The Last of Us Season II: The Grounded Cut

▶ About the project and full change list

We are a pair of professional film editors who’ve spent over 15 years in the industry, and while we’ve worked on fan edits together in private before, this one kept pulling us back in the deeper we got. We were both deep admirers of Part II the game - undoubtedly a narrative masterpiece - and at first wanted to see if we could make some small changes to better align it with what we liked about the original story. What began as a small restructuring exercise turned into something more substantial. The deeper we got, the more we felt that this version genuinely brought the material closer to the adaptation we’d hoped for… cleanly, purposefully, and with a deep respect for the original intentions.

This cut is built from the ground up with our own guiding principles, tone goals, and editorial instincts. There are hundreds of alterations, major and minor, but we were cautious not to overcut or amputate entire characters and threads just for pace. Wherever possible, we sought elegance, not erasure.

The Last of Us Season II: The Grounded Cut allows audiences to experience Ellie’s journey through Seattle in a different light. Through rearrangement of scenes, tonal adjustments and streamlined exposition, the season aligns more closely with the meticulously structured video game it was based on. Witness Ellie’s descent into darkness in a brisker six-episode edit, unflinching in its narrative focus on Ellie’s perspective of the world. This is a tale of revenge, and the lengths one will go to achieve it.

We made hard editing decisions to preserve the experience of the game, including removal of otherwise excellent scenes that break away from the lead characters’ perspectives. This will allow audiences to share in the intrigue and mystery of Abby, Seattle, and the war in Seattle, while the seasons’ altered flashback structure will leave viewers confident that these narrative points will be explored further in Season 3. Humour has been tightened, but not fully removed, where it might negatively affect plot, character, or overall tone. Ellie’s characterization leans towards competence and equal investment in the mission and partnership with Dina.

As reflected in the full change notes episode-by-episode below, the goal with this edit wasn’t to destroy what’s there, but rather to enhance it and all the effort and work that has been put on screen by those involved in the production.

Our Specific Goals:

• Reintroduce ambiguity and complexity to character motivations, especially regarding the Seattle/WLF storyline. These characters have been trimmed down to only what’s narratively necessary. Everything else is removed or reshaped.


• Strengthen Ellie’s agency and competence. We reduced the number of moments where she’s dismissed, talked down to, or made to seem unprepared or naively reckless.


• Flashbacks as thematic architecture. Rather than isolating all the flashbacks in a standalone episode, they now serve as interwoven emotional pillars that reflect and enhance Ellie’s arc throughout the present-day narrative.


• Trim overwritten or redundant dialogue. We tightened scenes to improve pacing, smooth out tonal inconsistencies, and remove writerly tropes that undercut the tone.


• Minor visual/text edits throughout: moved *Written By* and *Directed By* credits to fade in/out over black after the opening credits and use compositing to cover up where they used to fade in over the show proper.

File Specs [Three Options]:

2160p UHD HEVC 40Mbps
5.1 Surround Sound - AAC
~8GB to 10GB per episode

1080p HD HEVC 7Mbps
5.1 Surround Sound - AAC
~3GB to 5GB per episode

1080p HD HEVC 4Mbps
Stereo Sound - AAC
~1GB to 2GB per episode

Captions available for all edited episodes in:
Danish, Dutch, English, English SDH, Filipino, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (BR), Portuguese (PT), Punjabi, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish (ES), Swedish, Telugu, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Vietnamese

Full Change Notes:

Episode 01: The Thing You're Afraid To Say
Runtime: 55m10s

• Entirely removed Abby and her crew’s graveyard flashback sequence.
• New cold open: Joel’s childhood flashback, beginning with his father’s hope that Joel “does better,” leading directly into the cliffside conversation with Ellie, then into the main title sequence.
• Removed Ellie’s shouted declaration that she’s immune while with Tommy.
• Significantly tightened Joel’s therapy session with Gail. Reduced overwritten dialogue and let key emotional beats breathe, leaving more to subtext and performance.
• Trimmed the bear carcass scene to remove the prolonged “Bear-B-Que” laughter beat, as well as a few other questionable chuckles.
• Removed the miming/goofing around before the hallway clicker fight.
• Ellie no longer gets bitten by the stalker before shooting it; the scene of her covering the bite has been removed accordingly.
• Recut the church dance: now ends with the kiss between Ellie and Dina, followed by slow move through the celebrations outside to the cordyceps revealed in the pipe. And finally, the armed strangers emerging from the woods over Jackson - reframing it as a tension-building cliffhanger to close out the episode.

Episode 02: Jackson Hole
Runtime: 49m34s

• Removed Abby’s hallway flashback; instead, episode opens post-credits with the sound of the hospital alarm blaring and Abby waking up in the cabin.
• Trimmed dialogue in the Salt Lake crew planning scenes—cutting all mentions of “him” or “Joel” by to maintain ambiguity about their intentions.
• Cut Joel’s clichéd “I’m thinking! I’m thinking!”.
• Heavily trimmed the exchange between Joel and Abby before the shooting - specifics are minimal, loaded with tension but without excessive exposition.
• Abby’s monologue before picking up the golf club is severely reduced; she only references Salt Lake City. No personal revelations or catharsis.
• Removed the intercut beatdown sequence before Ellie arrives. Abby’s violence happens offscreen.
• Episode ends with Ellie crawling over to Joel’s body. Hard cut to credits over Ashley Johnson’s “Through the Valley”.

Episode 03: The Rest Is Nature
Runtime: 56m26s

• New opening: flashback of Joel receiving the bone from Seth and ordering Ellie’s birthday cake. Flashback continues through to Joel playing Future Days for her.
• Hard cut from “Happy Birthday, Kiddo” to present-day: Ellie on the stretcher, waking up screaming, witnessing Joel’s murder, then into the opening credits.
• Removed “Three Months Later” title card.
• Entire Seraphite forest sequence has been excised; it no longer interrupts the core narrative.
• Tightened Ellie and Dina’s planning scenes for the trip northwest. Trimmed dialogue that made Ellie appear naive or Dina overly condescending. Their dynamic is now more balanced.
• Removed both Curtis and Viper jokes during the Seattle approach. Scene now ends cleanly on Ellie’s line: “There’s about to be a whole lot less.”
• Manny no longer appears in the Space Needle sequence; instead, the episode moves right into the looming reveal of the full WLF convoy before cutting to credits.

Episode 04: Seattle
Runtime: 48m13s

• Entirely removed Isaac’s origin flashback in the FEDRA truck.
• Episode now opens with the museum and space launch flashback. Flows directly into the opening credits.
• Removed dialogue where Ellie and Dina appear inexplicably unfamiliar with the concept of Pride.
• Trimmed Dina’s condescension toward Ellie when discussing their approach to the radio building.
• Dialed back Dina’s loud drumming in the music shop.
• Added subtle flash cuts of Joel teaching Ellie guitar as she wanders upstairs in the music shop - emotional grounding for her memory and state of mind.
• Removed Ellie kissing the packets in the guitar case.
• Fully cut the sidebar of Isaac torturing a Seraphite prisoner.
• Removed strange beat of Ellie narrating the route into the radio station.
• Trimmed the next morning sequence, less giggling, flirting, and over-explained intimacy.
• Removed Dina’s extended explanation of her sexuality - trusts the audience to read subtext.
• Removed scene where Ellie seems confused about how a pregnancy test works.
• Cut Ellie’s “I’m going to be a dad!” joke entirely.
• Re-edited rooftop moment between Ellie and Dina to play silently - emphasizing connection through visual intimacy rather than dialogue.

Episode 05: Knives or Run
Runtime: 39m26s

• All WLF hospital sidebars have been removed. The horror of the setting and Nora’s quick reference to spores are more than enough to sell the danger - no need for over-explanation.
• New opening: flashback of Joel catching Ellie with Kat in her room and her subsequent decision to move out. Cuts into opening credits.
• Dina is now seen working alone on the triangulation. Ellie never enters. Removes the goofy scene about her being bad at math entirely.
• In the theatre, Ellie picks up the guitar - more flashes of Joel intercut as she plays. This subtly reinforces her emotional tipping point before deciding to move forward stoically.
• Hard cut from “Let’s go be reckless” to Ellie and Dina approaching the warehouse at night. Removed the intermediate sequence with dead Seraphites and Dina’s pep talk. It’s now clear they’re already committed, we don’t need to continually reiterate.
• Removed “You love me?” line and other bits of pre-fight goofiness before the stalker encounter.
• Ellie’s bite (from Episode 1) is no longer referenced.
• Jesse now intervenes sooner in the warehouse fight, reducing the sense that Ellie and Dina are overwhelmed or helpless for too long.
• Trimmed down some of Ellie and Jesse’s sassy banter in the woods.
• Removed Nora’s mention of Abby’s father.
• Episode no longer ends with Ellie waking up in bed in a flashback.
• Closing credits roll over silence, replacing the original song to better reflect the mood of the final moments.

Episode 06: Bad Fucking Weather
Runtime: 1h07m

• Cold open: Eugene flashback. Ellie reads only one hypothetical question about Salt Lake City before Joel knocks. Flashback ends with Ellie returning to the theatre in the rain, then into opening credits.
• Removed Ellie’s line suggesting Nora might not have deserved it. Also cut her stating outright that Abby’s father was the surgeon in SLC.
• Trimmed Jesse and Ellie’s conversation to soften his scolding tone.
• Lost Ellie's dialogue after seeing the Feel Her Love mural, as the previous scene was removed from episode 5.
• Severely reduced Ellie’s reaction to the Seraphite child being harassed. Jesse stops her with “I’m not dying for them,” and they move on.
• Removed the WLF tent scene with Isaac; we go straight to Ellie and Jesse arriving at the bookstore.
• Reworked some tropey dialogue between Ellie and Jesse when she decides to go after Abby instead of Tommy. Tightened her emotional blow-up to feel more grounded.
• Isaac’s only appearance is now the dock sequence, as the boats arrive and depart. No dialogue, just presence - a subtle but intriguing thread. Who is that guy? Where are they going with all those boats? Is this some kind of… hook?
• Moved the visual of the Seraphite island on fire to before Ellie capsizes.
• Ellie is taken out by the wave - hard cut to black. Then, we return to the Jackson church dance, now seen from Joel’s perspective.
• We finally witness what happened with Seth and how Joel defended Ellie. The flashback ends with Ellie walking past him on the porch, as if she wasn’t going to speak to him. Back to Ellie on the beach, and then climbing up to the aquarium. Completely cut the Scar island sequence.
• After Tommy and Jesse rescue Ellie, we transition from Mel’s body back to the porch flashback to finish Ellie and Joel’s conversation - paralleling Ellie’s quiet consideration of forgiveness in present day.
• Dina no longer lets the crew into the theatre. We return from the flashback to find her incapacitated in the dressing room, while the other three prepare to leave.
• Removed Ellie saying the deaths of Mel and Owen were an accident.
• We cut to ringing silence before the gunshot, and before Ellie’s scream of no no no. From there, the season ends as it did in the original cut.