The following article contains spoilers from Episode 2 of The Last of Us.
Episode 2 of The Last of Us ends with a bang, but apart from the fantastic story progression, the episode once again features some very prominent Easter eggs. The HBO series has made some important changes to the story line from the extremely popular game franchise, but fan service is still an important element for the showrunners. Including conversations, items, and references from the game make the series that much more fun to watch for hardcore fans.
There are moments in the second episode of The Last of Us that are an exact replication of scenes from the game. For first-time viewers, those moments may seem like scenes that take the story further. But, fans of the game will hang on to every word spoken in those scenes and reminisce over the plot of the popular 2013 game. Key elements from these conversations and moments stand out, with an interesting Easter egg from another popular Naughty Dog game sneaking in at one point.
This week’s episode of The Last of Us follows Tess, Joel, and Ellie as they make their way across abandoned buildings and alleys to get to the Fireflies. The episode slows down to explain the Cordyceps infection and familiarize viewers with the main characters a little more. While the plot progresses, keen-eyed fans will spot some familiar objects and dialogues from the game.
Ellie cannot swim
Similar to The Last of Us game, HBO’s version of Ellie also does not know how to swim. When the trio arrive at a hotel and spot a flooded lobby, Ellie hesitates to go further and reveals that she cannot swim. In the game, every time Joel and Ellie had to cross a body of water, the former would have to find a wooden board to help her across.
The hotel conversation
When Ellie approaches the hotel’s reception area, she pretends to have a conversation with the concierge about checking into their “finest suite.” After watching this imaginary exchange, Joel quips, “you’re a weird kid.” This exact conversation plays out in the game when Joel and Ellie come across a hotel, only Tess isn’t with them during that scene.
The view
After the trio manage to escape from the museum, and survive their first encounter with a Clicker, Ellie comes across a view of Boston bathed in the golden hour sunlight. Joel approaches her and asks, “everything you hoped for?” Ellie responds, “jury’s still out,” followed by the camera switching to the view, with Ellie adding, “but man, you can’t deny that view.” Not only does the conversation play out exactly like the game, but the view that Ellie refers to is also an exact replica of the one from the game. When adapting the game for television, it seems like the showrunners swore to bring it to life, literally.
Ellie’s switchblade
In Episode 1 of The Last of Us, fans first saw Ellie pull out a switchblade from her backpack, which by the way is identical to the one she carries in the game. In this week’s episode, Ellie and Joel have a conversation about the blade, and fans get a closer look at it. In The Last of Us: Left Behind, it was revealed that the blade belonged to Ellie’s mother Hannah, and Ellie goes on to use it as her primary weapon in both games.
Locked doors
When the trio arrives at the hotel, they discover a semi-blocked passageway and two locked doors. Joel gives Tess a lift, and she crawls through the opening to find an alternate route. This scene is one that fans of the game will instantly recognize, and possibly be disgruntled by, as it is a callback to all those moments in the game where Joel and Ellie come across a locked door, and Joel then lifts Ellie over a wall on into a window to unlock it from the other side.
Health kits
In almost all role-playing games, characters have to utilize health kits to heal themselves after an injury or battle. The Last of Us is no different. The players have to find rags and alcohol to create health kits. In Episode 2, Joel hands Ellie a rag to cover her wound, whereas uses tape on Tess’ twisted ankle.
Tess’ lighter
This is the bonus Easter egg that was added for all fans of the Naughty Dog games, and even pointed out by the official Twitter account of the video game developer. Towards the end of the episode, Tess overturns barrels of fuel, and uses a lighter to ignite the flames. Her lighter was “modeled after Sam Drake's lighter from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End," revealed the developer.
The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.