On this season of The Last Of Us, Ellie is still recovering from the loss of Joel a few weeks ago, and the audience is right there with her. Even before The Last Of Us was a show on HBO, Pearl Jam had a major part in the story of the video game, with the band’s music driving home some of the story’s more emotional beats. Their track “Future Days” has been a recurring song in both the video game and the television adaptation, and the groundwork set in previous episodes underscores the despair that hits Ellie in this Sunday’s episode.
Previously in the narrative, Pedro Pascal’s Joel had been trying to teach Bella Ramsey’s Ellie how to play “Future Days” on the guitar during some of their downtime. After Joel’s death at the hands of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), Ellie eventually has the chance to pick up the guitar again and tries to play what Joel had taught her. But the effort is too painful, and Ellie eventually gives up, unable to hear the song without thinking about her lost compatriot.
Fans of the game likely knew this devastating scene was coming; it was in 2020’s The Last Of Us II. Eddie Vedder even performed the song at the 2020 Game Awards, where he got a heartfelt introduction from Troy Baker, the voice actor who portrays Joel in the video game. Baker explained that had he not been an actor, he probably would have been a singer, so game creator Neil Druckmann incorporated that passion into Joel’s character. “One of those moments, now indelible in our memories, incorporated Neil’s story as well, not as a writer but as a father. It involved a song he would play and sing to his daughter every night,” Baker explained. Pearl Jam’s recording of the song also featured in the trailer for the second season, so close watchers might have had a clue that this heartwrenching scene was coming.
Buy Pearl Jam’s “Future Days” on vinyl now.
