5 Easter Eggs from The Last of Us’s Pilot That Caught My Attention

The Last of Us, the HBO series, is likely the most awaited series of 2023. The expectations are “Burj Khalifa” high, but after the first episode, the show has a stunning 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The first season will probably be a binge-able banger, I have no doubt about it. However, what is a video game, or a video game related piece of media without easter eggs? Here’s 5 of the show’s pilot that I really liked.

5. The Escape Drive

In the flashback to 2003, when the fungal infection broke out in the US, Joel tries to escape Austin with Tommy and Sarah in a fast paced truck driving action sequence. We can instantly recognise that this snippet is very-very similar to the game. We’re almost in Sarah’s viewpoint, just as in TLOU1, looking straight to the road while Tommy tries to get us out. On the road we see the burning house, and the blocked off highways from the game. It’s an amazing one-shot, 50 seconds long, carefully choreographed scene.

4. Joel’s Birthday Card

There’s a very minor reference to the game, in the scene when Sarah wakes up in the house alone. We can see the birthday card on her desk that She drew for her father’s birthday. This was spotted by a former employee of Naughty Dog, who designed the object for the game.

3. Joel’s Acoustic Guitar

In the first game Joel reveals that He’s a talented guitar player and singer, and gifts Ellie a guitar and teaches Her how to play. Playing the guitar becomes a symbolic bond between them later in the franchise. In the show we can see his guitarstand for a glimpse of a second.

2. Marlene

Merle Dandridge, who plays Marlene in the franchise, also voiced the character in The Last of Us Parts 1 and 2. This suggests that more characters from the game will feature in the show as well. For example Joel’s voice actor, the very well known Troy Baker will appear in the series, just not in his original role. He will play James, a senior member of a group of settlers; he appeared in the game and will have expanded role in the series. Ellie’s voice actor, Ashley Johnson will be seen in the show too, as a pregnant woman.

1. Curtis and Viper 2

Sarah fixes Joel’s broken watch for hist birthday, and gives Him a second present, an 80’s action movie called Curtis and Viper 2. This movie is briefly mentioned in the second game while Ellie goes on a mission with her friend Dina.

Bonus Fun Fact:

When Sarah gets home from fixing Joel’s watch, She stops by the next door neighbour, Mrs. Adler to bake some cookies. While she waits for the cookies to finish, she browses through DVDs in the livingroom. Though these scenes are set in 2003 there are 2 movies on the shelf that came out later. These Titles are Murderball (2005), and The Boxtrolls (2014).