HBO's The Last Of Us Subverts The Game's Most Viral Scene
HBO's adaptation of "The Last of Us" has consistently found ways to adapt the game and surrounding media in ways that are both faithful to the source material and supremely exciting for fans. For instance, the seventh episode of the series adapted both the game's DLC chapter, "Left Behind," and incorporated elements of the obscure comic book miniseries, "The Last of Us: American Dreams." Before that, the fourth and fifth episodes of the series introduced a whole new villain in the form of Melanie Lynskey's Kathleen. Episode 8, "When We Are in Need," also managed to remix an infamous scene from the games — just probably not the one that viewers were expecting.
The beginning of the original video game's "Winter" segment is a harrowing affair. Ellie has barely gotten Joel to safety after he's suffered a near-fatal wound. As he tosses and turns in the throes of a fever, Ellie goes out hunting for food. In a sequence that should be pretty familiar to gamers everywhere, Ellie manages to strike a rabbit with an arrow. You might be familiar with this moment, as a clip of streamer Emma "negaoryx" Montgomery reacting to the scene went viral a few years back:
This happened 2 years ago
(🎬: @negaoryx) pic.twitter.com/hSesKtmT7I
— DBLTAP Gaming (@DBLTAPesports) January 20, 2021
Naturally, HBO viewers familiar with the game and this clip have been wondering how the show might handle this scene. Audiences finally got their answer in Episode 8.
How the infamous rabbit hunting scene plays out on HBO's The Last of Us
Over the years, the original clip of negaoryx watching the cutest bunny in the world being killed has taken on a life of its own. Its meme potential was noticed almost immediately, to the point where it's even become a popular sound on TikTok. It's not looking like the TV series' take on the scene will lend itself to the same kind of dark humor, though. In this version, Ellie doesn't even get close to the rabbit.
Instead, she notices the bunny and starts to make her way over to the rabbit with her rifle in hand, then promptly faceplants into the snow. She sits there and stews in her frustation for a few moments as the rabbit scampers off. It makes for a solid character moment for Ellie, who is growing increasingly impatient and more desperate for food, but it doesn't feel like a moment that will launch a thousand memes.
And honestly, that might be for the best. After so much death in just a short run of episodes, maybe it's alright to let the cute little rabbit go. Just this once.