Re-Making The Last of Us Part I – Noclip Documentary by Danny O’Dwyer on YouTube

Watched this yesterday shortly after it went up. I was amped to get another proper documentary chronicling the development of The Last of Us. It’s been a decade since the last one.

I was hoping for more insight on the origin of this remake, but Danny (at least in the final doco) does not ask about the PlayStation Visual Arts Group’s attempt at the remake. There was a lone direct mention of PlayStation Visual Arts at 12:14. The public facing story, which I wager has some truth to it, is that Naughty Dog started the project when remaking cutscenes to utilize in The Last of Us Part II.

I haven’t even played Part I yet (I know, I know). The documentary focuses heavily on the graphics/visuals and staying true to the original intent while leveraging modern hardware and tech. There was further confirmation regarding the animation team going back to old reference footage and hand animating the faces on PS5, just like I wrote about last year.

It’s neat to see more behind the scenes at Naughty Dog, but I was expecting a bit more insight to come to light. This felt more like a rehash of the press tour when the game came out last year. And this documentary coincides with the finale of the HBO show and the PC release of Part I…I hope Naughty Dog returns to producing documentaries alongside their games. I wish most studios would.

I’m mad I didn’t catch this story sooner. This one first¹ broke back in late January, but more layers have revealed themselves since the finale of The Last of Us on HBO. It has been quite the drip feed, so let’s chronicle the whole thing Chasing the Stick-style.

I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if I didn’t throw in a little bit of context. Back in February 2014, Laura Hudson of Wired had an interview with Neil Druckmann about the Left Behind DLC.

WIRED: So you think there are more stories to tell in this world?

Druckmann: I still have this script written, this story about Ellie’s mom [for] an animated short we were going to do, but it fell through. I’d love for that to see the light of day sometime, maybe as a DLC or a comic book. We’re brainstorming the next [Naughty Dog] project right now…

I wrote about this in Chasing the Stick, pointing out Neil’s openness to a sequel, which is where their passions were found. This animated short was just an example at the time to express possibilities in the world of TLOU.

Turns out that the idea would see the light of day, just ten or so years later. The finale of the first season opens with Ellie’s mom, Anna, and a part of her story.² At the end of January 2023, in an interview with Jordan Moreau at Variety, Neil added a bit more to the backstory of this lore.

[Variety]: What were you most excited to get to do in the show that you didn’t have in the game?

Druckmann: The one that shows up very late in the season is Ellie’s mom. I had written a short story after we had shipped the game already. It was supposed to be an animated short, but it fell apart and didn’t come to be. There was a moment where we almost made it as DLC, but it fell apart.

In our conversations, I brought it up to Craig and he was immediately excited by it, or as he would say “activated.” We brought it to life in the most beautiful, poetic way, which is Ashley Johnson playing Ellie’s mom and she was the original actor for Ellie.

This is the nugget that I wished I caught two month ago. “There was a moment where we almost made it as DLC…” is quite the development—lost Naughty Dog DLC! Pre-production on this may have begun, but could have been canned as Neil and Bruce Straley had to take over Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End‘s development.

As the rest of the season goes by, we finally arrive at the finale itself and the plot surrounding this video game thickens.

During a press conference, Neil reveals that Naughty Dog also talked to another developer to make an entire Anna game. My buddy and co-host, Logan Moore, had the story over at Comicbook.com.

“We were talking to another game company to potentially do it as a whole other game,” Druckmann said of the project. “[But] that deal fell apart to tell that story.”

Druckmann also went on to say that if this game would have become a reality, it would have revealed more details about Ellie’s biological father, which is something that has never been touched on in The Last of Us video games and TV show. The story of this game would have then culminated in the scene featuring Ellie and her birth that was unveiled in the TV adaptation. Regarding Ellie’s father, though, Druckmann said teased that there could be a chance of this story one day being unveiled in a new manner.

“I will say there was some stuff written for the mom and the dad when we were talking to this other game studio to potentially do a whole Anna game. The climax, of which, was this scene,” Druckmann said. “I’m reluctant to say anything about it because as I’ve now found out several times, stories that I think are failures and will never see the light of day sometimes see the light of day.”

This is one of the first mentions of exploring both of Ellie’s biological parents. I find it interesting to have the climax be what is shown on HBO. This origin story of Ellie’s immunity and the end of Anna’s life is now known. We could see this crop up in a game someday, making it the first time in the series that a story beat from outside a video game makes the jump to its original medium.

While we don’t know the developer that was in discussions to make this prequel, we do know who introduced Naughty Dog to them: Greg Miller. On the Kinda Funny Screencast via VGC,

…there was a much more full version of this story that went more back in time that was going to be made into a video game by Naughty Dog, by a different game studio, that Greg Miller introduced me to that studio and we had talked to them for quite a while to do this thing and then it just kind of fell apart, it didn’t quite work out.

I am fascinated by this. Throughout Naughty Dog’s history, other developers have been handed the keys to their IP in one way or another. There were PC ports and the far more popular(?) PlayStation spin-offs. The Jak series had two, while Uncharted had one on Vita. I would have to go back and check the count for Crash Bandicoot before the sale of the IP.³ The Last of Us hasn’t had a spin-off before.⁴ This notion that an outside team could/would work on the IP is par for the course.

So what happened? What team was in talks with Naughty Dog? What kind of game was the original concept? That’s the story I want to learn about now. With Neil revealing more and more with each interview lately, I hope we learn at least the team considered.

There’s one more angle to the whole Ellie’s parents story and that ties into the epilogue of Uncharted 4. In Cassie’s room, there is a poster for a comic dubbed American Daughters and it features a very pregnant woman that looks a whole lot like Ellie. I have always been of the mind that this is Ellie⁵, but I could see this being an angle or part of this whole game/narrative idea.

This is pure speculation on my part, but what if there was a story that had the past and the present at play. Anna and Ellie are pregnant and their stories have parallels. We saw a very loose version of this play out in Part II with Dina and Mel. This poster easter egg/tease could have been a byproduct of the pre-production cycle on this Anna game. It seems quite glaring, but perhaps it was yet another slip of the team to tease a game before its announcement, a la Uncharted 3‘s teaser for The Last of Us. That feels like a stretch, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Naughty Dog has dropped an easter egg like that in their games.

Anna’s story has grown from animated short to Naughty Dog DLC to a second-party game to debuting on HBO. While I would love to know more (and I suspect we will learn more over time), I think the biggest takeaway is that what is dead may never die. This story has been through the pitch ringer and finally came to fruition 10 years later on a TV show. Makes you wonder what other ideas Naughty Dog has been sitting on and mulling over for the past decade.

1. Technically, it broke back in 2014, but all the recent talk should have started in January. Man, I am mad I missed this.

2. I might discuss this more in my review of the finale episode, but Anna clearly doesn’t hand off a letter to Marlene. That letter, along with the knife, are quite touching objects to find in the game. Sure, a letter can be retconned in to the show, but it’s a shame not to see that created on the screen.

3. Seems to just be Crash Bash.

4. There was the prequel comic series American Dreams and the now-in-development board game. You may consider those to count.

5. The red undershirt and revolver that is clearly Joel’s gun convince me this is Ellie and not Anna.

I am of two-minds about this episode of The Last of Us. On one hand, the downloadable content (DLC) has been visually replicated. The story of Riley and Ellie stays true and faithful. On the other, this flashback feels…unnecessary. There is an obtrusive element lingering over the episode.

Let’s focus on the positive first. The world of Left Behind is stunning. The setting is all about beauty in destruction and the joy of discovery. Ten years ago, the concept of Ellie and Riley exploring an abandoned mall was a novelty. Naughty Dog took the familiar and represented it like a ancient temple. Nowadays, malls do feel like relics. Some of that initial charm feels swapped for warm nostalgia; time moves ever forward.

Coming back to this particular chapter of The Last of Us nine years later, there’s a bit of depth added to the dynamic between Ellie and Riley. Seeing Ellie in gym class and in the principal’s office wouldn’t have worked in the game, but it makes perfect sense for TV. Ellie’s interaction with said principal helps create tension between the ladies—FEDRA vs Fireflies. It’s texture that fans would have had to pick up on between lines or in the comic book run. I enjoyed this addition.

There is undoubtable temptation to replicate the DLC. From the amber glow of the ivy draped carousel to the cool electric hum of the arcade, the sets were always cinematic dreams. These translate to the television screen effortlessly*.¹ I think succumbing to this temptation has led to this episode’s bloated feeling.

Left Behind was an additional chapter released eight months after the original game. This story, which is both prequel and interlude, was never integral to the core story. So in a season that only has two episodes left, we take a break and go back to a time that doesn’t build upon the foundational relationship. Sure, this backstory is a nice detour, but the ride is heading in the wrong direction.

I wager part of the decision to include this episode was the aforementioned cinematic temptation paired with not knowing if season 2 would be green lit. I think Left Behind would have felt much better as a HBO special, like Euphoria did in 2020/21. This could have been a great surprise in between seasons, given the crew more time to expand and enhance the supplemental narrative, and – most importantly – given season 1 a much needed additional episode to focus on Joel and Ellie together.

It’s like I said in my last review, we are on borrowed time. Now there are only two episodes left. The closer to the finale we get, the more I wish for more time.

Woof! I am behind. Writing this review slipped through the cracks of me producing two new episodes of The Max Frequency Podcast. Abby and I still haven’t seen episode eight yet; we were too tired on Sunday and have been busy ever since. Heck, we’ll be missing the finale too.²

It bums me out to see the show waning in its connection and development. The first three episodes started strong and the rest have felt both rushed and bloated. I think the desire to strip gameplay segments has led to cutting powerful narrative moments. There’s a little baby with the bath water going on here. In the spirit of digressing from that digression, here are more observations that I picked up on when watching this episode.

• Neil Druckmann wrote this episode and it shows. This was/is, of course, his baby. I picked up on some subtle polish this go around that enhanced the original story though. Good work.
• Finally, the first Naughty Dog easter egg (that I have caught)! The FEDRA principal(?) has the red paw print on his keys.
• The entirely cut the Firefly Winston’s tent. I always liked that character and his place in the world. Gives lore and backstory to Boston and Ellie. Wish he was included instead of some random dead body with a whiskey bottle.
• Nice inclusion of Mortal Kombat II, which was added in to the Part I remake as well. Although, I wish Angel Knives and Black Fang were used somewhere.
• Speaking of the arcade, there didn’t seem to be any Jak X: Combat Racing machines because Jak X didn’t exist in 2003. More proof that the decision to change the timeline was a bad call.

1. I understand it took immense effort to recreate these scenes and sets. I meant more the concept translates effortlessly. You get what I mean.

2. Turns out, we caught the finale live! A baby miracle occurred and our Eloise was asleep by 7:45. We were able to watch both episode 8 and the finale. I have just been so behind on my writing here; in part due to making new episodes of The Max Frequency Podcast, as well as visiting family. Those lines just prove how long this draft has been sitting in my folder. 😅

We are on borrowed time. The sins of Kansas City are following our heroes and the remaining run time of the show. Craig and crew are beginning to step on the gas as the show tries to wrap up the entire narrative of the game in one season.

And yet, we get a slow build up for this episode and are plopped straight into The Last of Us Part II with a full-blown recreation of Jackson and plenty of references to boot. It was arguably the most fan-service of the entire season so far and it was handled in a deft manner. This was a logical substitution for the gameplay heavy dam section of the game. And, assuming the set is still there or in pieces somewhere, they can reuse it in season two.

Joel continues to become a wholly new incarnation on HBO. I want to stress I am glad there are deviations from the game. The show should stand alongside the original. But man, this Joel is not being set up for events to come the same way. I worry for future pay offs and how they will feel. Relationships feel rushed and time feels short. Knowing where the show is going is hurting being in the moment. I wonder if people new to The Last of Us will look back and feel the imbalance and rush I sense now. 

We also witnessed what I believe to be the worst deviation by far. Non-players have no idea what they are missing. The whole college lab experience is truncated to a five minute excursion with no time for tension to even be established. Joel’s injury is transformed into a stab wound by a Hunter, rather than the impalement he suffers in the game. Comparing the show to the game, it’s no contest which scene is superior.

The director of the episode, Jasmila Žbanić, did an interview with Variety on the episode and they asked about this change. Here was her response:

I got it in the script, and I really liked it because it was more subtle. Ellie thinks they made it, and then it’s a shock. Otherwise it would be immediately over. I really liked how Craig wrote it. They travel, she’s hopeful, they go on together — and then it’s a shock.

I am going to go out on a branch and guess that Žbanić hasn’t played the game, because the parts she likes happen in the game. 

The whole slinking out of the University happens in one cut to a back door by a bush. The tension of escape has zero time to mount. We blink and Joel is stabbed, then our duo ride away with Ellie blindly popping off shots. The game has tension is spades. The escape, the stumble, the escape post-fall, all while Ellie helps and saves Joel’s life. They ride off and the he falls, just like the show. 

Not only is the raw shock value dropped, but Ellie is robbed of development. Her capabilities in combat are solid. The bond between the two is deepened further in these life and death situations. The show strips that away as Ellie is incapable of even hitting an enemy during their mad dash away. The most shocking thing from this episode as that they made this change.

And why make it? Time. A two-parter in Kansas City and tons of Jackson time forces the creators hands to cut more and more of the back half of the game. With this weekend’s episode focusing on the DLC Left Behind, we are naturally getting less time with Joel and Ellie. Their bond is what The Last of Us is built off of and I can’t help but feel like the connection is not being enriched on-screen. As a fan, it is a frustrating loss, but I guess the masses just don’t know what they are missing. Ignorance is bliss. 

—

This seems to be the harshest I’ve been on the show to date. The episode wasn’t all frustration. There were stand out moments, but I felt like they detracted from my through line theme in the review. That’s what this list of observations is for; fleshing out the little things that I picked up on in the episode.

• That dog must not be very good at its job. If a cordyceps detector can identify Ellie is sick and this dog always knows when someone is infected, then that doggo should have let loose on Ellie. Not that I wanted that to happen, but I was scratching my head.
• Joel’s PTSD continues to be built upon and we finally get a picture of what the team was building toward. Chest pains become frequent (heck, they may have debuted in this episode, I forget if they were in Episode 5). Joel freezes up with the dog. This all mounts to the heart-to-heart Joel has with Tommy where he reveals his fear about being a failure and an inadequate protector. This was touching and felt perfect for this performance. It feels reminiscent of the opening scene in Part II, but that Joel comes from a place of righteousness and power.
• Two major characters from Part II have appeared! Both Dina and the horse Shimmer. I popped off for Shimmer. Dina was not named, but it was clearly supposed to be her. And that casting has made it clear to me that the actresses need to age up a bit if they are going to handle the, uh, let’s say activities of Part II. I feel like season two is going to be lots of world building and perhaps unseen or reshuffled moments from the sequel.
• There were some excellent jokes in this episode. I was partial to Tommy’s communist realization and Joel’s history lesson on contractors.
• Maria is pregnant. The implications of this for future seasons is substantial. Serious potential there.
• They cut one of the best lines from the game. Joel’s classic “you’re on mighty thin ice” was no where to be seen or heard in his confrontation with Ellie. Further proof of a much slower to anger Joel. 
• Speaking of that argument scene, the shots are reversed from the game. A small observation, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. 
• I wonder when Ashley Johnson’s birth scene is going to happen. My guess is either next week or the finale. Next week makes less sense, because Ellie would have no memory of her birth. Perhaps Marlene shows up at the end in some manner. I wager a Marlene flashback in the finale is more logical, but that would rob the duo of even more time.