Series Ellie Versus Game Ellie (The Last of Us Season 2)

“Last of Us” fans who’ve played the games and are watching season two likely noticed a key difference between the game and show versions of Ellie, especially in episode five. The Ellie/Nora scene, spoiler alert, lacked the raw anger many expected. Some critics felt the torture scene felt jarring and unearned. This is understandable because the game version of Ellie is known for explosive anger. A good example is the displayed anger in her interactions with Dina after the pregnancy reveal. The game Ellie is visually and emotionally volatile. However, since episode three, the show’s Ellie exhibits a quieter, simmering anger. Notice her facial expressions as she leaves the hospital—a sly grin quickly turning to a deadpan stare. This mirrored her encounter with Nora; both scenes use close-ups to highlight her controlled fury.

Episode 5 changed my perspective on episode 3. Initially, I saw it as filler, but it’s actually packed with foreshadowing. Why introduce Gail, the therapist, and give Seth extra screen time? Even Ellie’s speech to the council about justice—which we know is a lie—is vital. Seth’s speech beforehand felt like a clumsy attempt to appease a grieving daughter. But it was more than that. When he aided Dina and Ellie’s plan against Abby, his sarcastic comment about Ellie’s “justice” speech revealed his awareness of their vengeful scheme. Meaning, he knew perfectly well it wasn’t about justice. And Gail’s conversation with Tommy at the baseball game foreshadowed Ellie’s sinister transformation. Episode 5 connected these threads, highlighting Ellie’s increasingly ruthless pursuit of revenge in a darker, more sinister manner.

However, I need to highlight a lot of the telling about Ellie’s anger. We learn from Dina and Jesse that Ellie has anger management problems, despite not showing them in episode 3 or later episodes. It tells me Ellie used to be explosive. Jesse advising Ellie to write their speech instead of just speak their mind. Dina offering cookies, before telling Ellie the truth about what she knew about the group who killed Joel, knowing Ellie would get reckless. To even Episode 5, when Dina suggested Ellie to not shoot and just run, knowing Ellie usually acts impulsively. But that’s not what we see. We see a more composed Ellie with a sharpness, and hides more behind jokes and playful banter.

Even in episode 1, we see an impulsive Ellie who manipulates Tommy by screaming to vast nothingness that they are immune to get their way. Tommy said in the show that Ellie is just like Joel. And I’m seeing that more clearly than the game version of Ellie. Joel had a silent rage. He kept his emotions locked in tight and wore a stoic expression. Ellie is mirroring the same now, after Joel’s death. Even though she screwed up with Nora, letting her guard down, which led to the infamous chase throughout the hospital and ended up in the basement with spores, Ellie displayed that silent rage. The deadpan stare, kneeling eye-level with a choking Nora who’s trapped. The context of the scene of Ellie acting in that manner gave me chills because even though Ellie has power now, she maintains the deadpan stare and kneels at eye level with Nora. This is a taunting display. Which feels different from the game version.

To point out the differences in power display, we witness Isaac torturing the Scars, always having his victims lower, as he towers over them. That’s a display of power and control. With children, an adult should kneel at eye-level with the child to mitigate the overpowering stance of power and control. But for an adult, doing that to another adult, especially an adult who’s trapped and slowly getting consumed by the fungus, what does that tell you as a viewer?

Nora knows Ellie’s in control, and Ellie knows she has the upper-hand. This was a final, polite “Where’s Abby?”, before things escalated, the silent rage simmering. Even to the torturing point. So, if you expected the game’s explosive anger from Ellie in the series, you’ll be disappointed.

Now for my final thought.

I’m enjoying the series, flaws and all, as a work of art in its own right. Which I will say this outright. I’m frustrated by viewers demanding it mirror the game exactly. Those types of reviewers annoy the hell out of me. Now… The game was great, but the room for improvements was always possible. Game narratives prioritize gameplay, unlike film or TV. So, the series’ changes add realism to it and it makes more sense for on-screen digestion. For instance, the Episode 5 spore sequence vividly depicts the fungus’s evolution, adaptation, and spread—a sense of foreboding the game lacked. Now we get a sense that the stakes are higher along with the jump-scares and action scenes. The game just really had jump-scares and not much of an evolution of the fungus.

Ok, I’m done ranting…

I can’t wait to see Ellie’s reaction after killing Nora. From there, I’ll see where they’ll take the character, moving forward.