When The Last of Us premiered on HBO, it was a carefully crafted gamble that was beautifully made and emotionally resonant. It had every chance to fail and instead became one of the best shows on TV.
But according to co-creator Craig Mazin, Season 2 will be different. Sharper. Meaner. Bigger. And more importantly, it’s their Empire Strikes Back story.
Season 2 of The Last of Us expands its world dramatically. “There’s a larger main cast, far better special effects, more epic action sequences and so much going on that hasn’t even being hinted at yet,” Mazin explains.
The show is only seven episodes this time, but there’s no shortage of story.
And yes, those Empire Strikes Back vibes in the trailer are not a coincidence. When asked about it in an intercview with THR, Mazon said: “It’s true,” Mazin says. “They aren’t getting away with shit.”
He continued: “I think about that a lot — because I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should. We love that one because the second act is the tough act.
“That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through these moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but they’re also not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. There’s a sense of feeling lost. And I love that.”
Mazin’s also looking at how the action serves the story, specifically drawing influence from Game of Thrones, and more precisely, one of its most unforgettable episodes.
“Certainly as a Thrones fanatic, I remember from watching Hardhome and not thinking about how complicated and impressive the action was. What I remembered was how moving and important the things that were happening inside the action were.
“That Wildling woman [Karsi], seeing her get turned, and seeing The Night King raise the dead and being like, ‘Hey, you and me, Jon Snow, we’re on a collision course, my friend, and the more you fight me, the worse it gets for you.’ The desperation, the total loss.”
Mazin says that kind of emotional gravity is the north star for The Last of Us’ approach to its action sequences this season.
That is really our philosophy about action. What’s the point? So in building this sequence, we were very ambitious because we just wanted to show how bad it could get. But always the question was: Why? What is this about, what does this change, and what does this mean for our people moving forward?
“Jackson is, as we see in episode one, is growing, it’s expanding. There is a certain cockiness. They don’t seem particularly worried about the trouble outside. They’ve gotten a little complacent.
“They have a New Year’s Eve dance. They’re going to therapy,. They’re refurbishing homes. They’ve got patrols down to a science. On the other hand, you’re like: Guys don’t you know you’re living in a TV show?”
Season 1 was a road trip through hell that kept its heart. Season 2 sounds like the gloves are off. The world is colder, the stakes are higher, and no one’s safe, not even the ones who think they’ve figured it all out.
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