The Last Of Us' Tommy Twist Is Exciting, But It Makes Me Wonder What The Point Of Season 2's Biggest Game Change Was

Warning: Includes SPOILERS for The Last of Us season 2, episode 5, and for The Last of Us Part II game!I'm thrilled to see Tommy is returning in The Last of Us, but now I'm wondering about season 2's biggest departure from the video games. The Last of Us season 2, episode 5's ending saw Jesse returning to the story, revealing that he and Tommy had traveled from Jackson to Seattle to bring Ellie and Dina back. Gabriel Luna gives one of my favorite performances in the TV show as Tommy Miller, and his heightened role was one of the saving graces I had in mind heading into season 2, knowing what would happen to Joel.

In The Last of Us Part II video game, Tommy is the one who runs off to Seattle, and Ellie and Dina go to try and bring him home (though Ellie also has revenge on her mind). It's a fairly reckless move, given how important Tommy is to the Jackson commune, and given that he has a wife he's supposed to be with. The Last of Us TV show's game changes accumulate with every episode, and though part of me is happy to see Tommy in Seattle, I'm questioning it after other changes surrounding his character.

Tommy's Arrival In Seattle Ensures His Game Story Will Happen

Will Tommy Go After Abby Or Stick To Saving Ellie And Dina?

Tommy's role in the Seattle conflict is important to the way The Last of Us Part II develops, and on the one hand, I'm glad he's there. After barely seeing Seattle in the original The Last of Us game and season 1, Tommy's appearance in Seattle offers an opportunity to show just how badass he is. In the game, he stirs up trouble for the city, which is governed by a powerful paramilitary organization, running around as a one-man army.

If he's really just there to bring Ellie and Dina back, I'm curious what role he's going to play. If he's there with a hidden agenda to get revenge against Abby, I'd question whether this version of the character has that in him. The TV show's version of Tommy is vastly different, and I have trouble picturing him on the bloodlust that the game's version goes on.

The Last Of Us Season 2's Infected Battle Suggested A Different Direction For Tommy

The Battle Established Tommy's Place In Jackson

The Last of Us season 2 episode 2's battle sequence with the Infected horde in Jackson was a notable change from the video game that likely inflated the season's budget by a significant margin. Aside from just drawing Tommy away from Joel, so the dynamics in the TV show could be changed, the battle also seemed to propose a different arc for his character. He's the leader in Jackson, the town's hero, and he has a wife and a son. His place is in Jackson, not Seattle.

TLOU Started Setting Up Tommy's Changes In Season 1

Tommy Was Shifting Away From His Video Game Arc

Sure, Tommy has as much of a right as Ellie to seek out revenge on Abby, if not more. Joel was his brother, and he would have given his life for him if he were there at the lodge. To suggest that he would travel to another state, risking his life, away from his son, to pursue this cycle of violence, doesn't really add up to me. Season 1 already established the different directions Tommy and Joel were taking in their lives, with Tommy choosing to settle down and have a family.

Tommy chose to make the most of the situation, doing what he could to be happy in a broken world. The only motive I could think of for what he's doing is that he wants to bring Ellie back as a final favor to Joel. She's family, after all. That said, it would have been justified by the narrative if he hadn't gone to Seattle after all, mostly because of the addition of him having a child. The Last of Us made changes, and now they have to follow through with them. I hope his reasoning for going to Seattle doesn't feel contrived.