Kaitlyn Dever Says Fans Can’t Stop Complaining About One Scene in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2
The second season of The Last of Us was a hit with critics, earning “universal acclaim,” but it also faced a wave of backlash from fans online. The season was targeted by review bombing on Rotten Tomatoes, starting at a 61% approval rating after the first episode and dropping to 49% after the third, then 39% after the sixth.
Metacritic saw a similar trend, with user scores hitting a low of 3.6/10, 62% of which were negative. Fans criticized the casting of Pedro Pascal and Kaitlyn Dever, pointing out that they didn’t look like their in-game characters. Joel’s death and some major changes to the story, including Abby’s arc, also caused controversy.
In the second episode, Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, takes Joel and Dina to a lodge. She sedates Dina and corners Joel, revealing that the Firefly doctor Joel killed was her father. Abby shoots Joel in the leg and beats him brutally with a golf club.
Ellie arrives but is held back by Abby’s group and is forced to watch as Abby stabs Joel in the neck, killing him. Ellie swears revenge as she and her friends leave the lodge with Joel’s body. It was one of the most shocking moments of the season.
Kaitlyn Dever recently opened up about how fans still react to that scene. Speaking to Deadline, she said, “It’s been months since the episode aired … Someone came up to me the other day like: ‘Why’d you have to do my boy like that?’”
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Dever also talked about the pressure and excitement of playing Abby in a separate interview. “Of course, this was something I thought about when I signed on to The Last of Us. It was also a topic of conversation when I was in my meeting with Craig and Neil. And in no way did it make me afraid or scared to take on the role. I would’ve never not done it because of the fear of reading the internet after the show comes out, or what people might think of me and my portrayal of Abby, because I loved the role so much that it outweighed all of that,” she said.
She admitted it was tricky at first. “Obviously, I look at the internet and I saw things when it first came out. I’m human, so I can’t help but look at those things. But ultimately, if I’m thinking about Season 3, I have a sense of comfort knowing that I’m in really good hands. In Season 2, I felt so taken care of and so supported just by the crew and everybody that I was working with, so that gives me a sense of safety.”
Dever is now looking forward to Season 3 with excitement, not fear. “Also, there is comfort in the fact that people did love Season 2. So, I just have to trust my instincts and trust myself moving forward. The scripts, the dialogue, and the story is so amazing that I’m not at all going into Season 3 with any sort of fear or hesitation. It’s pure excitement to be part of such a cool show.”
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