- 8 months ago
From subtle game references to clever foreshadowing, HBO's adaptation is packed with hidden gems! Join us as we explore the most fascinating details and Easter eggs from the latest season. Whether you're a die-hard gamer or new to the franchise, these details will blow your mind!
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00:00You don't like coffee?
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 20 best references and easter eggs you may have missed throughout the second season of The Last of Us.
00:11We will be discussing some future aspects of the video game, so a spoiler warning is in effect.
00:16She's gonna kill us either way.
00:18No, I won't.
00:20Because I'm not like him.
00:24Number 20. People Magazine.
00:25It's too far for me to drop down, so I can find a stairway or something and figure out a path back up here.
00:32Just stay put.
00:34Yeah.
00:34The prop department creates magic yet again.
00:37While Ellie is exploring the Green Place Market, she comes across a time capsule of Days Gone By, an issue of People Magazine with Jennifer Aniston on the cover.
00:45What makes this a great detail is that it is absolutely period perfect.
00:50This is a special double issue of People, featuring the best and worst dressed of the year.
00:54After doing some digging, we found that this magazine was to be on display until September 29th, 2003.
01:00In the show, Outbreak Day occurred on September 26th, 2003, a date when this exact issue of People would still be on grocery store shelves.
01:09Where'd you get the money for this?
01:11Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs.
01:13It's better when I do.
01:14It was only $20, which I stole from you.
01:18I could have stolen $60, but I put the change back because I'm an honest thief.
01:22Besides, it's the thought that counts.
01:24Number 19. Employee of the Month.
01:27Promise, we're just gonna listen quick, see if any are in there.
01:31Which is definitely recon.
01:32Another great easter egg that game players immediately noticed was the Employee of the Month board that Ellie stumbles across in Green Place Market.
01:40She sees that a white dog has been named Employee of the Month for July, resulting in a little smirk of amusement.
01:46This is virtually the exact same board found in the Green Place Market in The Last of Us Part 2,
01:50with the white dog even being in the same bottom left position under the same month of July.
01:55This board is part of a puzzle in the game, so many players have experience with it.
02:00And many players were more than happy to see it recreated in the show.
02:03Oh my god, before we leave, you gotta check out the influence.
02:10Number 18. Gustavo Santaolaya.
02:13She's been on quite the show.
02:15We return to the dance sequence for what is arguably the episode's cutest and most missable easter egg.
02:28As Ellie watches Dina dance, there's a very brief shot of a bearded man playing the charango,
02:33an instrument of the lute family that's very popular in South America.
02:36Fans of the game may recognize this instrument, as The Last of Us features plenty of Andean lute music.
02:45But even better than that is the man himself.
02:54This is Gustavo Santaolaya, an Argentinian musician and the composer of The Last of Us franchise,
03:00having done both games and the show.
03:02It's certainly a fitting cameo, and we loved seeing the master at work.
03:11Number 17. Dina's Bracelet.
03:14It's for good luck.
03:16I don't believe in luck.
03:19I do.
03:20After revealing themselves as the remaining Fireflies from Salt Lake City,
03:24Dina and Joel are taken hostage.
03:26It's during this moment, just before Mel puts Dina under anesthetic,
03:29that we get a glimpse of a bracelet on Dina's wrist.
03:32This is a Jewish hamsa bracelet,
03:34and the exact one Dina wears in-game and eventually gives to Ellie during their time in Seattle,
03:39and was heavily referenced in pre-release trailers for The Last of Us Part 2.
03:43The bracelet is typically worn to prevent harm and bring good fortune.
03:47However, it seems to have run out on this particular day, unfortunately.
03:52See?
03:54Breathing.
03:55Number 16. Eugene's Man Cave.
03:57How'd you know about this place?
04:00Eugene.
04:00He was my first patrol partner.
04:04One day he showed it to me.
04:06He said he found it a year earlier when he was on a solo patrol.
04:09He swore me to secrecy.
04:11In the game, Ellie and Dina discover Eugene's underground pot farm
04:15as well as numerous oddities from his life,
04:17some of which are especially notable,
04:19such as Eugene's history as a Firefly.
04:21You okay?
04:30Yeah.
04:31In the series, we don't get to fully explore Eugene's hideout,
04:34but there are some specific pieces of Eugene's lair that make the jump,
04:38such as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it nod to Eugene's adult film stash
04:41with a stack of VHS tapes next to an old TV.
04:44The best reference, however, comes in the form of Eugene's mask bong,
04:48which is lifted directly from the game,
04:50and Ellie gleefully declares she's taking with her.
04:53Did he make this?
04:55Yeah.
04:56I'm taking this with me.
04:57No, you're not.
04:58Yes, I am.
04:59Number 15. Through the Valley.
05:01At the end of episode 2,
05:03we hear the song Through the Valley by Sean James.
05:06However, long-time fans of the game will immediately recognize this
05:10as the rendition used in the reveal trailer for The Last of Us Part 2
05:13at the 2016 PlayStation Experience.
05:18One notable fact about this version and the one used in the show
05:23is that they are both performed by Ellie's in-game voice actress Ashley Johnson
05:27in an updated version of the track recorded specifically for the series by the actress.
05:32I'll walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
05:41It's fitting, then, that her beautiful rendition of Through the Valley
05:44marks the beginning of Ellie's quest for revenge
05:46that also harkens back to Ellie's intent in the original teaser trailer.
05:50I'm gonna find...
05:52and I'm gonna kill...
05:56every last one of them.
06:00Number 14. Etta James.
06:01What am I supposed to do with this?
06:03Put it on stupid.
06:05Why?
06:06Because it's odd.
06:07Another Ellie bedroom detail, another poster.
06:14We told you it had a lot of good Easter eggs.
06:17Just as Ellie opens the door, you can see a black and white poster on her wall,
06:20just beside the desk.
06:22This is a poster of Etta James,
06:24a legendary R&B artist who had a number of hits in the 60s.
06:27In 1968, James released I Got You, Babe,
06:31a cover of Sonny and Cher's iconic single.
06:33This is the song that Ellie and Riley danced to and left behind
06:36while wearing their masks in the Halloween store.
06:39It looks like Ellie is still honoring her late best friend.
06:47I got you, baby.
06:49I got you, baby.
06:50Number 13. Dead Zombie Joel.
06:54You.
06:57Stupid.
06:59Old man.
07:05You don't get to rush this.
07:08The episode doesn't take long to remind you that Joel died.
07:11It immediately opens with the fiery aftermath of the Battle of Jackson,
07:15with a huge pile of dead zombies laid out in front of the burning settlement.
07:18The first zombie we see is in the exact same positioning that Joel was in when he died,
07:23complete with his head turned to the left
07:25and his left hand resting in front of his face.
07:28Joel, get up.
07:30Joel, get up.
07:32We don't know if the show is making some kind of connection between the two
07:35or if it's just a macabre reference to Joel's death.
07:38Either way, it was one heck of a way to open the episode.
07:42End it.
07:43Joel, get up.
07:45Please.
07:47Number 12. Joel is off the credits.
07:50Give share of my love.
07:57All right, HBO, you sick so-and-sos.
07:59We see you.
08:00Not only did they kill Joel off,
08:02but they completely removed him from the opening credits.
08:05Before, we saw the figures of Joel and Ellie growing from the fungus,
08:08a beautiful little representation of their relationship.
08:11But the credits were changed for this episode,
08:27and the Joel figure is now gone.
08:29Ellie is all by herself,
08:31her father figure dead,
08:32and forced to go it alone.
08:34To make matters even worse,
08:36they removed Pedro Pascal's name from the opening credits.
08:39You know, because it didn't already hurt enough.
08:42How are you doing?
08:43Fine.
08:44If you say it that fast, it kind of implies you're not.
08:46Number 11. Dina can't hear the stalkers.
08:56We know that Dina is very proficient in listening to the infected,
09:00often telling Ellie exactly how many are in a room.
09:03But she has a problem with the stalkers in the warehouse.
09:06Not only does she not know what they are,
09:07but she also can't seem to hear them,
09:10even expressing shock when more emerge from the darkness.
09:13You see that fencing over there?
09:14I'm going to lure as many as I can.
09:15You're going to run in there,
09:16secure the gate,
09:17secure however you can,
09:18and stay in there.
09:19Dina, I can get bed.
09:20I want.
09:21You can't.
09:21Do as I say.
09:22This is a great reference to the video game.
09:25By their nature,
09:26stalkers are exceptionally quiet,
09:28and therefore almost impossible to detect while in listening mode.
09:31Dina is clearly playing in listening mode most of the time,
09:34so it makes complete sense that she isn't able to detect them.
09:38I think it's a smart one.
09:40Like the one that stalked me at the supermarket.
09:42Okay, but you can kill that one,
09:43so we can kill this one too, right?
09:45Number 10.
09:46The Rat King.
09:47All that was left was the basement.
09:49B1, B2, B3.
09:51We were expecting the worst,
09:52the kind of environment they like.
09:54Plus the old-timers said down there was where they brought
09:56the first cordyceps patients in 03.
09:58During the opening sequence,
10:00Elise Park mentions going into the hospital basement.
10:02They were expecting something bad,
10:04but they found the place completely abandoned.
10:07She even says that there were, quote,
10:09not even rats inside,
10:10which seems to elicit a subtle reaction of anxiety from Hanrahan.
10:14So yesterday, that's where I sent a squad down to B1.
10:18And nothing.
10:20The whole floor was empty, not even rats.
10:22It also elicited a huge reaction from fans of the game,
10:26whose ears pricked up at the mention of hospital rats.
10:28The Rat King is a famous type of infected from the game,
10:32found in the basement of the Seattle Hospital.
10:34It's a disgusting creature,
10:36consisting of numerous types of infected
10:38phased into each other
10:39and forming a giant mass of limbs,
10:41mouths, and fungal growths.
10:43We still have nightmares about it.
10:45Whereas in the game,
11:04Sarah gifts Joel a brand new watch on his birthday,
11:07within the series,
11:08Sarah is instead seen getting Joel's old watch repaired.
11:11We didn't understand the significance of this at the time,
11:14but now it would seem that Joel's watch
11:16was passed down from his father.
11:18This, in turn, makes Joel's watch even more significant,
11:21as it not only represents his connection to Sarah
11:23as it was the last gift she gave him,
11:25but also to his father,
11:27who hoped that he would become a better father than he was,
11:30and continue that tradition of each generation
11:32being better than the one before it.
11:34You know, when it's your turn,
11:37I hope you do a little better than me.
11:41Number 8. The Moth and the Owl
11:43I never did ask, what is it with the moths?
11:47Um, nothing.
11:49I just read about them in a book on dreams and stuff.
11:53It's kind of symbolic.
11:54Whereas, in the game,
11:56it's assumed Ellie's fascination with moths
11:58stems from the etching on the guitar Joel gives her.
12:00In the series,
12:01Ellie is already obsessed with the dusty insects,
12:04which leads Joel to carve one into her guitar.
12:06It's only years later Joel inquires about the moths
12:09and goes to Gail for further confirmation,
12:11to which she tells him they signify death.
12:14Oh. So what's a moth?
12:16Death.
12:18If you believe in that shit.
12:20Which is technically true,
12:21but Ellie seems to have a different interpretation,
12:24in which the moth signifies someone drawn to the light
12:27and searching for purpose,
12:28which is evidenced by her sketches.
12:31Joel has a similar obsession with owls,
12:33which coincides with his views of himself
12:35as a wise but deadly stealth predator and protector.
12:38But if somehow I had a second chance at that moment,
12:42I would do it all over again.
12:47Number 7. Joel's Coffee
12:49Joel's love of coffee is well-documented throughout both games
12:52and likewise within the series.
12:55Oh, I really miss coffee.
12:58Near the end of episode 6,
13:00Ellie returns to talk to Joel after the events of the dance hall,
13:03and the scene plays out almost exactly as in the game,
13:06with Joel confessing he's ashamed of what he traded to get it.
13:09The people that came through last week.
13:13I'm a little embarrassed for what I traded to get it,
13:16but it's not bad.
13:18Eagle-eyed fans of the game, however,
13:20will notice Joel's cup is the exact one Ellie finds on the sink after his death,
13:24once again adorned with Joel's favorite animal, the owl.
13:28Joel's love of coffee also resonates after his death
13:30when Ellie lays the coffee beans on his grave.
13:33When Joel visits Gail during her lunch,
13:47Gail can be seen reading a book titled Earth Abides.
13:50The significance of this book is that this was one of the first stories to detail the events
13:55after a global pandemic nearly wiped out all of humanity all the way back in 1949.
14:00Within the book, humanity begins to revert to lower intelligence,
14:04especially after the last human who can read dies,
14:08leaving future generations completely illiterate.
14:10The Last of Us writer Neil Druckmann has acknowledged the story's influence on the game
14:14and its themes of hope and rebuilding.
14:17Gail could also see parallels between herself and the novel
14:20as one of the last highly educated residents of Jackson,
14:23as the next generation slowly begins to take over.
14:26It probably means change and growth.
14:30No, that would be a butterfly.
14:32Oh.
14:33Number 5.
14:34Pointing to the Map
14:35Hands up.
14:36Where's Abby?
14:42In the finale's most brutal and emotional sequence,
14:45Ellie kills both Owen and Mel
14:47and makes a horrifying discovery about the latter.
14:50But before she does that,
14:52she asks them to point to Abby on the map.
14:55Her method of doing so is quite clever
14:56and more than a little familiar.
14:59You bring me that map.
15:01You're going to point to where Abby is.
15:03And then you're going to do it.
15:05She tells them that they'll both point to the location separately
15:08and that they'd better match or else.
15:10If we rewind back to Season 1,
15:12we'll see that this is the exact same method
15:15that Joel used against David's men when he had to find Ellie.
15:18Looks like Joel taught her his ways.
15:20You're going to point to where we are
15:22and where your resort is.
15:25And it better be the exact same spot your buddy points to.
15:29Number 4.
15:29The Seattle Great Wheel
15:31The wheel.
15:32The wheel.
15:33What?
15:34The show has done some funky things with time.
15:37Outbreak Day occurred in September 2003.
15:40Yet in The Price,
15:41Joel sings Pearl Jam's Future Days to Ellie,
15:44which came out 10 years later in 2013.
15:47Another, maybe even more egregious example
15:49occurred in the season finale
15:50when Ellie traveled to the Seattle Great Wheel
15:53to find Abby.
15:54The wheel is found on Pier 57
15:56and opened on June 29, 2012,
16:00nearly 10 years after Outbreak Day.
16:02So either the show is playing a little fast and loose with time
16:05and we just have to accept that,
16:06or it takes place in some kind of alternate universe
16:09where these things exist outside of our own.
16:11I really hope you make it.
16:18Number 3.
16:19Thieves of the City
16:20When Abby wakes up in the stadium,
16:30we can see that she was reading a book called Thieves of the City.
16:33There are so many great things about this Easter egg,
16:35we don't even know where to start.
16:36First, it's a cute play on the title City of Thieves,
16:39which is a real book published by David Benioff.
16:42Many know Benioff as the co-showrunner of Game of Thrones,
16:46which shares a network with The Last of Us.
16:48And if you look closely,
16:50you can see the author is one Ben Davidoff,
16:53an obvious nod to David Benioff.
16:55Lastly, co-director Bruce Straley
16:57has claimed that City of Thieves
16:58was a huge inspiration for The Last of Us,
17:01so it's nice to see them paying homage.
17:03Just let me wake up.
17:04I'll be there in five minutes.
17:05All right.
17:06It's your funeral if you make them wait.
17:08Uh-huh.
17:09Number 2.
17:10The Boat Shot
17:10The final crane shot of Long, Long Time
17:18references the beautiful window visual
17:20from the main menu of The Last of Us.
17:22Well, it looks like Season 2 is continuing that tradition.
17:25There's a shot in Convergence
17:26that shows a motorboat rocking against a dock
17:29in the violent waves.
17:30Like Long, Long Time,
17:31this is a visual nod to the main menu
17:33of The Last of Us Part 2,
17:35which shows, well, a motorboat rocking in the waves.
17:38It's a fun, if somewhat moody, bit of nostalgia
17:40for fans of the video game,
17:42many of whom would have instantly recognized
17:44that iconic visual.
17:45Before we continue,
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18:09In the agonizing climax of the episode,
18:24Jesse gets shot
18:25and Ellie encounters a vengeful Abby.
18:28If you look closely,
18:29you can see what looks like rope burns
18:31across Abby's neck.
18:33This makes sense within the parameters of the story
18:35because, as we saw earlier,
18:36the Seraphites are prone to capturing wolf soldiers
18:39and hanging them from a noose.
18:41No!
18:42I'm not from here!
18:43I'm not a wolf!
18:45Tell me!
18:46So it's likely that Abby has run into the violent cult
18:49at some point during her time in Seattle.
18:51However, this detail also serves as an Easter egg,
18:55as Ellie's brief run-in with the Seraphites
18:56greatly mirrors Abby's interaction
18:58with the group in the video game,
19:00including being hung by a noose.
19:02They are nested with sin.
19:08What was your favorite hidden detail?
19:10Let us know in the comments below.
19:12We don't know where she is.
19:13We don't know where she is.
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