How The Last Of Us Season 3 Will Expand 1 Member Of Abby's Group Previewed By Star: "They're In The Kitchen Cooking"

As the wait for The Last of Us season 3 begins, one star is already teasing some major changes. The divisive Last of Us season 2 finale left Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in a precarious position, after Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) finally uncovered her location. The next season is poised to feature their confrontation, which should be especially brutal after Jessie and many of Abby's friends were killed. While those friends did not receive much development in season 2, co-creator Craig Mazin has plans to reveal more about their motivations in season 3.

Ramirez, who plays Abby's friend, Manny Alvarez, spoke with ScreenRant about his role in Captain America: Brave New World, and offered some insight into the upcoming The Last of Us season. He explained that, during the audition process, Mazin was explicit that Abby's crew would not receive much focus in the second season, but that they would be "in the kitchen cooking" in season 3. Ramirez also had nothing but praise for Mazin, calling him "one of the best storytellers out in the world" for allowing so much collaboration. Check out his comments below:

So Craig [Mazin], when he was auditioning people for season 2, he's like, "Hey, by the way, this crew is introduced season 2. That's it. But season 3 is really when they're in the kitchen cooking." So in this world that he's created, and from Chernobyl to this, he's one of the best storytellers out in the world, no matter what format or medium. So, the idea that season 3, we get to cook with all of Craig's ingredients is really exciting, because I think he deals with interpersonal conflict in such a unique way that group dynamics are fascinating with him. Power dynamics, and obviously the allegory of revenge, is really powerful. So, to meditate on those things with him, and to be able to break story and have like, "Hey, why is this important?", or, "Why is this the way that these characters play?" And then to hear his take, he's also so giving that he'd want to hear [yours]. It is a collaboration through and through, which I wasn't necessarily expecting. You never know with a genius like that, you're like, "Oh, we're just gonna say his words," but he allows you to make the fit. So, yeah, that's the exciting part.

What This Means For Abby's Crew In Season 3

Abby's Crew Will Get More Development

Abby's crew certainly did not get much development in the show's sophomore season. Manny, in particular, hardly appeared outside a few choice scenes, and most of Abby's crew did nothing but suffer captivity and death after hunting Joel. The entire season was designed to be Ellie's revenge quest, which meant that there was little room to develop them. The Last of Us season 3 will offer a better opportunity to learn more about these Fireflies, especially as Abby continues to interact with her friends shortly before their deaths.

This plan also matches the format of The Last of Us Part II, which seasons 2, 3, and 4 are all based on. As The Last of Us season 2's ending implied, season 3 will follow Abby as its primary character, after focusing on Ellie throughout the sophomore season. It will focus entirely on Abby's story, leaving no insight into Ellie's mission in Seattle. Because of that, it is a natural decision to develop Abby's friends more in the third season, as opposed to Ellie's story, given that Ellie views them as nothing more than obstacles on her revenge mission.

Our Take On Mazin's Plan For Abby's Crew

The Season 3 Delay Remains An Issue

This format certainly worked in the video game, where audiences did not have to wait even a minute to jump into Abby's story after Ellie's ended. Unfortunately, it does not work quite as well on TV, given that audiences will likely have to wait until 2027 to see Abby's friends receive any hint of character development. It is a much riskier proposition in this show, as audiences could easily forget who Abby's friends even are, given the long wait. That may be why their motivations were already revealed to the audience, whereas it remained mysterious in the game until later on.

Even with those changes, it is not enough to make this decision palpable. While it is right to restrict their development to season 3, the impact will be diminished by the timing. It is hard to feel a conflict between sympathy and hatred if audiences cannot even recall who was involved in Joel's death in the first place. Unless season 3 starts with a flashback, which will hinder the flow of the initial episode, The Last of Us season 3's delays are too substantial to allow it to make a proper impact.