In the second episode of The Last of Us Season 2, the show takes a major step forward with its plot, marking the start of significant events that will shape the season. This episode includes a pivotal moment from the game—the death of Joel Miller. The scene plays out similarly to how it did in the game, but there are some key differences worth noting. Let’s break down how the show adapts these moments and what changes were made.
Joel’s Death
The death of Joel, a major turning point in both the game and the show, is recreated with great attention to detail. In both versions, Abby shoots Joel in the leg with a shotgun before attacking him with a golf club. The line “You don’t get to rush this” is delivered in exactly the same way by Kaityn Dever, mirroring the game’s performance.
However, there are several differences. In the show, Joel is with Dina instead of Tommy, and Dina is drugged throughout the scene. This means Ellie is the only person who witnesses Joel’s murder. Abby also takes a different approach in the show, revealing to Joel her identity and the reasons for her anger before the attack. In the game, Joel dies without understanding why Abby hates him so much.
Another change comes in the way Joel dies. In the game, Abby’s golf club strikes Joel’s skull with brutal force. In the show, the club breaks during the attack, and Abby uses the sharp, broken end as a shiv to stab Joel in the neck, adding a different kind of brutality to the scene.
Abby’s Flashback
In this episode, we see a flashback of a younger Abby searching for her father at the Fireflies’ hospital. The show recreates the hospital setting from the game, bathed in red emergency lighting, but the events play out differently.
In the show, older Abby confronts her younger self in a dream sequence. She tells her younger self not to look inside the operating room, as it would reveal the horror of her father’s death. The camera stays with older Abby as she quietly sheds tears, leaving much of the emotion unsaid. In the game, however, players control Abby during this scene and witness her reaction to finding her father dead in the operating room.
This difference reflects the change in the storytelling approach. In the game, this moment humanizes Abby, who had been portrayed as a villain for much of the gameplay. The show, however, has already revealed Abby’s motivation earlier, so this scene serves a different emotional purpose.
Ellie’s Awkward Morning
One of the most faithful scenes in Episode 2 occurs when Jesse knocks on Ellie’s door to go out on patrol. The awkward conversation that follows, where Jesse and Ellie discuss her kiss with Dina, is almost a word-for-word recreation of the game. The camera work in the scene is also a near-identical match to the game’s presentation.
The main difference between the game and the show here is context. In the game, players learn about the kiss indirectly through dialogue and character interactions. The scene plays out after the barn dance, and players only piece together the event based on the characters’ words. In the show, viewers already saw the kiss in the previous episode, so the awkwardness is more immediate and relatable.
Bigot Sandwiches
Ellie’s interaction with Seth the morning after the barn dance also follows the same script as the game. Seth offers Ellie steak sandwiches as an apology, and the exchange is almost identical to the one in the game.
There are some changes, though. In the show, Jesse is present during this scene and thanks Seth for the sandwiches instead of Maria, as in the game. Additionally, the location of the scene is altered; the building looks more like a canteen than the timber bar seen in the game.
Eugene’s Weed Farm
In this episode, Jesse and Ellie go on a patrol that mirrors part of the first chapter of the game. However, there is a key difference. In the game, Ellie and Dina discover Eugene’s weed farm, but in the show, this discovery is now part of a patrol with Jesse. This change also removes a sequence in the game where Ellie and Dina smoke weed and engage in implied intimacy.
Despite these changes, several key elements remain intact. Ellie finds Eugene’s Firefly pendant and discovers his marijuana operation, which looks much more exposed in the show than in the game. Additionally, Ellie comes across Eugene’s bong gas mask, a notable item from the game, but Jesse reacts to it differently than Dina did in the original.
Abby’s Escape
The show also recreates Abby’s escape from a horde of infected, which happens early in the game. Abby gets trapped behind a chain-link fence as the infected close in. The tension in this scene is heightened in the show, as viewers see the infected push their way through the fence, with one hand forcing its way through the wire, cutting into the flesh. The direction closely follows the game’s, right up to the point where Joel’s revolver appears and shoots the infected that’s pinning Abby down.
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