HBO’s The Last of Us has attracted millions of viewers every single week. It’s a smash hit with fans and reviewers alike. And while the TV show brings Joel and Ellie’s story to a whole new audience, there are people who have known and loved these characters for ten years: gamers. Part I, recently remade for PS5, is considered one of the greatest games of all time. Part II, released in 2020 at the height of a real-life pandemic, broke the record for most Game of the Year awards. But does the TV show live up to the games?
HBO have done a remarkable job with casting. Pedro Pascal doesn’t just look like Joel, he is Joel. He fully embodies Joel’s gruffness; his brutality in fight scenes. Pascal shows Joel as a hardened survivor. And, more importantly, he brings a beautiful dimension to Joel’s softer side as he opens up and becomes a surrogate father to Ellie.
Though some fans were worried about the casting of Bella Ramsey, who doesn’t look much like Ellie in the games, her performance is extraordinary. Her attitude, her playfulness, her moments of startling vulnerability – it’s all exactly right. And Ramsey’s chemistry with Pascal brings Ellie’s bond with her adoptive dad to life.
The relationship between these two characters is at the heart of both games; why the terrible choices Joel and Ellie make are not only believable, but totally understandable to an audience who has followed their story. Everything hinges on that connection, and – fortunately – it’s the best part of the show.
HBO has taken care with everything that’s most precious. Key scenes are recreated word for word, particularly early on, which reassured long-term fans. In episode one, when Sarah gifts Joel his watch, the dialogue and atmosphere are perfect. Later in that same episode, the Miller family’s attempt to escape during outbreak day almost exactly mirrors the path they took in-game. The eye to detail is impressive.
From the soundtrack to the aesthetic of the opening credits, HBO capture the ethos behind the games. Even the mechanics are echoed. In episode 2, Joel uses a cabinet to block a door and prevent enemies from following. Characters boost each other to locations they couldn’t otherwise reach. Joel even finds his shotgun in Bill’s armory – the same place he first unlocks it in the game.
Eagle-eyed gamers will recognise certain artefacts from Part I as well. In the tunnels there’s a drawing of Ish, identical to an in-game collectable. At the abandoned science lab, Joel and Ellie find a list inventorying Firefly supplies.
These documents serve an important purpose in the games, providing important history about the collapse of humanity and connecting Joel and Ellie to the people who’d gone before them. They add atmosphere in the show too, along with a healthy respect for the source material.
Familiar settings are lovingly recreated too. The iconic gold roof of the Capitol Building; the area in the tunnels where children once played, safe from the horrors of the outside world; the miracle of Jackson, civilisation strung with fairy lights.
However, not every location appears where it’s supposed to. The iconic waterlogged hotel was originally in Pittsburgh, but instead was shifted to Boston. Joel’s fight against deadly raiders was cut altogether. As was one of the most terrifying boss fights from Part I: when Joel, trapped in the dark hotel basement, comes face-to-face with stalkers and a bloater.
There are entire episodes where the infected don’t appear at all. This is by far the biggest disappointment. In the games, infected are a near constant threat. They’re present in every chapter – which brings home the significance of Ellie’s immunity and how a cure could transform the world. In leaving out so many life-or-death struggles with the infected, HBO fail to convey the full devastation done by cordyceps.
Cutting the infected from the university chapter was a mistake. Given how many times the old man and Tommy both warned Joel about the infected, their total absence made episode six fall flat.
That being said, not every change is a bad one. In taking Joel and Ellie to Jackson rather than the dam, they get a taste of what life would be like in a world without infection. And a reason to keep fighting. We also meet Dina, who plays a huge role in Ellie’s future, and Shimmer – the horse Ellie and Dina ride in Part II. Though neither appeared in the original, it was a nice nod to games. And a clear indication that future seasons will follow the path set out by the source material.
The biggest deviation so far happens in episode 3. In the game, Bill’s town’s full of infected and crossing it is a constant battle. Ultimately, Bill’s bitterness had driven Frank away. Though Frank tried to escape using the car battery, he was bitten, and hung himself to avoid turning. Joel and Ellie discover his body with Bill. And Joel even has the option of giving Frank’s suicide note to Bill, who crumples it up and throws it away.
HBO’s The Last of Us follows a different route. It takes the time to paint an exquisite love story over decades. And while Bill and Frank had their old arguments like any other couple, and Bill’s cynicism is a source of tension between them, it works. Nick Offerman gives the performance of his career as Bill. He trembles when Frank kisses him, and it’s poignant because Bill never expected to find human connection again in a world torn apart by infection.
After a good life together, Bill and Frank end their lives when Frank’s degenerative disease becomes debilitating. They go out on their own terms. It’s Joel who crumples up the suicide note, angry in his grief. And though Bill might not play the same role on screen, arguably his influence is even stronger. In his farewell note Bill encourages Joel to look past his grief and fight for the people who matter to him, which prompts Joel to realise that he cares about Ellie.
HBO’s The Last of Us is loyal to the games in all the ways that matter. Making changes was always a big risk when the original is so beloved. But most deviations from the game serve a clear purpose, enriching the characters and enhancing the story. The TV show is well worth watching.
The Last of Us is available on HBO in the USA, and NowTV in the UK.
