While we wait for the first official news or clues of filming for The Last of Us season 3, we wanted to take a moment to think about what five things we would love to see in the next and final season of the hit HBO series.
Now that a third season seems to be the finish line for one of the best shows on television, there is a lot that needs to be covered, discussed, and explored.
If things are cut due to time constraints or completely changed, we hope to see these five things, which include Tommy's chance for revenge and a happy ending for two characters.
1. Tommy kills Manny
One of the most significant changes in the adaptation was Tommy's absence during Joel's death. While Tommy is occupied in Jackson, dealing with a horrific infected attack, Dina is with Joel when they are falsely led to safety from both a blizzard and infected by Abby.
Although Dina doesn't witness what occurs, having been drugged, the result is all the same. Regardless, Joel was Tommy's older brother, and it seems only fair that he gets his ounce of revenge by killing Manny, one of Abby's friends who was not only present during Joel's murder but seemed to actually agree with it.
Some of Abby's friends were apprehensive, considering her methods were cruel. Even though Tommy was against Ellie seeking revenge, he ventured to Seattle to find her with Jesse.
Killing Manny won't bring his brother back, but we all know Tommy will find some sort of peace in doing so.
2. Abby's involvement with the WLF (Wolves)
Abby's past with the Fireflies seemed to have ended with the death of her father and the countless others at the hospital. Her present occupation with the WLF or Wolves seems equally over as well.
However, we have yet to learn how she and her friends became involved with the Wolves. Actually, as we really start to think about it, there is a lot we don't know about Abby.
Considering season 3 is destined to be the final season of the series, now is the only time to truly delve into her character. We know why she desired to kill Joel, and we vaguely know of her time in the Wolves, mostly through exposition by their leader, Isaac.
But we don't know what her life as a Wolf was like, nor her history with her friends, and what made her so appealing to possibly become the next leader of the rebel militia group.
3. How Abby knew where to find Joel
With all that said, we would really, really, really love to know just how Abby found Joel. In the five-year time span it took Abby to find him, she learned of his name and appearance, even down to the detail of the scar on his forehead from his failed suicide attempt after Sarah's death.
However, we don't know how she learned of Joel's identity or how she found him in Jackson. Yes, we can assume she did through surviving Fireflies, perhaps connecting him to Tommy, but we want the details. We want to see firsthand how desperate she was to find the murderer of her father. We want to know to what depths she dove to find him.
We want to know how her father's death and her mission for revenge changed her. What can we say? We love well-written, well-developed characters.
4. What happens to WLF and the Seraphites
Ellie and Dina's mission to find and kill Abby wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but neither expected the literal war they were unintentionally walking into between the WLF and Seraphites. Apart from Ellie's revenge plot, we learned of two groups at war with each other in Seattle: the rebel militia group WLF or Wolves, and the religious cult Seraphites or Scars.
Both desired control of Seattle and have been at each other's throats, placing Ellie, Dina, and later Jesse literally in harm's way. In fact, there were times they were almost killed by both factions.
By the end of the season, as Ellie made her way via boat to the aquarium to find Abby, the Wolves and Scars met for one last battle. However, we do not see what occurs or who wins.
We would love to know which side, if any, wins the war and what it could spell for Seattle's future.
5. Ellie and Dina get their happy ending
Last but not least, we would really love to see a huge change from the video game: Ellie and Dina's happy ending. Their relationship, which started as a friendship that became complicated, was rather interesting.
In season 2, Dina discovered she is pregnant with Jesse's child during her revenge trip with Ellie in Seattle. The two manage to survive the initial quest of retribution for Joel's death and settle down for a life of peace and love.
We would love to see Dina, Ellie, and their new child live happily together on a farm, but Ellie put that future in jeopardy. When Ellie learns of Abby's location, she is left with the choice of either killing her or staying with Dina and her son.
In the video game, Ellie's decision to kill Abby, which she chooses not to do at the very last minute, causes her relationship with Dina to collapse. We hope or assume that because Dina was there when Joel died, she'd understand Ellie's decision to want revenge.
Even if Ellie chooses to spare Abby, we'd like to think she and Dina still find their happiness at the farm with the son they raise together.