The Last of Us Season 2 has officially ended, and although it’s quite faithful to the game, there is a lot of stuff from the game that’s not in the TV show. One of the great things about The Last of Us is that it’s a fairly good translation of the game for people who aren’t gamers. There’s no homework required, and largely, you’re not going to miss out on anything substantial. Still, there are some great moments in the game that were cut from the show, likely due to budget/timing reasons or because it just didn’t fit in with the story the showrunners wanted to convey.
With all of that said, we’ve rounded up some of the biggest moments from The Last of Us Part 2 game that aren’t in the TV series. Some of these moments make the story a lot better or nuanced, but others boil down to action scenes likely being cut down for time.
Here are 8 moments from The Last of Us Part II that didn’t make it into HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2.
1. Shimmer Dies
Unfortunately, one of the first fatalities of The Last of Us Part 2 is the horse Shimmer. Shortly after arriving in Seattle, Ellie and Dina’s horse trips some sort of explosive trap. Ellie and Dina are thrown from the horse, and a WLF member promptly executes Shimmer. It’s a crushing reminder that Dina and Ellie are in over their heads, and there’s no turning back.
2. School Shootout
After the aforementioned explosion, Ellie is captured by one of Abby’s crew members, Jordan (who is not featured in the show at all), and held captive inside an abandoned school. Ellie eventually breaks free with the assistance of Dina, and the two mow down a bunch of WLF members before escaping the school.
3. Hillcrest
During Seattle Day Two, Ellie is made aware of someone causing some chaos for the WLF in a suburban neighborhood known as Hillcrest. Believing it’s Tommy, she makes her way over there and sneaks her way through a couple of dozen WLF troops. She’s eventually met by Jesse, who she believed was still back in Jackson. The two devise a plan to escape the neighborhood, prompting them to steal a truck, which results in a pretty dramatic set piece with lots of infected and WLF. Unfortunately, it ends with their truck at the bottom of some sort of lake or river.
4. Ellie and Joel Flashbacks
Most of the Ellie and Joel flashbacks are featured in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6; however, one didn’t make the cut. Ellie and Joel go on patrol and end up having to cut through a hotel, where they’re attacked by infected. At the end of this flashback, they discover the bodies of a couple who had left Jackson to go help people who were suffering elsewhere. Sadly, within an hour of leaving, they were infected and decided to commit suicide. Unfortunately, the boyfriend shot his girlfriend as part of their agreement, but was too scared to shoot himself.
Ellie notes to Joel that this could’ve been avoided if they were immune, which causes her to question his lie about the hospital from the first game having other immune people. Joel’s answers are unable to satisfy Ellie and prompt her to become frustrated with him.
5. Ellie Returns to Salt Lake City Before Joel’s Death
Eventually, Ellie’s curiosity gets the better of her, and she leaves Jackson by herself, headed for Salt Lake City. She eventually finds a tape recorder that explains that Ellie was indeed the only immune person they know of, and even if they found her again, it wouldn’t matter because the only person who could create a cure was dead. Joel catches up to her, and she confronts him about the truth. Ellie goes back to Jackson, but their relationship becomes fractured, which explains her anger toward him earlier in the game, prior to his death.
6. Ellie Lashes Out at Dina for Her Pregnancy
In The Last of Us Season 2, Ellie seems to be pretty enthusiastic about Dina’s incoming baby. However, in the game, she lashes out at Dina for not revealing her pregnancy sooner. She tells Dina she’s a burden to her mission of revenge, creating some deep tension between the two.
7. Optional Locations from the Game
In The Last of Us Part 2, there are a bunch of optional locations for players to find in Seattle, which have all kinds of interesting stories within them. One of these moments is actually featured in the show. The Last of Us Season 2 features Ellie’s rendition of Take On Me, which can be missed if players don’t find the music store and guitar in the game.
Some other optional locations include a WLF propaganda workshop and a bank, which features a group of dead bank robbers who tried to perform a heist when the day the outbreak began. As you might imagine, it didn’t end very well for them. The bank vault also contains a safety deposit box with Nathan Drake’s signature ring from the Uncharted series.
8. Ellie Kills Alice
Similar to Shimmer, The Last of Us Season 2 cut another big animal death. In the game, Ellie breaks into the aquarium and is attacked by a WLF dog named Alice. Ellie promptly stabs the dog to death before making her way to Mel and Owen. This dog belongs to Abby’s group, so it’s yet another personal blow to Abby.
HBO’s The Last of Us is streaming on Max. The Last of Us Part II game is available for purchase.
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