'The Last of Us' Episode 8 Easter Eggs

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers from Episode 8 of The Last of Us and both of The Last of Us video games.After last week’s episode focused on Ellie’s backstory with her friend Riley, the penultimate episode of HBO’s The Last of Us takes us back to the present day. Ellie is trying her best to survive as Joel continues a prolonged recovery from the wound he sustained in Episode 6. As we fully dive into the Winter segment of the story, there are plenty of connections to The Last of Us video games. As always, we’ll be discussing some of the standout Easter eggs and references in Episode 8 "When We Are in Need".

The Rabbit Survives During the Hunt!

The rabbit Ellie hunts in The Last of Us Part I — Image via Naughty Dog

We begin the episode with Ellie hunting a deer moments before meeting David and James. While this is similar to how they meet in The Last of Us Part I, there are a few significant differences. The first is that Ellie’s rabbit gets away. In the game, the poor bunny gets an arrow in the head, but luckily for him, he gets away. The second change is that Ellie is using the rifle Joel had in Episode 6.

One of the staples of Ellie’s gear in both Last of Us games is her switchblade and her bow. During this game segment, Ellie uses her bow and arrow to hunt food during this game segment. In the series, they swapped it out for Joel’s rifle, which we saw Ellie learning how to use two episodes ago.

Troy Baker Guest Stars

the-last-of-us-episode-8-troy-baker — Image via HBO Max

We have yet another video game alum joining the cast of the HBO adaptation. In previous weeks we’ve had the original actors for Marlene and Tommy make appearances. Still, this week we were blessed by the presence of Troy Baker, the original actor who portrayed Joel in The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II. Baker takes on the role of James—the right hand of David and one of Ellie’s biggest adversaries in the episode. With Baker’s antagonistic turn against Ellie, he truly went from hero to villain in his return to the franchise.

The Pittsburgh QZ Falls

Pittsburgh QZ in The Last of Us Part I — Image via Naughty Dog

In Episode 5, we noted that the series changed Henry and Sam’s story from taking place in Pittsburgh to Kansas City. Well, it looks like the game's events may have still happened without our main characters. As David tells Ellie about his past, he mentions that he’s from the Pittsburgh QZ. David continues to talk about his history, noting the invasion of FEDRA and the hunters that fought back. These events occur in The Last of Us Part I when Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam attempt to escape the Quarantine Zone.

The Show Somehow Makes David Worse

David from The Last of Us sitting down, looking menacing. — Image via HBO

Scott Shepherd plays the terrifying cannibal cult leader, David. The character of David was always evil, but the show makes it blatantly clear. David is just a group leader in The Last of Us Part I. There is no religious element, but making him into a preacher and turning the group into a sort of religious cult makes things worse. We see scenes where David serves a wife and daughter the meat of their husband/father without them knowing it.

His selfishness is apparent when we see that his portions of food are always bigger than the other members of the community. The implication that David was a school teacher before the fall of society and given how he treats young girls the series ramps up his evil. What was merely implied in the game becomes much more overt.

The Group Is Still Cannibals

Dead bodies that the cannibals are eating in The Last of Us — Image via HBO

The series adds new layers of depth to an already extremely disturbing character, but one of his most iconic scenes remained unchanged. After locking Ellie away in a cell, we quickly deduce that David has been secretly serving human flesh to his group. From here, we get a reverse Silence of the Lambs, where David is lecturing Ellie about why cannibalism is necessary for their survival. It’s unsettling but extremely faithful to the source material, all the way down to Ellie breaking David’s finger. A communist society, this is not.

Ellie's Ending With David Is Changed From the Game

Ellie crying into Joel's arms in The Last of Us Part I — Image via Naughty Dog

As Ellie runs from David in the restaurant, we’re reminded of the intense stealth sequence from the game. Ellie kills David in the same brutal fashion we see in The Last of Us Part I. Joel arrives a bit later than he did in the game. In the game, he comes into the restaurant as things quickly unravel to stop Ellie. But in the show, he catches Ellie after she's already killed David. The revamped ending honors the original from the game but gives us new moments that add weight to the characters. Ellie stopping David without help makes for a more substantial moment for her character.

Joel's Watch Makes a Reappearance

Pedro Pascal as Joel hugging Ellie with Sarah's watch on in The Last of Us — Image via HBO

On the flip side of the coin, when we see Joel hug Elllie, we can clearly see the broken watch Sarah gave him on his wrist. It's another reminder of Joel's loss before meeting Ellie and the place he fills in her heart now as a daughter figure.

The Episode Nods to The Last of Us Part II

Girl crying over the death of her father in The Last of Us — Image via HBO

In David's congregation, we hear a girl asking for revenge. Her father was one of the men that attacked Joel and Ellie in Episode 6. Joel killed him in the attack. Heartbroken, his daughter pleads for vengeance. This will obviously remind game players of Part II, where Abby seeks out vengeance for her father, who Joel kills in Part I. This show continues to remind us that love causes you to do bad things. Joel may be confronted with his past very soon.