What did The Last of Us Episode 6 change from the video game?

The Last of Us is back with another moving episode this week, as Joel and Ellie’s search to find Tommy finally comes to an end. “Kin” was quieter than the epic Kansas City showdown preceding it. It was also chock full of references not just to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game, but also to the sequel The Last of Us Part II.

We’re going to break down those easter eggs and references, but first a slightly more thorough SPOILER WARNING than usual: this post discusses both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.

How was Joel and Ellie’s trek through Wyoming different in the game?

“Kin” is split into three distinct acts, and each one ties back to the video games in different ways. The first third of the episode deals with Joel and Ellie’s trip through the Wyoming wilderness. Most of what we see, like the run-in with reclusive married couple Marlon (Graham Greene) and Florence (Elaine Miles), are new scenes made for the HBO show.

However, there are a lot of bits of dialogue lifted from the game. Ellie revealing that she wants to be an astronaut is pulled from The Last of Us Part II. The bit where Ellie is trying to whistle is lifted word from word from the game; even Ellie’s “dam” pun is a game line.

There are some big differences in this section though, the largest of which is why Ellie and Joel are searching for Tommy in the first place. In the show, Joel is searching for Tommy because he thinks he’s in danger out in the wilderness. In the game, Joel knows that Tommy is at a settlement in Jackson, so he and Ellie head there in hopes that he can direct them toward the Firefly lab. This colors the initial interactions that Joel and Ellie have with Maria (Rutina Wesley) on the show, which are very tense and take place in an open plain far from Jackson itself. In the game, this standoff happens at the town gate, with Tommy stepping in to vouch for Joel.

As for the town of Jackson, the show made some interesting changes there too, many of which set up season 2.

The Last of Us: Jackson’s looking pretty good these days!

While the Jackson settlement is a major location in the franchise, we never actually get to see it up close in the original The Last of Us game. Instead, this section of the story takes place in and around the nearby hydroelectric dam that Joel and Ellie glimpse on their way toward town. In the game, they run into Tommy and Maria there. Many of the scenes are still the same, but the setting is totally different.

On the show, Joel’s reunion with his brother Tommy takes place in the settlement of Jackson itself, likely to establish that setting more fully before it moves to the forefront in future seasons. There are also a handful of very specific references to The Last of Us Part II which will no doubt come back around in season 2 as well. Remember that girl Ellie shouted at for staring at her? There’s a pretty good chance that’s Dina, Ellie’s partner who we’ll be spending a whole lot of time with in the show’s second season.

Ellie also meets a little horse named Shimmer during the episode; this is the same horse she rides in The Last of Us Part II, except not grown up yet. Years will pass between the end of The Last of Us season 1 and the main events of season 2, so there’s plenty of time for Shimmer to become an adult horse.

There are plenty of references to the first The Last of Us game, too. Just like in the game, Joel and Tommy go off on their own and leave Ellie with Maria. Joel tries to convince Tommy to take Ellie and Tommy reveals that he and Maria are married and that she’s pregnant. And there’s plenty of dialogue lifted right from the source material.

There is one major difference, however. In the video game, the dam is attacked by raiders shortly after the generator starts up. After winning the fight, we find out that Ellie overheard Joel ask Tommy to take her the rest of the way to the Fireflies. Distraught, she takes a horse and runs away. Joel and Tommy then have to track her down.

This leads into one of the most iconic scenes from the game, where Joel and Ellie finally let out their feelings in a heated argument that ends with Joel declaring “You’re right, you’re not my daughter. And I sure as hell ain’t your dad.” We still got that scene almost word-for-word in the show, but it takes place in the Jackson settlement. Ellie never runs away.

The following morning, Joel gives Ellie the choice to go with him or Tommy, and she quickly chooses Joel. This scene is slightly different in the game because it happens a few minutes after Joel and Ellie have their argument while they’re still out in the Wyoming wilds, rather than back in the safety of Jackson. But the general gist is the same: Joel and Ellie head out together for the University of Eastern Colorado to find the Fireflies.