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[WARNING: Spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last Of Us 2]
The Last Of Us has one of the most powerful endings in any video game. The moral ambiguity of Joel’s actions and the player’s inability to combat that ambiguity mesh together to create an intense and unforgettable end. Perhaps what is most impressive about such an ending is how confidently it rolls the credits. Joel’s lie to Ellie being conceived with two simple words, “I swear,” is memorable. Those two words have a firm grasp on the narrative of The Last Of Us 2, as nearly everything that occurs in the game is a by-product of this masterful ending.
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While The Last Of Us’ ending certainly should not be ignored, the continuation of Ellie’s story takes away from some of the mysterious weight this last encounter had. Despite this, many fans at the time assumed the ending was the last piece of Joel and Ellie they would be able to salvage for the foreseeable future. Interestingly enough, even before The Last Of Us: Part 2’s release, a scene that ended up within the final game had already been written, organized, and performed by both Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. This scene is the first Joel and Ellie flashback within the game, where Joel initially shows Ellie his guitar. Shockingly, this moment has existed for nearly 6 years without many fans even knowing about it.
This particular scene was performed at a live show called PlayStation One Night Live. At the show, Neil Druckmann, the director of both Last Of Us titles, picked out a few scenes from the original game. The actors from the game, including Ashley Johnson as Ellie and Troy Baker as Joel, would then act out these scenes as if it were a stage play. Overall, it was an incredibly fun and unique experience and it’s worth a watch for any TLOU fan. However, before the show ended, Druckmann opted to show the attendees an exclusive scene, not in The Last Of Us. Sadly, this scene wasn’t recorded or posted anywhere, but despite this, the scene itself is almost identical to the opening scene from The Last Of Us 2.
The Origin Of Joel And Ellie’s First Flashback
According to many who were there for the event back in 2014, the scene was exactly like the opening scene within The Last Of Us: Part 2. Joel walks into Ellie’s room while she’s listening to music, accidentally startling her a bit. Ellie seems somewhat annoyed with Joel, and this makes sense as Druckmann confirms that this scene takes place very shortly after Joel lies to Ellie. It would make sense that Ellie is still somewhat suspicious of him. One interesting detail that is present in the stage play is Joel mentioning a girlfriend name Esther. In the play, he says he thinks Tommy is trying to set them up. This detail isn’t noted within the final game, funnily enough.
After this interaction, Joel brings out his guitar, singing Ellie a rendition of the song “Future Days” by the band Pearl Jam. Ellie’s response to Joel’s song is slightly different between the game and the play as well. In the game, Ellie tells Joel “Well, that didn’t suck.” However, in the stage play, Ellie tells Joel “That was beautiful.” Despite Ellie’s words being a bit kinder in the play, her playful retort within the game feels more along the lines of her character.
The scene ends with Joel busting out his “What’s the hardest part about eating a clock” joke to which Ellie finds satisfaction in the answer; “because its time consuming.” Overall, the scene itself hasn’t changed much from 2014’s live performance. This is ultimately probably a good thing, as the scene is wholesome and pure in a very touching way. Despite this, the thought of such an integral scene existing for such a long time before The Last Of Us: Part 2’s announcement is intriguing, to say the least. This stage play just goes to show that Druckmann is always thinking of ways he can expand upon and develop his characters, even before the prospect of a sequel was known to the public.