Exclusive: The Last of Us TV Show Creators Break Down Its Most Famous Scene in Side-by-Side Comparison

In The Last of Us Episode 6, Joel goes to Ellie to tell her that he’s leaving her, leading to a heart-wrenching scene in which she is truly vulnerable to the man who has become like a father to her. It’s a nearly shot-by-shot re-creation of the original scene from the game, which The Last of Us writer Craig Mazin says was an intentional decision in an exclusive featurette revealed here first on IGN.

“That scene is perhaps the most famous scene from the game,” Mazin says.

It’s a critical moment in both the show and the game, forcing both Ellie and Joel to face their individual fears as they journey across the U.S. It means a lot to fans of the games, making it an especially important scene to get right.

“The general execution of it was something I thought was important to do exactly, because it’s the moment where Ellie admits to something that Joel can’t admit, which is that she’s afraid, and he makes her less afraid, and what Joel doesn’t know to tell her is that she makes him more afraid,” Mazin says.

Talking about how the scene came together, The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann acknowledged the challenge of re-creating one of the most important scenes from the game, but that he felt that actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal pulled it off perfectly.

“Nothing could hurt Ellie more than the only person she has left in the world not wanting her around, which was beautifully acted by [Bella Ramsey] and [Pedro Pascal,” Neil Druckmann said. “I didn’t envy them trying to do the scene that exists in the game and is seared into people’s mind. And they made it their own and it’s just as beautiful.”

I didn’t envy them trying to do the scene that exists in the game and is seared into people’s mind

We praised the scene in our review, calling it a “fantastic execution of one of the game’s biggest moments.”

“The setting of someone else’s family home works as a strong reminder that this pairing – despite their growing bond – isn’t yet a single whole,” we wrote at the time. “It’s a sentiment only cemented by Joel’s harsh words and Ellie’s heartbreaking retort of ‘everybody I’ve ever loved has either died or left me. Everybody but you.’ It’s their biggest clash to date, but ultimately the one needed in order to bring them closer together than ever.”

We ultimately awarded The Last of Us a 9 in our full Season 1 review, and it cemented its place in video game history by earning multiple Emmy nominations. Season 2 has already been announced, and it’s expected to cover the events of The Last of Us Part 2, though that may require more than a season’s worth of television.

The Last of Us: The Complete First Season comes to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 18.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.