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Lore Corner: The Last of Us season 2, episode 3 changes the "bigot sandwich" moment from the game

In a minor but interesting departure from The Last of Us Part II game, HBO's The Last of Us series gave Seth, Jackson's resident homophobe, a chance to be a better man

Lore Corner The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 3 Bigot Sandwiches — Image credit: HBO

Features by Ashley V. Robinson, Popverse video producer

Additional contributions by Grant DeArmitt

Published on Mon Apr 28 2025

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Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2.

Greetings Popversians, and welcome to Lore Corner! Each week, video producer Ashley V. Robinson and staff writer Grant DeArmitt are going to take you deep into the pre-existing lore behind some of pop culture's most exciting adaptations, such as the gut-wrenching post-apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us. Enjoy!

HBO's The Last of Us has a habit of turning minor NPCs from the games into fleshed out, relatable characters for the series. Take Nick Offerman's Bill, for example, in season 1, or Catherine O'Hara's Gail in season 2, who is based on a character only ever mentioned in the games. The most recent episode of the season, however, takes that habit and twists it a little bit, taking a completely loathable character from The Last of Us Part II and turning him into... well, a little bit less loathable.

Let's talk about Seth.

Who is Seth in The Last of Us Part II?

In The Last of Us Part II game (which, remember, season 2 is based off of), the character of Seth plays a very minor role in a very major emotional moment between Ellie and Joel. When Ellie kisses Dina at the Jackson New Year's Eve party, Seth is the homophobe who yells at them, ruining their first really romantic moment. Seth (played in the game by Robert Clotworthy) then starts to get a little aggressive, leading Ellie's father figure and self-imposed guardian Joel to step in.

Joel makes quick work of diffusing Seth's hate, but he doesn't get the reaction from Ellie he might have expected. In the midst of a fight with Joel over secrets that he kept from her, Ellie rebukes Joel, telling him thaat she doesn't need his help and storming out of the party. Joel is crushed.

Later, Maria forces Seth to apologize for his comments. He does, claiming he was drunk and offering Ellie some steak sandwiches he made as a peace offering, but we get the sense that Seth's apology is not sincere. Ellie refuses to take the "bigot sandwiches" herself, gifting them to a nearby Jesse instead. And that's pretty much the last we see of Seth in the game.

Who is Seth in The Last of Us, season 2?

Seth's homophobic reaction on New Year's Eve pretty much goes down in the show exactly how it does in the game. Dina and Ellie kiss, Seth (played in the series by Robert John Burke) calls them a slur, Joel intervenes, and Ellie calls Joel out. And just like in the game, what makes this interaction so devastating is that it will turn out to be the last real interaction that Joel and Ellie have, save a few awkward run-ins, before Joel's brutal death at the hands of Abby.

Curiously, though, in the scenes following Seth's blow-up, The Last of US TV series allows him a mite of redemption in a way that the game never did. Though the sandwich apology does go pretty muhc the same way, Seth's tone is noticeably more sincere. He apologizes not only because he "never should have said it," but because he "never should have thought it." But at this point, Ellie still doesn't take the steak sandwiches (much to Jesse's delight).

However, the show doesn't stop at a more sincere apology from Seth. Months later, when Ellie attends a town hall meeting that the town form a posse and go after Joel's killers, Seth makes an impassioned speech to support her idea. After that, and even more importantly, Seth supports Ellie as she decides to go off on her own to avenge Joel, providing her with a horse, some supplies, and way to get around Jackson's nighttime guards.

Before Ellie leaves, she shakes Seth's hand, signalling that, at least in this moment, the two have an understanding.

Let's be clear: The Last of Us season 2 doesn't exactly give Seth a full redemption arc, and it's unclear if the older man truly is trying to overcome his prejudice or just feels for Ellie after she loses someone she loves. Either way, though, it's an interesting way to flesh out a game character who was so one-dimensionably loathable, and it gives the viewer reason to wonder if, maybe, even truly hateful people can still strive to better themselves.

The Last of Us, season 2 airs every Sunday night on HBO and Max.

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Ashley V. Robinson: Ashley Victoria Robinson is a Canadian hobbit now living in the United States. She is a Popverse Video Producer. You may know her as the host of the Geek History Lesson podcast (alongside Jason Inman), and was even the face of Twitter marketing for podcasters.