I Thought Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby Looked Badass In The Last Of Us’ Finale, And The Costume Designer Told Me The Personal Connection Behind Her ‘Iconic’ Jacket And More

Of all the big moments that played out during The Last of Us’ hectic Season 2 finale, which itself followed the emotionally crushing Joel-heavy flashback episode, none drew out an impressed “Oooh” out of me the way that Kaitlyn Dever did with her late-stage return as Abby. Not entirely for the way she violently set up the game-referencing cliffhanger — during which Jesse was killed and Ellie and Tommy were threatened — but for the way she oozed Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor vibes from Terminator 2 while also honoring the source material.

When CinemaBlend spoke with The Last of Us’ costume-designing mastermind for Season 2, Ann Foley, I brought up how excited I was to see Abby back in the mix in such a big and broad way. And she told me the personal touch she brought to the character’s finale look, as well as a core detail that ties Abby and Ellie’s stories together.

Ellie And Abby's Clothes Share A Key Detail That Fans May Not Have Picked Up On

In staunch contrast to the bright, eye-grabbing rainbow jacket that Isabela Merced's Dina rocked earlier in Season 2, Dever's Abby is decked out in largely darker colors when she breaches the seemingly safe walls of the theater. When I asked that decision was made to play into fan presumptions that Abby is the "villain" in this story, Ann Foley said:

Those familiar with the video game, and those who just generally have a penchant for empathy, are likely more ready to view Abby as a non-villain than others only experiencing the story through the TV show. But in any case, it's awesome to learn that the show is stitching Abby and Ellie's bleak and violent journeys together through their wardrobes, even if it's not always immediately obvious.

What's more, Foley said she and her team make a point of avoiding a certain color that people generally associate with darkness revenge. In her words:

It's obviously hard to keep the color black out of everything a character wears, but by and large, both Ellie and Abby are shown to be wearing an array of shades and tones that don't go to such dark extremes. But without knowing that detail going into it, one might not immediately catch on.

The Personal Touch Behind Abby's Jacket

Ann Foley, who talked to me about Ellie’s Converses and gorgeous tattoo, brought, talked about knowing how much of a visual highlight Abby's jacket is for gamers, and knowing she had to get it exactly right for live-action. As she put it:

If I ever became a costume designer in Hollywood, the only articles of clothing I'd be able to bring in from my own past would be a couple hundred T-shirts and licensed socks. Not exactly ideal for TV. For promoting a TV show, certainly, but not on the show itself.

Ann Foley shared that one big highlight from her work on Season 2 was seeing Kaitlyn Dever in Abby's full finale regalia saying:

The very end of the Season 2 finale, fans see Danny Ramirez's Manny waking Abby up from napping on a couch, and she emerges to reveal the WLF's massive base of operations set up inside what appears to be Lumen Field, the stadium that the Seattle Seahawks call home. It's the game-changing set up for Season 3, which will follow Dever's character across the same three-day period that covered Ellie and Dina trek.

It's not yet clear when The Last of Us Season 3 will start coming together behind the scenes, so we may once again be waiting nearly two years for new episodes. Until then, be sure to rewatch the first two seasons in their entirety with a Max subscription, with Ann Foley talents and creations on display throughout the second season.