Joel goes to therapy in blood-pumping The Last Of Us season two teaser

It’s fitting that the teaser for The Last Of Us season two begins with a therapy session (led by none other than the legendary Catherine O’Hara). Anyone who’s played the game version of The Last Of Us Part II knows the exact type of anxiety and heartbreak that awaits in the second season of the HBO phenomenon, and—if they’re being proactive—should have booked their own processing sessions already. Now, non-game players can get their first taste in a brand new, adrenaline-pumping teaser released by the network in “celebration” of The Last Of Us day, an annual commemoration of the first day of the cordyceps outbreak.

The teaser finds Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) living in relative peace and security in Jackson, Wyoming, where they met up with Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) last season. The two travelers have been settled in the town for five years at the beginning of the season and have built a full life there; Ellie even has a new girlfriend named Dina (Isabel Merced). Joel, however, still hasn’t told his surrogate daughter about the tiny little fact that in order to save her life, he massacred an entire group of Firefly scientists who were trying to study her immunity and generate a vaccine. Now, the secret is coming back to haunt him (hence the therapy session) in more ways than one. 

The teaser also gives us our first looks at Kaitlyn Dever as major new character Abby and Jeffrey Wright as militia leader Isaac, reprising his role from the original game. These clips occur in an extremely tense sequence that kicks off with a mysterious message written in what appears to be blood: “Feel Her Love.” Game players will also know exactly how scared of that directive to be, but for non-gamers, one thing will be just as clear from this first look: the world outside Jackson has not improved at all over the past five years. In fact, it seems like it’s gotten worse. Maybe Joel shouldn’t have blocked that miracle cure after all.

By the way: If you were worried that our heroes living in a safe zone might scale back the presence of their mutated foes, you can put those fears to bed. The mushroom monsters are back in a big way, and just as disgusting as ever.

The Last Of Us season two was written and produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and also stars Rutina Wesley, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, and Danny Ramirez. It’s currently slated to hit HBO/Max sometime in 2025.