The Last of Us on HBO managed to hit all the right notes and incorporate every emotional and intimate scene from the game into a nine-hour season of television, but most of us would agree that it would never have been a proper adaptation if the show had somehow failed to include the giraffe scene.
The season finale takes up the story right after Ellie’s traumatic and horrible experience with David. It seems obvious that the heroine is having difficulty processing her emotions and, as Joel remarks, remains uncharacteristically quiet as they make their way to their destination.
It is here that they reach a green pasture, and see several giraffes meandering in the field. Ellie reaches out to one of them and feeds him leaves. Now, fans are giving this giraffe, called Nabo in real life, a final round of applause.
You can read more about Nabo in this Reddit threat. Most fans are baffled that it was a real giraffe and not some elaborate CG imagery.
The inclusion of the giraffe scene is significant for a very particular reason. In the Last of Us game, you immediately follow the horrors of David’s cult with this somber sequence. This gives Ellie a moment of awe, and perhaps normalcy, as she realizes that it’s not all doom and gloom in their post-apocalypse.
This may not resonate in the same way with television viewers, as they’ve had a whole week to think through those traumatic moments in the penultimate episode. Nevertheless, I think most folks would’ve been more disappointed if the showrunners didn’t incorporate the giraffe scene, even if the limits of this medium get in the way of its true emotional punch.