Uncovering the Sharpest Easter Eggs in The Last of Us S2E5
Look, as if we needed more reasons to overanalyze every frame, Episode 5 of The Last of Us Season 2 managed to pack in a staggering 15 Easter eggs that only the most obsessive fans—and maybe a handful of data miners—actually spotted. Our cynical radar picked up on everything from the barely-legible graffiti nodding to Joel’s lost belt buckle (more on that when he “borrowed” Bill’s cabin) to the haunting radio broadcast hinting at Portland’s QZ slowly slipping into chaos. Sure, that shot of the Hollywood sign in ruins might feel on-the-nose, but did you clock the tiny Firefly pendant hidden inside Ellie’s pocket during the bridge standoff? Screen Rant and IGN have glossed over it, but that pendant practically screams “game lore loyalists only.” Meanwhile, ComicBook.com pointed out the school’s mirror-scrawled message referencing Joel’s mysterious “birthday present”—a sly callback to fans who actually remember his comic cameo. We can’t ignore Variety’s coverage of Bella Ramsey’s microexpression when encountering the abandoned giraffe statue; that fleeting moment perfectly mirrored the show’s original “giraffe scene” from Season 1, as if to remind you it’s never going away. Over on the wedding plaque for Bill and Frank, People Magazine noted the SPOILER-free engraving date, which oddly contradicts the game’s timeline—unless you believe the HBO writers fumbled the calendar. And in the brief interplay at the QZ radio station, astute ears detected a public service announcement about fungal outbreak containment that never aired in the video game, suggesting the writers are actually deepening Cordyceps mythology rather than just rehashing old lines. Elsewhere, the subway signage in that one subway tunnel subtly lists terminal names directly lifted from the original map art—nice touch—while the rust-colored mushroom symbol graffitied on the wall practically glows at you if you pause long enough. Let’s not gloss over the fleeting board game prop—an uncanny reference to Bill and Frank’s bromantic backstory, complete with that same Monopoly token Frank lovingly dropped before departing Seattle. And yes, the license plate peeking through the wreckage carries the 2033 expiry date straight from the game’s first audio logs. It’s almost sweet how every tiny detail, from Joel’s scuffed-boot accent marks to the forlorn teddy bear perched on Ellie’s shoulder, has some backstory. Nothing earth-shattering here if you’ve been living on fan forums, but for casual viewers? You probably missed half of them while mentally rehearsing your next foot chase. So go ahead, rewind—just don’t blame me when your timeline derails and you start seeing fungal spores in your dreams. That’s today’s dose of grit-laced trivia. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Screen Rant, IGN, Variety, ComicBook.com
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
