Joel’s Breakdown When Talking to Tommy
The scene in the show where Joel asks Tommy to escort Ellie the rest of the way also happens in the game, but the conversation between the brothers plays out slightly differently in the show. For example, Joel is more open than Tommy on the show about his fear of not being able to do this job and the ways he now sees Ellie as more than a package that needs to be delivered. Again, the game heavily implies that Joel has the same concerns but Joel doesn’t directly voice his concerns in that game at that moment in the same way he does on the show.
Ellie stayed in Jackson
In The last of us game and show, Ellie overhears Joel’s conversation with Tommy. However, in the game, Ellie runs away when she learns that Joel intends to give her to Tommy. Which leads to Joel finding and confronting Ellie. However, in the show, Ellie just goes back to her room and waits for Tommy to pick her up. Along with showing Ellie’s increasingly hardened soul, this change allows the show to move slightly faster by skipping the sequence where Joel has to find Ellie and run into some trouble along the way.
Joel is injured
In both the game and the show, Joel is injured while trying to escape the Eastern Colorado campus. However, in the show, Joel is injured by a raider. In the game, Joel falls down a metal shaft and has to fend off several raiders as his injury worsens. The showrunners probably just wanted to simplify this sequence for runtime purposes. It’s also difficult to recreate the full impact of the in-game version of events because viewers obviously won’t be able to participate in that shootout in the same way they can in the game.
The Last of Us Episode Seven: Differences in “Left.”
No Mall
After Joel is injured, Ellie tries to find the basic supplies needed to keep him alive. In the show, he finds a needle and thread in an abandoned house. In the game, though (or at least Left behind DLC), Ellie searches for supplies in a nearby mall filled with raiders that she must fend off. That mall scene triggers the flashback sequence that follows.
Again, this change was probably made for logistical reasons. In other words, it’s easier to shoot in a house than to find another mall set (and film another action sequence). It’s also worth noting that Ellie’s flashback to the show was partly triggered by Joel telling her to leave him and go off on her own. Also not in the game is the scene where Joel asks Ellie to leave him to die.
Fast Time at FEDRA High
Although this episode focuses more on Ellie’s pre-Joel adventures, the show expands on that part of her life much more than the original. Left behind Made by DLC. In particular, it includes some scenes of Ellie’s time at a FEDRA academy that were not included in the games. Those scenes show Ellie being scolded for attacking another student while also being reminded that she has the potential to become a leader in FEDRA.