The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 4.
The Last of Us season 2 hits its midway point with its strongest episode so far. It adapts one of the most memorable sections of the game – Seattle Day One – and so that means we get Ellie and Dina checking out Downtown before moving onto the Channel 13 TV studio and escaping the WLF through the subway tunnels.
There are five key sequences from the original game that are adapted for this episode. Here we’ve compared them against the original source material, analysing what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. You can see both versions in the video above, or read on below for our written explanations.
Downtown
Ellie and Dina arrive in Downtown Seattle shortly after this episode begins. This section of the game was open by design, and so allowed you to look around several different buildings. We get just two of them in the show; Weston’s Pharmacy and Valiant Music Shop. The pharmacy gets only a couple of minutes of screentime but it does feature an adaptation of The Last of Us’ key gameplay mechanic: opening drawers and looking for junk.
Valiant Music Shop, meanwhile, gets more love. The show’s set has windows adorned with music-themed vinyl decorations, just as it does in the game. On the ground floor is the same red drumkit, and Dina plays around with them just as she does in the game. It’s upstairs where the main event happens, though, when Ellie discovers a guitar in an overgrown room. Bella Ramsey’s performance of A-ha’s Take On Me is very similar to that seen in the game, with a talk-y vocal style and slow melody.
The Forward Base
Episode 4 introduces us to the leader of the WLF, Isaac Dixon. This sequence is adapted from much later in the game’s sequence of events, when you play as Abby rather than Ellie, although due to the game’s overlapping dual timeline structure it seems likely that this sequence takes place at the “correct” time in the show.
During Abby’s half of the game, we see her visit the WLF’s forward operating base. There she meets Isaac, who is briefly seen conducting a torturous interrogation on a member of the Seraphites. In the show, we see a version of this scene play out in its entirety. Similar to the game, the WLF’s captured Seraphite has been stripped completely naked, but the show sees them tortured in a kitchen rather than a bathroom. Isaac’s brutal methods of torture were only implied in the game, but in the show we see him actively injuring his prisoner in an attempt to learn more about the Seraphites’ plans.
Channel 13
Ellie and Dina’s trip to the Channel 13 TV studio was naturally going to be the central event of this episode. In the game this is the sequence when the duo are first confronted with the murder cult-like methods of the Seraphites, as well as marking their first move towards finding where Abby is. The show recreates the key elements of the TV studio in grisy detail; WLF soldiers are strung up above the studio floor, and the Seraphites’ symbol is drawn on the wall in blood just as it is in the game. Ellie’s investigation of the area is interrupted by members of the WLF who, as in the game, are horrified to see what has become of their comrades.
The escape from the TV studio is shown to be a little more frantic than it is in the game, and the stormy weather adds even further drama to the scene, but in general the set design and pathway Ellie and Dina take feels authentic to the game, even if it’s not a one-to-one recreation.
The Tunnels
One of The Last of Us Part 2’s most exhilarating sequences is Ellie and Dina’s journey through the Seattle subway tunnels. Bathed in red light and infested by clickers, it’s a genuinely terrifying level. Unsurprisingly, HBO went to lengths to capture the striking visuals here, with the abandoned subway cars eerily lit by the WLF’s red flares and searching flashlights.
There are key differences between the game and the show's version of events, though. This is very much a survival horror sequence in the game, with just a small but incredibly deadly collection of infected to avoid. The show, meanwhile, makes this more action packed – rather than have the infected lurk around the subway cars, they arrive as a charging, clawing horde. This makes the sequence much more action-oriented, with Ellie and Dina scrambling to get away rather than sneaking through the tunnels.
There are changes made to the sequence’s climax, too. In the game, Ellie gets trapped in the turnstile and Dina saves her by shooting an attacking clicker in the head. In the show, both Ellie and Dina get trapped in the turnstile, and Ellie allows herself to be bitten by the attacking clicker to protect Dina. It’s this bite that results in Ellie revealing her immunity to Dina. In the game, that reveal comes a few minutes prior, when Ellie’s gas mask is shattered by an attacking runner. Because spores are not a concern in the show (at least for now), the characters do not wear masks and thus this turn of events couldn’t be used.
I’m Pregnant
The last scene of this week’s episode recreates the culminating part of the game’s Seattle Day 1: Dina reveals to Ellie that she’s pregnant. In both versions, Dina shares the news at the Pinnacle Theater, which the duo has made their home base. In the game, it’s a subdued and anguished moment, with Dina looking notably stressed by the idea. The show’s take is quite different, as the reveal pretty much instantly turns into an impassioned kiss between Ellie and Dina.
For more from The Last of Us, check out our spoiler-free season two review and our spoiler-filled review of the fourth episode. You can also catch up with our comparison of the previous episode.
Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.
