One of The Last of Us’ strongest narrative approaches is that it has no fluff or filler. Each sequence is necessary for character development in one way or another, allowing players to spend enough time with each character to get to know them competently. This makes drastic beat changes that much more dramatic or impactful, and makes all of the details that The Last of Us chooses to omit that much more important and intriguing. Sarah’s mother, for example, is a character that fans have still yet to learn about to any extent, making her incredibly interesting.
However, The Last of Us’ HBO show has an opportunity to share the subtextual detail and lore of such characters. The show’s lore may not necessarily affect the canonical lore from the games, but it is still a great way for fans to see context they did not have. It is rumored that Ashley Johnson will be playing Ellie’s mother in the show, and if so that is another paramount character who will finally have screen time allotted to them. If Anna is portrayed in the HBO show, then that will surely be its most significant departure from the events depicted in The Last of Us games.
The Last of Us Actively Avoids Talking About Ellie’s Mother
The Last of Us has an intimate and linear narrative that chooses to specifically omit certain details. Some narrative decisions made for The Last of Us make more sense than others, such as the two-decade-long time gap between its prologue and present day in order to have Ellie born at the beginning of the apocalypse.
Ellie’s mother is another narrative detail that is scarcely touched upon, though it plays a role in her particular upbringing and why she is left with Marlene. There is a collectible note that players have in their inventory as Ellie from Anna—a tear-jerking goodbye note from a mother to her daughter who is not even a day old. This gives as much characterization for Anna that players could ever hope for or need, but if fans see Johnson’s Anna penning this note in The Last of Us’ HBO show it could be even more poignant.
The Last of Us’ HBO Show Can Dive into Subtextual Lore from the Games
Moreover, The Last of Us’ HBO show moving away from strictly scripted content from the games could mean that fans may learn about characters they wished they knew more about in general. It is already presumed that Bill and Frank’s complicated relationship will be fleshed out due to Frank being cast, and the potential for other ideas fans have had for The Last of Us spin-offs could be considered as subplots in the show as well.
It would be great to see flashbacks that detail Joel and Tommy’s early-apocalypse experiences and how they fared as desperate, murderous bandits, for example, or to see other gaps in the narrative that have not been explored yet either. The Last of Us’ HBO show is now an opportunity for these stories to be explored, and seeing Anna and Marlene discuss what to do about Ellie would be a heartfelt moment that players have not been able to experience themselves.
Players may understand Marlene’s position as a leader and as someone who has been Ellie’s guardian for nearly all of her life during the events of The Last of Us. But Marlene’s perspective and choices could be understood much more saliently after hearing that Anna had the same ideologies, especially since Anna trusted Marlene with Ellie the most.
The Last of Us premieres on HBO January 15, 2023.