Just like the first season of The Last of Us, there were some things in the season 2 premiere that were changed from the source material. There was no way that the program and the game could mirror each other perfectly. That’s how you end up with a slow-moving project with too much walking and climbing, and no one wants to see that.
Thankfully, the alterations made helped make the season premiere an amazing episode of television. Here are the moments and scenes that are different from The Last of Us game and why it made the show better.
The burial
In the video game, we don’t see the last of the Fireflies burying their loved ones. We don’t even know they were former Fireflies, why they are going after Joel, and why they went to Seattle until later in the game. Smartly, the creative team decided to change that for the TV series.
Starting the season with this moment worked for two reasons. First, it helped show what Kaitlyn Dever was bringing to the table as Abby. Second, you got a clear look at everyone Joel hurt during his massacre to save Ellie.
Ellie's training
On The Last of Us podcast, producer Craig Mazin mentioned that this scene was important because it showed us how Ellie fights. “And it was important that we showed this fight because we wanted to explore how somebody who is Bella’s size fights because Bella has aged, but she’s not getting taller.”
This was a major addition to the show because it’s a realistic thing to wonder. When you’re playing the game, it’s easier to suspend the disbelief of Ellie defeating an infected person twice her size when you are the controller. Maybe not so much when you’re watching it... at least not without an explanation.
It was also a smart addition because of how the scene ended. When it’s explained that the guy she was fighting pulled his punch because he didn’t want to have to deal with Joel, Ellie says, “Don’t do that again.” This lets the audience understand how deep her anger with Joel goes and makes them curious as to what Joel did.
Joel and Dina
In the game, you don’t see Joel and Dina interact, but it’s mentioned that they have a friendly relationship. Instead of it being mentioned in the show, however, viewers get to see it on-screen.
Craig Mazin also mentions on HBO’s The Last of Us podcast that it showed how different Dina is from Joel and Ellie. Despite that, they get along. This interaction will make the heartbreaking moment that is undoubtedly coming in the HBO series even sadder when it does.
The dance
The iconic dance scene was a flashback in the game. The program decided to show it play out in real time instead. Thinking of it now, it flows better this way. You don’t have to wait to know what the incident was that caused Joel and Ellie to talk again.
Although, when you’re playing the game, it is a nice cut scene in between everything else going on.
Ellie goes shooting with Tommy
Ellie did go shooting with Tommy in the video game as well, but like the dance, it was in a flashback. Doing it in the present here served to show the relationship that Ellie has with Tommy. You can tell that they have grown to trust and love each other over the years, like any uncle would their niece. And like most nieces, that love can sometimes be annoying.
Tommy and Ellie’s argument after shooting some infected people leads to a conversation about Joel’s influence over the jobs she gets. This was one of the focuses of the first episode that keeps coming up, and with good reason. Things are going to get heavy soon.
Joel sees a therapist
There was no way that the Joel from The Last of Us video game would see a therapist. He’d rather bottle it all inside himself and keep it moving. However, Pedro Pascal’s Joel would go and see a therapist... and he did in the season 2 premiere, which is seemingly his fifth session with Gail, played by Catherine O'Hara.
With the anxiety attacks he had in the previous season and Ellie not speaking to him now, it makes sense that he would do this. It’s also a nice nod that mental health is important even in the apocalypse. Plus, the copay in a world of infected killer people is cheaper.
The stalkers and the council
There were a lot of changes between Ellie and Dina's patrol. First, Ellie and Dina didn’t go on patrol with other people in the video game; they went on their own. Second, you don’t see the stalkers until long after you’re well into the game. On the show, however, the stalker is one of the first infected you see. Lastly, a council to discuss what was seen doesn’t appear in the game either.
The Council is a smart move. Even in a small community, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation. Now, whenever something strange happens, people can report back, be debriefed, and relay the information to everyone properly. It’s an effective system.
The pipes are infected
The people of Jackson, Wyoming, didn’t look into the pipe after they cut it to see what else was in there. Whether that was complacency or forgetfulness, it will prove to be disastrous. At the end of the episode, we are shown that the cordyceps that infects people are inside the pipe and moving out into the community.
This will undoubtedly lead to someone in the town getting infected, and that puts the entire compound in danger.
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