If The Last of Us series was going to be a faithful adaptation of Naughty Dog’s video game, Ellie’s joke book had to appear on the HBO Max show. But this is not just any Easter egg, it is something important and that is key in the series.
It was in the fourth episode, “Please Hold to My Hand”, when we saw Ellie (Bella Ramsey) with the book of puns and bad jokes, taken out of her backpack to have fun on her journey with Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). This is ‘No Pun Intended: Volume 2’, written by Will Livingstone.
As he recalls a report published on the website of Culture Leisure, Ellie the first jokes in an abandoned gas station: “Why was there a bathtub on top of the ambulance? To bring the mermaid” and “Why do the circus seals look up? For the spotlights, man”, are the first two jokes.
Why is the joke book so important?
This book is very important, since it contributes to Ellie and Joel strengthening their relationship through these silly jokes and building a growing complicity.
It is important to remember that Ellie is still a teenager, despite being born in an apocalyptic world that has hardened her character.
For Craig Mazin, showrunner of the series, the book is an element “apparently superficial but at the same time charming and human” and it is what serves as an instrument to “break the ice” between the two protagonists.
This Sunday, February 26, the seventh and third to last chapter of The Last of Us premieres, which means that we are getting closer to the outcome of the first season of the series, scheduled for nine episodes.
You can watch the trailer for episode 7 below.