Did HBO’s The Last of Us Just Get Its Own Starbucks Cup-Style Mistake?

HBO’s The Last of Us is a critically acclaimed adaptation of the video game, but its latest episode appears to have one minor mistake that has fans talking. Specifically, some viewers spotted what appears to be part of the show’s film crew tucked away in the corner of one shot.

At the 15:18 mark on HBO Max, we see a wide establishing shot of the snowy bridge Joel and Ellie are crossing on their way to find Tommy. Tucked behind the trees on the very far left of the picture, you can clearly see one person standing there that’s likely part of the film crew. If you look toward the bottom, you can see a few more people slightly obscured by the trees.

The error was first spotted by Twitter user Scott Jones, who responded to a post from co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, saying “Brilliant episode. Something you might want to fix and reupload though. You can see the film crew in this shot.”

Brilliant episode. Something you might want to fix and reupload though. You can see the film crew in this shot. pic.twitter.com/GZ9Pp6AknL

— Scott T. Jones Guitarist/Composer (@stjguitarist) February 20, 2023

The mistake is reminiscent of an error from another HBO show. You’ll likely remember the Game of Thrones coffee cup mistake from back in 2019, when viewers spotted a disposable coffee cup that made it into the final cut of Season 8’s fourth episode. The error was quickly corrected, but the internet will never forget. The Game of Thrones coffee cup even has its own Skyrim mod.

While The Last of Us crew error is not as noticeable or funny as the coffee cup in HBO’s other blockbuster series, it does fit into the category of notable pop culture gaffes.

Beyond this minor error, The Last of Us’ sixth episode was amazing. In our review, we said “Episode six of HBO’s The Last of Us allows for past demons to be exorcised in order to build a stronger future for its two leads.”

For more on The Last of Us, check out our Episode 6 TV show vs game comparison, or read about how the latest episode presented Joel with his first real choice so far.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.