Yesterday we finally saw HBO’s The Last of Us debut episode. While expectations are never high regarding any form of video game adaptation, The Last of Us blew me away. Getting to experience things that are both unchanged and different felt like a long-awaited homecoming, and hearing the soundtrack come from my TV’s sound system once more brought goosebumps to my arms.
For fans of The Last of Us games, there are so many little moments and details to remind them of the source material, and for newcomers, the story has enough twists and turns and visual beauty to draw you in and keep you engaged.
I’ve put together a list of just a few of my favourite moments and Easter Eggs from the premier that you might have missed or want to know more about:
The Last of Us Easter Eggs From Episode One
It’s Just Like A Video Game
One of the best things about The Last of Us TV adaptation is how close everything feels to the beloved game franchise. Even though it’s a different form of media, there are moments scattered throughout where it just feels like a video game and lies the magic.
In one section particularly, Ellie, Joel, and Tess escape from the Boston quarantine zone. Multiple things seem to come straight from the game, like buses to crawl under and through. However, when the trio has to dodge spotlights and flashlights from the military guarding the quarantine zone wall, it mimics the stealth sections of the game almost exactly.
A Message From The Games
Many viewers would have noticed the phrase “When you’re lost in the darkness, look to the light” appear multiple times in the show’s debut episode. This graffiti isn’t unique to the show; instead, it’s a saying that can be found plastered all over the two games.
The saying is the official motto for the Fireflies. Even though not having it in the show wouldn’t have changed the story significantly, it is a small yet appreciated touch.
I Would Recognise That Voice Anywhere
Marlene has genuinely seen some stuff. If the actor’s voice crept into your eardrums and left you feeling this strange sense of audio Déjà vu, it’s because the actor is not only Marlene in the TV Show; instead, she is reprising her beloved role from both The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II.
While there isn’t anything more to this Easter Egg, it is a familiar touch that made the debut episode feel much more familiar and like a trip back home for many of us.
Foreshadowing And Fashion
My favourite type of Easter Eggs are the ones that are super discreet but yet if you see them, you’re instantly left feeling like you’re part of a secret shared between friends. The Halican Drops easter eggs were one of these little gems.
While at first glance, there is nothing extraordinary about the shirt Sarah is wearing at the start of the show, it’s the same Halican Drops shirt the character wore in the game.
Oh, and the back of the shirt is another Easter Eggs. At the back of the T-shirt, there is a list of concert tour stops for the band, and each tour stop is a location that Ellie and Joel will visit throughout their journey. Goosebumps.
A few bonus Easter Eggs
This was just a cool moment, but when Joel, Tommy, and Sarah try to escape Austin during the initial outbreak’s chaos, the scene feels like a video game. Everything is shot with a third-person view, with the camera in the back seat, precisely how the scene is shot in the game.
It’s important to remember that The Last of Us TV Show is still based on a game, and it never tries to shy away from this fact, although it does acknowledge where it came from in more minor, more discreet ways. A great example is right at the start of the episode, where Joel is armed with a heavy wrench which he uses to save Sarah. Now one would think that this wrench would be saved to be used again later, but instead, Joel drops it instantly. Likely a nod to the melee weapons only giving you three hits before breaking in the game.
During the episode, there is a blink-and-you-‘ll-miss-it moment when Sarah picks up a movie from the neighbour’s house. The film is on a shelf next to Pink Panther and Murderball however, unlike the previous two, the movie Sarah pulls is Curtis and the Viper 2, which isn’t a real movie. Without going into spoilers, if you played The Last of Us Part 2, you will remember this movie and appreciate this Easter Egg.