who was that?

‘The Last Of Us’ viewers notice hilarious filming gaffe and an exciting gay easter egg in latest episode

By · Updated on March 14, 2023
Image Credit: HBO

There are pros on cons to being the most talked about show on TV. On the one hand, you’ve got devoted fans poring over every single frame of your show. On the other hand… you’ve got devoted fans poring over every single frame of your show.

That’s a lesson HBO’s The Last Of Us had to learn this week when a couple small details from the latest episode, “Kin,” sent viewers into a frenzy—both intentionally and unintentionally.

Spoilers ahead both for this season of The Last Of Us thus far and both video games.

In this apocalyptic survival drama, smuggler Joel (everyone’s favorite ally/daddy Pedro Pascal) treks across an America devastated by a fungal infection that has turned most of the population into flesh-eating monsters. His cargo? A young girl named Ellie (nonbinary star Bella Ramsey), who might hold the key to curing the infection.

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The series’ sixth episode finds the pair arriving to a thriving quarantine community in Jackson, Wyoming, where Joel reunites with his brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his pregnant wife, Maria (Rutina Wesley).

But it’s before they get there that Joel and Ellie encounter something no one could have expected—not even the show’s crew, apparently!

Was that a production gaffe in the latest The Last Of Us?

Image Credit: HBO

About 13 minutes into the episode, Joel and Ellie must use a snow-covered bridge to cross what’s been deemed “the river of death.” It’s an eerie moment as the music builds and we’re treated to a number of wide shots inviting us to look out for whatever danger surely awaits them.

But, if you’re looking closely enough, you’ll realize the duo isn’t quite as alone as they think. Eagle-eyed viewers have spotted what appears to a few members of the show’s production crew standing just beneath the tree line on the left. Oops!

Those folks don’t have mushrooms for heads, so it’s clearly not the infected lurking in the distance!

Lately, this sort of thing seems to be pretty common on HBO’s epic television dramas. Everyone remembers that Starbucks coffee cup looking awfully out of place in Westeros in Game Of Thrones final season, and similar errors have been spotted in House Of The Dragon—even Euphoria‘s been guilty of its own editing snafus.

Even on massive, multi-million dollar shows, small details slip through the cracks. We’re certainly not going to knock The Last Of Us, but it is funny that the gaffe had audiences bracing for an ambush.

As of writing, HBO and show co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have yet to address the error.

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All those homophobes who pretended to hate the last episode because it wasn’t “faithful” to the games better be thrilled about this!

Did The Last Of Us just tease a major future character?

Image Credit: HBO

But we likely wouldn’t glom onto such a tiny detail if shows like this didn’t train viewers to keep their eyes peeled at all times for easter eggs.

That goes especially for devoted players of The Last Of Us video games, who’ve spotted plenty of references to the games throughout the series, both big and small. And, in “Kin,” the show might’ve just given fans of the game its most exciting wink yet.

Once in Jackson, our heroes sit down for a meal with Tommy and Maria when Ellie spies a young girl watching them from across the room. “What?,” Ellie yells to her confrontationally, scaring the onlooker away. “She was just curious,” Maria tells her.

That’s the last we see of the girl (for now), but with her grey sweater and dark hair bulled pack into a long, single braid, many speculate she might be Dina, who becomes a major character in the game’s sequel, The Last Of Us Part II—and likely on the show now that it’s become a ratings hit with a second season already greenlit.

So, who is Dina? And why are fans so excited by this possible cameo?

Without giving too much away, Part II makes a bit of a time jump, and a now older Ellie is dating a young woman named Dina. Through flashbacks and journal entries, we learn more about their relationship, and Dina becomes a crucial companion in the game’s story.

Notably in the game, the couple has a conversation about when Ellie first arrived in Jackson, and Dina remembers an early moment—before they met—when she saw her partner eating and stealing food.

Now, that’s not quite what we witness in the episode, but it’s pretty darn close! The show’s creators even hint at this “ambiguous” easter egg while discussing the moment in the official The Last Of Us TV series podcast.

It definitely feels like the show is laying the groundwork for a second season (and beyond.) Here, maybe-Dina—credited as “staring girl”—is played by young actress named Paolina van Kleef, whose other credits include a 2018 short called Yasmina and the political thriller series The Night Agent, due to hit Netflix this year.

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It’s seems possible that van Kleef could return to The Last Of Us down the road, though, if she is Dina there’s also a chance she gets recast considering we barely see her in the role here.

Either way, it’s a great sign that even more big gay things are on way for The Last Of Us!

Here’s what fans are saying about the possible Dina cameo:

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