The Last Of Us: Part II is presents players with Ellie’s journey of revenge against those who wronged her, with the character of Dina serving as her moral compass.
Besides new characters like Dina, Part 2 also features plenty of brand-new memorable places and landmarks ready to be explored. One of them is the Farm, located in Wyoming near the Jackson settlement that became the home to both women and Dina’s child, JJ, after leaving Seattle. Here are ten facts you might have missed about this spot.
10 Neil Druckmann Planned Another Way For Ellie To Relive Her Trauma
Like any other game or TV series, not every scene that was pitched for Part 2 made it to the final cut. One of them is Ellie’s PTSD scene during the Farm chapter. According to an interview, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann revealed that Ellie is supposed to go hunting for a boar, and when she kills it, she hears Joel’s scream and it reminds her of what happened. In the final product, Ellie and JJ went to the barn, and somehow, Ellie lost control and suffered from the trauma.
9 JJ Was Mocapped After A Grown Adult Woman
No, JJ is not modeled or mo-capped after a real-life baby. In fact, this character is portrayed by Marianne Hayden as JJ’s motion-capture actors and Michelle Lee as the character’s face likeness. Speaking of Michelle Lee, she’s no stranger to post-apocalyptic games. She appears in Resident Evil 6 as Ada Wong’s martial artist and The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC expansion pack as a stuntwoman.
8 Crooked Still’s Shaken By A Low Sound Easter Egg
A pretty cool Easter egg that can be found during the Farm chapter is the progressive bluegrass album Crooked Still’s Shaken By a Low Sound. The song that Ellie and Dina danced during the village party scene, Little Sadie, is the second song from this eleven-track album.
Apart from Little Sadie, other songs such as Ecstasy and Ain’t No Grave are also featured in this chapter. The latter played during a scene where Dina and Ellie danced while Dina was washing the dishes.
7 A Letter From Jesse’s Parent
Although this letter is hard to miss because it’s located right on the table after Ellie came downstairs with JJ, it’s still worth noting that Dina and Jesse’s mother still maintain a good and healthy relationship. After everything was said and done, Jesse’s mother sent a letter to the couple’s farmhouse, wishing them all the best in raising JJ and telling them how the baby resembled her late son so much.
6 Joel Is Playing A Slow Rendition Of Crosby, Stills, And Nash’s Helplessly Hoping
Part 2 is home to some underrated jams, including Helplessly Hoping by Crosby, Stills, and Nash (CSN) folk group from the 60s. The song, which tells a sad story between two lovebirds, plays after the scene at the party and Joel took off to his house after Ellie publicly berated him. During the Farm section of the game, this flashback ensues. Joel sits and plays this song on his six-strings while sipping a warm coffee.
5 The Farm Was Mentioned During Ellie & Dina’s Quest For Gas In Seattle
The decision to stay and lay low at the Farm did not just come suddenly and unexpectedly. During Ellie and Dina’s search for gas at a synagogue in Seattle, the latter mentioned that she wanted to settle on a farm, even though she never explicitly suggested which farm she would want to pick.
4 Ellie’s Drawing Skills
Before going downstairs with JJ, don’t forget to roam around the house and visit every room. One of them appears to be an art room where all of Ellie’s drawings and paintings are hung.
Speaking of drawing, Ellie indeed is an excellent artist with the pencil. She draws any subject she can find in her notebook, including Joel, Dina, and even her long-forgotten ex, Cat.
3 Dina’s Picture With Talia
Head over a room downstairs to find a picture of Dina with her sister, Talia, who unfortunately passed away from infection. During her life, Talia valued her religious morals and loved to drag her sister to the synagogue. In return, Dina learned a lot about the values of Judaism from her.
2 A Tiny Detail That Might Change The Entire Ending
Notice how Ellie went to search Abby without wearing Dina’s bracelet but came home to the Farm with one? This tiny little item may suggest a total shift in how players interpret the ending. It has sparked a theory that Ellie, Dina, and JJ have resettled back at Jackson, and that Ellie only returned to the Farm after reuniting with them. It also explains why Ellie didn’t seem to be surprised at not finding anyone home.
1 Guitar Symbolism
The ending may be as dark as players think it is. Knowing that Dina was against her decision of chasing Abby, Ellie has somehow accepted her fate that her girlfriend and JJ might not come back after she left them to hunt down Abby once and for all.
On top of that, leaving Joel’s guitar could serve as a symbol of Ellie finally forgiving and letting go of everything. Similarly, it could also highlight the fact that Ellie’s quest for revenge has cost her the gift of guitar-playing that Joel left her. Until Naughty Dog confirms a Part 3, these theories will always remain a reach in the dark.
