Tomas Flores
Contributing Writer
Background (non-spoiler)
“The Last of Us” was originally released as a video game on June 14, 2013 and created by Neil Druckmann. It took the video game community by storm with its rich storytelling, beautiful scenery, touching cinematics, and action-filled gameplay, where Survivors navigate a fungus (Cordyceps) zombie-infested world. The creators wanted to tell a story that wasn’t like any other zombie medium: with an ending that leaves many to wonder if there was more to the story.
Seven years later, the long-awaited sequel, “The Last of Us Part II,” was released on June 19, 2020, taking what was so loved about the first — the scenery, graphics, cinematics, and especially gameplay — and improving on it. For a while, the game continued to linger in the back of players’ minds until it was announced that it would be getting a television adaptation. On Jan. 15, 2023, “The Last of Us” season one aired on the HBO Max streaming service.
Season one stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. It also sees the return of creator Druckmann at the writing helm and Craig Mazin in charge of adapting it for television. Though only nine episodes, the first season expertly covers everything the original video game had to offer and expands on many of the cinematic elements that couldn’t be told through the video game medium.
Season 1 (spoilers ahead)
“The Last of Us” episode one opens with a short-but-thought-provoking monologue about what the Cordyceps virus is and perfectly explains how this seemingly normal fungus could take over the world. Cut to our main character, Joel, and his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), where we then get more background through dialogue and storytelling, making the death of his daughter that much more heartbreaking. The scene felt as though it was pulled exactly from the video game. This would be a common thread throughout the series, since Druckmann made sure long-term fans would recognize certain scenes while also seeing some new things along the way.
The show doesn’t shy away from taking the source material of the video game and changing some things to keep the storyline fresh and, in some ways, arguably better. One perfect example is in episode five, where we are introduced to Sam and Henry, two African American brothers from Kansas City. These characters were originally in the video game and received changes to their story for this new adaptation by casting a deaf actor, Keivonn Montreal Woodard, as Sam. Adding a heart-wrenching dynamic of brotherly love makes it what I and critics would agree is one of the most powerful episodes of the season.
Upon reaching the season finale, we see source material being played with, since what leads them to arrive at the hospital unconscious is different but stays true to the game in the ways that matter most — like the ending, where Joel must kill everyone to save Ellie from a death that could have led to a cure.
And so the dilemma that plagued gamers and viewers alike arises: was Joel justified in selfishly killing everyone in the hospital to save Ellie from the surgery that could have made a cure or not? Does Ellie know what he did? What repercussions will come of this lie?
Given the first season’s many awards, it’s considered both a successful video game adaptation and television masterpiece. But, as someone who played the game, I cannot deny it does have its flaws where some moments feel slow, because it noticeably has less action, and, for that reason, I give “The Last of Us” season one a 9/10.
Season 2, Episode 1
As of April 13, only one episode of “The Last of Us” season two has dropped, with plans of episodes being released every Sunday for a total of seven episodes. The new season saw an increase in viewership by a staggering 13% compared to the first season’s first episode.
As someone who played the second game, I know what is coming and can’t wait to see how it is adapted in this new medium. However, this first episode felt like a pure setup of what is to come. That isn’t to say it isn’t a good episode; I still enjoyed everything they tried to do here as well as the references to the video game, including a fight with a new type of infected called stalkers.
As said by show creator Craig Mazin in the official podcast, “The stalker, of course, is an evolution character in the game. And we kind of wanted to spotlight the fact that they think, which is a huge problem.”
But in the grand scheme of things, I feel as though this episode will lose its rewatchability. As trailers have shown, there are more infected to come, so a fight with one is less exciting than a horde. Thus, I give the first episode an 8/10.
Looking Ahead (major spoilers from the game!)
HBO Max has greenlit a season 3 for “The Last of Us,” but there is no Part III of the video game … yet. So the current plan is to cut up the second game into two separate seasons.
In “The Last of Us Part II,” the first half of the game covers the story through Ellie’s perspective. The second half controversially takes the perspective of Abby, a character established to be a villain. I would expect the show to follow suit with the game, as they have been doing thus far, by making the third season all about Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever in the show. I worry about how non-gamers will react to this shift from characters we are used to seeing (Joel and Ellie) to Abby for a season. I expect there to be controversy once again. But we’ll just have to watch and see.