising casting updates have already suggested that the upcoming season will build upon the game's narrative, as it did successfully in season 1's "Long, Long Time." Giving Tommy a similar treatment in season 3 could right the ship for HBO's The Last of Us. Release Date January 15, 2023 Network HBO Showrunner Craig Mazin Directors Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado Writers Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Halley Wegryn Gross Franchise(s) The Last of Us Creator(s) Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin