Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us season 2, episode 3!
The Last of Usseason 2, episode 3 is finally here, and here are the six biggest changes that the HBO episode makes toThe Last of Us Part IIvideo game. HBO’sThe Last of Usseason 1 offered very few changes to the video game, and when it did, it was mostly additions rather than alterations to the existing story. However, the same can’t be said forThe Last of Usseason 2, which has already made some significant changes, such as the six that can be found in season 2, episode 3.
The Last of Usseason 2, episode 3is the first episode after the death of Joel, with Jackson still healing from the attacks from the Infected andAbby’s WLF militia. Three months after the attack, Jackson has mostly rebuilt, although there is still healing to do. Ellie, Dina, and several other Jackson community members want to go after Abby, although the city council votes this idea down. Unsatisfied,Ellie and Dina prepare to sneak out of Jackson and depart on their own. The second half of the episode sees Ellie and Dina journey to Seattle, with them preparing to find and kill Abby.
6Jackson Has To Recover From Episode 2’s Infected Attack
Which Was Episode 2’s Biggest Change
When it comes to changes inThe Last of Usseason 2, episode 2,the Infected attack was the biggest one. During Joel’s death, Jackson is attacked by a massive horde of Infected, with the town having to work together to stop the monsters from breaching the walls. This is not present inThe Last of Us Part IIat all, with this epic action scene being original to the HBO show.
Since the Infected attack in episode 2 was a change, its impact on later episodes are changes as well.The Last of Usseason 2, episode 3 opens with Jackson still red with flames, with countless Infected bodies surrounding the walls of Jackson. There is a ton of rebuilding to do, and Jackson will have to work together to do it. The rebuilding process is cited as a reason why Jackson citizens can’t go after Abby and the WLF, showing why this attack was important to season 2’s larger story.
5There Is A Three-Month Time Jump After Joel’s Death
Thetimeline ofThe Last of Ushas already been changed a lot in the HBO show, and season 2, episode 3 only makes this more true. HBO’sThe Last of Uswas already set 10 years before the video game, and the gap between seasons 1 and 2 is five years, one year longer than the gap betweenThe Last of UsandThe Last of Us Part II.
After an opening scene,The Last of Usseason 2, episode 3 jumps three months into the future. This is where the bulk of the episode takes place, although it is a major change to the game. InThe Last of Us Part II,Tommy leaves Jackson to hunt Abby down one day after Joel’s death, with Ellie and Dina leaving shortly after. However, three months elapse in the HBO series before anyone goes after her.
4Ellie & Dina Leave Jackson Before Tommy
Arguably the biggest change inThe Last of Usseason 2, episode 3 has to do with the order in which the characters leave for Seattle. InThe Last of Us Part II,Tommy is the first one to go after Abby. Ellie and Dina are then sent after Tommy by Maria, with them using this as an excuse to look for Abby as well. In the HBO show, however, Ellie and Dina are the first ones to go.
By the end ofThe Last of Usseason 2, episode 3, Tommy still hasn’t left Jackson. It is likely that he will eventually go after Abby, as it will be hard to tell the story ofThe Last of Us Part IIwithout Tommy. However, the HBO series is taking its time getting to where the video game was. Tommy will most likely leave for Seattle in one of the next episodes, asEllie and Dina have already made it to Seattle. If he doesn’t leave soon, they will get to Abby before he arrives, making his journey pointless.
3Maria Doesn’t Send Ellie & Dina To Seattle
She Doesn’t Know About Their Mission In The HBO Show
Since Tommy isn’t the first character to leave for Seattle, this changes how Ellie and Dina leave Jackson. InThe Last of Us Part II, Ellie and Dina talk to Maria before leaving. Maria only lets them leave so that they can look for Tommy on the way, with this being her sole motivator. However, since Tommy isn’t gone inThe Last of Usseason 2, episode 3, Ellie and Dina aren’t sent by Maria. Instead,they leave without telling her, with Seth helping them sneak out.
This is probably one of episode 3’s best changes. Having Ellie and Dina decide to go out on their own makes them more active protagonists, as they aren’t concerned with finding Tommy. It is possible that Maria could send Tommy after Ellie and Dina instead, flipping their roles fromThe Last of Us Part II. However, it would be incredibly odd forThe Last of Usseason 2 to forego Tommy’s rolein the hunt for Abby. However, season 2, episode 2 did already make Tommy not present at Joel’s stretch, meaning that it isn’t impossible for this change to be made.
2Tommy Has A Talk With Joel’s Therapist
They Discuss Ellie, Abby, & Joel’s Death
Catherine O’Hara’s Gail is an original character inThe Last of Usseason 2, with her being Joel’s therapist in the season 2 premiere. Although Joel is dead after episode 2, Gail is still around, with her appearing in episode 3. Near the middle of the episode, Tommy finds Gail at a baseball game, with the duo having a discussion. Although it isn’t an official therapy session, it was undoubtedly therapeutic for Tommy.
During their conversation, Gail talks about how the role of being Ellie’s surrogate father has essentially been passed onto him.They discuss Joel’s death and the possibility of going after Abby, although Tommy doesn’t come to a decision by the end of the conversation. However, his conversation with Gail could have planted the seeds that will lead to Tommy leaving Jackson by the end ofThe Last of Usseason 2.
1Seth Helps Ellie & Dina Escape Jackson
Giving Him More Screentime In The HBO Show
Seth is a minor character inThe Last of Us Part II, with him making a homophobic comment toward Ellie and Dina at a dance and apologizing later. Both of these scenes have already been seen inThe Last of Usseason 2, with them playing out fairly similarly. However, Seth gets some additional scenes in episode 3. Firstly, Seth is present at the Jackson council’s meeting about sending a party after Abby. Seth gives an impassioned speech as to why they should go after her, as well as the dangers of letting Abby get away.
Seth again returns later. When Ellie and Dina are attempting to sneak out, they run into him. Seth provides Ellie and Dina with a horse, a gun, and supplies, with him helping them out on their journey. Seth says that he wishes he could join them on their revenge quest, but he stays behind in Jackson. These scenes really flesh out Seth’s character, making him a more complicated antagonistic force than he is in the secondThe Last of Usvideo game.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
