The Last of Us: That moving wink you missed in the final episode

Warning, spoilers. It is recommended that you watch The Last of Us Episode 9 before you continue reading this article.

The first season of The Last of Us concluded with its ninth and final episode, titled “Look for the Light,” available on Prime Video. This final chapter marked the end of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) journey through a United States ravaged by an epidemic caused by the Cordyceps fungus.

Because of his immunity, which represented the key potential for a vaccine against this epidemic, Eli Joel had to take him to a lair of fireflies in Salt Lake City. Which he manages to do in the last episode of the series. Even if things turn into drama at the end when he realizes that Ellie must die so that the Fireflies can try to create a vaccine.

Unable to lose what he now believes to be his daughter, Joel kills the Fireflies, the surgeon in charge of the operation, and even Marlene (Merle Dandridge), one of the Firefly leaders who assigned him this dangerous mission.

Adapting one of the last controversial video game series, this tragic episode is rich with emotion. But you might miss an important detail in this chapter, especially if you’re not familiar with how video games work.

The final episode of The Last of Us features three video game actors!

In a grueling scene in the operating room, one of the nurses is played by an actress well known to video game fans. It is Laura Bailey, Abbey’s original interpreter, voice and embodiment of performance capture, who is one of the main characters of the second opus. The Last of Us: Part II which will be adapted into future seasons of The Last of Us.

For an anecdote, Laura Bailey already played a character in the first part of the video game work, The Last of Us: Part I, namely one of the two nurses in this famous sequence! Therefore, the actor will resume his first role in the world of The Last of Us. But if this look is so impressive, it’s because it has special meaning for The Last of Us sequel, which fans know very well.

The character Abby, introduced in the second game and played by Laura Bailey, is none other than the daughter of a famous surgeon who was supposed to operate on Ellie and who was killed by Joel. The consequences of Joel’s actions will be dire as Abby gets her revenge on Joel in the second installment of The Last of Us.

The presence of Laura Bailey in this particular scene is therefore a moving sign of the second video game and after the tragic events that Joel and Ellie will go through, as Abby will play an important role in the following episodes of the series.

But Laura Bailey isn’t the only video game actress to star in this latest episode of The Last of Us. This final chapter features Anna, Eli’s mother, taking her own life after being attacked by an infected.

He is then seen asking Marlene to kill him because he was bitten by an infected during childbirth. This passage also helps us understand the origin of Eli’s immunity. And Anna’s character is played by Ashley Johnson, the translator and the original voice of Ellie in the video game production!

Finally, this final episode of The Last of Us marks the return of Merle Dandridge as Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies. This was reported at the press conference ReverseNeil Druckman, game creator and co-showrunner of the series, emphasizes the importance of this appearance:

“People say that Merle is the only actress who played the same role in both the game and the series, which is not entirely true because Laura Bailey also played the nurse in the operation room in the first game, and now she is playing that nurse again. .”

Barely recognizable as a nurse, could Laura Bailey take on another role in The Last of Us sequel? Neil Druckmann is not closed to this idea: “Maybe we’ll do something else with him next season.”. Same story for another co-showrunner, Craig Mazin: “He has a mask on. So we can play whatever we want next season.”.

The Last of Us series is available in its entirety on Prime Video.