The Last of Us Season 2 Should Utilize One of Season 1’s Strong Points

HBO the last of us was praised for several reasons. It’s considered a highly effective series adaptation of Naughty Dog’s video game thanks to its sharp writing, Emmy-nominated performances from its stars, and high production value, but it’s an often-overlooked secret weapon. the last of us Season 1 was his music.

The first season of the last of us It premiered with nine episodes on HBO in early 2023. The series was a close adaptation of Naughty Dog’s first. the last of us game, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, an unlikely couple who travel across a post-apocalyptic United States to find a cure for the virus that has devastated humanity. After the immense success of the series, it wasn’t long before a second season of the last of us was put into production by HBO, with the intention of adapting the second game, The last of us part 2a title that relies more on the impact of music on its history.

Music in The Last of Us Season 1

With Neil Druckmann, the creative director of the last of us At Naughty Dog, which also served as writer, producer and director of the television adaptation, it was no surprise that it took advantage of many of the elements that made the game great when adapting it for television. This included that the soundtrack was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who also composed the music for the television series. While the last of us Featuring repeats of many of the game’s familiar themes, the HBO series also made use of licensed music tracks in ways not seen before in the source material.

A notable example of this was the use of music to send signals. In episode 1 of the last of usBella points out that Joel and Bill play songs from different decades on the radio to notify each other about certain things. A song from the 60s doesn’t mean anything new, a song from the 70s means Bill and Frank have new elements, and a song from the 80s means some kind of problem. Later, after Ellie, Joel, and Tess leave the Boston quarantine zone, a song starts playing on the radio in Joel’s apartment. It’s “Never Let Me Go” by Depeche Mode, signaling trouble ahead. The song is not only cleverly used within the show’s meaning, but also serves as an excellent lead-in to the final moments of the episode, which plays up images of the trio heading into the stormy, lawless wilderness of Boston.

Another notable moment of music in the last of us Episode 3, which is aptly titled “Long, Long Time” in reference to the Linda Ronstadt song that features heavily in the episode. The episode is a major departure from the video game, as it fills in the backstory of the characters Bill and Frank, who only have a small role in the source material. Episode 3 reveals Bill and Frank’s love story, which begins after Bill (Nick Offerman) sings a heartfelt acoustic rendition of Ronstadt’s tune in the presence of Frank (Murray Bartlett). The song becomes a metaphor throughout the episode, symbolizing how enduring Bill and Frank’s love for each other is. the last of us Ronstadt’s use of the song had a notable real-world impact, as the series brought attention to the song and saw an increase in plays of the song on music streaming platforms.

The Last of Us Season 2 Gets a Chance for Even More Meaningful Music

Any player The last of us part 2 You’ll know that the second game uses music as a metaphor even more than the first. Throughout the game, Ellie’s relationship with music and her ability to play the guitar is something that unites her and Joel. It is often used to link whatever Ellie is going through in the present moment of the game to a memory between her and Joel. A persistent tune throughout the game is Pearl Jam’s “Future Days,” particularly its line “If I ever lost you, I’d surely lose myself.” This line somewhat sums up the theme that the story of The last of us part 2 explores, making it a crucial musical cue for the last of us Season 2.

​​​​​​​It already seems that the importance of “Future Days” will continue in the last of us Season 2 as the first trailer for the series uses a rendition of the song. It remains to be seen if the HBO series incorporates the Pearl Jam song into the story in the same way the game does.

Another important song in The last of us part 2 is A-ha’s “Take on Me,” which Ellie sings to her girlfriend, Dina, when they find a guitar in an abandoned music store in Seattle. This song has already been used in the last of us Season 1 Episode 7, during a flashback sequence between Ellie and her friend Riley. This gives “Take on Me” even more meaning in the last of us Season 2, when it plays, will be tied to Ellie’s bittersweet memories of her love for Riley, which may parallel her new love for Dina. another song in The last of us part 2 What brings Ellie and Dina together is “Little Sadie” by Crooked Still, which plays during the moment the couple kisses for the first time.

The last of us part 2 It also featured the release of an album titled Covers and rarities which includes covers of five songs sung by the Troy Baker game actors and Ashley Johnson. The songs included renditions of “Future Days” and “Take on Me” performed by Baker and Johnson as their characters, as well as covers of “Through the Valley” by Shawn James (performed by Johnson), “True Faith” by New Order ( performed by Johnson) and “Wayfaring Stranger” by Johnny Cash (performed by Baker and Johnson). This provides the last of us Season 2 with ample opportunity to include and evolve these songs, giving them meaning in the context of Season 2 that may not have been possible in the games while also giving the series even more iconic musical moments.

the last of us Season 2 will be released on HBO in 2025.

Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection wiped out most of humanity. When a teenager named Ellie is discovered to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.

Release date

January 15, 2023

Creator

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann

Grid

maximum HBO

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