Summary
WithThe Last of UsSeason 2 set to release on HBO on April 13th, audiences who have only viewed the show and have never played the game are about to meet one of the most terrifying human factions in the franchise. SomethingThe Last of Usgames did very well was creating horrors beyond the Cordyceps virus in the form of human enemies. Most post-apocalyptic stories focus on creatingthe most visually horrifying undead creaturesto scare the audience, but for the most part these enemies don’t have control or free will. They act and kill instinctively. The only thing more frightening is a conscious person who actively chooses to commit these acts of violence.
The Last of UsSeason 1 didn’t shy away from this concept and did justice to the game’s portrayal of the human enemy factions. In some cases, the show attempted to humanize some of its enemies,like the Pittsburgh hunters, who in the game were shown as senseless killers, slaying anyone that entered their territory. The show explored more of the individual hunters' backgrounds and motivation. But other factions like David’s cannibals were shown in their full terror and the show didn’t shy away from any of the violent or disturbing details. But as terrifying as all these factions were,The Last of Us Part 2introduced the most gruesome faction yet, the Seraphites, and it is confirmed that they will be making an appearance in the upcoming season.
The Sepharites' Origins in The Last of Us
The Seraphites are a religious cult operating out of Seattle. They came together shortly after the Cordyceps outbreak, viewing the infection as a punishment from God for modern-day sins. As a result, the Seraphites embraced traditionalism. They wear simple robes,mostly carry bows and blades, and all the men are required to shave their head. The Seraphites worship one messiah who goes by ‘The Prophet’. She had a vision around the time of the outbreak of living an egalitarian lifestyle and created rules and prayers for all of her disciples to follow. One of these rules stated that any items created before the pandemic, in other words, ‘old world’ items, were forbidden to use.
The Seraphites are also referred to as ‘Scars’. This is in reference to the scars they all have on their faces running from their lips along their cheeks. This was a tradition created by the prophet to represent all of humanity’s innate imperfections. This term is not what the Seraphites prefer to be referred to as; it’s mostly used by their enemy faction,The Washington Liberation Front (WLF).
The Seraphites and the WLF have been warring over land in Seattle since the WLF overthrew FEDRA and took control of the land. The game mentioned that at one point the two factions had a truce, but for the most part of their history the two factions have been sworn enemies. The WLF view the Seraphites as barbaric savages, and based on some of their practices, this isn’t an unfair stance to take.
In the game there are many scenes depicting the Seraphites' most gruesome acts of violence.One encounter in Ellie’s sectionof the game sees a group of Seraphites hanging an enemy from the neck before disemboweling them with some kind of blade after stating the man was “nested with sin”. Once the victim dies, the surrounding Seraphites all chant “now they are free”. The Seraphites use their religious beliefs as a way to justify their acts of violence. They carry it out like some sort of noble duty, which is what makes them such aterrifying faction to encounter.
It’s Unlikely HBO Will Censor The Seraphites' Brutality
If season 1 is anything to go by, it is very unlikely that Craig Mazin will try and turn down any of those gory details in an effort to make the showmore palatable to general audiences. Due to the huge commercial success of the first season, Mazin and the other showrunners will likely be allowed to continue with a lot of creative freedom.
The trailer doesn’t feature many shots of the Seraphites, but from what it does show, it’s implied that the show is going to lean into all the gory aspects of the Seraphites' barbaric practices. The trailer even showswhat seems to be an exact recreationof the aforementioned disemboweling act. There’s a shot where a Seraphite drags a scythe across a wooden log before raising it to the body of someone dangling by their neck. At this point, the trailer cuts to a different scene, so it’s unclear how much violence the actual scene will depict, but given the reputation of the franchise, audiences should be nervously anticipating the introduction of the Seraphites.
Season 2 will undoubtedly attempt to humanize the Seraphite characters and explore their motivations and perspective. But this isn’t in any way censoring the nature of the Seraphites. The game does this as well by introducing the player to Yara and Lev, who are siblings in the Seraphite faction. There aremany scenes where Lev teaches Abbyabout some of the more pacifistic, peaceful practices of his religion.
After all,The Last of Us Part 2is a story of contradictions. All the main characters commit violent acts and have their own ways of justifying them. The violence is used as a storytelling device to demonstrate these contradictions and hypocrisies. But the introduction to the Seraphites will be a new level of violence and terror audiences have not yet seen inThe Last of Usfranchise on the TV screen.
The Last Of Us
Cast
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection eradicated most of humanity. When a teenage girl named Ellie is found to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.
