I Have A Last Of Us Season 2 Theory About Catherine O'Hara's New Character, And Her Latest Comments Only Make Me More Convinced
The post-apocalypse is complicated.
![Catherine O'Hara in therapy session with Joel in The Last Of Us](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bUBuu4MhDRTsCDx7gFurY7-1200-80.jpg)
The Last Of Us Season 2 isn’t yet upon us, no matter how much Clicker-attracting noise I’m making over here, but that just means there’s still more time for theory parties, or to at least formalize the concept of what theory parties are. One of my biggest hypotheses ahead of the upcoming horror series, at least outside of worries about Joel being doomed, is centered on the biggest new addition to the HBO series that didn’t originate in the game: Catherine O’Hara’s mystery Season 2 character.
The Beetlejuice vet first showed up with lots of other Last of Us live-action characters in our very first look at Season 2 coverage via the teaser trailer released for on The Last Of Us Day, which falls each year on September 26. And rather than being someone suffering in the post-apocalyptic muckity muck, O’Hara’s character appears to be well-dressed and in a position to offer therapeutic guidance for Joel, a character who is anything but synonymous with therapy.
It’s not at all clear what this new character’s overarching impact will be, but between the early footage and Catherine O’Hara’s latest quotes, my expectations have shifted from being generally curious to suspiciously speculative, which lead to this bit of conjecture:
My Last Of Us Theory: Catherine O'Hara's Character Isn't Real
I do realize this idea might seem too far-fetched to apply to a character that viewers technically haven't even met yet, but hear me out.
- HBO's The Last Of Us doesn't need to add totally new characters unless it's telling a totally new story.
Video game adaptations and more will often combine separate characters into one person to make cast sizes easier to handle, but added new ones whole cloth is more rare. Granted, The Last of Us already did it with Season 1's Frank, who never appeared in the games. But it was made abundantly obvious through the emotional narrative why co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann felt justified in expanding Bill's story in such a way.
In that vein, it doesn't seem like Catherine O'Hara is taking on a remixed version of a familiar survivor, so I'm making the blanketed assumption that she's someone crafted solely for TV audiences. And that she's also there to give Joel more to do early on when the game's narrative focuses more on Ellie and the quasi-antagonist Abby, though I still have questions about the game's timeline being changed.
- The teaser seems to imply O'Hara's character is a terapist who knows Joel did something huge and wrong.
At the risk of sharing a game spoiler here, the opening moments of The Last of Us Part II serve as a mini-recap of the first game's climax, with Joel making his big confession to the only person that makes any logical sense, his brother Tommy. And true to form, Tommy is shocked but says he stands by Joel's decision to do what he thought was right. And he might be the only living person who would have that standpoint.
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Joel is not what anyone would call a soul-barer, and for him to have even shared that news with Tommy is surprising. So not a single part of me can readily go into Season 2 believing that Joel will be open-minded enough to talk to someone outside of his bloodline about anything personal at all, much less the most drastic decision of his life.
Even if Pedro Pascal's iteration of the character is less hard-shelled (and I'm not sure he is), I still don't envision him ever unloading that particular bushel of guilt onto anyone else. Perhaps if it was made clear that she was an old friend or lover, I could buy into the idea that she whittled away at him until he broke down, but no, there's no such comfort in the teaser. The only way I could see him sharing anything with her is if she was only his imagination to begin with.
- We don't see her interact with other characters.
Even I'll cop to this being the dullest thorn on this rosy theory, as it's one that relies largely on the fact that HBO hasn't unveiled a ton of Season 2 footage yet, and that it wouldn't make sense for a brand new character to get the most screentime in promotional offerings. (She did get all the voiceover audio for the teaser, which connotes importance.)
But since the easiest way for this theory to be blown to pieces is for The Last of Us to show others talking to O'Hara's character, I think it's currently still relevant enough a point to offer as support here. And that even feels like a good segue to jump into the actress' comments about Season 2.
Play (or replay) the epic, award-winning Naughty Dog game that will serve as the basic blueprint for The Last of Us Season 2.
Why I Think Catherine O'Hara Latest Last Of Us Comments Fit My Theory
Ahead of her Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra, Catherine O'Hara gave EW a few Last of Us tidbits to chew on while waiting for Season 2, and shared that despite the show being so deep and dark drama, her character will still factor in some of the comedy that fans expect from her roles. But here's where it gets interesting, at least to me:
I have an odd relationship with Pedro's character. You don't quite know why she's got...well, she's got this edge to her, but it makes for some weird, good dark comedy, I think. So it's there. I never want to deny the gift of humor.
After confirming how much more intese the second season is compared to the first, with a comparison to the game sequel also addressed, O'Hara then shared some kind (and attention-grabbing) thoughts about her co-stars.
I just love working with Pedro Pascal. Both of them. Bella. Wow.
Sure, the Home Alone icon might have just been strapped for time and couldn't very well mention every single cast member on the show. But is it not curious that she only named him at first before then doubling back to also make sure to mention the great Bella Ramsey? O'Hara probably worked with him the most, even if my theory turns out to be bunk, but it would have easily thrown me off this mindset had she instinctively mentioned working with Jeffrey Wright, Kaitlyn Dever, Danny Ramirez and other new cast members.
Now rewatch the teaser below with all of the above newly in mind.
Does anyone else agree with my theory that Catherine O'Hara's character might not be a real person? I'm pretty sure anyone who isn't raising their hand right now also isn't real....
Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.
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