From the Uncharted lighter to the giraffe plushie.
Warning: Spoilers fromThe Last of Usseason 1 are discussed in this article.
Since the sci-fi drama premiered in January, it’s clear those details are packed into each scene.
Sarah’s game-accurate t-shirt in ‘The Last of Us’.Shane Harvey/HBO; Naughty Dog
EW has compiled a running list of theseThe Last of UsEaster eggs, with some exceptions.
We’re talking about small details that aren’t as prominently displayed.
This article will be updated throughout the season.
Joel’s birthday card from Sarah.Naughty Dog
Sarah’s shirt
Appears inseason 1, episode 1.
Birthday card
Appears in season 1, episode 1.
A recreation of that card can be seen on Sarah’s desk in her room for the HBO drama.
A burning house from the opening of 2013’s ‘The Last of Us’.Naughty Dog
It’s one of the fictional movies made for the game.
She explains it’s one of the “cheesy ’80s action movies” that Joel likes.
“Two former commandoes that go rogue to fight bad guys,” she says.
Tess' lighter from HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’.Naughty Dog
Tess' lighter
Appears inseason 1, episode 2.
That video game was made by Naughty Dog, the same developers behindThe Last of Us.
UnchartedEaster eggs can be found in theLast of Usgames as well.
A giraffe plushie appears in Sarah’s room in the game.Naughty Dog
Notably, Nathan Drake’s “sic parvis magna” ring lies in an abandoned bank inPart II.
Giraffe plushie
Appears in season 1, episode 2.
The plushie pops up in the game, as well.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
A giraffe doll rests against Sarah’s bedroom bureau.
(No spoilers in case this moment will be adapted in the show.)
It becomes a setting later on in Pittsburgh.
The clickers of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ are hungry.HBO Max
Health kits
Health kits serve as a major function of the video games.
Lee and Kovats are both voice actors who provided the noises for the Clickers in the original game.
The arcade game
Appears inseason 1, episode 3.
Fictional arcade game ‘The Turning’ is revamped as an Easter egg in HBO’s ‘The Last of Us.'.Naughty Dog
She mentions a friend who knows everything there is about it.
The main difference is that the arcade game in the source material is calledThe Turning.
Contaminated crops
Heard in season 1, episode 3.
A newspaper from the game is a nod to the origins of the cordyceps infection.Naughty Dog
Joel explains the working theory behind the origin of the cordyceps brain infection that caused this viral plague.
He says the fungi transmitted to humans through every day food supplies, such as flour and sugar.
This is confirmation that we didn’t get fully laid out in the game.
‘The Last of Us’ episode 3 director Peter Hoar says Frank has a nod to Joel’s “hero shirt” from the game.Liane Hentscher/HBO; Naughty Dog
However, as Sarah, players can find a newspaper in the first installment with headlines reporting contaminated crops.
Joel’s “hero shirt”
Appears in season 1, episode 3.
Joel can sport various outfits inThe Last of Usgame.
Frank’s letter from ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
The player’s progress determines which clothes they have access to.
“There are lots of game things in the episode,” Hoar told an audience.
“I don’t want to spoil it for you, but there’s loads.
The start screen for ‘The Last of Us’ game.Naughty Dog
Druckmann told EW they wouldn’t have adapted this strictly for the show.
Instead, the team pulled some details from that letter and revamped them into dialogue.
They left it open before killing themselves so their bodies wouldn’t stink up the place.
Joel and Ellie in ‘The Last of Us’ game.Naughty Dog
Outfit change
Joel and Ellie get a wardrobe change after showering at Bill and Frank’s.
These are the outfits the characters wear for the majority of the first game.
No Pun Intended: Vol.
Naughty Dog
Too
Appears inseason 1, episode 4.
“It doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope it’ll still be stationary.”
That’s a joke Ellie reads to Joel from a book of puns titledNo Pun Intended: Vol.
Joel and Ellie listen to Hank Williams in ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
The book comes directly from the games.
Riley gives it to Ellie in theLeft BehindDLC.
Hank Williams
Appears in season 1, episode 4.
Joel and Ellie escape the Hunters over a bridge in ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
As Joel and Ellie are driving towards Kansas City, Ellie mentions that she “got something.”
It’s a Hank Williams cassette tape, which is inspired by the game.
Coffee lover
Joel is a massive coffee lover in the video game.
Melanie Lynskey’s Kathleen is the leader of a revolutionary movement in Kansas City in ‘The Last of Us.'.Liane Hentscher/HBO
They team up with brother survivors Henry and Sam, and flee across a bridge to escape their pursuers.
The Hunters’ backstory
Appears in season 1, episodes 4 and 5.
Melanie Lynskeymakes her debut asKathleen.
Jeffrey Pierce plays Perry in HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Kathleen then took over and led the rebels to push out FEDRA and claim the city.
This faction is referred to as the Hunters in the video game; they operate in Pittsburgh.
This backstory is expanded upon in the show with the inclusion of Kathleen.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
Perry
Kathleen has a right-hand man named Perry, who’s played by actorJeffrey Pierce.
“They got f—ing Ryan!”
Heard in season 1, episode 4.
“Rhythmic gymnast” Skye Belle Cowton played the creepy Clicker in ‘The Last of Us’ episode 5.HBO
Joel and Ellie go into hiding after the ambush in Kansas City.
They got f—ing Ryan!”
This kind of function was introduced inThe Last of Us Part II.
Jason Ritter plays a Clicker in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1, as spotted in the making-of special.HBO Max
It’s meant for the players to feel more conflicted about offing people in the game.
Ish
Appears inseason 1, episode 5.
Joel and Ellie team up with Henry and Sam to escape Kansas City.
Liane Hentscher/HBO; Naughty Dog
Over time, he would welcome others to join his safe house, including a man named Danny.
They decided to protect the community by scavenging for supplies.
At some point, a door to their hideout was left open and a horde of Infected got inside.
Keivonn Woodard and Lamar Johnson as Sam and Henry on ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Only Ish, a woman named Susan, and several kids escaped.
Soccer
Appears in season 1, episode 5.
A similar scene plays out in the game between them.
Joel interrogates adversaries in ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
Lynskeyconfirmedon Twitter that the child was a member of Ish’s community who died when the Infected got in.
Ritter also happens to be the husband of Melanie Lynskey, who plays Kathleen in this episode.
A fan spotted Ritter in full Clicker make-up in footage from the making-of special that aired after the finale.
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) build a campfire in ‘The Last of Us’ episode 6.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Ritterconfirmedit was him by tweeting, “Just the best day.”
Savage Starlight
Ellie and Sam bond over their mutual love of a comic book series calledSavage Starlight.
Players can find various issues of it as they explore their surroundings.
Joel and Ellie find Tommy at a hydroelectric power plant in ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
Joel gives the comics to Ellie as gifts.
This is a favored interrogation tactic Joel implements in the game and speaks to his dark past.
Joel tortures two adversaries for information about Ellie after she gets kidnapped.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay on ‘The Last of Us’.HBO
He stabs one in the knee with a knife.
He then puts the blade in his mouth and tells him to circle Ellie’s location on a map.
“And it better be the same exact spot your buddy points to,” he warns.
The snowball fight from ‘The Last of Us Part II’.Naughty Dog
This scene is a new addition to the show that doesn’t appear in the game.
An early concept design forThe Last of Usvideo game features a campfire moment like this between the two characters.
Druckmann spoke about adapting this unused moment for the show inan interview withDecider.
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) tour Maria’s community in ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
“There’s concept art of Joel and Ellie sitting by a campfire and talking and laughing.
There was no point we were able to fit into the game,” he said.
Then it became, ‘How do we dramatize these moments?’
Ellie rides Shimmer in ‘The Last of Us Part II’.Naughty Dog
Now we get to realize them as we retell this story."
Hydroelectric power plant
Joel and Ellie pass an abandoned hydroelectric power plant in the distance.
He tells her he doesn’t know how exactly water creates electricity so she shouldn’t ask.
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) gets her pink-and-white hoodie as seen in ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Liane Hentscher/HBO
He has a similar response to Ellie about how it works.
Ellie spies a girl staring at her from behind a pillar.
She shouts at the girl, scaring her off.
Bella Ramsey on ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Mazin added, “That doesn’t mean that that’s Dina.
Doesn’t mean it’s not.”
We’ll avoid spoilers, but players will recognize the phrase “bigot sandwiches.”
A ‘Dawn of the Wolf: Part II’ movie poster from ‘The Last of Us’ video game.Naughty Dog
Snowball fight
Maria and Tommy give Joel and Ellie a tour of the commune.
There are many one-to-one recreations of storefronts from the game to the show.
Shimmer is the name of the steed Ellie bonds with and mounts inThe Last of Us Part II.
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) chastises Riley (Storm Reid) for making pipe bombs for the Fireflies in ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Hoodie
Ellie gets a wardrobe change as she settles into Maria’s commune in Wyoming.
As he explains the two paths the girl can take, he drops his keys on the desk.
A keychain with a dog print is spotted.
Troy Baker’s James arrives in ‘The Last of Us’ episode 8.Liane Hentscher/HBO
This is the logo for Naughty Dog, the gaming company that developsThe Last of Usgames.
Among them are clippings of multiple dinosaurs and an astronaut helmet.
It was seemingly playing at the mall theater when the outbreak hit.
David (Scott Shepher) leads his flock in ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
Dawn of the Wolfis a fake movie franchise created for the games.
Players will stumble upon various posters for one of the sequels throughout the world.
It’s clearly inspired byTwilight.
HBO
At one point, Joel alludes that Sarah made him go see it with her.
Pipe bombs don’t appear in this same capacity in theLeft BehindDLC.
He received two BAFTA Game Award nominations for his performance.
HBO
That’s the thing that I’ve been the most delighted about with Pedro."
A close-up shot sees Ellie crouched behind restaurant furniture clutching her knife.
This is a big visual reference to Ellie’s final battle with David in the game.
Ashley Johnson on ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO
David surprises Ellie and disarms her of her gun.
If you take him head on, you’ll be shot and killed.
Each time Ellie stabs David, the difficulty level becomes harder.
Ellie farmhouse in ‘The Last of Us Part II’.Naughty Dog
David’s true nature
This one admittedly isn’t your typical Easter egg.
Technically speaking, it’s more something that was expanded on from the game.
This is a stark change from the context of the source material.
Ellie plays guitar in ‘The Last of Us Part II’.Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment
In the 2013 game, David isn’t overtly depicted as a sexual predator.
The game doesn’t include a molestation attempt in the final Ellie-David battle, either.
Ashley Johnson, the award-winning actress who originated the role of Ellie in the video games, plays Anna.
Joel gives Ellie a boost to retrieve a ladder in ‘The Last of Us’.Naughty Dog
The farmhouse is similar in style to Ellie’s future farmhouse inThe Last of Us Part II.
(No spoilers!)
A certain song becomes heavily linked to specific memories Ellie is working through.
An Easter egg from ‘The Last of Us’ video game made its way into the show.Naughty Dog
Joel gives Ellie a boost to retrieve an out-of-reach ladder as they traverse Salt Lake City.
A scoreboard bears the name of the former stadium, Bethany Clare Field.
“I’m still reeling from this,” he wrote.
Darren Dolynski as the surgeon and Laura Bailey and Ana Rice as the nurses in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1 finale.Liane Hentscher/HBO
One of the nurses is played by Laura Bailey, a prominent actor from the video games.
Bailey contributed multiple voices to 2013’sThe Last of Us, including this same nurse in this same sequence.
