The Last of Us Star Reveals What Season 3 Is About (And Fans Will Hate It)

The Last of Us star Catherine O’Hara confirms major story details for the show’s upcoming third season. In a wide-ranging interview with Variety, the actress was asked if she’s in line to reprise her role as Gail in future seasons of The Last of Us. She revealed that she’s already been informed by showrunner Craig Mazin that she won’t be returning for Season 3. That’s because the third season is going to shift its focus in the storytelling department and adapt the section of The Last of Us Part II where players take control of Abby.

“I don’t know. Craig did say definitely not this next season,” O’Hara said. “It’s the Abby story. Maybe. But I think it was to serve Joel and Ellie.”

The Last of Us Season 3 was officially announced prior to Season 2’s premiere in April. As of this writing, it does not have a release date yet. Showrunners Mazin and Neil Druckmann have offered teases of what’s in store for Season 3, promising a deeper exploration into the WLF/Scars conflict and the reveal of the Rat King lurking in the old hospital. Additionally seasons haven’t been confirmed yet, but HBO expects The Last of Us to run for four seasons.

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Abby played a key role early on in The Last of Us Season 2, but she hasn’t been seen since she killed Joel during the shocking events of the season’s second episode. The last handful of episodes have kept the focus on Ellie as she heads to Seattle with Dina to exact revenge. Episode 6, “The Price” is told predominantly through flashbacks depicting how Joel and Ellie grew apart between the first two seasons.

O’Hara’s revelation won’t surprise anyone familiar with the source material. The Last of Us Season 2 has just one episode remaining, and the show hasn’t even started to tackle Abby’s portion of the game. Given the way Season 2 has played out, gamers probably expected Season 3 would be all about Abby. It’ll be interesting to see fan reactions when this shift occurs on the show. The Last of Us Part II proved to be a very polarizing game, with Abby the focus of much of the backlash. Furthermore, opinions towards Season 2 of the TV show changed for the worse after Joel’s death, as viewers were unhappy that the series’ core duo were separated. Pushing Ellie to the background to bring Abby into the spotlight might be divisive (paralleling responses to the game), especially since Ellie and Dina have established a well-received dynamic and Abby is the hated character who murdered Joel.

Hopefully, viewers are willing to give The Last of Us Season 3 a fair shot. Abby’s storyline in the game explores some fascinating themes and topics, deepening the overall narrative and its exploration of the cycle of violence. Plus, focusing more on Abby and the WLF/Scars conflict could help keep things fresh by providing a different perspective in this post-apocalyptic universe that’s only been teased so far. It was a bold decision when Naughty Dog gave players control of Abby, and it’s a bold decision for HBO to dedicate a whole season to her. It runs the risk of alienating viewers who are invested in Ellie’s journey, but it could pay off if handled properly.