A large section of the fanbase of HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 is up in arms about the altered storyline for Tommy (Gabriel Luna). In Episode 3, we see Tommy not going with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) to Seattle to hunt down Abby’s group and exact vengeance for Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) death.
Tommy’s decision not to go to Seattle has upset many fans, as this scenario doesn’t align with the events of the source material—Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II video game.
In the game, Tommy is present when Joel is captured and killed. Consequently, he knows about Abby’s group and how to track them down. He briefly discusses this with Ellie before secretly leaving Jackson at night to seek his own revenge.
It is Maria, not Tommy, who confronts Ellie as she’s leaving Jackson and gives her permission to go after her husband. These relationships and events are significantly altered in the TV adaptation.
In the show, it’s Dina who provides Ellie with all the crucial information about Abby’s group and the W.L.F. (Washington Liberation Front) militia. When the council rejects Ellie’s proposal to send a hunting team to avenge Joel’s death, she and Dina decide to take matters into their own hands and escape Jackson to go to Seattle.
In Episode 4 of The Last of Us Season 2, we should expect Tommy to discover what Ellie and Dina have done. He may decide to go after them to protect them, or perhaps save the duo during the season’s final moments. At this point, it’s hard to predict, given where Tommy’s storyline currently stands.
That said, the changes to Tommy’s arc in Season 2 don’t mean the story lacks logic. In fact, it makes perfect sense. This new approach allowed Tommy to defend Jackson from an Infected army with the help of other residents—a large-scale, brutal battle, which is a completely original offering from the show and not part of the video game.
Instead of going with Dina and Ellie, Tommy chooses to stay back. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about Joel. He simply doesn’t want to be reckless, especially considering what the people of Jackson have already endured. So yes, this changed storyline does make sense. In the video game, his decision to go after Abby’s group, while emotional and praiseworthy from a fan perspective, was also a bit reckless.
Moreover, Tommy and Maria don’t have a son in Part II. But in Season 2, they do. This changes the stakes significantly. Now, Tommy isn’t just one of Jackson’s main leaders and a representative of its people—he’s also a father. He has more to consider before making any decision. His priority is, understandably, to stay in Jackson and focus on rebuilding, safeguarding his wife, child, and the community he has worked so hard to build.
Given that Tommy’s presence in Seattle is a significant part of The Last of Us Part II game, it would be a major deviation if he doesn’t go there at all in the second season of the show. One possibility is that Tommy and Jesse might lead a small group and arrive later in the season to help Ellie and Dina. Or the showrunners could take his arc in a completely different direction. It’ll be interesting to see what Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have in store for Tommy.
Indian viewers can stream the first three episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 on JioHotstar. Stay tuned for more updates.