Warning! This article contains spoilers for both The Last of Us episode 4 and the original game.The Last of Us episode 4 features many Easter eggs and hidden details concerning both the original game and the HBO adaptations characters. Perhaps the most overt Easter egg is the story The Last of Us episode 4 tells. After leaving Bill and Frank's town of Lincoln, Joel and Ellie continue their journey west to Wyoming to meet Joel's brother Tommy and deliver Ellie to the Fireflies.
On their way west, Joel and Ellie are forced to travel through the downtown area of Kansas City. There they encounter the Hunters, a faction from the Last of Us original game, and are thrown into a conflict they could never have imagined. This story is taken directly from the game, meaning many hidden details and Easter eggs are peppered throughout The Last of Us episode 4 - and its ending - to make for a satisfying hour of TV for game and non-game fans alike. Here are 12 of the most significant Easter eggs and hidden details in The Last of Us episode 4.
12 Ellie’s Pun Book Has A Deeper Importance
The first major game Easter egg, which also has a hidden deeper importance for HBO's The Last of Us, is Ellie's pun book. At the start of the episode, Joel and Ellie stop off at an abandoned gas station to siphon fuel for their truck. While waiting, Ellie pulls out a book full of jokes titled "No Pun Intended: Volume Too" and begins telling them to Joel. While this is a good way to show Ellie's younger age despite the bleak world she grew up in, the same book is in the original The Last of Us which Ellie reads from throughout the game's exploration areas.
Also, the book is a way of foreshadowing the eventual flashback story of Ellie and Riley that The Last of Us will tell. In the original game, Riley was the one who gave Ellie the book. This foreshadows both Ellie's relationship with Riley and gives deeper meaning to Ellie's usage of the book as it is a way to remind her of her lost first love.
11 Last Of Us Episode 4 Neatly References The Pittsburgh Game Change
In the opening travel montage of The Last of Us episode 4, HBO sneaks in a neat reference to the biggest game change found in the episode. In the game, Joel and Ellie encounter the Hunters in Pittsburgh, which is changed the Kansas City. During the travel montage, Joel and Ellie travel over a bridge that is identical to the same one Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam - The Last of Us episode 4's new character - try to reach in the Pittsburgh section of the game. This is simply a neat way to reference The Last of Us episode 4's location change, which only fans of the game will recognize.
10 Hank Williams' Alone And Forsaken Is An Iconic Last Of Us Song
The aforementioned travel montage in The Last of Us episode 4 is accompanied by Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken", a song that is synonymous with the original The Last of Us game. This song is also played in Joel and Ellie's truck in The Last of Us game and was even used in the first official teaser trailer for HBO's TV video game adaptation. In The Last of Us episode 4, Joel plays the same song using a tape and even says word-for-word lines of dialog from the game when he states "This is actually before my time. It's a winner, though."
9 Ellie Finding Bill’s Magazines Is Identical To The Last Of Us Game
The truck scene also features another almost identical scene from the original The Last of Us in which Ellie finds Bill's magazines. From the identical dialog of Ellie exaggerating about the men in the magazine to the practical joke she plays on Joel, the scene is interchangeable with the one from the source material. The scene ends with Ellie throwing the magazines out of the window accompanied by the same remark as the game, "Bye-bye dude!"
8 Last Of Us Episode 4 Reveals Tommy, Joel & Tess’ History
Another neat detail of The Last of Us episode 4 is the reveal of Joel, Tommy, and Tess' history between The Last of Us' timeline jump of 2003 and 2023. In the truck, Joel explains that Tommy always wanted to be a hero, so he joined the army at a young age. Joel then explains where Tommy was during Last of Us episode 1's time jump, stating that he convinced Joel to join up with a group traveling to Boston. That group is where they met Tess before Tommy eventually met Marlene and joined the Fireflies, explaining why Joel was alone in Boston in 2023 with only Tess.
7 Ellie Falling Asleep In The Car Is A Last Of Us Game Easter Egg
Another near identical scene found in The Last of Us episode 4 comes after Joel explains his brief history to Ellie, stating that if she wants to get some sleep now is the time. Ellie says she is not even tired before a match cut skips to Ellie being fast asleep while Joel drives. This is again taken directly from the Last of Us game, in which the same events transpire before Joel and Ellie reach Pittsburgh.
6 The Ambush Scene Is Taken Directly From The Last Of Us Game
The scene in The Last of Us episode 4 in which Joel and Ellie are ambushed by the Hunters is also very similar to the original game. The scene starts with a man pretending to be injured, which Ellie believes and Joel sees through. Joel tells Ellie to put her seatbelt on before the ambushers begin trying to stop their car. Their windshield is smashed before they crash through the front of a store in a scene that is nearly indistinguishable from The Last of Us game.
5 The Hunters’ Voice Lines Sound Identical To The Last Of Us Game
The Easter eggs to The Last of Us game continue in the ambush sequence after Joel begins fighting off the Hunters. The Hunters are presented very similarly to the original game before they are given more depth in the episode through Kathleen, leader of The Last of Us episode 4's Hunters. The Hunters' voices sound similar to the voice lines of the enemy NPCs in The Last of Us game in a neat Easter egg to the nameless villains of the original story before pulling the rug out from underneath the audience and humanizing the dying Hunter shortly after.
4 The Last Of Us Episode 4 References A Fun Game Puzzle
After Joel and Ellie fight off the Hunters, The Last of Us episode 4 features a fun Easter egg to a common game puzzle. In the game, many doors and openings are blocked by filing cabinets of some sort that Ellie or Joel have to push out of the way to enter specific rooms or buildings. This is referenced in The Last of Us episode 4 when a similar filing cabinet is blocking the door for Joel which both he and Ellie push out of the way.
3 Perry’s Actor Is Tommy In The Last Of Us Game
Another hidden detail of The Last of Us episode 4 comes with the introduction of Kathleen - played by Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey - and more importantly Perry, the Hunters' second-in-command. Perry is played by Jeffrey Pierce, the original voice actor and motion capture performance for Tommy Miller in the game. As evident by The Last of Us episode 1, Tommy is played by Gabriel Luna. However, having Pierce in The Last of Us episodes 4 and 5 is a nice way to honor the original actor of Tommy while introducing an intriguing new character.
2 Joel Teaching Ellie How To Use A Gun Adapts A Game Bonding Scene
One of the few scenes found in The Last of Us episode 4 in which Joel is shown to reluctantly bond with Ellie is when he shows her how to properly use a gun. In the original game, Joel initially chastises Ellie for shooting the Hunter attacking Joel, before eventually "apologizing" in his own way by showing Ellie how to use a rifle. Episode 4 thankfully features a similar scene, an important one to Last of Us on HBO, in which Joel shows Ellie how to use her handgun. It is one of the first true times Joel is shown to warm to Ellie somewhat and will please game fans with its inclusion.
1 Sam’s Drawings Reference Last Of Us Game Character’s Personality
One of the last hidden details of The Last of Us episode 4 comes when Kathleen finds one of Henry and Sam's hideouts. In the attic of the building, Kathleen finds multiple drawings and pieces of art that were drawn by Sam, the younger of the two brothers. These drawings reference Sam's game personality, who still shows his childlike tendencies more than the much more mature Ellie through playing with toys found throughout the game. This neatly sets up the bigger part both Henry and Sam will play in The Last of Us episode 5 which also teases a Bloater lurking underground in Kansas City.
The Last of Us episode 5 releases Friday, February 10th on HBO Max.