Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us, Season 1 Episode 2, “Infected.“Fans are still dealing with the deadly aftermath ofThe Last of UsEpisode 2 from this past weekend. Like the game that inspired it, this saw Joel (Pedro Pascal), Tess (Anna Torv), and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) make their way through an infected post apocalyptic Boston. During their terrifying city trip, there were manyLast of UsEaster Eggs for eagle-eyed fans. However,Last of Uswas not the only major Sony game franchise referenced in the latest episode. The biggest example being that Tess’ lighter is the same lighter that Nathan Drake’s brother Sam used inUncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Upon closer inspection, thanks to Naughty Dog’s official Instagram, the lighter was modeled after the famous Drake brother. It has the same “76” with two smaller stars surrounding it representing the year the United States wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. Under that is a lone giant star. This isn’t the firstUnchartedreference found in the first two episodes ofThe Last of Usas Ellie has been seen wearing a red and white baseball shirt. The same shirt that young Nathan Drake wears at the beginning ofUncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. If we want to go even further with this fire Easter egg, Sam inUncharted 4was voiced byTroy Baker. Baker famously voiced the character in that critically acclaimed adventure game and its spin-offUncharted: Lost Legacy. If that name sounds familiar it’s because Baker brilliantly voiced Joel in bothLast of Usgames. Baker will be seen later this season in a currently undisclosed role.
Tess’ death in the game was horrific enough, but this added tension with the swarm of infected and the lighter is some of the best suspense we have seen in years. Even if you played the games, you were on the edge of your seat watching Tess struggle to turn the lighter on while she received the disturbing “kiss of death” from a fellow infected. Besides Torv giving an intimately riveting final stand, DirectorNeil Druckmanntapped into an extra layer of tragedy that couldn’t have been possible in the game. In the games, we only heard Tess’ death from afar due to us playing as Joel. Here, we’re confronted with Joel’s pain head on. To say it was emotional would be an understatement. Watching Tess finally drop the lit lighter as the State House blew up around her was the best chilling yet cheer worthy moment of 2023 so far. It’s even more effective knowing that Naughty Dog’s other big franchise had a role to play in this jaw-dropping ending moment.
RELATED:‘The Last of Us’ Opening Credits Explained: Welcome to a New World
The Last of UsandUnchartedhas always shared a lot of DNA between them.Uncharted 3infamously had an Easter egg forTheLast of Usin a newspaper two years before people would even know the now iconic journey of Joel and Ellie. However, it’s mainly connected by Druckmann who worked heavily on both blockbuster genre franchises.
Druckmann, who co-created this series withCraig Mazin, made his live-action directorial debut in Episode 2 after years of redefining what a video game story could be. From the amazing bits of horror involving game accurate Clickers in a horrific night at the museum to the added infected lore to Tess’ somber Easter egg-filled sacrifice,The Last of Usis only getting better and better. The first two episodes ofThe Last of Usare streaming now on HBO Max. you may view theUnchartedEaster egg down below. It’s safe to assume there will be more references to that adventurous series in episodes to come.
