This submit accommodates spoilers for “The Final of Us” season 2, episode 3.
“The Final of Us” season 2 is staying fairly loyal to the online game to this point, however there have been just a few key adjustments, a number of of which pertain to the character of Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Again in season 1, it was revealed that his spouse Maria (Rutina Wesley) is pregnant, and in season 2, we meet their son, who would not exist within the video games. In episode 3, there’s one other large Tommy change.
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In “The Final of Us Half II,” Tommy is the primary one to set out for Seattle in pursuit of the group that killed Joel. He is additionally offended about Joel being murdered, however he acknowledges that Ellie is decided to attempt to seek out his killers, so with the intention to maintain her secure, he decides to strike out on his personal earlier than she will be able to set off on her mission. Ellie and Dina give chase after he leaves Jackson, resulting in the entire group looking Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in Seattle.
Season 2 of the HBO adaptation adjustments issues. As an alternative of Tommy being the one who leaves for Seattle, it is Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) who depart of their very own accord, largely prompted by Dina’s personal dedication to the search. Tommy tells Ellie that he needs to go, however he defers to the Jackson council and what’s seen as the nice of the neighborhood. When the leaders of the neighborhood vote to not pursue Abby, he stands along with his spouse. This transformation in motivations may have some large penalties later within the story, and it performs into among the prior adjustments to Tommy’s character on the present.
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Tommy is a extra kindly character within the Final of Us present
Gabriel Luna’s model of Tommy is a bit softer than the one seen within the video video games, and never simply in that he would not instantly bounce to vengeance after Joel’s dying. The HBO sequence performs him a bit extra as a foil to Joel — somebody who was protected by his older brother all through his life, however who additionally understands the methods by which Joel flirted with actual darkness in his soul. Make no mistake: He nonetheless needs revenge within the present. He tells Ellie as a lot, and we all know that he votes in favor of pursuing Abby. However he would not let his grief grow to be all-consuming the way in which Ellie does, or the way in which Joel does in season 1 after shedding his daughter.
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These adjustments make sense within the context of a TV present, the place supporting characters get extra room to breathe. Within the video video games, characters like Tommy do not get the identical diploma of perspective or highlight as a result of the main focus is at all times extra on the playable characters. It additionally is smart to distinguish Tommy a bit, providing a 3rd level of kinds on the triangle that’s him, Joel, and Ellie — every of whom has their very own relationship to the core themes of violence and loyalty.
HBO’s Tommy may imply even larger adjustments for The Final of Us
Should you’ve performed “The Final of Us Half II,” you may know that Tommy has a presiding affect on Ellie’s journey over the course of that recreation. With out entering into spoilers, his new, softer demeanor may foreshadow bigger narrative adjustments down the road. We probably will not know in “The Final of Us” season 2 resulting from it solely masking a portion of the online game. There are moments a lot in a while within the unique model the place Tommy casts an extended shadow — materials that can most likely be saved for season 3, or perhaps a doable fourth season, ought to Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann determine to increase the present that lengthy.
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Regardless, it is tough to reconcile the TV model of Tommy with a few of these moments within the recreation. “The Final of Us” has already made plenty of adjustments to the supply materials on HBO, typically to its profit. As issues transfer ahead, it must be attention-grabbing to see how the variation shifts issues round this new model of Tommy.
New episodes of “The Final of Us” hit HBO and Max on Sunday nights.
