Heavy spoilers ahead for “The Last of Us” season 2, episode 6.
For the most part, HBO’s “The Last of Us” acts as a close replica of the Naughty Dog game of the same name, created by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. Many scenes are one-to-one remakes, which is perfect if you’re looking for an expensive walkthrough video, but lacks surprise for those even a bit familiar with the plot of the games. And yet, occasionally, the show offers a change from its source material — a deviation that shows the potential of the world to tell other kinds of stories than what players already experienced.
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Changes like Bill and Frank’s side story, or the changes to the character of Tommy (Gabriel Luna) having big repercussions for the themes of the second season are what make this a great TV show in addition to being an accurate adaptation. These changes allow the TV show to take advantage of its medium to tell a story that relies less on player agency and more on the story and the performances.
Much like the brilliant idea of taking the very minor character of Bill in the game and turning his story into a beautiful tale of love and grief in the first season, season 2 of “The Last of Us” takes a similarly minor character and turns him into a crucial part of the larger season. This time, that role goes to Eugene, a character who we never actually see in “The Last of Us Part II” game, only hearing that he was a patrolman living in Jackson and who died at the age of 73 of a stroke (always nice to hear about someone dying of natural causes in the post-apocalypse).
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But that’s not exactly what happens in HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Here, Eugene is played by Joe Pantoliano, and his story is far more tragic. We’ve known from the beginning of the season that in the TV adaptation, Joel (Pedro Pascal) was the one who killed Eugene, which is why Eugene’s wife, Gail (Catherine O’Hara), hates Joel with a passion. In episode 6, we actually see that death happen.
Eugene’s death is also the death of Joel and Ellie’s relationship
During a patrol, Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) find Eugene alone in the woods, his companion dead, and himself bitten by the Infected. He doesn’t try to deny it, but knowing he’s about to die, Eugene asks for one last favor: To be taken to the main gate of Jackson for a chance to say goodbye to Gail before dying. He has time, and he has things to tell her. Joel wants to kill him right away, but Ellie pleads on his behalf so Joel agrees, promising not to kill Eugene and to meet Ellie down the road as she finds their horses.
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Of course, Joel lies. He takes Eugene to a clearing with a beautiful view of a lake and asks if he has any last words to Gail. Eugene corrects him, saying he needs her last words to him, because he’s terrified and needs his wife. But this is Joel we’re talking about, the guy who massacred a hospital full of people and robbed humanity of a potential cure to the zombie apocalypse. Knowing full well he lied to Eugene’s face and also to his surrogate daughter, he shoots Eugene, then proceeds to lie to Gail and say Eugene was brave and ended things himself. Ellie, however, is better than this, so she exposes Joel and tells Gail the truth about how Joel broke his promise.
It’s a relatively small change, as Eugene is likely far from the only person Joel has had to kill due to being bitten while living in Jackson. What makes this change important for the show at large is what it means for Ellie and Joel’s relationship. This is the pivotal moment where everything changes for them, and the moment Ellie starts doubting everything Joel ever said to her, including what happened in Salt Lake City. This is why their relationship was so strained when we saw the two in the first episode of the season. It all changed with a man who wanted to see his wife.
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New episodes of “The Last of Us” air Sundays on HBO and Max.