The Last of Us viewers spot second editing mistake with Ellie and the horse

24 February 2023, 12:08

The Last of Us creators discuss Joel's PTSD about his daughter Sarah

By Katie Louise Smith

"A hidden hand can be seen in the Shimmer scene. Maybe they forgot to edit it out..."

How closely were you paying attention to The Last of Us episode 6? Because viewers have just clocked another filming error involving Ellie and Shimmer the horse that you won't believe you missed on your first watch.

Earlier this week, fans clocked a subtle filming error in episode 6 as Joel and Ellie were making their way across the bridge on the way to Jackson. While the two are meant to be totally alone, viewers noticed a couple of people standing right at the edge of the frame behind them. Turns out, they were film crew members that had not been edited out of the shot.

Now fans have spotted another error in the same episode, and this one is even funnier than the last. In the scene where Ellie meets Shimmer at the stables, you can clearly see a human hand holding the horse's head up.

READ MORE: Pedro Pascal cried off camera during every take of Joel's monologue in The Last of Us

The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment happens around 23 minutes into the episode, when Tommy and Maria are showing Joel and Ellie around the community.

Ellie is introduced to Shimmer and approaches her to say hello. But just underneath Shimmer's chin, you can see the hand of the horse trainer holding and guiding the horse's head so it stays raised and at a certain angle for the shot. The hand than slowly drifts below the stable door.

Viewers immediately took to social media to point the mistake out. In one Reddit post, user u/Astronomy_Star shared two screenshots from the episode showing the hand clearly in shot, adding: "Maybe they forgot to edit it out.."

People couldn't believe another error had been caught in the episode, with another user adding: "I have never catched anything like this while watching. Like, how do you guys always find this stuff ? Are you watching frame by frame?"

Others joked that there was a very simply crossover explanation for what had happened: "Nah bruh, that's Thing from Wednesday/Addams Family. It managed to survive the infection cuz it technically has no brain."

"I can’t stop laughing at this. I’m honestly not sure why is so funny," someone else added.

That wasn't the only horse-related talking point from the episode either. It's no secret that real horses weren't used for every single shot featuring Joel and Ellie because, well, they're animals with minds of their own.

At the end of the episode, when Joel's stab wound gets the better of him and he falls off the horse, Ellie rushes to his side to urge him to wake up. In the background, the horse they were on is just standing there, with one leg popped, completely still.

Fans are now convinced that horse was either a prop or added digitally, and the jokes about it are hilarious.

However, co-creator Neil Druckmann and editor Timothy Good have since confirmed that the horse was real, and simply didn't want to move because it was cold. "Any movement in the frame would have taken your eyes off our duo," Good explained.

Read more The Last of Us news here:

• Does Joel die in The Last of Us game? Here's what happens to him and Ellie
• Pedro Pascal came up with Joel's most heartbreaking line in The Last of Us episode 6
• Ellie's menstrual cup scene in The Last of Us is being praised by viewers
• Bella Ramsey wore a chest binder while filming The Last of Us to focus better on set
• Bella Ramsey had to chop off most of her hair to play Ellie in The Last of Us

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