Ellie’s joke book is an unlikely companion in ‘The Last of Us’

Will Livingston probably didn’t know that when he wrote a book full of scary jokes.

In the HBO adaptation Last of Us, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have brought together one of gaming’s dumbest companions, Ellie’s Jokebook. This provides a very justified moment of levity in the morass of unrelenting violence of the story, and a reminder of what a tough protagonist it is. she is actually a child But this beloved witty book is about more than just hilarity for Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

In shows and games, Ellie’s go-to read is her darling savage starlight Cartoons and tattered joke books No pun intended: volume too By Will Livingston. (“you get it? ‘that too? ‘In an idle moment in Episode 4, Ellie tries to kill her time by getting cheeky Livingston’s gold coins and cheer up Joel (Pedro her Pascal). Shell gleefully takes revenge on Joel’s request that he want to stay there while he pumps up gasoline. Many were taken directly from the game by reading out some cheesy jokes.

“What did the Little Mermaid wear to math class?” she continues, giggling and ignoring Joel’s unimpressive looks. “Algae Bra!”

“I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went…and then dawn came to me,” another saying that honestly reads like a Mitch Hedberg joke. follows.

“What did the little mermaid wear in math class? Algae bra!”

When Joel and Ellie camp, Ellie drops another banger disguised as a “serious question.” Ellie slyly raises the thought, “Why did the Scarecrow win the prize?” When Joel surprisingly replies to this, “Because he stood out in his field” – Ellie screams, calling Joel Dick and chastising him for reading his beloved book. he’s heard this

So who gave Ellie the joke book? In Episode 7, we learn that Ellie is a longtime reader of Livingston’s work. no pun In a FEDRA Military School dorm room. “This otter is good” is written on the front cover. Later in the episode, Ellie’s best friend Riley (Storm her lead) presents her with her second book during a date at an abandoned mall in Boston QZ, a hilarious moment before impending tragedy. read a few zingers to each other.

“Shut up! Did he make a second one?” Ellie says after Riley hands it over.

Now we know Riley’s tragic fate, the importance of Ellie’s copy No puns, no intended volume The last thing her best friend and first love gave her before she was infected.

In the game, Ellie’s jokes to “lighten the mood” are a sort of collectible.(opens in new tab)If you find them all, the game wins the incredibly named “That’s All I Got” trophy.(opens in new tab)The only way to hear Ellie’s jokes in the game is to stand and wait with her between goals. A few minutes later, Ellie pulls out a joke book out of her boredom and rattles off some ginger.

Director Craig Mazin said on HBO’s show, “I remember being shocked that the game suddenly offered me something that had absolutely no merit to it.” Last of Us podcast(opens in new tab)“It was just gratuitous, yet lovable and human. It was like, ‘Hey, what do you know? It doesn’t have to be eyes behind the head, always ready to run and shoot. It was like saying you don’t have to. Stop, look around and experience the beauty of the created world.

“What I love about it, and why it was essential to include it in the show, is that it undermines this thing that happens when adults write kids. Mazin said children like Ellie fall into a different category.

“They’re ready to go out on their own. They want guns. They want to be in charge. They think they know everything. And they’re still kids.” Mazin explained. “I love how Ellie has this joy in something so young and childish and stupid. She knows it’s stupid, but she I love it. It’s an honest pleasure.

of Last of UsThis contrast between silliness and premature adulthood is one of Ellie’s character’s most powerful elements that both Ramsey and gaming voice actor Ashley Johnson have seized to develop this complex, tough, and hilarious teen. One.

Finding porn magazines in Bill’s truck in Episode 3, messing with Joel and pretending to be infected. of The most inappropriate time around Joel and Tess in episode 2, Ramsey’s Ellie provides a welcome anthem in a landscape of near-constant stress and threat. Her Belen Edwards of Mashable wrote: Ramsey’s delivery is consistently hilarious in its own right — remember when Bill’s letter was read inappropriately and perfectly “heh heh heh heh heh heh” in Episode 3?

Ellie’s jokes also play a bigger role than silly digressions. Beyond their shared experiences of violence, loss, and grief, Joel and Ellie begin to bond over these silly jokes, and are given a moment when their burgeoning fake father-daughter relationship becomes what it really is. Joel’s triumphant answer to the Scarecrow’s jokes sparks a faint friendship between the two and brings to mind Joel’s past as a father who was constantly joking with his teenage daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). let

This comes up again at the end of Episode 4. That’s when Ellie and Joel are desperately hiding in the Kansas City attic. Ellie, she feels, is the perfect time to make a joke about her diarrhea. “Joel, did you know that diarrhea is hereditary? Well, it runs in your jeans.” In the same episode, Joel organically shares genuine feelings with Ellie for the first time, despite previous conventions.[ing] Talking about Tommy in the car and answering Ellie’s question about her worries about her brother. Thanks to these very stupid… just kidding.

Ellie’s contrasting modes as a hilarious, joke-loving child forced to grow up in a cruel and threatening world make her a truly compelling protagonist and a guarded Joel. The very same episode ends with a scene where Ellie is joking and she shoots a man to save Joel’s life.At the same time, watching Ellie drop a toilet joke and tried to kill someone This is the world she exists in, a funny kid facing a terrifying, kill-or-be-killed reality.

Livingston’s Joke Book not only provides a light read for Ellie, but also allows us to create a terrible break between her and Joel’s blood while honoring the last gift from Riley. As a warning, “You can’t get away from Will Livingston. He’ll be back. There’s nothing you can do to stop him.”

The Last of Us is streaming now HBO Max.(opens in new tab)