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Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 follow.

It's not enough that HBO's The Last of Us has to break our hearts in the show; they've decidd to do it in the damn credits too. Remember episode 2? After the credits following Joel's brutal death in full view of Ellie, we heard Ashley Johnson (the original voice of Ellie) sing Through the Valley, an emotional number that was special to fans of the game long before HBO picked up the story to series.

Now that The Last of US season 2, episode 3 has aired (on April 27, to be exact), we know that HBO/Max are still in the business of breaking our hearts via credits... although if you're the type to skip the opener and get straight to the episode, you might've missed it entirely.

Let's back up a bit: ever since The Last of Us season one aired in January of 2023, every episode has been preceded by the same fungi-inspired opening credit sequence, which paints a hauntingly beautiful picture of the danger and the drama ahead for the story. At the end of every Last of Us opening credit sequence, fans saw the above image, a fungal representation of Joel and Ellie, the joint heart of the show.

Now, imagine our heartbreak when The Last of Us season 2 episode 3 aired with the same exact credit sequence, save one, tragic difference:

Yes, the larger fungal growth representing Joel has been removed from the credit sequence. Where there was a tragic kind of strength in the original image - Joel and Ellie against the world - there is now only the tragedy. Ellie is alone more than she's ever been, and as if we could somehow forget why, HBO chose to remind us via the credits.

C'mon, HBO, can't you let us save our tears for the actual events of the episode? It makes sense that you'd use graphic violence to hurt our feelings, but graphic design? Now that's just mean.

The Last of Us season 2 airs new episodes (with likely gut-wrenching credits) Sunday nights on HBO & Max.

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