The Last of Us TV series isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to tension, drama, and fungus fuelled deaths. So far, the HBO TV series has stuck closely to its source material – the hit horror game of the same name on which it is based. However, it turns out that The Last of Us character Tess was initially set to have a deeper backstory on the new show versus her videogame counterpart. Warning spoilers ahead!
If you need a brief The Last of Us episode 2 recap, the latest development in the zombie horror series saw Ellie, Joel and Tess being swarmed by Clickers. Tess ends up being infected and, like her character in the videogame, sacrifices herself for Ellie and Joel’s sake. Tess’s death was a blow but expected to those who have played The Last of Us videogame. What is unexpected is that the character was set to have her backstory shown in the series.
In an interview on The Last of Us podcast, Neil Druckmann explained the unfinished plans for Tess. “There is something we had talked about, and we wrote it. We never shot it. It was a little bit of a backstory for Tess and the fact that Tess had a kid,” he said.
“She had a husband, and she had a son, and they were infected, and she had to kill them. She killed her husband, but she could not kill the son. She couldn’t do it. She locked him in the basement, where theoretically, he’s still a Clicker,” he continued.
Druckmann went on to tease how the story would have been shown in episode 2 of the sci-fi series. “We had a cold open where we just, like, the camera pushed on this door, and you just hear this pounding coming from this basement, and then we cut out,” Druckmann explained. “Then later, Tess would tell the story of how she couldn’t kill her son…it didn’t fit, but it was fun to think about.”
In The Last of Us episode 2, we see a zombie kiss Tess. This moment with Tess’ backstory in mind hits hard as she is being joined with her cursed family in her final moments (I’m not crying, you are).
If you are after more Clicker content, our guides explain why Ellie is immune to infection and who The Fireflies and FEDRA are. You can also find out how to watch The Last of Us TV series by looking over our guide.