The Last of Us fans will likely be familiar with Tess, but who is she in the TV show?
The first half of HBO’s The Last Of Us’s first episode dives further into the pre-outbreak lives of Joel, Tommy, and Sarah. These additional moments did little to change the actual story and only further fleshed out the characters to show their change in the coming time skip. One noticeable difference is Joel is now working with a new partner, Tess.
After the time skip, we don’t see Tommy and only know that he and Joel communicate via radio from time to time. Joel now relies on Tess to be his partner in smuggling without his brother. While the game also left the exact nature of their relationship up in the air, HBO’s show gives viewers a much clearer picture of how close the two are.
**** This Article Contains Spoilers For The Last Of Us ****
Early Partnership With Joel
Not much is known about Tess’s life before the outbreak or before meeting Joel. With his rugged and cold exterior, Tess is often the brains and negotiator of deals, with Joel handling the bulk of the dirty work. While Tess will usually seem like the reasonable one between the two, she can sometimes be just as ruthless as Joel when needed.
The two have developed a serious reputation within the Boston quarantine zone, known for being great smugglers and not people you should double-cross. Tess is shown to be an experienced smuggler and negotiator, able to talk her way out of difficult situations and obtain the information she wants. While still sometimes surprised by Joel’s brutality, Tess sees it as necessary to ensure the two survive above all else.
Personal Relationship With Joel & Ellie
HBO’s The Last Of Us gives the audience confirmation that Joel and Tess are a bit closer than your usual partners. In the show, they are seen sleeping in the same bed and sharing an apartment while also caring for each other and their safety. In the game, this relationship is only hinted at, as the two are seen flirting often, but no real relationship is ever shown. Tess is also familiar with Joel’s plan to get the car battery to leave Boston, knows it’s to find Tommy, and wants to come along for whatever is next, showing her connection to Joel is stronger than her connection to anything else in Boston.
In the game, after discovering Ellie is immune to the virus, Tess is the first of the pair to really believe that Ellie may lead to something bigger than each of them. While initially worrying about just surviving, she shows a capacity to care for more than just herself and is willing to risk her life to see the world be healed from this infection.
