The Last of Us just got a teaser trailer for its second season, and it looks amazing.
The amount of detail suggests that the show is going to take its time, though.
The first season of The Last of Us was a sensation in terms of both critical reception and popularity with audiences, taking its place as the latest big HBO hit. One thing it could never be accused of, though, was taking its time.
The season moved briskly, carrying us through the events of the first game without a huge amount of hesitation or deviation, ensuring that by its end we were ready for the events of The Last of Us Part II. Now the first full trailer for the second season confirms that this is the path we'll be walking.
We already knew that the season wouldn't cover the whole of the second game – it's a way bigger game and has far too many bases to cover for that to be remotely sensible. However, the amount of detail in that trailer might signal that it's going to go even slower than many might assume.
The trailer gives us a clear idea of what Ellie and Joel's lives will look like in their new, much safer home inside a rare walled-off community that manages to remain fairly self-sufficient.
It also gives us a really quick look at Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, a new character who will have a huge role to play in the events to come. She's seen barely managing to escape a horde of infected in the cold of winter.
This, along with most of the other scenes glimpsed, all come from relatively early parts of the game, which is the key takeaway here. There are two ways of looking at this – either the trailer is an unusually well-chosen tease that holds back almost everything from the second half of the season, or the show is really going to slow down and luxuriate in its smash-hit status.
That might mean that we get to spend a little more time than expected in the early throes of the story, as Ellie and her friends go on patrols, and the status of her relationship with Joel becomes a little clearer.
The biggest question, though, is around the huge twist – it's coming one way or another, and it'll be hugely interesting to see when in the series. We'll keep that circumspect to avoid spoilers, but anyone who played the game knows what we mean.
The show isn't back until 2025, though, so there's plenty of time for speculation to keep spreading. It'll be available on HBO and Max in the US, and Sky and the NOW streaming service in the UK.
