The Last of Us Episode 7 Easter Eggs
We are in the final episodes of HBO The last of us and picking up on an extremely important part of the story. After Joel and Ellie’s touching reunion, Joel is stabbed to death by a group of hunters. Now it’s up to Ellie to keep him alive, but that’s what we’re going to focus on this week. Episode seven, entitled “Left Behind,” shows us that Joel is wrong and that Ellie has an idea of what loss looks like. As always, we’ll be covering some of the standout Easter Eggs and references in Episode 7, as we do every week.
left behind
Image via Naughty Dog HBO’s The last of us was a faithful adaptation of The Last of Us Part I, but things took a significant turn this week when we got a flashback episode dedicated to Ellie’s time in Boston before she met Joel and Tess. Unlike Episode 3’s reimagining of Bill and Frank’s story, Episode 7 is heavily influenced by the video games. This week’s episode tells the story of Ellie and her best friend Riley (Storm Reid) as they both have the best day of their lives and the worst day of their lives. While we don’t learn anything about Ellie’s backstory in The Last of Us Part Iwe get it in the DLC of the game, The Last of Us: Left behind. The episode title is a direct reference to the DLC, and while Riley has been mentioned a few times in previous episodes, we finally get to know her here.
take on me
We quickly learn that Ellie has a Walkman and her cassette tape is turned off Ahahis debut album, up and down. The first track on the album is none other than the 1985 classic, take on me. At TThe Last of Us Part IIthat’s what we learn take on me is one of Ellie’s favorite songs and leads to what is probably the most important moment in the game. take on me has been used The Last of Us Part II, the final trailer of the HBO series, and is now used in this episode. Not only do we see the tape on Ellie’s desk, but we get a pin drop when Ellie and Riley arrive at the mall.
Ellie’s sleeve
Image via Naughty Dog You may not have noticed, but Ellie has worn long-sleeved t-shirts and hoodies all season. That’s because she hid her bite mark so people around her wouldn’t think she was infected. However, since she wasn’t bitten for most of the episode, we see Ellie in a short-sleeved t-shirt.
It goes one step further. Ellie’s t-shirt also serves as a nod to the tank top she wears The Last of Us: Left behind. It’s the same striped pattern and color – one of the many costume homages throughout the series.
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Ellie’s obsession with guns
Image via HBO Throughout the series, Ellie is obsessed with firearms. In episode 3 we see her steal Frank’s gun from his coat and just last week we saw Ellie learning how to use a gun. In this episode, Ellie quickly asks about Riley’s gun after seeing it on her hip. Not only is this a running theme in the video game, but it’s also made its way into the show itself. Ellie has always wanted to be strong and sees guns as a form of protection, so she always carries her switchblade with her. Both were tools she and Riley needed to kill the stalker at the mall.
The macho nacho
Image via Naughty Dog We didn’t get a lot of Naughty Dog references The last of us, but that changes here. Riley takes Ellie to a Mexican restaurant in the food court called Macho Nacho. This Taco Bell knockoff was first seen in left behind DLC, but was later referenced in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Nate and Elena have an optional conversation in which Elena refers to her first job as being at a macho nacho. With the Unexplored movie, which was released just last year, it’s fun to see this little connection between the two franchises. Perhaps Tom Holland (Nathan Drake) reads The Adventures of Savage Starlight in Unexplored Consequence.
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