The Last of Us might be the best TV adaptation of a video game right now, but that doesn't mean the loss of Joel is any easier. In fact, some fans of the game were definitely not expecting some of the changes that happened between the two as the game's most emotional scene came to life. Even through all of that, there was one big connection that the show's creators still managed to sneak in there that bridges the two formats together.
While speaking on HBO's The Last of Us Podcast, host Troy Baker and showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann talked about the use of the song "Through the Valley" to end the episode. The track, which was originally written by Shawn James, was originally included in the first trailer for The Last of Us Part II and was performed by Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie in the video game series. However, you might also remember that Ashley made an appearance as Ellie's mother back in season 1.
"The way we came across the song is when we made a trailer to reveal the existence of The Last of Us Part II, I wrote and shot a scene that was never actually in the game, of Ellie in the middle of this room where she's murdered several people, she plays this song on guitar," Neil revealed. "There's something about the lyrics of that song that spoke very much to the theme of what we wanted to get into in the story of the game."
"The moment before it begins is sort of why this song happens at all. Because Ellie makes this slow, painful crawl across the floor to Joel's body. She has been kicked in the ribs and clearly injured badly. She might not make it at all. I think she thinks she's going to die here. And she just wants to be with him. And it is so heartbreaking to hear her little breaths as she just settles in with the only person in her life that she truly loved," Craig added. "Ashley isn't just Ellie in the game, she's also now in our show Ellie's mother. And there's this ghostly sound of the other person who loved Ellie as much as Joel did. And what she is singing about is not good news. In the end, even though Jackson is saved, even though Ellie survives, someone's soul might be damned. And that is rough."
There's no word on whether or not Ashley will return for another cameo in season 2, but it's very clear that the connection is still there for her even years after playing the iconic role.
