HBO's adaptation of the 2013 game The Last of Us has soared since its debut on January 15, 2023. The show has limited characters due to the fact that it features a post-apocalyptic, Cordyceps-ravaged United States.
The Last of Us season 1, episode 1, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," introduces the audience to the Millers, i.e. Joel, his daughter, Sarah, and his brother, Tommy. While Sarah dies on the outbreak day, the two brothers split up due to differences of opinion. As a side character, Tommy doesn't get much screen time, but he does have impactful dialogues in the premiere and thereafter.
10 "I Thought We Was Having Pancakes."
The Last of Us premiere begins with Joel and Sarah having a homey eggs-and-bacon breakfast when Gabriel Luna's Tommy walks in. He shares a good equation with his brother and their interaction makes it clear that Joel has looked out for him all his life.
Joel, Tommy, and Sarah are a family unit. Tommy works with his brother in the construction business and pretty much eats at his place. He's a little disappointed to learn there are no pancakes for breakfast, which is what ends up saving him from the Cordyceps infection. The outbreak was likely caused by flour, and sugar that carried the mutated fungi strain.
9 "Doesn't Ring A Bell. It's Definitely A Country. Or Maybe Part Of Asia?"
The morning of the outbreak, Tommy, Joel, and Sarah hear disturbing reports about Jakarta and naturally, get talking about it. When Joel says Jakarta is somewhere in the Middle East, Tommy tries to correct him in vain and says it's a country in Asia.
At this point, Sarah insightfully comments that Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, and being a part of Asia isn't mutually exclusive with being a country. This scene is among a few of the Miller family's last moments together and not long after, the Cordyceps infection rips them apart.
8 "He's Losing it."
Joel and Tommy's sibling banter in The Last of Us premiere indicates that the brothers have always been close. Joel likes to rip on his older brother at any given chance, as does Tommy.
The uncle-niece duo joins sides in this conversation to pick on Joel, and he doesn't mind it. Tommy tells Sarah that Joel is losing it after she points out to her father that he's wearing a t-shirt inside out. Tommy likes to playfully tease his brother and that's what set their family apart.
7 "They're Saying It Is A Virus. Some Kind Of Parasite."
Sarah has plenty of questions after seeing her neighborhood plunge into crisis. Joel's just killed his neighbor, "Nana" and saved his daughter and brother from her deadly attack. The events of the outbreak aren't clear to them and most of their discussion at that point is mere conjecture
Tommy answers some of Sarah's questions, assuring her the infection came from the city and that's why the highway is blocked off. He also informs that they are currently under a parasitic attack because he realizes his niece needs information to clear up the chaos in her head.
6 "We're Fine. Trust Me."
Tommy drives Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Sarah out of Austin, Texas to find a safer shelter for them. He knows nothing is okay seeing as everything is off, including cell phone connectivity and radio signal.
Sarah meanwhile has many questions on her mind, and she wants to know if they have caught the infection. Despite everything going on the side, Tommy tries to assure Sarah that they are okay. Sarah believes him, but the palpable tension on his face indicates others.
5 "Joel."
Sarah is fatally shot in the abdomen by a soldier while Joel who's about to be shot is saved by Tommy. As Sarah breathes her last, Joel tries whatever he can to save her. He's unable to come to terms with Sarah's heartbreaking death and as she struggles to breathe, he screams for help.
Tommy is the first among the two brothers to accept that there is no hope for Sarah. He knows there's nothing to say and that Joel knows the obvious. He cries to himself and watches the father and daughter have their parting moment.
4 "I'm Gonna Be A Father."
Though Tommy is seen briefly in the premiere, he is central to The Last of Us season 1, episode 6 "Kin." He's become a part of the community at Jackson, married to a former district attorney named Maria, and they have a baby on the way. Tommy tells Joel about the baby, and he hopes to make a good father.
Joel and Tommy's reunion and a real tear-jerker. However, when their past comes to the surface, neither knows their way around it. Tommy's conscience is heavy from the burden of the extreme measures he took to survive back in the QZ. He left that life and joined Marlene and the Fireflies. Eventually, he ended up leaving the Fireflies and made it to Wyoming where he met his future wife, Maria. Tommy is settled in the peaceful Jackson community, and he's somewhat optimistic about the future ahead of him.
3 "Just Because Life Stopped For You, Doesn't Mean It Has To Stop For Me."
Joel fails to congratulate his brother on Maria's pregnancy. His behavior leads Tommy to think that he isn't happy for him because he lost his own child.
Tommy reminds his older brother that life goes on, no matter what. He knows Joel doesn't have much going for him, after the death of his only daughter, Sarah. Tommy and Joel have a falling out after which Joel walks away saying he will be out of the Jackson community the next morning.
2 "From The Beginning."
Tommy sees Joel after their heated argument and eventually ends up learning Marlene convinced him and Tess to take Ellie to the Fireflies because she is immune to the Cordyceps infection.
Tommy is disoriented to hear Ellie's truth and demands Joel tell him everything from the beginning. Tommy, the idealistic man agrees to take Ellie to Eastern Colorado because he hopes for a better tomorrow for the next generation. The fact that Ellie's blood is the key to the antidote that can put an end to the infection is reason enough for Tommy to spring into action.
1 "There's A Place For You Here. Both Of You."
Joel and Tommy once again split at the very end of The Last of Us episode 6. Joel changes his mind and decides to take Ellie to the Fireflies lab in Colorado.
Tommy stays behind and bids warm goodbyes to both Ellie and Joel. He tells him they are welcome at the Jackson community, which in and of itself is a major tilt in the protective stance he took earlier for the community's residents. Tommy and Joel clear the bad blood and with that, the awkward family reunion comes to an end.