10 Abby Characteristics Kaitlyn Dever Must Capture In The Last Of Us Season 2

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.

Kaitlyn Dever is a great casting choice to play Abby in The Last of Us season 2, but she’s a very complex character with a lot of dimensions to capture for it to be a successful adaptation. Dever was the first new cast member announced for The Last of Us season 2. She’s since been joined by Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Ariela Barer as Mel, and Tati Gabrielle as Nora. But out of all these wonderful actors, Dever is the one with the toughest job by far.

Since Part II begins with Abby brutally murdering Joel, it was tricky for the game to get players to empathize with her as the story went on. While most players could see Abby’s side of the story, a vocal few refused to look past Joel’s death and accept Abby as a protagonist – and that was with the added benefit of gameplay actively endearing the audience to Abby. The TV show won’t have that luxury, so it’ll rest entirely on Dever to make Abby a sympathetic character in The Last of Us season 2.

10
Kaitlyn Dever Must Show Abby’s Brutality

Abby pummels hordes of clickers with her bare hands

Whereas Ellie’s gameplay relies heavily on her agility and her handy switchblade, Abby’s gameplay relies entirely on her brute force. She doesn’t need a knife to take out a horde of clickers; she can just beat them to death with her bare hands. Dever doesn’t quite have Abby’s brawny physicality, but that doesn’t mean she can’t capture her brutality. As long as Dever can play Abby’s ruthlessness authentically, then she doesn’t need Abby’s biceps to do the character justice.

9
Abby’s Camaraderie With The Rest Of The Salt Lake Crew

Dever needs to create believable on-screen friendships with four co-stars

Much to Isaac’s chagrin, the so-called “Salt Lake crew” are a clique whose loyalties to each other overrule their loyalties to the rest of the Wolves. Abby’s ride-or-die friendships with Owen, Manny, Nora, and, to a lesser extent, Mel are key to humanizing the character. In The Last of Us season 2, Dever needs to create believable long-time friendships with four of her co-stars. The Salt Lake crew would do anything for each other, and their on-screen chemistry needs to reflect that.

8
Abby’s Grief Over Her Father’s Death Is Important For The Last Of Us Season 2

Losing Jerry is what sends Abby down a dark path

The key to understanding Abby and why she wanted to kill Joel in the first place is recognizing the intense grief she feels over her father’s death. Jerry Anderson is the surgeon that Joel killed – among many other Fireflies – when he saved Ellie from a deadly operation in The Last of Us’ season 1 finale massacre. If Dever can capture Abby’s grief over Jerry’s death, then it’ll be a lot easier to see her side of the story and understand (if not agree with) her decision to exact revenge. Her motivation is the same as Ellie’s.

7
Kaitlyn Dever Needs To Capture Abby’s Vengeful Drive

Abby’s vengefulness reflects Ellie in an interesting way

Through the bulk of The Last of Us Part II’s narrative, Ellie is singularly focused on avenging Joel. When Abby first appears in the prologue, she’s in the exact same position, determined to make her father’s killer pay. The futility of Ellie’s quest for revenge is foreshadowed by Abby’s own vengeance in the opening act. If Dever doesn’t capture just how passionately and narrow-mindedly Abby is pursuing revenge against Joel, then that foreshadowing won’t land properly.

6
Kaitlyn Dever Must Show Abby’s Rebelliousness

Abby doesn’t react well to authority figures

Throughout The Last of Us Part II, Abby doesn’t react well when authority figures tell her what to do. When Isaac tells her not to go after Owen and to stay at the stadium, she sneaks out of the stadium and goes after Owen anyway. Abby’s rebelliousness is one of her most relatable qualities, so Dever needs to show that side of her to get audiences to empathize with the character.

5
Abby’s Guilt Over Joel’s Murder Is Crucial To Abby’s Arc In The Last Of Us Season 2

Dever needs to show that Abby is wracked with guilt (and vengeance solved nothing)

Abby’s three-day odyssey through Seattle reflects Ellie’s journey in a fascinating way, because Abby is on the other side of Ellie’s quest for revenge. Ellie is determined to kill Joel’s killer, because she thinks it’ll make her feel better, but Abby already learned the hard way that it won’t fix anything. At the beginning of the game, she kills her father’s killer, Joel, and spends the rest of the story wracked with guilt. Dever needs to show this remorse in The Last of Us season 2 so Abby won’t be branded a cold-blooded killer who doesn’t deserve redemption.

4
Abby’s Courage Under Fire Is Significant For Her Character

No matter how outmatched she is, Abby is always prepared to fight

One of Abby’s best qualities is her courage under fire. She stands between Lev and a loaded gun. She fights Tommy just seconds after Tommy killed Manny (and Manny’s blood is still on her face). When she’s stranded in the woods in the pitch-black with her hands tied and no weapons at her disposal except her two bound fists, with a swarm of infected growling in the darkness, Abby doesn’t freeze up; she gets ready to fight. Dever must capture Abby’s bravery and grace under pressure to make her role as The Last of Us season 2’s second protagonist work.

3
Kaitlyn Dever Needs To Show Abby’s Resilience

Abby’s refusal to give up is her most admirable quality

At the end of the game, when Ellie finds Abby exhausted, emaciated, and being tortured to death on the coast, it highlights Abby’s resilience and refusal to give up. As soon as Ellie cuts her down from the pillar, the first thing Abby does is save Lev. When Ellie threatens to kill Lev if Abby doesn’t fight her, Abby puts up a heck of a fight. Dever needs to tap into Abby’s resilience to make the character as admirable and heroic in the TV show as she is in the game.

2
Abby’s Fierce Protectiveness Of Lev & Yara Is Key To Her Redemption

Abby’s relationship with Lev and Yara is reminiscent of Joel’s relationship with Ellie

While Abby’s grief over her father’s death is the key to understanding her motivation, her protectiveness of Lev and Yara is the key to her redemption arc. Abby’s quest to look after Lev and Yara and keep them safe is poignantly reminiscent of Joel’s relationship with Ellie in the first game. After Lev and Yara save Abby from being hanged by the Seraphites, she becomes a sort of big sister to them. Lev and Yara haven’t been cast for the TV show yet, but Dever needs to convincingly love those kids so much that she’d do anything to save them.

1
Abby’s Carefully Guarded Vulnerability

Abby masks her deep-seated vulnerability with outward toughness

On the surface, Abby is a hard-as-nails badass who plays by her own rules and won’t take any guff. But deep down, she’s vulnerable. She does everything she can to not let that vulnerability show, but a few telling moments highlight the fear and helplessness that she masks with toughness. Laura Bailey captured Abby’s carefully guarded vulnerability beautifully in the game, and Dever needs to follow in her footsteps with her performance in The Last of Us season 2.