The Last of Us Finally Adds Major Elements of the Game in Season 2

HBO’s The Last of Us is a largely faithful adaptation of the acclaimed PlayStation video games, but the show’s creative team has deviated from the source material in some notable ways. In some cases, entire stories of supporting characters are fleshed out to compelling effect (see: Season 1’s Bill and Frank episode). Other changes are inherent to bringing the game’s story to a different medium. As a TV show, the focus of The Last of Us is more on the poignant character drama than the survival-based mechanics that define the gameplay of the series. Infected are still an ever-present threat in the series, but not every aspect of those encounters was brought to life on TV in Season 1.

However, that changed in the Season 2 premiere “Future Days” during a sequence where Ellie and Dina go out on patrol and look for infected. The scenario feels like something pulled right from the games; on the trail, the two come across an old supermarket and decide to check inside to wipe out any remaining infected and look for possible survivors. What follows is sure to bring a smile anyone familiar with the games.

The Last of Us Finally Showcases a Creative Weapon Against the Infected

Prior to entering the supermarket, Ellie and Dina hear two infected roaming around the store and decide to take one apiece. Before approaching her infected, Ellie picks up a beer bottle to use as a tool in her encounter with the monster. It’s something anyone who’s played The Last of Us has done countless times. In the game’s environments, bottles are prevalent items that can be used in combat and stealth encounters. Players can throw bottles (and bricks) at enemies to momentarily stun them to create an opening for an attack. Throwing a bottle and then charging with a melee weapon is a surefire way to kill a foe.

The way Ellie uses the bottle on the show is similar to a strategy a player might use when dealing with a clicker. People who reach this stage of the Cordyceps virus have no sight, as their eyes have been destroyed. To compensate for this, clickers have advanced hearing, requiring players to be extremely quiet when they’re nearby. When trying to navigate a room of clickers, a player might be inclined to throw a bottle — the sound of it breaking on the floor will distract the infected. The player will then have an opening to either sneak around without being detected or — as Ellie does on the show — come in for an attack.

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Bricks and bottles were absent from Season 1, which can likely be attributed to the aforementioned change in medium. Even though Joel and Ellie cross paths with infected on the show, it wasn’t necessary to bring these throwable items to the series at that point. They’re a much more integral part of the games, which feature several different combat scenarios against infected and human enemies. For this particular sequence from “Future Days,” it made sense to have a bottle, paying homage to a famous game element in a way that felt natural.

The Last of Us Season 2 Also Introduces Ellie’s Journal

Throwable bottles aren’t the only thing from the video games that The Last of Us Season 2 brings over. Towards the end of “Future Days,” Ellie can be seen writing about Dina in her journal. Ellie’s journal is something that was introduced to the franchise in The Last of Us Part II. Over the course of the game, players can collect journal entries, where Ellie writes her thoughts or draws a picture after key interactions throughout the chapters. In total, there are 20 journal entries for players to find. They provide fascinating insight to the character’s state of mind, adding extra depth to the emotionally grueling story.

The journal entry Ellie writes on the show is itself a nod to the game. Processing her romantic feelings for Dina, Ellie repeatedly writes “don’t f–k it up” across the page, expressing her fear of potentially ruining her friendship. In The Last of Us Part II, the first entry in the journal sees Ellie recount Dina asking her about going to the community dance. Ellie dismisses any notion of a romantic relationship with Dina as “delusional” and ends the entry with “don’t f–k up your friendship” over and over again.

Similar to the first season, The Last of Us Season 2 is charting its own path with regard to storytelling. For instance, Eugene, a background character only referenced in the game, is going to play a significant role on the show. While the show doesn’t recreate the games beat for beat (to its benefit), it’s still nice to see small nods like these on the series. As Season 2 continues, it will be interesting to see what other details from the games the showrunners decided to use.

New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and MAX.