Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed action game The Last of Us was adapted into an equally hit TV show earlier this year. The show was enjoyed globally, by gamers and non-gamers alike. While the fundamental setting of the two was exactly the same, major changes were made in the show to give more insight into certain aspects.
Both the show and the game are set in a post-apocalyptic world plagued by a mutated fungus that infects humans and turns them into mindless, violent creatures. The story follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal in the TV Show), a smuggler who gets tasked with safely escorting a 14-year-old seemingly immune girl Ellie (played by Bella Ramsay) to a group called the fireflies who claim that her immunity will help them create a cure for the infection. The show and the game are the same for the most part, however, here are a few things that The Last of Us show does differently.
1. There Are More Insights About the Cordyceps Infection in the TV Show
The first episode of the show, unlike the game, starts with a much deeper dive into the origins of the infection. It features a cutscene from a 1968 fictional talk show with two men giving a soft warning to the world of a possible fungal pandemic in the future due to the collective rise in global temperature.
Similarly, the start of the second episode is set in Jakarta, Indonesia, a few days before the outbreak. A mycologist, on examining a human corpse with the Cordcyceps, alerts the military and warns them that there is no cure for such an infection. They must wipe out the entire city, with everyone in it.
2. Tess Meets a Different End in the Show
Tess (played by Annie Wersching in the game and Anna Torv in the TV show) is Joel’s partner who gets tasked with him to escort Ellie safely to the fireflies’ base. In an altercation with the infected, Tess gets bitten and her fate is sealed. While she sacrifices herself to save Joel and Ellie in both the game and the show, the way she does it is different.
In the game, the trio is being pursued by FEDRA soldiers as they enter the capitol building. She stays behind to hold them back so Joel and Ellie can escape safely. In the show, however, instead of FEDRA, the trio is being chased by a horde of infected. She blows herself up with the infected, inside the capitol building, to buy Joel and Ellie enough time to leave.
3. Bill and Frank Have a More Detailed Backstory as Compared to the Game
In the show, when Joel and Elli seek out Bill (played by Nick Offerman) for help, they discover a suicide note and find him and his partner Frank (played by Murray Bartlett) dead. Consequently, the show gives intricate details on the loving relationship Bill and Frank had. About how they lived together, and eventually died together when they realized Frank had a terminal illness that couldn’t be cured.
Unfortunately, Bill’s story wasn’t exactly ‘sentimental’ in the game. He was just another guy who helped Joel and Ellie survive. Frank is never seen, but it is implied that his relationship with Bill isn’t as wholesome as it was in the show. Although Frank does die by suicide in the game as well, it’s off-screen and never shown.
4. Kathleen Does Not Exist in the Game
While the “Hunters” did exist in the game, they weren’t anything other than a Hostile NPC group that Ellie and Joel had to escape from in Pittsburgh. In the show, they were given a much bigger presence and background and were even given a leader, Kathleen (played by Melanie Lynskey). Kathleen was a brutal, unforgiving character who was willing to go to any lengths to avenge the death of her brother.
5. The First Bloater Encounter Happens Differently in the Game
In the game, Ellie and Joel were with Bill when they had their first encounter with a bloater. Plus, there was no bloater when Joel was using a sniper on the hunters to protect Ellie, Sam (Keivonn Woodard), and Henry (Lamar Johnson). In the show, however, Kathleen’s existence is tied to the bloater sequence. When Kathleen and co. are chasing down the protagonists, they come face to face with a horde of infected emerging from the sewers. The horde has the dreaded bloater with it.
6. Ellie and Sam’s Heartbreaking Interaction in the Show
After getting the infected and the hunters off their back, Sam reveals to Ellie that he has been bitten. In a display of childlike innocence, Ellie tells Sam about her immunity and attempts to ‘heal’ him by unsuccessfully putting her blood on his wound. Nothing of such sort happens in the game, as it focuses more on the mechanics rather than the sentiments.
7. The Game Never Introduces Infected Children Unlike the Show
The game never explicitly shows an infected child. In the show, however, during the bloater sequence, Ellie comes face to face with a little girl who has gone through the first two stages of the infection and has turned into a clicker. This little detail just adds to the uneasiness surrounding the show.
8. We See More of Ellie’s Mother in the Show
The game only mentions Ellie’s mother through a bittersweet note Ellie has of her. She isn’t shown, nor is Ellie’s immunity expanded upon. On the other hand, the show features a whole sequence involving Ellie’s mother, Anna, and she’s portrayed by none other than Ashley Johnson, the voice behind Ellie in the original game. According to the show, Anna gets infected when she’s about to give birth to Ellie. This presumably is the reason Ellie becomes immune. The Last of Us season 2 is scheduled to begin production on February 12, 2024, as revealed by Craig Mazin to Variety.
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