Warning: This article contains spoilers forThe Last of Us Part II.
The most heartbreaking moments inThe Last of Usseason 2 will be in safe hands thanks to a brilliant director joining the show from a different Emmy-winning HBO drama series.The Last of Usseason 1was the brainchild of Neil Druckmann, the creator of the video game franchise, and Craig Mazin, the mastermind behindChernobyl(the miniseries, not the disaster). Druckmann and Mazin co-wrote the entire season without the assistance of a writers’ room as a more or less straightforward adaptation of the first game, with a few minor tweaks along the way.
But as they begin to tackle the gargantuan nonlinear narrative ofThe Last of Us Part IIin season 2 and beyond, they’ve brought in some additional help. They’ve opened a writers’ room with Halley Gross, the co-writer and narrative lead ofPart II(who understands these characters better than anyone besides Druckmann), and Bo Shim. They’ve also brought in someexciting new directors forThe Last of Usseason 2, likeLoki’s Kate Herron andWatchmen’s Stephen Williams. There’s one new director in particular whose involvement means the season’s most hard-hitting scenes are in good hands.
Mark Mylod’s Work On Succession’s Best Episode Proves He’s Perfect For The Last Of Us Season 2
“Connor’s Wedding” Is One Of The Greatest TV Episodes Ever Produced
ThroughoutSuccession’s acclaimed four-season run, Mark Mylod directed 16 episodes. Butthe crowning achievement of his tenure on the show is season 4, episode 3, “Connor’s Wedding.”This episode earned Mylod the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, and not only is it widely considered to beSuccession’s best episode; it’s been lauded as one of the greatest episodes of television ever produced. This episode depicts the moment that the series had been building towards from the very beginning: the death of Logan Roy.
“Connor’s Wedding” first aired on HBO on June 20, 2025.
Rather than showing Logan’s death on-screen, Mylod instead focuses on how his four children react to his passing. All of Logan’s kids have a raw, emotional, unique reaction to his demise that’s perfectly in line with their character: Connor says his dad never even liked him, Kendall gets on the phone and tries to fix it, Shiv regresses to her childhood self, and Roman unsuccessfully tries to hide his feelings behind a thick wall of denial.Mylod directs the episode with an almost documentary-like sense of realismthat makes “Connor’s Wedding” perhaps the most accurate on-screen portrayal of sudden loss.
There Is One Specific TLOU Part II Moment Mylod Would Be Perfect For After Succession
Mylod Already Handled One HBO Patriarch’s Shocking Death Scene
As this point, it’s unclear which episode ofThe Last of Usseason 2will be directed by Mylod, but“Connor’s Wedding” proves he’d be the perfect director to handle the delicate matter of Joel’s death. Since Mylod already nailed the shock and grief following a different HBO patriarch’s death, he’d be a great choice to handleThe Last of Usseason 2’s most tragic scene. Much like in “Connor’s Wedding,”The Last of Us Part II’s big character death happens mostly off-screen. Seeing the heartbroken reaction of the character’s daughter is much more affecting than actually seeing them die.
10 Details Of THAT Last Of Us Part 2 Scene The TV Show Needs To Keep
Getting THAT scene right is the key to making The Last of Us Part 2’s story work, and there are many crucial details that the TV show has to maintain.
The most heartbreaking part of Joel’s death in the game is Ashley Johnson’s harrowing portrayal of Ellie’s trauma. The emotional devastation that will gradually consume her soul throughout the game is on full display as Ellie is held down and forced to watch her adoptive dad get beaten to death.Mylod managed to get poignant, powerful performances out of Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck, and especially Kieran Culkinas theirSuccessioncharacters dealt with the news of Logan’s death.He could surely coax a similarly heart-wrenching performance out of Bella RamseyinThe Last of Us’ brutal death scene.
There Are Plenty Of Other Last Of Us Part II Moments Mylod Could Pull Off
Mylod Has Proven He Can Handle Action, Horror, And Character Drama
There’s still a chance that Mylod isn’t directing Joel’s death scene and he’s been hired to helm a different episode forThe Last of Usseason 2.Mazin might want to handle the premiere episode like he did for season 1, or Druckmann might want to direct the scene like he did for the game. If that is the case, there are plenty of othermoments fromThe Last of Us Part IIthat Mylod could pull off. His varied body of work demonstrates a lot of directorial range.
Mylod’s latest feature film, The Menu, proved he has a good sensibility for horror, so he could helm one of The Last of Us’ many encounters with the infected.
Mylod’s work onSuccessionproved he can handle character drama, like Joel and Ellie’s discussion on the porch or Dina’s ultimatum at the farm.His work onGame of Thronesproved he can handle action, like Ellie’s many shootouts with the Wolves and the Seraphites or the showdown at the theater.Mylod’s latest feature film,The Menu, proved he has a good sensibility for horror, so he could helm one ofThe Last of Us’ many encounters with the infected.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
