The Last of Us Season 3 is Officially a Disaster in the Making (Here’s Why)

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The game The Last of Us has sparked a lot of debate, particularly regarding Abby’s killing of Joel. While the game clearly explains her motivations, many fans reacted negatively. The HBO series didn’t change the fact that Joel dies, but it did a better job of showing viewers Abby’s perspective beforehand. Some argue that these changes make Season 2 of the show less impactful than The Last of Us Part 2 game.

With Season 3 of The Last of Us in the works, it wasn’t clear if HBO was planning a fourth season. However, HBO’s Casey Bloys recently suggested Season 3 might be the last. If that’s the case, the show could be limiting itself by moving away from the storytelling approach used in Seasons 2 and 3. It’s ironic because Season 3 was meant to fully delve into Abby’s story and her time in Seattle, but a shorter season could end up feeling cramped, hurried, and incomplete.

The Last of Us’ Santa Barbara is Up in the Air

If HBO doesn’t continue The Last of Us beyond Season 3, dedicating a whole season to Ellie’s story in Seattle will feel unnecessary. While Season 2 had potential, it wasn’t very strong, and Ellie’s portrayal was a letdown. The idea of giving both Ellie and Abby a full season for character development was promising, but ultimately didn’t quite deliver.

The season ended with a major surprise: Season 3 will rewind to the very beginning of the outbreak in Seattle and show everything from Abby’s point of view. This suggests Season 3 will focus on Abby’s experiences, just as Season 2 focused on Ellie’s. If the show continues for a fourth season, it could then tell the story from both Ellie and Abby’s perspectives as their paths finally cross in Santa Barbara.

The city of Santa Barbara appears unexpectedly in The Last of Us Part 2, dramatically increasing the danger for both Ellie and Abby. Fueled by guilt, Ellie tracks Abby to Santa Barbara, where she learns Abby has been captured and forced into slavery by a group known as the Rattlers.

Ellie tries to kill Abby, who has lost much of her former strength, but ultimately stops, finding a moment of peace and acceptance. This decision is connected to Ellie’s own loss – she can no longer play guitar well, having lost two fingers. The game doesn’t show us who helped them, but Abby and Lev travel by boat to Catalina Island, following instructions to find the Fireflies’ base.

Abby’s Character Development is at Risk

The Santa Barbara section of The Last of Us Part 2 isn’t very long, but it’s important enough that rushing it into the final episodes of the upcoming season focused on Abby would feel forced. Considering everything Abby goes through in Seattle could easily fill a whole season on its own, it’s hard to see how Season 3 could include Santa Barbara – and the quiet period with Ellie and Dina on the farm before it – without feeling incomplete.

The show briefly showed the Seraphites during Ellie’s storyline, hinting at their importance in the upcoming part of Abby’s story. Similarly, it would be interesting to see more of the Wolves/Washington Liberation Front, though revisiting them might require flashbacks for viewers who don’t remember them from the first season.

Fans can also look forward to Scar Island in Season 3 of The Last of Us, which is expected to be the season’s most elaborate sequence. The season might then end with a dramatic cliffhanger: Abby arrives at the theater, resulting in Jesse’s death and Tommy’s injury, before leading to the intense fight between Abby and Ellie backstage.

The Last of Us’ Hype Has Cooled

The intense fight between Ellie and Abby will probably be the turning point of the season. After that, the story will focus on Ellie and Dina’s painful separation and what happens in Santa Barbara. This means Abby and Lev’s story might only last for half the season – giving them more time could make the Santa Barbara part feel rushed and unimportant.

The risky way Season 3 is handling its story could weaken either half of the narrative if one gets more focus. While some might argue that the Santa Barbara storyline doesn’t warrant an entire season of The Last of Us, rushing Abby’s story to shorten the series—especially after dedicating a whole season to Ellie—would likely lead to a disappointing and unsatisfying conclusion.

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2026-02-05 20:19