HBO’s highly anticipated adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game “The Last of Us” is finally here — and TheWrap is providing a weekly roundup of the biggest changes and notable easter eggs from its source material.
“The Last of Us,” which is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
“The Last of Us” first made its debut on PlayStation 3 in 2013, while its sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II,” was released in 2020 on the PlayStation 4. The franchise has sold through more than 37 million copies globally as of December 2022, according to Naughty Dog.
Episode 1
Changes From the Game
The opening scene of “The Last of Us” immediately builds upon the source material, with two epidemiologists discussing the threat that viruses and fungus pose to mankind. One of the many mentioned is Cordyceps, which the show and video game’s pandemic stems from.
HBO’s adaptation of “The Last of Us” begins in the year 2003, 10 years earlier than the video game. As a result, the 20-year time jump sets the show’s main timeline in the year 2023 instead of 2033.
The first episode allows the audience to spend more time with Joel’s daughter, Sarah, than players get in the video game. New scenes not included in the video game show Sarah attending school and going to pick up Joel’s birthday gift. Another key difference from the game is that Sarah is biracial in the series instead of caucasian.
In addition, the episode introduces new characters not included in the game — Joel and Sarah’s neighbors, the Adlers, and Kim Tembo (Natasha Mumba), a member of the resistance group known as the Fireflies — and answers the question of where Joel was at the start of the video game: bailing his younger brother Tommy out of jail.
Other scenes that build upon the video game’s story show Joel and Tess dealing with the tough conditions in the quarantine zone. Unlike the video game, Joel is after a car battery in the QZ so that he can go find Tommy, while the video game’s plot point of the weapons deal with Robert is reduced. The audience also gets to see more interaction between Ellie and Marlene prior to their meeting with Joel and Tess, which is not included in the video game.
Easter Eggs
The most notable easter egg from the first episode is that Merle Dandrige, the voice actor of Marlene in “The Last of Us” video game franchise, reprises her role in live-action form.
Other easter eggs from the video game include Sarah’s “Halican Drops” shirt, Joel’s watch, and the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), an antagonist faction featured in “The Last of Us” video game franchise. Also mentioned throughout the first episode is the Fireflies’ slogan from the video game: “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.”
In addition, the scenes in which Joel and Sarah flee their home in Tommy’s truck and Joel and Tess discover Ellie is positive for Cordyceps play out almost identical to those from the video game.
