One of the main components of The Last of Us Part II is notoriously tricky to pull off in a TV show, but HBO’s biggest hit proves they’ll nail it in The Last of Us season 2. After fitting the story of the first Last of Us game neatly into the first season of the TV series, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin are hard at work trying to turn the behemoth narrative of the second game into season 2 of the show (and possibly also season 3). But one of the key aspects of the game will be nearly impossible to translate into a TV show.

Following Joel’s massacre at the Fireflies’ hospital, The Last of Us Part II picks up four years later as Ellie goes on her own violent rampage to exact revenge. In her pursuit of vengeance against Abby, Ellie gets caught up in an all-out war between two factions in the ruins of Seattle. It’ll be difficult to convey the scale of this conflict on a TV budget – even an inflated, blockbuster-sized Last of Us TV budget – but HBO’s most popular series proves they can pull it off.

Game Of Thrones Proves HBO Can Nail The Last Of Us 2’s Battle Scenes

As Ellie gets swept up in the war between the Washington Liberation Front and their sworn enemies, the Seraphites, The Last of Us Part II has a lot of large-scale battle sequences. Abby and Lev have to fight their way off the Seraphites’ island during the WLF’s invasion. TV shows usually don’t have the budget or the resources to make a big battle scene feel as cinematic as Saving Private Ryan or The Lord of the Rings, but HBO has already delivered a handful of epic battle sequences in Game of Thrones.

The climactic battle in Game of Thrones’ final season was criticized for being too dimly lit to see what was going on. But before that, the show had already wowed audiences with well-lit battle sequences like the Battle of Blackwater in season 2, episode 9, and the Battle of the Bastards in season 6, episode 9. These set-pieces are just as epic and eye-popping as any battle sequences seen on the big screen. If The Last of Us season 2’s battle scenes are as breathtaking as Game of Thrones’ battle scenes, the show will do just fine.

Why The Last Of Us 2’s Battle Scenes Are So Important

The most obvious solution to the battle scene dilemma would simply be to cut them. But the battle scenes are crucial to the narrative of The Last of Us Part II. The endless cycle of vengeful bloodshed between the WLF and the Seraphites provides the perfect backdrop for the sequel’s revenge story. The Last of Us Part II is all about the futility of revenge and the moral complexities of eye-for-an-eye punishment. The Last of Us TV show needs these battles in the background to serve the same thematic purpose.