Why they changed this one thing with Tess in The Last Of Us Episode 2

Alright so the Last of Us Episode 2 ends in a big way that changes something major about what happens to Tess. This is a big alteration for the show and throughout this video we’re gonna be breaking down why it was done and what the scene signified.

If you don’t want any spoilers, then this is your heads up as we’re gonna be going deep on the show to discuss what originally happened and also what happened in the episode itself. If you’re enjoying the videos so far and you aren’t subscribed, then I hope this is the one that gets you to join and with that out the way let’s dive into it.

What happened to Tess in The Last of Us (Game)?

Ok so in The Last of Us game, things played out pretty similar to how they do in the show. Joel, Tess and Ellie made their way across Boston to meet up with some fireflies in order to drop the latter off. On the way, Tess was bitten in a museum and she ended up going out in a blaze of glory. Now where the game and show differ is that Tess died in a gunfight with Fedra during her final few moments. In the series though the location is swarmed by the infected and Tess ends up blowing herself up along with them.

Now The Last of Us official podcast dived into why this was carried out and in its series Creator Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin talked about what originally happened in it. They said that Fedra being out that way didn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of things and the more I think about it the more I agree.

Now in the game you had the scene where they were all caught outside the wall. You ended up killing two guards after they scanned Ellie and as the alarm was sounded you snuck through the surroundings taking out those you had to.

This kinda makes sense why Fedra had a vendetta against you as you’d murdered at least two guards and were making a run for it. In the show though Joel kills that one guard, and he doesn’t call it in and possibly wasn’t even found until the next day. Mazin also said that the QZs operation wouldn’t really need people to run out and go hunting others. For example, the QZ is basically a big wall that’s built to keep people out. They patrol around the area to make sure no one can attack it, but they wouldn’t go out of their way to chase down people that had already left because they’re no longer a problem. It’s not worth risking soldiers to go and get three people and with this in mind it does make a lot of sense.

Now the reason why it was changed to the infected was because the showrunners wanted us to see the infected in a new light. This was done primarily to show how they were a hive network and how the fungus could reach out to others in order to get them to swarm an area. This creates an idea of community and the people behind the show have brought up time and time again how the series is actually about love.

I’m not gonna get too spoilery for what’s probably gonna happen at the end of the series but love is very much the thing that drives Joel to do both good and bad. In episode 1 his love for Sarah is what pushed him to attempt to save her and her death is also what hurt him so much. He’s likely gonna do something with Ellie down the line that’s based on a selfish love, and this will show how it can be both a good and bad thing.

We also have the episode with Bill and Frank coming up that is due to explore their relationship as well, so we have this theme constantly popping up.

How did Tess die in The Last of Us (HBO)?

This explains why the kiss was done and, in many ways, it was meant to show the infected welcoming Tess into their hive mind where they basically rule the planet as one collective.

They said that they tried to show this almost in a welcoming way with the kiss being something completely weird and haunting that almost felt like a tender moment rather than an attack. Neil Druckmann who directed the entry said that he staged this in the same way that you’d stage a romantic scene.

They wanted to shoot it in the most beautiful way possible because then there’d be this undercurrent that that makes it even more messed up.

You have the two characters making eye contact and slowly getting closer and closer. Before this the infected themselves are blurred out as well and we have this one slowly coming into focus as he gets closer.

When going over it they said that there is a part of Tess that is actually giving up at this point but then another side of her that comes through in the end.

So, this moment was changed for a number of reasons that I think might actually work better. When I was first watching it, I was a bit taken back by the whole kiss thing, but I do think it’s one of those haunting moments that really add a new dimension to the infected. In the podcast they said that had Tess run that they would’ve sprinted after her to tear her apart. However, because there’s no struggle it almost becomes a tender moment which makes it infinitely more horrifying. There are also the connotations of assault and them very much forcing Tess to become one with them that adds these extra layers that really elevate just how frightening it is.

I think because of these added dimensions that it really improves the scene and almost makes it like a collective hive mind. It’s very much about her losing her freedom and independence and in this final moment she resists and sparks up the lighter. Throughout the show we of course have the saying look for the light constantly popping up. Light is very much seen as something that will guide and help the characters and I think that the symbolism also carries across here.

I heard they also didn’t want Tess in the group really because there wasn’t Much Room.

Ey, mush Room.

They also talked about the backstory for Tess that they were originally going to show. The episode was going to open with a basement door, and we’d hear banging coming from the other side of it. Eventually it would be revealed that Tess’s husband and son got infected and though she killed the former she couldn’t do it to the latter. So, she locked him in the basement and Ellie very much represented a second chance at saving the son she couldn’t. This happened in the case of Sarah too and its sort of like poetry they rhyme.

Anyway, that’s my thoughts on why they changed things and obviously I’d love to hear yours. Make sure you comment below and let me know and I definitely recommend that you check out the last of us podcast on the HBO YouTube channel and on Spotify and apple podcasts.

This isn’t really a plug it’s just a great listen if you’re a fan so definitely go check it out if you haven’t already.

We’re running a competition right now and giving away Wakanda Forever to 3 Subscribers on The 15th Of February. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is like the video, make sure you subscribe with notifications on and drop a comment below with your thoughts on the episode. We pick the comments at random at the end of the month and the winners of the last one is on screen right now so message me @heavySpoilers if that’s you.

If you want something else to watch, then make sure you check out our breakdown of perfect scene in Spider-Man Homecoming. We break down the entire thing so it’s definitely worth checking out if you wanna know more.

With that out the way thank you for sitting through the video, I’ve been Paul and I’ll see you next time. Take care, Peace.