While Joel and Ellie go through a number of seasonal wardrobe changes in Naughty Dog’s original game, when you think of the leads in The Last of Us, chances are you’re thinking of Joel in a green plaid button-up shirt and Ellie in a gray long-sleeved shirt with a pink tee over the top.
Well, said looks finally came to fruition in the closing moments of this week’s episode of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation. After arriving at Bill and Frank’s home, only to discover that the pair have passed away (we didn’t cry, you did), the pair spent some time restocking supplies for their cross-country journey, and also took a moment to freshen up.
With the stink of the museum clickers from the previous episode off them, the pair emerged fresh as daisies and ready for the next leg of their journey, and in their iconic summer fits to boot. An eagle-eyed observer on Twitter also noticed a tragic, but fun fact about Joel’s signature look – it’s not exactly his:
With our minds blown and hearts broken, it’s safe to say that we can’t wait for next week’s episode. Perhaps the wardrobe change aligning with their video game looks points towards things getting back on the game’s narrative track, not that we minded this week’s deviation at all. In fact, we think it improved upon the source material.
All will be revealed when The Last of Us returns to our television screens next Sunday on HBO Max to tug at our heartstrings all over again.