As someone who writes about both videogames and TV, HBO’s The Last of Us has been a dream come true. Based on one of my favorite video games of all time, I was beyond excited for HBO’s adaptation. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are Joel and Ellie just as much as the games’ original actors, and I love the way the series has fleshed out the world of a post-apocalyptic America.
Whenever an adaptation of a beloved story comes along, however, there will be those who say that it doesn’t stick enough to the source material. But the differences of The Last of Us are what make the series great.
The show starts out by immediately deviating from the original game’s script. Whereas the game starts out the night of the outbreak, HBO’s adaptation starts out decades prior, back to a talk show in the ‘60s where scientists discuss the possibility of a fungal pandemic. It’s a classy way to give exposition as to how the cordyceps fungus (a real fungus that actually turns ants into a type of zombie) spread to infect humans. We get to learn even more about how the fungus spread in the following two episodes, with the second episode opening with a mycologist in Jakarta discovering the first few infections, and the third episode having Joel explain that the infection could have spread through eating contaminated food. All of these details add to the world-building of both the games and the show, giving us more information about a fascinating phenomenon based on real-life science.
Ultimately, however, The Last of Us’ science and world-building are just set dressing for the real focus: the characters. And not only does the series give us entirely original characters we’ve come to know and love, but it also fleshes out characters that already existed in the original game.
Once we jump forward to the day of the outbreak, we see a normal-looking 2003 America through the eyes of Sarah (Nico Parker), who eats breakfast with Joel, goes to school, bakes cookies, and fixes a watch at a store before coming home. Not only do we get to see the early signs of disaster before shit truly hits the fan, but we also get to see more into Sarah’s character, building a relationship between her and the audience, which makes her inevitable loss hit even harder.
Of course, I can’t ignore the biggest and best change to the series thus far, which is the majority of Episode 3 telling the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) beautiful and tragic romance. Other writers have already written extensively on why this episode works so well, so I won’t try to add to it, but if you wanted an example of how The Last of Us’ differences make the show better, this is it.
Another major change comes in the form of Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard), who is Henry’s (Lamar Johnson) younger brother and, unlike the game, deaf. As series co-creator Craig Mazin explained, the change came due to the increased screen time the two characters have in the show, and the fear that having the two communicate through speech would be too similar to the communication between Joel and Ellie. Not only does this change solve that problem and add some excellent disabled representation, but it also makes Sam’s death hit even harder.
Still, there are some moments of the game that are so sacred that the adaptation knows not to touch them too much—like Tess’ (Anna Torv) death and final emotional dialogue, the actual death scene of Sarah, and the heartfelt confrontation between Joel and Ellie as Joel attempts to leave her. These, and others, have been mostly preserved as they were in the game, even as the actors’ performances bring subtle differences in delivery.
The final three episodes also adhere more closely to the source material, which makes sense, as they cover the more plot-heavy parts of the game. Episode 7, “Left Behind,” sticks to all the major beats of the original game’s DLC episode, maintaining the romance between Ellie and her more-than-friend Riley (Storm Reid) and her tragic end. Episode 8, “When We Are In Need,” introduces the most clearly villainous character of both the game and show, David (Scott Shepherd), whose interactions with Ellie similarly stay faithful to the game. The finale, “Look for the Light,” maintains all the major emotional beats of the game’s confrontation between Marlene (Merle Dandridge) and Joel, while also having one of the most “videogame-y” scenes in which Joel shoots his way through the hospital to get to Ellie.
In all cases, there is additional dialogue that expands on the relationships between these characters, revealing more about what drives both Riley and David to make the choices they make. Rather than deviating from the plot, these additions enrich the story, uncovering new motivations for these characters that give their decisions more context.
There are plenty who may find quibbles in this otherwise near-perfect series, but I’d much rather have the show deviate from the source material and occasionally not get it right than sheepishly adhere as much as possible to the way things play out in the game.
Ultimately, HBO’s The Last of Us struck an excellent balance between not leaving the game behind and maintaining its best aspects, while making enough changes for it to remain fresh. Whenever changes have been made (so far—the show is returning for Season 2, based on the game’s sequel), it has been done with care and consideration, which enriches already well-defined characters and their motivations as well as the post-apocalyptic world they inhabit. And we might just be inclined to follow them anywhere.
Joseph Stanichar is a freelance writer who specializes in videogames and pop culture. He’s written for publications such as Game Informer, Twinfinite and Looper. He’s on Twitter @JosephStanichar.
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