The Last Of Us Episode 5's Tunnel Paintings Tell One Of The Game's Saddest Stories

The HBO series doesn't explicitly reveal what happened to the community that once lived in the sewer's tunnels, but the information presented, particularly through paintings and drawings, confirms it's the same story as in the game. In the 2013 PlayStation 3 exclusive, the player sees that the tunnel was once populated, with makeshift bunk beds, a school, and other leisure areas. By exploring the area, players can come across collectibles, mostly notes, which detail the mostly linear story of Ish, a fisher-person who took to the sea after the pandemic started. Ish's compelling and devastating story is primarily told through the environment, making it a largely optional emotional investment.

After several months of solitude, Ish returns back to land, only to be repulsed by society's downfall. Distraught, Ish took the sewers of Pittsburgh (the series changes the location to Kansas City), to create an intimate life of their own. Eventually, Ish encounters a family, trading supplies with them. Growing close with the family, Ish invites them to join the isolated safe haven. Eventually, Ish becomes the shepherd of a growing community, allowing multiple survivors into the tunnels. A proper, nurturing, rule-following society is formed, with Ish serving as one of the community's protectors. 

In the HBO series, Ellie and Sam find a drawing made of Ish and another protector. The same drawing, as an example, is a collectible that can be found in the game. Ultimately, a door is left open in Ish's community, allowing the infected to wander in, murdering most of the members in the community. Ish manages to escape with a select few survivors, with their fate unknown.