The Last of Us

'The Last of Us' set a gold standard for video-game storytelling. The adaptation's premiere makes it clear HBO doesn't want to screw that up.

She also learns that Marlene does not like being called a terrorist, particularly when she knows she’s working for a greater purpose and Ellie is essential to the cause. Meanwhile, Joel and Tess plot payback on the battery dealer who ripped them off, a pursuit that eventually brings them to Firefly headquarters, or what’s left of it. These include, of course, FEDRA soldiers, including Joel’s painkiller customer, who seems willing to bargain with them for their escape until Ellie stabs him before he can see she tests positive for infection, after which Joel murders him with his bare fists (after a brief flashback to Sarah) as Tess and Ellie look on. But that doesn’t get in the way of her expressing her resentment with defiant sarcasm. After Sarah joins Joel and Tommy in a pick-up with a quarter tank of gas, the three speed across the outskirts of Austin only to find the highway choked with traffic and the fields filled with soldiers. There’s kindness in the way the soldier tells the girl, “What if I told you that after we gave you some medicine, we’re going to find you your favorite food to eat?” but it’s a lie. When Joel and Sarah encounter a soldier, it quickly becomes apparent he’s going to kill them, presumably acting on orders to take extreme measures to contain the spread of the infection. When Tess finds herself in the middle of a FEDRA-Firefly street fight, she does her best not to get involved. The series begins in a slightly different place, opening with a scene set at the taping of a talk show in 1968 in which a smug interviewer talks to two scientists. (Could the sirens she’s been hearing all day have something to do with it?) And she’s helpful with the Adlers, the family next door with the nice dog and a senile, wheelchair-bound mother named Connie who never talks. [PlayStation 3 game in the summer of 2013](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-last-of-us-hbo-adaptation-review-non-gamers.html), The Last of Us drew breathless praise from reviewers, but that’s not particularly unusual. But the show also feels like its own creation, in large part because the series, and its well-chosen cast, emphasize the emotions at the heart of the game, including an interest in what place morality has in a brutal postapocalyptic world and a sense that it is connections between people that make life meaningful, even when surrounded by monsters.

HBO's super-sized series premiere saw Joel (Pedro Pascal) navigate trauma and find new purpose in Ellie (Bella Ramsey), plus some video-game callbacks.

People don’t love that sequence because it’s two minutes of CGI forming different shapes; they love it because it’s two minutes of CGI telling a story of sorts by establishing the geography of the series as a whole and of individual episodes, changing periodically to introduce new spots on the map or prepare us to return to little-visited places like The Pyke. While the idea of the spores rising into something resembling a city — i.e., a metaphor for how the world as we know it has been consumed by the mushrooms — is clever, it’s still ultimately just a bunch of shapes, and not interesting enough to go on for as long as it does. And we discover that Marlene needs Ellie to get to her other Fireflies out west because Ellie is somehow immune to the infection. Ellie is not as in command of the situation as Tess was, but we also quickly see that she is not afraid of being shackled to a wall by armed people who won’t explain why they want her. Then purpose arrives in the form of Ellie, a girl close in age to Sarah who needs passage out of the city. He is emotionally closed-off and efficiently brutal, and when his new charge Ellie is threatened by a soldier late in the episode, he has a PTSD flashback to Sarah’s death and turns absolutely savage in the way he beats on this man. [zombies](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/zombies/), though we do get the disgusting imagery of a dead body absorbed into a wall of fungus when Joel and the others traverse an underground tunnel late in the hour. (We are introduced to her surrounded by armed men after a beating, yet it is clear that she is in command of the room the entire time, and would likely have found a way out of her predicament even if a conveniently-timed Firefly bomb hadn’t given her an escape route.) He is existing rather than living, haunted by the loss of his daughter even more than the loss of everything else he knew, with few goals beyond getting through the next day. Before we get to that violent escape from Boston, we first have to establish the state of America 20 years after the zombie uprising. So I’ll be discussing this episode, and all the ones to come, solely on the basis of how it works as a television show. But before that, we have to watch civilization fall in the way it tends to in so many dystopian shows and movies. Instead, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are using those scenes to establish emotional stakes for Joel, and to make us deeply feel at least some of the pain he experiences when Sarah is shot by a panicked soldier on the night the world is wrecked.

The laughter from the studio audience dissipates as the epidemiologist gravely explains how a parasitic fungus can do more than simply kill its host. As science ...

The sight of a gun pointed at a young girl reminds Joel of the soldier that killed Sarah, and in a rage he rushes the soldier and beats him senseless. Marlene promises that if Ellie is delivered safely to the State House, the Fireflies there will provide him and Tess with everything they need to track down Tommy. Tommy, we learn, is a Firefly, too, and this was a major cause of tension between the brothers. Robert, apparently, was going to sell the battery to the Fireflies instead of Tess. The Fireflies detonated a car bomb and are trading bullets with the gathering FEDRA forces. But Marlene ( [Merle Dandridge](https://ew.com/person/merle-dandridge/)), the leader of this area's Firefly faction, appears confident that she's healthy. A filthy child wanders through an empty park overgrown with weeds, staring down the blasted ruins of Boston, where slumping highrises and the vestiges of infrastructure are choked with suffocating vines and wads of dirt-crusted stone. The trio's offroading leads them to a downtown in disarray. Ambulances and police cars blare in the streets, jets carve the clouds, and the radio reports of unrest in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. [Pedro Pascal](https://ew.com/person/pedro-pascal/)) is the single father of Sarah (Nico Parker). A smirking host speaks with a pair of epidemiologists about the possibility of a pandemic. Joel and Sarah's quiet night celebrating his birthday is disrupted when Tommy calls to ask his brother to bail him out of jail.

It has been described as "comfortably the best adaptation of a video game ever made" that has been able to "break the curse" on gaming-TV crossovers.

"Through Ellie, we see its wonder. "Through Joel, we feel the heartbreak of this world," its chief television critic said. "The design is stunning: vistas of deserted, bombed out metropolises are matched by sprawling, Western inflected, shots of rural America." All this to an audience who may not traditionally engage with games. [there's some stand out acting in the series](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/11/the-last-of-us-tv-finally-has-the-perfect-video-game-adaptation) acknowledging "it's a bold statement to make" but episode three "might well be one of the TV episodes of 2023". [gave it four stars, saying](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-last-of-us-review-pedro-pascal-hbo-b2258847.html) it's "undoubtedly a new landmark in the seemingly impossible task of adapting video games".

The zombie apocalypse depicted in the popular video game series and newly adapted HBO series “The Last of Us” derives from a mutation to a type of fungus ...

The zombie apocalypse depicted in the popular video game series and newly adapted HBO series “The Last of Us” derives from a mutation to a type of fungus called cordyceps. This should probably come as no surprise, though: Unlike in the games and show, cordyceps, as we currently know it, will not turn you into a zombie. Cordyceps is real, and some

The opening scene shows two epidemiologists speaking on a talk show in 1968, speculating about significant viral threats to human existence. One says viruses ...

We wanted to give us much reality as we could because the realer that is, the more we connect to the characters that are in that space playing around.” The game had spores in the air and people had to wear gas masks, and we decided, early on, that we didn’t want to do that for the show,” he said. Druckmann added: “With the more recently infected, we had a lot of conversation about what that vector could look like because there are certain things from the game that we took away. Mazin continued that the audience is more knowledgeable about pandemics these days than they were when the game first came out in 2013. This scene is pivotal to explaining how the outbreak in The Last of Us begins. The disease that wipes out most of humanity in The Last of Us is a fungus—a mutated microorganism known as cordyceps, which actually does exist in real life, but it can’t infect humans. “There’s a fungus that infects insects, it gets inside an ant, travels through its circulatory system to the ant’s brain and then floods it with hallucinogens, thus bending the ant’s mind to its will. The airborne spores that required gas masks to navigate are gone and instead, we have tendrils (which, by the way, will make your skin crawl from a visual perspective), potentially given the real-life COVID pandemic wherein a mask helps slows transmission. “So, if that happens—” the talk show host begins. [devour its host](https://stylecaster.com/watch-the-walking-dead-online-free/) from within replacing, the ant’s flesh with its own, but it doesn’t let its victim die. How did The Last of Us outbreak start? But in the end, we always win,” he explains, adding that fungus will be humanity’s undoing “in the most dire terms” and alludes to how it might begin.

While The Last of Us is deservingly praised for its human drama, the cordyceps help the franchise to also stand above other horror zombie productions.

In The Last of Us, human neurology is also altered to make the host more aggressive and more likely to bite and spread the fungi to new victims. While The Last of Us is deservingly praised for its human drama, the cordyceps help the franchise to also stand above other horror productions focused on zombies. But in the case of cordyceps, the result is terrifying. Since the planet's average temperature is rising, mutations that turn species more resistant to heat become more adapted to the environment. All the stories you heard about zombie ants eaten from the inside out by fungi are true, and the cordyceps are to blame. But there’s another reason why The Last of Us is such an exciting show.

Writer-producer Craig Mazin fact-checks the HBO premiere's eerie prologue ("It's real…"), plus discusses that perfect song choice at the episode's end.

And I needed it to have context. I needed to have be foreboding, and ideally, without being super on the nose, give me a comment. I needed to be meaningful. I need it to be a song that I kind of know but I haven’t heard in a long time. — from a purely scientific point of view, would they do exactly to us what they do to ants? “It’s real — it’s real to the extent that everything he says that fungus do, they do,” Mazin says. I needed to start a particular way so we can show that radio turning on. It was so upsetting to say to people, ‘We knew about this, it’s been there, now we’re gonna show you the night it finally happens.’ Not suddenly, but finally.” “And they currently do it and have been doing it forever. “If the world were to get slightly warmer, then there is reason to evolve,” he said. The Last of Us got underway Sunday night with an eerie cold open prologue that’s set on a talk show in 1963. An epidemiologist (played by the wonderful John Hannah, of The Mummy and Spartacus fame) gives a dire warning to an incredulous host (Silicon Valley’s Joshua Max Brener) about the looming fungal threat.

We zip forward to 2003, ten years before the opening of the game, and get a really nice sequence with Joel (Pedro Pascal), his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and ...

In this case, the writers and producers had to condense a 15-hour game into a 10-hour season of television. It doesn’t always work out (many movie adaptations of video games aren’t exactly great), but things can’t stay always precisely the same as they were in the source. Deviating from Joel and Ellie’s story to tell another one in this universe — something that wouldn’t be possible for the game to do — is an exciting change. I enjoyed the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, which is nothing like any of the games, and I’m interested to see how the Gran Turismo film shakes out, given that it’s about someone who’s very skilled at those games becoming a real-life racing driver. In the same way, a movie that adapted any of the core Mario games exactly would quickly fall flat. We get to see some of what Sarah’s day-to-day existence is like in the hours before the outbreak occurs. Changing how the infection spreads from spores to fungus, for instance, means that the actors don’t have to wear masks in some scenes. They hit the story beats they needed to while changing things up enough to surprise fans of the game and, at least in some places, make the narrative work better in another medium. Things that work in a novel may not in a film, and retelling a game beat-for-beat in a TV show doesn’t make a lot of sense. The cold open is a scene from a ‘60s talk show, which is immediately a new twist. Thanks in part to some of the different paths it takes, HBO’s adaptation of the 2013 game is off to a stellar start. Even when it’s a game that’s as cinematic as The Last of Us.

The first episode of HBO's The Last of Us recreated an iconic but horrifying moment from the games.

Tommy, of course, has seen a lot of death in his experience, and I think that what I was trying to get across was that I know what’s done; I can see this wound and I know what’s about to happen. But what I could see on the monitor and the way we were handling it, we were being really, really true to the game. In their fight to escape the horrors, they end up in the crosshairs of members of the military, who gun down Sarah. That heartbreak is a key component of the opening of the video game, so for those familiar, it should come as no surprise that the first episode of The Last of Us realizes those horrific moments in live-action. If you've yet to watch the show, head over to HBO Max now and see for yourself what happens. Anyone who's spent time playing the Naughty Dog game series knows that The Last of Us isn't your run of the mill zombie apocalypse story.

The first episode of The Last of Us on HBO establishes a new world for the video game series, with plenty of differences and similarities.

The two make a plan to find Robert and confront him in order to find out where the battery ended up. In the chaos, the guard points his rifle at Ellie, and Joel jumps in between them, unarmed, to try and talk him down. - There’s a clear shot of dust in the light in the first scene in Joel’s apartment. Fortunately, as it turns out, the guard is the one Joel provided pills to earlier in the episode. Tess escapes to see that a FEDRA vehicle has been bombed, and that a sniper is on a nearby rooftop, firing on FEDRA soldiers. A guard notices the child, and rushes to assist as he collapses. As Joel tries to explain that neither of them are infected, the soldier radios for instructions on how to handle the situation. Just as the monster is about to pounce, it’s shot by a soldier, who then keeps Joel and Sarah at gunpoint. As Sarah gets outside, Joel and Tommy careen onto the scene in their pickup truck, and Joel kills the infected woman with a wrench, without hesitation. Joel is painted as being forgetful and preoccupied with his work and his need to keep his family afloat, though has a clear lighthearted side, and is very open to playfully jesting with Sarah and Tommy. Post title credits, the episode then jumps ahead to a suburb of Texas in 2003, where single father Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a building contractor, and his teenage daughter Sarah (Nico Parker), are starting their day. One of the guests begins to talk about the very real concept of parasitic fungi – organisms that infect, kill, and control the body of their host to further spread their existence.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lead this white-knuckle adaptation of the survival-horror gaming classic. Plus: Maternal is a fast-paced and stressful new ...

The scheming mayor’s young ward, Atari, flies to the island in search of his pet, and falls in with a canine pack voiced by the likes of Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton and Bill Murray. The second of three shaming films by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein reaches the outbreak of war and unambiguous news of Nazi atrocities against European Jews. This new series of the compelling documentary strand was filmed last spring but even then – as paramedics respond to cardiac arrests, epileptic seizures and nasty falls – waiting times were stretching out alarmingly. This catchup revisits the venue a year later to see how Covid affected its attempt to attract a new clientele and balance the books. Last February, the BBC aired a charming documentary about a struggling Clacton working men’s club, which was attempting to modernise thanks to the proprietor’s daughters. It’s essentially a post-apocalyptic drama, but thanks to its origins, the story has real white-knuckle jeopardy.

The "zombie virus" introduced in HBO's The Last of Us is unlike any you've ever seen before...

What’s so terrifying about this infection is that while we typically think of zombies as reanimated corpses that have been killed and then brought back to life by some sort of virus, the Cordyceps fungus technically keeps the host alive through this entire process, even though they aren’t conscious or in control. This stage of Cordyceps can occur anywhere between two weeks to a year after infection as the fungus takes further control over the host’s body. The next stage of infection is the Stalker, categorized by fungal plates that have begun to grow over the eyes. With that said, let’s dive into the different stages of infection we could see in this season of The Last of Us. Even though a newspaper found in the prologue of the game shows that the FDA tried to slow the spread by issuing food recalls, the incubation rate is so fast that hospitals quickly became overwhelmed at the onset of the outbreak. In this world, the Cordyceps fungus has mutated to infect the brains of humans, turning them into violent and bloodthirsty creatures intent on spreading the fungus as widely as possible.

Exposition dumps are so inevitable because they take care of a really annoying part of post-apocalyptic and dystopian storytelling: establishing the “rules” of ...

Because of the earlier scene, we know what happens to infected, so when Ellie freaks out and stabs the officer it could only mean one thing — she’s infected but somehow immune. The Last of Us doesn’t just throw away the rulebook of exposition, it also rips it apart and sets it on fire, just in case. The virus is still rampant, there’s a way to test for it, and infected people are euthanized to prevent spread. The officer questions him while someone tests him with a mysterious device. Instead of panning over a newspaper or have Joel reflect on past years, our first glimpse of this new world is of a small boy roaming the wilderness before finally stumbling into the Quarantine Zone. Canonically, it doesn’t make much sense for characters who have been living the apocalypse to be discussing how it works, so this exposition is usually done in a clunky voice-over or monologue, or, if the filmmakers are feeling clever, a news broadcast.

Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann was working on it to make sure it was faithful to the game. Chernobyl's Craig Mazin was writing it. It was on HBO. And when early ...

Fanboys made a big deal out of a quote where she said she was told not to play the game, implying that would make her performance unfaithful. While everyone remembers the breakout performance she gave in a few scenes as young Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, she was a somewhat unknown quantity here. Hell, even one of the same actresses shows up to play the same role she had a decade ago (Marlene). HBO, even going through massive cutbacks in the David Zaslav era, has clearly unleashed the floodgates to give The Last of Us whatever budget it needs. Even getting my hopes way, way up ahead of the premiere of The Last of Us last night, even counting the series as one of my favorites in video game history, it actually exceeded my expectations. Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann was working on it to make sure it was faithful to the game.

A gold-domed building stands at the end of an overgrown, apocalyptic street. It's one of the first images in a trailer for "The Last of Us" and it's ...

In its first 25 minutes, the HBO adaptation of 'The Last of Us' achieves an energy the game longed to emulate.

For those with a strong attachment to the original work, the last decade was essentially building up to this moment, and what transpires in the TV adaptation is something close to a (The remake with more modern tech, released last fall, is only somewhat better.) Since this is a game, it’s also a sequence with a fail state. It’s really something to see a prestige TV show literally translate a scene from a game that was, in its own way, already emulating a prestige TV show. The plane crash, for example, is an invention for the show; in the video game, Sarah and Joel are knocked out when another car slams into theirs. The HBO remake of the outbreak sequence is striking in how it fully realizes what the original work was simulating. Playing the game, you can feel The Last of Us strain to use its elemental tools to achieve the kind of cinematic storytelling it’s going for, even as it’s ultimately successful. The camera assumes a view from the back seat, mimicking Sarah’s perspective as the family tries to get out of Dodge. (Though one could possibly argue Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men, which does a ton of world-building through background elements that the camera often glides by, came quite close.) The very first character you control is Sarah, whom you guide through a splendid sequence that evokes the feeling of being a child alone at home. John Hannah plays the more portentous of the duo, laying out the mechanics of what will eventually drive the apocalypse in this universe: mind-controlling fungus, previously a phenomenon contained to the insect world, pushed by climate change to evolve such that it makes the jump into human beings. As someone long familiar with the source material, the choice is exciting: the HBO version places a premium on leaving room to breathe. This wasn’t necessarily the case in the source material. However, back in 2013, the game was still doing its best with the tools it had within the context of its medium.

The zombifying fungal infection that wiped out humanity in The Last of Us is based on a very real set of parasitic fungi that hijack insects and compel them ...

Though not confirmed, fans widely [expect](https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/01/14/will-naughty-dogs-next-game-be-the-last-of-us-part-3/?sh=3d9fa9907d0f) Naughty Dog will announce a third title in the game’s main series in the future and Druckmann has openly stated he feels there is “more story to tell.” [said](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-cordyceps-infection-explained-neil-druckmann-craig-mazin-comments/) was taken to avoid actors having to wear obstructive gas masks for large portions of the show. This is a major departure from what happens in nature, where zombie fungi actually steer well clear of the brain and manipulate behavior with chemical signals, Hughes said. This discovery was made fairly recently and after the first game had been released. Presently, details are scarce, though a small amount of Araújo said it was a “shame” fungal spores have been removed from the show, a decision showmakers Since its release it has been remastered, remade and spawned a sequel, The Last of Us Part II. Though based on a game, viewers don’t need to have [played the game](https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/01/15/do-you-need-to-have-played-the-last-of-us-to-watch-the-hbo-show/?sh=3fba09355f95) in order to follow or appreciate the show and it [is](https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/01/10/hbos-the-last-of-us-review/) reportedly a [faithful adaptation](https://www.theverge.com/23550842/hbo-the-last-of-us-neil-druckmann-craig-mazin-interview), albeit with some significant differences. [concept art](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-factions-multiplayer-gets-new-concept-art/1100-6510286/) has been released. The first episode of HBO’s The Last of Us was released on Sunday. The first game, released in 2013 by studio Naughty Dog, is one of the most De Bekker said it was great the infected are shown as living beings—rather than the less natural “undead” commonly deployed in the zombie genre—but that their aggressive behavior is not in line with what infected insects do.

"The Last of Us" showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann explained the opening scene on the official HBO podcast.

"One of the things that the opening does is place everything also within the context of a longer time span," said Mazin. This is part of the natural cycle of the planet. "I thought it was important to say to people, we are not a show that's asking you to share some of your own personal horror about the viral pandemic with us. "There was also a chance to address the elephant in the global room, which is we all just went through a viral pandemic," said Mazin. Starting the series this way has the simultaneous effect of keeping fans of the game on their toes and giving important context to newcomers to The Last of Us. [The Dick Cavett Show](https://www.youtube.com/@TheDickCavettShow), which is the scene that ends up in the series. It's a scene that's not present [in the game](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-hbo-game-vs-show); the cause of the Infected is explained through the game's opening credits news coverage montage and through various dialogue in cutscenes. The idea of this foreboding interview came from director Mazin, who spoke about the scene on Speaking with host and original Joel Miller voice actor Troy Baker, Mazin unpacked the cold open and how he had pitched two ideas for it to his fellow showrunner, The Last of Us creator Druckmann. Schoenheiss (played by Christopher Heyerdahl), who explains that fungal infection of this kind, though real, is not present in humans. And in the [HBO](https://mashable.com/category/hbo) adaptation, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann kick off the anticipated series with an extra introduction to the game's context to really hammer this mushroom foe home alongside the idea that disasters don't just happen overnight, somebody always sees them coming. Neuman (played by John Hannah) speaks on an interview show about the prospect of a viral pandemic.

The Last of Us's Fireflies, led by Marlene, are freedom fighters and one of the main political players in HBO's post-apocalyptic drama.

The Fireflies also partner with smugglers and criminals to get the supplies they need to fight their war, ultimately putting innocent lives at risk. What makes The Last of Us such an exciting story is that, so far, there’s no absolute good or evil in the show. While the Fireflies fight for democracy, they don’t refrain from playing dirty to get what they want. This military organization is more concerned with the ends than with the means, leading them to crush the survivors and impose brutal restrictions on individual freedom. Episode 1 introduces us to Joel ( [Pedro Pascal](https://collider.com/tag/pedro-pascal/)), Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and Tess (Anna Torv), teasing their journey across a destroyed version of the U.S. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) justifies all the hype surrounding HBO’s highly-anticipated zombie apocalypse drama.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Last of Us' premiere. I knew Pedro Pascal's Joel and Nico Parker's Sarah for all of, what, half an hour?

On a less lachrymose note: I enjoyed the extended peek into Joel, Sarah and Tommy’s life before everything went to hell. I do not love emoting and downright hate doing so in the presence of (most) people. And if that premiere was any indication, as the TVLiner who’s writing about the HBO show this season, I am in for a rough time.

SPOILER ALERT for TLOU Part I and Part II ! Only watch if you've played the games. Hope you enjoy! Like and comment below what you think of the show so far!

The trailer also spotlights Anna Torv, Nick Offerman, Storm Reid, and more. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us ...

Merle Dandridge’s Marlene had previously teased Ellie’s relationship with Riley (Storm Reid) and the character appears in the trailer as well. Some of them include characters teased by the codes from Joel’s radio like Henry (Lamar Johnson), Sam (Keivonn Woodard), Bill (Nick Offerman), and Frank (Murray Bartlett). As we look forward to the next episode, HBO has released a trailer teasing what comes next for the trio, and how Joel and Ellie’s relationship will develop.

Pedro Pascal is Joel<p> Game of Thrones/The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal stars. 20 Images. Bella Ramsey as Ellie<p> Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey plays Ellie ...

And in the game, while we may have seen her give the fixed watch to Joel, we didn’t see the thought that went into heading to the city to get it repaired. And it also gives Druckmann, the writer behind all of this, the chance to improve upon his own work from a decade ago, an opportunity many writers would kill for. But that question perhaps hangs heavier over this adaptation than others, as The Last of Us’ story is one that could very easily be transferred to television without many tweaks and still be riveting. As Sarah, she’s constantly relatable and charming, and the tear that escapes from her eye as she struggles to remain calm while Tommy and Joel rush them out of town is a brilliant little touch. As with any adaptation, one of the main questions facing HBO’s The Last of Us has been how much it will deviate from the source material. And that shot of the elderly Adler, Connie, subtly showing symptoms in the background while Sarah reads a DVD box? From there, we see her going through the day-to-day motions – attending school, heading into the city to get Joel’s watch fixed, reluctantly spending time with the neighbors, and watching in horror as the pandemic begins to unfold. Of those 34 minutes, only about 10 are spent directly adapting scenes from the game – specifically, when Joel, Sarah, and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) are booking it out of town, and staying true to its source to the point of showing Joel electing to keep driving past a family begging for help. Firstly, some context for the virus that the characters are about to face, with a talk show clip from 1968 that has doctors explaining the threat that a certain type of fungus could pose to the human race (interestingly enough, the game saved its snippets of panicked news reports for after the initial intro, placing them over the opening credits that follow the title card). The end result – Sarah dying in Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) arms – is the same, but the journey to get there is a key example of how adaptations can build upon their predecessors while staying loyal to them. It’s one of the things that made The Last of Us the touchstone that it is, establishing an integral part of our protagonist’s motivations and setting the stage for one emotionally grueling game. In fact, it quite literally doubles the runtime of the intro;

This desperately moving drama set in a zombie-ravaged US is a phenomenal blend of horror and heart, with a cast that could not be more perfect.

Yet it manages to find humanity in the ruins – and that makes it worth the hardship. It is a gorgeous detour into the wider world; as many critics have said already, it might be one of the finest episodes of TV you will see this year. The fact that it manages to resist a sentimental approach and yet still finds such soul is a real achievement. What is left of society is in the hands of an authoritarian military regime fighting rebel groups classed as terrorists and it is bleak as hell. The Last of Us is violent and maudlin. That is the terrifying premise of The Last of Us (Sky Atlantic), another post-apocalyptic prestige drama in a TV landscape that, for understandable reasons, is stuffed with game-over scenarios.

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for the first episode of The Last of Us.The harrowing opening to the acclaimed video game, · When Sarah ( ...

[The opening part of this first episode](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-episode-1-recap-when-youre-lost-in-the-darkness/) is given more time to breathe and ensures the way the loss that tears through everything hits harder than it ever did before. Where they are united is in an emphasis on the small details of life that play out even when characters are unknowingly on the precipice of an event that will consume all they know. As will become even more profoundly felt throughout this first season, this is what matters when all else has been lost forever and what Joel will spend the rest of his life trying to recover. It is an understated way of reminding us how the quotidian details of a life, while commonplace when part of our daily rhythms, become something we ache and yearn for when they are ripped away from us. While the show is very much about the moments of spectacle, it devotes time to the minutiae as well. This emphasis strikes a better sense of balance and command of tone that will be familiar to those that have seen co-creator In addition to going a long way to distinguishing itself early on, it signals the beginning of a refreshing willingness to get more wrapped up in storylines that the game had only begun to scratch the surface of. [calm before the coming storm](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-video-game-choices/) that we are allowed to float in for just a bit longer. Nothing would be more obnoxious than adding in scenes to an existing story that merely serve to wink to the audience and over-explain backgrounds that would better stand alone. The series takes that a step further in a way that feels earned as opposed to being just about providing exposition and backstory. Rather, it adds a texture that brings the world to life that much more even for the characters who won't survive to see it. [Nico Parker](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-image-sarah-nico-parker/)) meets her end, it still is as painful and brutal as it was in the game.

Pedro Pascal stars as Joel Miller, a rugged black market smuggler who is tasked to transport precocious 14-year-old orphan, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across a post- ...

[IGN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me0EadJQPvQ) recently created a comparison video that highlights the similarities between [The Last of Us episode 1](https://screenrant.com/last-of-us-sarah-miller-episode-1/) and original scenes from the video game. As The Last of Us continues on HBO, audiences can see how the show honors the beloved video game. Although the show's creators promised a faithful adaptation, trailers have shown new story elements not originally in the iconic video game. Even specific lines of dialogue are pulled directly from the video game. IGN's video uses side-by-side comparisons to showcase how faithful The Last of Us' premiere episode was to the original game. [The Last of Us](https://screenrant.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) television series, a comparison video shows just how game-accurate episode 1 truly is.

It's early days, but this video-game adaptation about the world being overrun by fungal zombies is expertly done. Newcomers and original gamers will be ...

I want to try to keep comparisons and mentions of the video game to a minimum and treat this as a separate entity – it has to work as a standalone, not just for fans of the game who know what’s coming – but so far, this series has done an amazing job of transporting the characters to screen. They accepted the mission, only to encounter the Fedra soldier Joel had sold pills to earlier in the episode. After Joel smashed their neighbour Mrs Adler’s head in with a spanner, he, Sarah and Tommy tried to escape the area in their pickup truck as all hell broke loose around them. Boston, 2023, and the world is wrecked. We heard about a disturbance in Jakarta on radio – ominous – and learned Joel works in construction – handy. Hello and welcome to The Last of Us episode recaps.

Phillip Kovats, who voices the male Clickers, is the Director of Sound at PlayStation, so it is no surprise that he was able to create the horrifying noise.

Now, it seems like the pair have reprised their role to voice the Clickers for the HBO adaption of The Last of Us. This includes Ellie’s voice actor, Ashley Johnson, taking on the role of Ellie’s mother, Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, becoming a member of David’s group and finally Merle Dandridge, who has reprised herself as the Firefly leader, Marlene. It is no easy task to find voice actors who can match their voices to the horrific appearance of the Clickers – but it appears as though these two nailed it.

Trouble never sounded so awesome. Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us Episode 1 Image via HBO. Editor's note: The below ...

The objective of the whole operation is to take Ellie to the State House, located outside the QZ. We soon find out what that means when Ellie tells Joel the radio came on while he was asleep, playing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham, and he reacts with concern. So Ellie will be safe, as long as she remembers that they are the ones in charge and that she must obey and follow their lead. "I'm taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again / Promises me I'm safe as houses / As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers / I hope he never lets me down again" "We're flying high / We're watching the world pass us by / Never want to come down / Never want to put my feet back down on the ground" In the first part, the song tells of two people going on a journey together, the singer hopeful that this time will be better than the last: "I'm taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again / He knows where he's taking me / Taking me where I want to be / I'm taking a ride with my best friend"

The final scene in The Last of Us' first episode draws closer ties between Ellie and Sarah and their relationship with Joel.

It’s been known, as it has been said in many interviews by primarily Mazin and Druckmann, that the show will expand and alter the story in certain ways, and it’s clear from this scene alone that those changes are also going to be happening early on between This makes the scene even more intense, as we see Joel try and calm him down and barter with him in hopes of him letting them go. [the FEDRA soldier](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-fedra-explained/) that Joel sells drugs to earlier in the episode. One of the more important additions is the connection that’s drawn between the FEDRA soldier that points the gun at Ellie and the one that ends up shooting Sarah. Most importantly is that this comparison can’t be drawn when talking about the original game, as there’s never really meant to be a line that could be drawn between that moment and Sarah’s death. While some of the changes in the premiere were more overt, there are a handful that many can point to as thoughtful expansions on the already great narrative.

This car sequence follows the trajectory of its analog in the video game but adds little moments of terror that accrue into something even stronger.

This car sequence follows the trajectory of its analog in the video game but adds in so many little moments of terror that accrue into something altogether more terrifying. A swarm of infected and panicked people burst through the window of a nearby movie theater (one whose marquee reads "Midnight Madness" in a bit of dark comedy). This prompts Sarah to suggest that there might not be anywhere safe, and that the infections could be happening everywhere. Viewers are not provided that level of certainty in the show, and that only adds to the suspense. Mazin's knack for heightening the uncertainty of the situation and peppering each moment with disorienting, chaotic violence makes this sequence all the more harrowing. Joel urges Tommy to drive south, the only direction without a clear obstacle, and he begins to plot aloud that they might be able to cross the border and find safety in Mexico. Joel concurs and suggests that this is probably why they got infected, implying that the Millers are likely safe, as they have not spent much time in the city. After a moment of consideration, Sarah recalls that their neighbors, the Adlers, would take Nana into the city so that she could go to the hospital. Just like in the game, Tommy wants to stop and help some stranded pedestrians, but Joel tells him to keep driving. This is not the case in the HBO version. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) video game's prologue is the getaway drive during the initial outbreak of [the cordyceps fungus](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-cordyceps-infection-explained/). Joel takes her by the shoulders and informs her that, "It's not just the Adlers," suggesting that whatever's happening is widespread.

Pedro Pascal plays Joel, a construction contractor turned hardened survivor, when a zombie apocalypse shatters the world. He winds up escorting Ellie, played by ...

But the real secret sauce of "The Last Of Us" is its storytelling style. Part of the reason is 19-year-old English actress Bella Ramsey, best known as Lady Mormont on "Game Of Thrones," who gives a star-making performance as Ellie. It's the best adaptation of a video game I have seen yet. The fungus starts to direct the ant's behavior, telling it where to go and what to do like a puppeteer with a marionette. A popular video game about surviving an apocalypse has been adapted into HBO's newest adventure series, "The Last Of Us." The zombies aren't created by a virus or pathogen but by a fungus.

From 1993's Super Mario Bros film which regularly features on lists of the worst films of all time, to the three Lara Croft Tomb Raider films released from 2001 ...

When a video game adaption is trading on the brand and reputation of its source material, not winning over the original fans and players can leave them with few other audiences. The characters and overall narrative were deemed too dissimilar to their original video game sources, leaving viewers frustrated. When the game was released in 2013 for the PlayStation 3, it received unanimous critical and popular acclaim and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Human civilisation has collapsed and is contained in quarantined zones after the spread of a highly contagious fungal infection that transforms victims into mindless and aggressive monsters. However, HBO did a lot of things right. A film was announced in 2014 before falling through. All the ingredients, you would think, needed for a television or film hit. When HBO announced in 2020 a television series was in the planning stages, this was met with some scepticism. It’s a long running joke just how terrible film and television series based on video games inevitably are. IGN – the list goes on. Frustratingly, there is no reason for this terrible track record. However, to say video game adaptations are often awful is an understatement.

A guide to the week's best and worst TV shows and movies from The Daily Beast's Obsessed critics.

The Traitors is a deceit-based game where a bunch of reality stars and a few lay people—and The Traitors is a wild game of celebrity Mafia. In the case of this show, at least, there’s a monetary incentive for the cast of competitors who assume the worst in each other based on how they talk or their lack of eye contact. “The Drop replicates the agitating buzzing of bratty rich people permeating television and film lately—with the shocking addition of a woman dropping a baby on its head and having a life crisis over the matter. The fact that The Drop doesn’t take itself too seriously should be a welcome revision of those films’ satirical approach.” None of the arguments the film makes are all that deep—parenting should be taken seriously; sometimes it’s OK for friends to drift apart; marriage is a tricky beast; white people owning a Mexican resort is very bad; a stable sex life can be hard to keep up after years together—but that’s perfectly fine. Velma is the perfect example of how beloved franchises can—and should—adapt through time.” [prequel-itis](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-winchesters-premiere-review-supernatural-prequel-is-soulless-bland-misfire) these days, Velma manages to transcend the inherent eye-rolls that come with a reboot, delivering a fresh, winkingly silly take on Mystery Inc. Spearheaded by the [acclaimed PlayStation title](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-last-of-us-part-one-on-playstation-5-is-life-changing)’s creator Neil Druckmann and [ Chernobyl](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hbos-chernobyl-exposes-the-horrifying-scope-of-soviet-deception)’s Craig Mazin, and designed to satisfy fans and newbies alike, the series is a post-apocalyptic nightmare that, as with its source, is at once familiar and original, action-packed and mournful. Finally, someone had the brilliant idea to push for a series focusing on Mystery Inc.’s real ringleader, the smartest and [The Last of Us](https://www.thedailybeast.com/first-the-last-of-us-on-hbo-trailer-is-a-harrowingly-perfect-take-on-the-hit-video-games) is a triumph that ends any further debate about the all-time best video game adaptation. In this hellscape of fascists and fanatics, bombed-out cities, and barren plains, hope routinely breeds fear, both for one’s own safety and for the safety of others.

Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Naughty Dog game and HBO adaptation, The Last of Us.After three games and two failed movie ...

Despite not acting as a major character, Joel's brother Tommy is there for some pivotal moments in both the game and the show. But for all those wondering if the dog dies in the show, the answer is unknown, due to never seeing Mercy again after Joel, Sarah and Tommy leave town. In the games, it's Ellie who reveals Marlene and her mother were friends, making fans wonder why the show decided to change Ellie's backstory. While there have been two full-length games and a pivotal expansion over the last decade, to some, The Last of Us is a brand new story. Although the rest of the series is set to follow Joel's journey with Ellie, it begs the question is Parker will ever return as Sarah in possible flashbacks, or even as an illusion. The 85-minute series premiere took place on January 15, 2023 and while it stayed true to the video game, it also left fans and viewers alike with plenty of questions.

It's no secret that video game adaptations can be hit and miss. From Uncharted missing the mark, to Sonic The Hedgehog being a cursed fever dream (kudos to ...

I can't wait to watch the rest of the series! It's not only about retaining the original spirit of the video game though. Being such a beloved series in the gaming community, it's no surprise that fans were nervous at the prospect of such an intense and emotional story being faithfully adapted for the big screen.

We speak to Professor David Hughes, who consulted on the original videogame.

So this is the concept of the word and the family is living downstairs, being on the periphery… Yes, I worked on World War Z, and I suggested the idea of the zombies moving in concert, in tandem, based upon kin selection. The makers of the original The Last of Us videogame saw this phenomenon on a David Attenborough documentary and brought in Hughes, one of the world’s leading experts in this subject, to work with them on the launch of the title. Also, LSD and ketamine come from this group of fungi, so the idea the fungus can cause convulsive, abhorrent behaviour is correct, the idea that you can eat a pathogen and it will infect you, that’s also correct. It’s very slow moving, but fungi are more related to humans than they are to plants, and what kills the fungus, kills you. So when you look at the Jerusalem wall in World War Z, the zombies climb up on top of each other to go over the wall and that’s what evolution biology predicted. We haven’t developed a good arsenal of cocktails, so it’s quite easy to kill bacteria because they're very different and the chemicals that kill them won’t kill you. He talks about the risk of a global pandemic, likely coming from zoonosis: when a virus jumps from an animal to humans. The last case was in 1951 in France, when somebody sold infected bread with the fungus in it. “One [fungi] gene could mutate, any one of them could be capable of burrowing in our brains and taking control not of millions of us but billions of us; puppets with poisoned minds, permanently fixed on one unifying goal, to spread the infection to every last human alive by any means necessary. Naughty Dog [the game production company] were really interested in mycology and fungi in general and when they were close to production they drafted me in to give talks explaining that [their storyline] wasn’t too fanciful; that parasites can jump from one organism to another. It sets a suitably ominous tone for the dystopian series, a relentlessly dangerous world in which humans are being infected by the cordyceps fungus, turning them into blood-thirsty zombies.

The Last Of Us drew a healthy number for HBO on Sunday night. The videogame adaptation, starring Pedro Pascal, drew 4.7M viewers across linear and HBO Max.

“Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could,” said Mazin and Druckmann. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season.” The Last Of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. It is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television along with PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal journey as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival. That series went on to average 19.5M viewers per episode in the U.S.

HBO's series adaptation of PlayStation's "The Last of Us" premiered Sunday, drawing HBO's second-biggest debut of the last 13 years.

Sony Pictures Television produces alongside PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and “Last of Us” video game studio Naughty Dog. “Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could,” executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann added. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season.”

The Last of Us is a smash hit in every way possible on HBO, scoring sky-high reviews from both professional critics and hard-to-please gamer fans.

I’ve seen some hopes among fans that Halo writers will take lessons from The Last of Us to heart and stick closer to the source material in the future. And yet this is a bad example in this case, given that Halo fans can point to the 2012 live action miniseries Forward Unto Dawn as a successful way to tell a Halo story with an even smaller budget, mainly because it was well-written and stayed true to what we knew about the Halo universe. Given that Halo season 1 ended with Cortana effectively remote-piloting Master Chief’s corpse, I do not have a lot of faith that’s going to happen in season 2. One consistent bit of praise the show is getting is the fact that it’s sticking incredibly close to the source material, which at times means shot-for-shot remakes of scenes from the games, exact lines from the script, and in one case, even the same actor reprising a decade-old role. The one good thing about the Halo show so far is probably Cortana, and surprise, it’s because they used the original actress from the games. Then there’s the show’s odd obsession with nudity, including seeing Master Chief himself naked at one point.

Gamers have been vocal about their distaste for people who compare The Last of Us and The Walking Dead. While similar, these series are vastly different.

This scene, and the fact that we just endured the chaos of a real pandemic, makes this story hit much closer to home. The beginning of the episode focuses on the world in 2003, before the outbreak, and eventually sees a 20-year time jump, bringing the story current. The Last of Us follows a smuggler named Joel, played by the extremely talented Pedro Pascal. Die-hard Walking Dead fans can even point out scenes in The Last of Us that remind them of scenes from TWD. [The Walking Dead ](https://undeadwalking.com/2023/01/13/many-episodes-season-11-walking-dead/)is a fantastic series focused on the lives of a large group of survivors, but The Last of Us focuses on Joel and Ellie for reasons that will be revealed in the upcoming episodes. While elements are similar in both series, overall, The Last of Us is a darker version of what life in the United States could be like after civilization falls.

A whole Alberta town came together to make societal collapse feel true to the show's version of 2003.

“The house that we found for the Miller House, the kitchen and the layout. That adds to the tension and the unnerving feelings, when you have people putting life and limb in the hands of the choreography and in the trust of our stunt coordinators.” “I definitely felt the intensity of the situation. “To have this pinpoint precision in the movement and the choreography of these very large groups, that in itself is an incredible feat. “And I got a lot of hair, man. “The Last of Us” has a canonical place in modern gaming and a memorable, entrenched story to draw from. Getting that script on its feet meant a number of practical effects to recreate the feel of a crumbling city. Although the timeline of the story was shifted for TV purposes, Druckmann wanted to keep the general structure of the opening of the game. The precise nature of Outbreak Day coming together also applied to the ill-fated family pickup truck ride into the city. It was crazy,” Pedro Pascal, the show’s Joel, said. It was when it was summertime in the Great White North. It was an interesting creative choice that was suggested and we embraced it early on.”

Episode One of the series captures the sweet, easy dynamic between Miller and her father, Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). It's his birthday, and she wakes up early ...

9 premiere of "The Last of Us" in L.A., Parker is now planning her next career move. She says the only thing she wants is to continue working with role models, like she did for this project. "I haven't done like loads of stuff, but everything that I have done, it's been with really, really lovely people." "It's such an iconic opening to the game," she says. For anyone who played "The Last of Us," the bestselling PlayStation series that the HBO show is inspired by, the next twist in Sarah's life won't come as a surprise. “When I was younger, I would watch people play the game and I always cried,” Parker adds.

In "The Weeks Ahead" trailer, we see Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) facing off against the horrors of a post-apocalyptic world. It includes ...

The show isn't expected to run for very long, as co-creator Craig Mazin has said he [doesn't want the series to overstay its welcome.](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbos-the-last-of-us-tv-series-wont-overstay-its-welcome-writer-says/1100-6510288/) Viewership for the Season 1 premiere of The Last of Us is expected to [grow by the millions in the days and weeks to come.](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-season-1-premiere-was-hbos-second-biggest-debut-since-2010/1100-6510592/) [almost 5 million viewers that night](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-season-1-premiere-was-hbos-second-biggest-debut-since-2010/1100-6510592/).

She won millions of hearts playing the young and brave Lyanna Mormont on the HBO fantasy epic, Game of Thrones, even though her role was short-lived. She ...

[drop us a message here](https://wikiofthrones.com/contact-us). George R. But in terms of pronouns, I really couldn’t care less.” Being gendered isn’t something that I particularly like. But I knew that if someone called me ‘he,’ it was a bit exciting.” She told

The second episode of The Last of Us premieres on HBO and HBO Max this upcoming Sunday, January 22. Just like with Episode 1, this one will be available to ...

That’s when new episodes of The Last of Us premiere. “Infected” refers to the zombie-like victims of the Cordyceps brain infection. [The Last of Us](https://decider.com/show/the-last-of-us/).

The Last of Us TV show on HBO is full of Easter eggs and nods to fans of the franchise — everything from weapons to dialogue pulled straight out of the ...

The page it opens to is easy to miss, but may be a nod to the franchise — The Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road.” This could be reference to the long, winding road that will take Ellie and Joel across the United States, or maybe the long and winding road it’s been since a The Last of Us But there’s one scene in particular that stood out for its similarities to an iconic level in The Last of Us Part 1: Chapter 3, “The Outskirts.” Crawling through tunnels and debris, the trio has to dodge spotlights and flashlights from the military guarding the quarantine zone wall — spots in the game where it’s essential to play the game as stealthily as possible. Merle Dandridge plays Marlene in The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2, taking the role on a third time for the HBO adaptation. Our best guess is that this is a nod to the video game — in The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2, you get max three hits on your everyday melee weapons. Joel asks if Ellie is a “bigwig’s daughter” or something, and Ellie responds that it’s “something like that.” These few lines are pulled straight from the game, but in those scenes it’s Tess talking to Ellie when they’re escaping the zone. The phrase is graffiti on walls throughout Boston (and likely elsewhere), a symbol and motto for the revolutionary group the Fireflies — the people who are fighting the oppressive military in the country’s quarantine zones. For dedicated fans of the game, the appeal of The Last of Us is not necessarily in being [surprised by twists and turns of the story](https://www.polygon.com/e/23314304); rather, it’s to [see the franchise in a new light](https://www.polygon.com/e/23316913), picking out the little details that point back to the original media. The heavy wrench looks to be of forearm’s length and probably quite handy while they’re escaping the city, but Joel drops it right away. This scene sets up the horrors of the infected in a different way, giving some more context to show viewers what’s going on. There’s no real significance for the band in the game, other than a few posters, but the back of the T-shirt does foreshadow how the game plays out: Each tour stop is another location that Ellie and Joel will visit throughout their journey. In the video game, you control Sarah, and she’s looking through her house in the dark. It’s all in the third-person view, with the camera in the back seat.

The Last of Us episode 1 emulates the timeline jumps of its source material while making two distinct changes to the time periods of the game.

[The Last of Us show changes this timeline](https://screenrant.com/last-of-us-show-timeline-fix-game-break/), with the 2023 section beginning in the Fall instead of Summer. With the trailers for The Last of Us showcasing the events of the winter section of the game, it is clear that The Last of Us' timeline changes will not affect the source material's great story. A difference between The Last of Us's show and game time jump is the seasons. This, combined with one other brief change to the original game's timeline, marks the first major changes in The Last of Us episode 1. The Last of Us episode 1, however, begins with Joel and Sarah living in 2003. [The Last of Us](https://screenrant.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) episode 1 confirms two major changes to the timeline of the game.

When I fell asleep half-way through the first episode of The Last of Us yesterday evening—I was very tired, so I can't blame this on the show—I probably ...

Sadly, the rest of the TLoU premiere fails to maintain this sense that we're in the thick of things. But—and maybe this is just the contrarian in me—I'd much rather watch a very flawed but interesting show than something that takes no chances. One of the benefits of not taking any risks is it reduces the chances of everyone hating the weird creative decisions. There's no illusion that we're seeing what the characters see; instead we're just briefly pointed towards what Mazin wants us to witness. We see what the characters see, forced to witness the events of this harrowing night. This isn't a particularly interactive sequence in the game, since it's Tommy who's driving, but we're still more than simply passive observers. We never really get to just follow anyone, or take a breather and just soak up the atmosphere of post-apocalyptic Boston—and as a result, the quarantine zone never feels like a cohesive place. During the build-up to the show's arrival, there were plenty of jokes about seeing Pedro Pascal methodically looking in every drawer and hunting for supplies, and while, yeah, that would be a bit boring, I do think there's value in replicating some of the more gamey moments. As a game, TLoU has a lot going for it, but the story is hardly original. But what felt slightly novel in the game just feels very much par for the course in a TV show. With that in mind, the costumes and set designs are fine; they're just not remotely memorable. When I fell asleep half-way through the first episode of The Last of Us yesterday evening—I was very tired, so I can't blame this on the show—I probably didn't need to rewind it.

"Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could," said Mazin and Druckmann. "We are ...

But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is finally ready to see if there’s a life away from The Prince of Darkness. "Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could," said Mazin and Druckmann. The series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed, following Joel and Ellie on a heartbreaking journey across the U.S. If only he can figure out how to leave him. He's forced to procure his master’s prey and do his bidding, no matter how debased. [Deadline](https://deadline.com/2023/01/the-last-of-us-premiere-draws-4-7m-viewers-1235224124/), Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's The Last of Us adaptation has garnered the second-largest debut for HBO, behind House of the Dragon, since Boardwalk Empire launched on the network to 4.81M viewers back in 2010.

Craig Mazin originally had another idea for the cold opening of the first episode of The Last of Us but was deemed too boring.

"I found this thing I had written that was like an old transcript of an old Dick Cavett from 1969 and showed that to Neil, and he said well that's a little weird. "Seeing the final version and seeing it edited, I loved it," said Druckmann about the opening. It achieved what we were trying to achieve with that other opening in a much more effective, dramatized way that starts giving you clues or theories of 'maybe this is how it started'. So what we then decided to do was to make our own little video like that." [The Last of Us](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-how-to-watch-where-to-stream-and-when-does-it-air/1100-6510562/) is a bonafide hit right out of the gate and is praised for its acting, music, and action, and was HBO's second most-watched debut since 2010--the first being 2022's House of the Dragon. You can watch this beautiful demonstration of how cordyceps work, how it takes over an ant," Mazin said.

The importance of subtlety. HBO. Willa Rowe. 1 hour ago. The opening half-hour of The Last of ...

So much of The Last of Us’ premiere episode centers on building out the world and laying the groundwork for supporting characters and side stories that will appear later in the season. Much more space is given to fleshing out the backstory of the Instead, it takes a more relaxed approach of letting the player mull over the events presented, and in some cases try to uncover more information on their own. It is a moment that works just as well [on-screen](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/last-of-us-release-date-time-premiere-hbo-max) as it did in the game, solidifying that this is a [great adaptation](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/the-last-of-us-review-hbo). — One of the series' greatest strengths, according to critics, is how it builds out the world and characters that the game did not flesh out. Begging for him to reconsider pulling the trigger — the audience is well aware of how this situation ended twenty years ago — and at this moment the show flashes back to Sarah’s final moments. While there is merit to this, this moment in the premiere undermines the game’s subtler storytelling. The game features no flashbacks or heavy-handed illusions of things the audience should be paying attention to. This shot is original to the series and at first, I thought it was a subtle way to reinforce the lingering weight of Sarah’s memory — until they do it again. HBO’s adaptation of Sarah’s story follows the game very closely, with some fleshing out to make audiences fall a little more in love with her and make her absence all the more tragic. [The Last of Us](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/last-of-us-release-date-time-premiere-hbo-max) is heart-wrenching. The loss of his daughter also sets the stage for his tumultuous but transformative relationship with Ellie.

Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us. Screenshot: HBO. It's not possible to play every game. Over 25 years of games criticism, I' ...

But this is clearly a good show, boosted by great performances, and a budget that allows fantastic money shots like that closing view of the collapsed city. But I think it’s also likely worth knowing that the show doesn’t earn any of it (yet) by its own means. I assume those who played the game, who spent hours with Ellie, loved her through all she likely goes through, are able to very quickly transfer all of that onto the television character. But the total of it felt like less than its parts. We’re in the back of the car with her as the game drives us through the manic streets, ensuring this is exclusively delivered to us through the child’s eyes. Everyone knew it was a game about a dad and a girl trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, and the game starts off with a dad and his daughter, letting you feel safe, and…well you likely know the next bit. There are the people trying to create a new (always fascist) government or police force, the ragtag and widespread rebels trying to bring them down (with their graffiti symbol), and then a yet-unseen but more threatening group called The Raiders or somesuch. It also helps that Pedro Pascal is a vastly better actor than Troy “McClure” Baker, allowing all the preceding moments to feel more meaningful, and the eventual death more pertinent. In the game, she’s a pre-teen, a child. I’ve seen it in, to name a few, The Walking Dead, and Survivors, and Black Summer, and Z Nation, and The Andromeda Strain, and Day of the Triffids, and Falling Skies, and The Stand, and Jericho, and most recently, Resident Evil. In The Last of Us, it was so significantly worse, because of the ugly decision to have you play as Sarah. The PS4 version of the ever-remade game—my first chance to play it, never having had a PS3—came out in July 2014, at a point when my wife was six months pregnant with a son we’d gone through years of struggles to conceive.

The Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, Casey Bloys said of the news “We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic ...

But regardless of what HBO decides, I can’t wait to savor each and every episode of this season for as long as I can. [Variety](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-last-of-us-video-game-adaptation-gameplay-craig-mazin-neil-druckmann-1235489584/) that “If people show up and they watch [this season], then yeah, we’re ready to do that.” Based on these numbers, I would say that people are absolutely showing up to watch The Last of Us. Series creators and Executive Producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann also shared their gratitude, saying “Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could. The Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, Casey Bloys said of the news “We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success. Yes, the video game that the series is based on has a large and passionate fanbase and the show has a strong leading man in Pedro Pascal, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it was going to pull in enough viewers for it to be considered a “success” by HBO and HBO Max’s new leadership. The press release also says that Sunday night viewing typically accounts for only 20-40% of total viewership for an HBO series, meaning that The Last of Us premiere will likely amass even more viewers as the week goes on.

HBO's The Last of Us has new fans wondering if they should play the game, but is The Last of Us worth playing on its easiest modes?

If you really just want to know what happens in The Last of Us video game story without just reading an article or summary, I’d generally recommend watching a playthrough or cinematic compilation of the game rather than going with Very Light. In other words, The Last of Us plays best at the difficulty level that offers the most level of challenge that you’re still generally comfortable with. It seems to be intended for those who want to experience The Last of Us story with as few hurdles as possible, but I’d argue that there’s a good chance the show will eventually fill that void. There will be some differences between the two narratives, but the big advantage is that the show can more effectively offer the aforementioned levels of tension (in different ways) than the easiest possible mode of the game necessarily can. The choice is obviously up to you, but I’ve found that those modes offer just enough of a challenge (for the right person, that is) to allow you to feel the intended interactive experience of the game. I generally tend to feel that some level of challenge is required to really get the full flavor of the The Last of Us experience. If you’re looking to see what all the fuss is about beyond the basics of the game’s exceptional narrative, those modes will still allow you to experience the full scope of the game in its original form. If you’re looking to experience The Last of Us‘ beloved story in its original form, you can safely ignore the Hard, Survivor, and Grounded difficulty modes. To get right to the point, I can pretty comfortably tell you that The Last of Us is very much worth playing on easier difficulty modes. However, you should also know that The Last of Us features many gameplay elements typically found in survival horror titles. The Last of Us was clearly intended to reach a slightly broader audience. If you’re not experienced with video games, you may find that you’re simply not able to get through even the early parts of the adventure.

The zombie fungus has exploded out of the parasitized corpses of insects and into the world of media, having now spread its spores from gaming into ...

As for how intimidating a pandemic that might be, that depends on the mode of transmission and longevity of the zombies. “The Last Of Us is an interesting one. Its symptoms include violent seizures that can last for hours, as well as mania, psychosis, and hallucinations, which – at a time when superstitions were rife – may have led the people of Salem to suspect witchcraft. Anatomists Justin Cottle and Jonathan Bennion were heading to a frozen fortress with the hopes of creating brittle, immobile zombies who would be easy to escape. Were its transition into a human threat made possible due to adapting tolerance to heat, one feasible route of transmission may have been it making the shift from an environmental fungus to one that can infect an avian host. We’re talking about the [Ophiocordyceps] fungus which is an entirely different type of zombie, because technically I don’t know if it counts because they’re living, right? auris became one of just a few hundred fungi capable of infecting humans, something that’s hard to do through a combined effect of our immune systems (when they’re working properly) and our high basal body temperature. “But what if that were to change?” Dr Newman, played by The Mummy’s John Hannah, posits in the opening sequence to the HBO series. It’s a harrowing concept as a potential host living on an ever-warming planet, but is it feasible? The original game of the same name was inspired by none other than Sir David Attenborough, as his 2006 Planet Earth series brought the horrifying reality of Ophiocordyceps to the attention of directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann. This is why infected insects are often found clamped onto twigs and branches high off the ground where the fungus has the most reach. Once inside, the body-snatching fungus starts to invade areas like the nervous system and actually influences its host’s behavior.

As reported by Deadline, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's The Last of Us adaptation has garnered the second-largest debut for HBO, behind House of the Dragon, ...

"Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could," said Mazin and Druckmann. The series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed, following Joel and Ellie on a heartbreaking journey across the U.S. [Deadline](https://deadline.com/2023/01/the-last-of-us-premiere-draws-4-7m-viewers-1235224124/), Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's The Last of Us adaptation has garnered the second-largest debut for HBO, behind House of the Dragon, since Boardwalk Empire launched on the network to 4.81M viewers back in 2010.

The series premiere garnered 4.7 million U.S. viewers, making it HBO's second-largest debut since “Boardwalk Empire” premiered over a decade ago with 4.81 ...

Amidst all the despair and horror, there is a surprising amount of warmth and humor in HBO's adaptation. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie in ...

The show's gallows comedy is a reminder of what it means to keep on living, to try to put on a brave face and find a silver lining in a sea of decay. In a few brief moments, Mazin and co-writer [Neil Druckman](https://collider.com/tag/neil-druckmann/) (the writer of the original game) establish a warm, breezily sarcastic family dynamic, one that allows the viewer to connect with the characters quickly. Her semi-urgent delivery is darkly funny and a perfect example of how Mazin and Druckmann use humor to make their characters compelling. The bleakness of the setting is answered in counterpoint by the resilience of the human spirit. [Pedro Pascal](https://collider.com/tag/pedro-pascal/)) and his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker), and uses comedic moments between the two to express the strength of their love, thereby providing the show with heart at its core. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) games are known for their brutal violence, shocking deaths, and seemingly hopeless situations, but amidst all the despair and horror there is a surprising amount of warmth and humor as well.

Sarah Miller (Nico Parker) wanted her father Joel (Pedro Pascal) to buy pancake mix for his birthday breakfast. The Millers' next-door neighbors, the Adlers, ...

With that in mind, these opening scenes and their hints about the true cause of the cordyceps pandemic raise the stakes for The Last of Us going forward. And while there are a lot of differences between the Millers and the Adlers, the one The Last of Us keeps coming back to is what they've eaten on the day of the outbreak. The logical conclusion is that cordyceps began spreading as a result of food containing a contaminated ingredient. In this world, just a small change in routine could mean the difference between life and death, between normalcy and parasitic infection. They refuse the Adlers' offer of homemade biscuits, and Sarah is too disappointed by the prospect of Mrs. Time and time again, The Last of Us draws attention to what Joel, Sarah, and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) do or don't eat.

There is no cure nor a vaccine and what's left of humanity is restricted to authoritarian quarantine zones (QZs). Those that become infected are dealt with ...

Why is Ellie important in The Last of Us? As with most infections, its single goal is to reproduce and in The Last of Us, this can be done in two ways: through a bite or through inhaling spores that move in the air. Ellie is special in The Last of Us because she’s immune to the fungal plague that has wiped out most of humanity. [why is Ellie immune](https://stylecaster.com/the-last-of-us/) in The Last of Us to a plague that decimated most of humanity. Both girls are bitten and while Riley quickly succumbs to the infection, Ellie survives, though she still carries a mutated form of the infection inside of her which is why she still tests positive for it. Why is Ellie immune in The Last of Us? There may be others out there like her, but given how treacherous the post-apocalyptic world is, they may have died in a myriad of other ways, including violent attacks or just lacking basic medical care. Her mother, a nurse by the name of Anna, died the day Ellie was born. Ellie shows no sign of being infected, though she is left with a small scar on her arm where she was bitten. This fan theory seems unlikely, however, given that Ellie would’ve been full-term by the time Anna was infected, which doesn’t give enough time for immunity to be passed down to a newborn. When Ellie reveals at the end of episode one that she was bitten by an infected weeks ago and hasn’t “turned”, we learn that somehow, she’s managed to gain immunity. [collapse of civilization](https://stylecaster.com/watch-the-walking-dead-online-free/).

See when and where to stream HBO's hit video-game-adapted series starring Pedro Pascal.

When she’s not writing she loves hanging out with her cat, reading outdoors and scrolling the depths of TikTok. But the adaptation is also groundbreaking in its own right, marking both HBO's first-ever series based around a video game as well as Canada's largest production in television history. Now, HBO has adapted the game's post-apocalyptic universe into a 9-episode series of the same name—and it's taking on an exciting life of its own.

This time around, as HBO's adaptation of the popular video game series hits the air, audiences are given a little extra: about 30 total minutes. Though it's ...

Throughout the games, Sarah was a character whose entire presence loomed over everything, and if the premiere of the HBO series is any indication, it feels as if that element of the game is most definitely going to carry over into the show as well. What’s interesting is that in the other HBO show from Mazin, for this one particular character of Joel, it’s a different take on how a disaster can end up triggering one event that can cause so much hurt in a certain individual. However, as much as Sarah’s death hurt at the beginning of the game, there’s an element to Parker’s depiction of Sarah in the adaptation that hits even harder. Sarah was and is his everything, and having that snatched away from him changes the trajectory of the entire show. Much of this comes back around to Parker’s performance, made all the more wonderful in her ability to make audiences care even more for a character that potential viewers might already know the fate of. She’s only a character that’s going to be around for 30 minutes, but Mazin and Druckmann do their best to allow Parker to expand the role in meaningful ways that will reverberate throughout the entirety of the series.

But just how did this catastrophe begin? In the game, the answer was infected crops in South America, but eagle-eyed fans have spotted some conspicuous lines in ...

[anagnost](https://www.reddit.com/r/thelastofus/comments/10dedj0/s1e1_spoiler_i_wonder_if_the_initial_cordyceps/) suggests that the true origin of the outbreak lies in a common household substance: flour. Meanwhile, Joel forgot to pick up a birthday cake after a late day on the job. That’s two encounters with flour — and the cordyceps — avoided, all while their neighbor pointedly serves a biscuit to the elderly Nana. The centerpiece of Episode 1 was the 30-minute [prologue scene](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/the-last-of-us-episode-1-improves-game-prologue), which showed Joel and his young daughter, Sarah, the day a massive fungal zombie outbreak began in Jakarta and quickly spread around the world. After all, if the outbreak didn’t start with flour, then why is the script carefully engineered to highlight the fact that all the key characters managed to avoid it? Joel politely refuses, saying he’s on the no-carb Atkins diet.

'The Last of Us', the series based on the video game of the same name, drew a record 4.7 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms Sunday night.

It looks The Last of Us will get most of us to tune in. Those numbers gave the new series a rare honor — The Last of Us earned the second-largest [debut](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-last-of-us-opening-game-show-comparison.html) audience since Boardwalk Empire premiered in 2010, behind only House of the Dragon. [Dragons aren’t HBO’s only weapon to win the streaming wars.](https://www.vulture.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-hbo-ratings-record.html) [The Last of Us](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-last-of-us-hbo-review.html), a [post-apocalyptic zombie-adventure series](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-last-of-us-fungus-infection-cordyceps-explained.html) based on the video game of the same name, drew a record 4.7 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms Sunday night, according to Nielsen and first-party data.

The Last of Us has created an imaginative take on the zombie genre that makes us look at the reanimated dead very differently.

Druckmann broke the mold by thinking abstractly on the matter and leaning into how the mutation of a real thing like the Cordyceps fungi could influence the genre. Comparisons have been and will be made between The Last of Us and other zombie-apocalypse stories. Visibly, most varieties have a nearly vacant stare and differing levels of physical decay depending on the creative direction of each one. These are part of stories where the virus escapes the lab, infects a person who then dies, and reanimates into a zombie. With the franchise's success and the addition of an HBO television series, it's safe to say few have created such an imaginative take on the genre that makes us look at the reanimated dead very differently. The Romero variety is the most widely recognized zombie type, which is specific to those who have been reanimated with little to no will and are in some deteriorated state.

The Last of Us has been trending on social media since its premiere episode aired on HBO Max, and many fans are excitedly pointing out the various Easter ...

[change this up in the series](https://gamerant.com/the-last-of-us-hbo-changes-story-episode-1/), and included a crashing plane, but there is a nod to the original scene in the game. [The Last of Us game](https://gamerant.com/last-us-vs-part-ii-better-game/), and similar to the series, Sarah forgets to give it to her father. [The Last of Us’ premiere episode](https://gamerant.com/the-last-of-us-hbo-premiere-review/) that are an exact replication of the ones in the game. When Ellie and Marlene are having a conversation about the Fireflies, before the protagonist learns of her immunity, Ellie refers to the group as “terrorists.” At this point, Marlene asks her, “was Riley a terrorist?” At this point in the series, viewers have not met Riley and have no idea who she is. But, those who have played The Last Of Us: Left Behind DLC would be aware of Ellie’s friend Riley and their story before the events of The Last of Us. [filmed exactly like the game](https://gamerant.com/last-of-us-game-hbo-show-comparison-video/), with viewers seeing things from Sarah’s perspective. It’s a game of survival and that means players have to find objects that help them along the way, and this includes weapons. [The Last of Us](https://gamerant.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) adaptation was announced, but the premiere episode has many feeling slightly reassured. The creators decided to In the prologue section of the episode, Sarah is seen wearing a t-shirt with a portrait of the Halican Drops band. Ellie goes on patrol with her friend Dina and talks about how she plans to watch the film with Joel because it is an 80s action movie that “he’s really into.” It was a smart nod to make it a part of the HBO series. The Last of Us has been trending on social media since its premiere episode aired on HBO Max, and many fans are excitedly pointing out the various Easter eggs from the game that make an appearance in it.

No matter how good the show is now, its biggest challenge is still to come. Pedro Pascal as Joel protecting Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us ...

The game still forces you to kill the Doctor that was going to operate on Ellie, it still makes you to watch helplessly as Joel guns down Marlene ( By the time you reach the hospital you have become Joel, and then the game reminds you that Joel is a violent murderer. But it won’t be able to replicate that aching feeling of wondering “what have I done?” that the game produces. Part of my response was the result of that final lie, that decision that Joel made independent of me. That option to stealth through the final section? By the time the player has reached the ending, they’ve been playing as Joel (and as Ellie for a short while) for 15 to 22 hours on average. And that association becomes the key to the ending’s effect on the player. [trekking across what remains of the United States](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-game-plot-explained/), Joel (Troy Baker in the game, [Pedro Pascal](https://collider.com/tag/pedro-pascal/) in the show) has successfully brought Ellie (Ashley Johnson in the game, Bella Ramsey in the show) to the Fireflies, who reveal to him that they can extract the mutant strain of the Cordyceps fungus from her brain to create a vaccine. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) is “ [everything a great adaptation should be](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-hbo-review/).” It makes a lot of sense that The Last of Us would make for a good television show. The Last of Us has one of the most memorable endings in video game history. And when faced with the opportunity to explain his actions to Ellie, Joel lied and said there was no hope of a cure in order to justify his actions to her. The critical consensus is that HBO’s adaptation of

Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Naughty Dog game and HBO adaptation, The Last of Us.It's been a decade since Naughty Dog ...

The Last of Us gave players a memorable mantra that was originally used by the Fireflies, stating, "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." The memorable score was written by musician Gustavo Santaolalla, who returned to compose for the series in order to stay true to the game's origins. The most video game-style scenes happened in the first episode when Tommy is driving out of town in his truck, with Joel in the passenger seat and Sarah in the back. Because the game came out in 2013, the outbreak happened that same year and the game skips ahead 20 years to 2033. From word-for-word quotes to the memorable score to the significance of Sarah's shirt, the first episode of The Last of Us was infected with Easter eggs. But now that it's officially hit everybody's screens, it's time for the series to look like a video game.