With more episodes of The Last of Us on the way, the live-action adaptation will need to include a violent moment from the end of the second game, but it could complicate the show’s future for a specific reason. The Last of Us season 2’s cast combines familiar faces and newcomers to tell the next chapter of the story, which originated in 2020’s The Last of Us Part II game. The conclusion of Part II features an upsetting sequence of events that are essential to one character’s story, but will be tricky to adapt for practical reasons.

The Last of Us season 1’s ending teased a continuation, but fans of the game series will have known there was still another installment to adapt. Part II is much longer than the first game, so it would be a struggle to fit the entire story into a single season of television. For that reason, it’s highly likely that The Last of Us season 2 will only address some of the narrative from the second game and end on a compelling cliffhanger. If so, then one of Ellie’s most intense moments may not appear until deeper into the show’s run.

The Last Of Us TV Show Needs To Include Abby Taking Ellie’s Fingers

Abby bites off 2 of Ellie’s fingers at the end of The Last of Us Part II

The ending of The Last of Us Part II forces Ellie into a violent conflict with Abby, during which she bites off Ellie’s pinky and ring fingers of her left hand. While it’s a grim moment, the full impact of the injury only becomes apparent during the game’s epilogue. With Joel dying at the hands of Abby in the game’s opening act, playing the guitar is the last connection Ellie has to her late father figure.

So, when she picks up the instrument in the game’s closing moments, the fact Ellie is unable to play it due to lacking two fingers brings about the crushing realization that her blind quest for vengeance has cost her the skill taught to her by Joel – the very man she was trying to avenge by attacking Abby. There is an incredibly dark beauty to the moment, with the upsetting scene allowing the game to draw to the same uneasy ending as the initial entry into the game series. It’ll be a huge loss if the show doesn’t include this sequence.

Abby & Ellie’s Fight Might Not Happen Until The Last Of Us Season 3 (Or Later)

The length of The Last of Us Part II may result in the conflict not making it into season 2

The Last of Us Part II shows the perspectives of both Ellie and Abby, with the player controlling each character. To provide sufficient context and to allow the player the chance to realize that both women aren’t that different, each of their stories takes hours to complete. Therefore, The Last of Us season 2 would be doing a disservice to the source material by trying to fit everything in. The most logical course of action would be to split it into two seasons instead.

With Abby taking Ellie’s fingers right before the second game ends, it would make sense if the moment didn’t happen in the coming season and was instead reserved for near the end of The Last of Us season 3. Alternatively, two seasons may still not be enough to cover every event in the game, especially if the show continues to make as many additions to the games as it did during season 1. If so, then The Last of Us season 4 is a real possibility, and it could be the run to include Ellie’s fight with Abby.

Why HBO’s The Last Of Us May Avoid This Moment

Bella Ramsey’s Ellie missing fingers could be a tricky thing to sustain

As important and artful as Ellie’s upsetting guitar moment is, the fact she has to lose her fingers for it to happen may result in it being left out. Bella Ramsey’s hand would need to have the ongoing appearance of missing fingers for the rest of the show’s run, which could be a difficult challenge that would limit her portrayal of the character as well as present unnecessary production challenges. The Ellie avatar in the games can easily have this change made to her appearance, whereas Bella Ramsey cannot.

However, there could be an alternative. While Ramsey’s Ellie may not lose her fingers to Abby’s teeth, the moment with the guitar could be adapted to be altered so it still worked. When she returns to her and Dana’s new family home, as she does in the games, Ramsey’s Ellie could find that the guitar that once belonged to Joel has been damaged or destroyed when Dana left with her young son. It may not be quite as effective as the original versions of events, but it would create fewer problems with The Last of Us’ TV future.