Tomb Raider fans, bless them, spend a lot of time wondering how the series all syncs up. If the Lara Croft we saw in the original ’90s games is the same as the grittier Lara from the Survivor trilogy, what happened in between to make it all make sense?
Fortunately, answers are appearing on the horizon. Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has already rolled out a new design for Lara that incorporates her post-Survivor trilogy look with throwback costumes, a dedication to the ‘unified’ timeline. But as for the story, the new Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft does a big lift.
Earlier this month, showrunner Tasha Huo told Polygon that her goal for the Netflix animated series was to chart the gap between the Survivor trilogy and classic games. But Lara doesn’t get there at the end of season 1, even after she defeats the Light, puts an end to Conrad Roth’s death, reconnects with his daughter Camilla Roth, embraces Jonah and her first pair of shoes accepted. double pistols. That’s because Huo knew that if the show was a hit, there would be more stories to tell, and she didn’t want OG Lara to adapt completely yet.
“I don’t want to just fast-track her to become classic Lara, because it takes a lot to build that woman up,” the showrunner says. “So season 2 will build on what we’ve already seen and see her grow even closer.”
Specifically, Lara searches for Sam, her boyfriend, a filmmaker who first appeared in the 2013 film. Grave robber. Sam was working a job ‘overseas’ when Jonah last heard from her, but an abandoned call from the old friend is enough to put Lara on high alert. The end of season 1 reveals only a few meager details about where the adventure may take her: In Sam’s apartment, Lara finds signs of a struggle – a broken coffee mug, an overturned chair, a shattered picture frame – and a yarn board. tying some stolen artifacts to a shady tracksuit-wearing guy with a scar and pictures of cocaine.
Huo wasn’t willing to reveal any details about the plot, but says it has been carefully plotted so that Lara continues to grow and has room to move on as Grave robber was to earn even more seasons. A top priority in Season 2: Continue to bring out Lara’s sense of humor.
“Maybe she’ll find it in Sam,” Huo says. “Sam has a lighter personality. There is also a lot more for Lara to learn. So with success and in these never-ending seasons, we get to discover all the lessons and how those adventures actually challenge her to take those bigger and bigger steps closer to the woman we remember from the ’90s.”
For Huo, that classic version of Lara is also hyper-composed, in a way that she is not yet at the stage in her life where Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft has been set. Yes, Lara Croft would rather plunder a tomb than go to therapy, but Huo plans to help the character find her composure in the next archeology-driven globetrotting mission. Just the way the history buff showrunner wants to inject Grave robber with a lot of real history and culture specificity, she also wants to beat the drum for legitimate self-care.
“So much of that comes from meditation, balance, having all this messy stuff inside you and yet somehow finding a way through calmness and self-control,” says Huo. “I’m a big believer in therapy and self-analysis as a way to simply grow as a person. It’s fantastic. And I’m glad Lara can do it. She hates therapy! So using adventure as therapy is a great way for Lara to learn how to get better.”