【Watch Carnal Cravings (2006)】

In Naughty Dog's game The Watch Carnal Cravings (2006)Last of Us, there's one character who gets a chance to try and make amends for showcasing outright bigoted behaviour. However, in the HBO series, he does a muchbetter job.

Seth (Robert John Burke) is the Jackson resident who hurls homophobic abuse, including a slur, at Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) for kissing at the New Year's Eve dance. Seth's actions in Season 2 of The Last of Usseries are just as abhorrent as they are in the game, but it's what he does afterwards that differs from Naughty Dog's version.

In the game, the morning after the dance, Seth is forced by Jackson leader Maria (Rutina Wesley) to apologise to Ellie before she heads out on patrol with Dina. To make further amends, he offers sandwiches for the pair to take on their ride. Ellie gives these "bigot sandwiches" to Jesse (Young Mazino) instead.

In the show, Seth does much more than just offering sandwiches in episode 2. In the Jackson town meeting in episode 3, he strongly supports Ellie's proposal to take a squad to hunt down Joel's (Pedro Pascal's) killers — even before she gives her argument. And later in the episode, when Ellie and Dina are preparing to leave covertly themselves to track Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew, Dina says "she knows a guy" who can hook them up with the weapons, medical supplies, and ammo they need to survive the mission.

That guy, as Ellie realises on Jackson's fenced border, is Seth, who emerges from the dark with Dina ready to trade Ellie's gun for a sniper rifle. Seth then helps the pair escape by keeping watch for the next perimeter patrol as they slip out a side gate.

Kitting out Ellie and Dina and helping them escape on a revenge mission does not erase Seth's homophobic actions. But it's a damn sight better a progressive gesture than a couple of breakfast rolls and a forced apology.

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• 'The Last of Us' Season 2 perfectly recreates Ellie and Dina's dance scene
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• 'The Last of Us' Season 2: Who are the Seraphites or 'Scars'?

The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming on Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Watching The Last of Usand want to play the games? Here's how.