The Last of Us HBO adaptation has stuck pretty closely to the Naughty Dog game so far as it tells the story of Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) treacherous journey across the US. Episode 6 was no different, featuring the highly-anticipated "loss" conversation between the pair, as well as having some Part 2 Easter eggs.
However, it seems like one scene that fans of the original game were expecting to see didn’t make it. The latest episode didn’t feature the moment that Tommy tried to give Joel a picture of his daughter Sarah that he’d taken from their old house.
The highly-emotional moment in the games comes when Joel is at Tommy's commune in Jackson. Joel refuses to take it, but you find out later that Ellie has it as she gives it to Joel just before they go into the hospital in Salt Lake City. "[This is] the one scene from the game I thought for sure was going to be in the episode," one fan on Reddit wrote.
There are still three episodes remaining in The Last of Us, so it’s possible that the storyline could be picked up later still. "I'm betting they intentionally held on to that for later," one fan suggested, while another theorized: "I think Ellie has it and will give it to him in the last episode."
the one scene from the game i thought for sure was going to be in the episode. from r/ThelastofusHBOseries
However, others pointed out that it likely wouldn’t make sense in the show as Tommy and Joel were not estranged from each other in the same way. It’s not clear therefore when Tommy would have returned to Texas to get the photo.
The HBO show also accomplished something similar by adding in another scene where Joel thinks he sees his daughter in Jackson, another Redditor points out. "We had a whole scene with Joel thinking he saw Sarah even though it’s been 20 years," they wrote. "It showed he still is deeply traumatized by her death. We also get a whole conversation with Tommy about how he feels like can’t protect anyone. They didn’t need this on top of all that too."
Check out our The Last of Us release schedule to make sure you don’t miss an episode. If you’re all up to date, we’ve taken a deep dive into the biggest changes from the games as well as why Joel’s medical condition is actually more canon than you might think.
