As in the original video game, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are ambushed by a group of marauders trapped in a quarantine zone of the military dictatorship during their journey through the post-apocalypse in The Last Of Us series from FEDRA. brutal ending (although Pittsburgh in the original has now become Kansas City in the adaptation for logistical reasons).
While that group remains largely faceless throughout the game, we get a deeper insight into their backgrounds throughout the series, once again taking advantage of what’s generally important in the “The Last Of Us” franchise: the humanization of the (presumed ) antagonists. Most notably, that happens here through their leader, Kathleen, an all-new character created specifically for the series by co-showrunners Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (author of the “Last Of Us” games). invented.
*
Kathleen is played by the New Zealander Melanie Lynskeywho has appeared in a variety of well-known film and series productions over the course of her successful career, but who is probably best known to the general public around the world for her role in a sitcom that has repeatedly made headlines…
Rose from “Two And A Half Men”
Between 2003 and 2015, Melanie Lynskey embodied the quirky rose in “Two and a half Men“, the main character Charlie (Charlie Sheen) regularly makes life as a stalker difficult. In all twelve seasons of the series – including after the scandalous departure of Charlie Sheen – she was an integral part of the series and appeared in a total of 63 of the 262 episodes.
But even though many may know the actress from that TV hit, Lynskey’s filmography has many more highlights to offer. With her acting debut in 1994, she attracted a lot of attention. She was discovered by the later creators of “The Lord of the Rings” Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh for their drama “Heavenly Creatures”, in which she dives into a self-created fantasy world with Kate Winslet.
After her career progressed slowly despite this promising start, more and more supporting roles followed in medium and large productions, repeatedly as the best friend or relative of the main character, for example in “Coyote Ugly” and “Sweet Home Alabama” or also “Up In The Air” and “Maybe better tomorrow”.
Over the years, Lynskey has established itself more and more as a constant in American indie cinema, as well as in critically acclaimed series such as “Togetherness”, “Castle Rock” or currently “Candy – Tod in Texas”, “Yellowjackets” or “The Last Of”. Us” enriched them time and time again with supporting roles. In recent years, she has also increasingly appeared in Netflix productions – from the tragic comedy “Fremd in der Welt” to the prematurely canceled series “Girlboss” to the star-studded doomsday satire “Don’t Look Up”.
Also in the fifth episode of “The Last Of Us” we see Melanie Lynskey again as Kathleenand even earlier than expected: