Kathleen is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing new characters in The Last of Us. As an original character that was written especially for the HBO series, Kathleen has fans wondering how she will affect Joel and Ellie. But what are the character's true intentions as she leads the fight against FEDRA? Jeffrey Pierce offered some insight into Kathleen's goals as the leader of the revolutionary movement.
In The Last of Us Episode 4, Joel and Ellie took a shortcut through Kansas City and were attacked by some bandits. Although the two managed to kill the guys, it is later revealed that the men were part of the movement led by Kathleen who believes the men were killed by someone named Henry. She orders a manhunt that forces Joel and Ellie to hide in a high-rise where they encounter Henry and his brother Sam.
It's clear that Kathleen is an antagonist in the series but is she truly that bad? Jeffrey Pierce recently spoke to Vulture where he shared Kathleen's intentions.
"Kathleen is driven by what I think is a reasonable and yet extreme desire for revenge, because of what happened in Kansas City," Pierce said. He then pointed out that co-showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin want the character to be a different kind of bad guy.
"The idea that she is the villain takes away all the shades of gray that exist within the situation," Pierce continued.
"As more and more is revealed about what took place, I think that one of the great things that Neil and Craig do is they ask the audience, 'What do you think you would do? What’s the right decision, what’s the moral decision, what’s the philosophical decision, and then what’s the practical decision that you would make as a person? Would you choose vengeance or not?' I think it’s an interesting and powerful story to tell, and to force the audience to ask, 'Okay, who’s the villain here and who’s the good guy?'" he concluded.
It's an interesting tease and we can't wait to learn more about Kathleen in the next episode.
Jeffrey Pierce plays Perry, the right-hand man to Melanie Lynskey's Kathleen. The two will return in The Last of Us Episode 5.
Related: The Last of Us Star Jeffrey Pierce Explains Kathleen and Perry's Complicated Relationship
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