‘The Last of Us’ Review

The Last of Us is the series format adaptation of one of the best video games in history. As a true fan, here are my most honest first impressions and review of its third episode, which premieres this Monday, January 30.

The Last of Us continues his stupendous travesty through televisionbecause due to the success it is reaping and as I said in my review of the second episode last week, it was only a matter of time before HBO Max announced the renewal of the series for a second season, which is exactly what has happened early last week. A season that would adapt the events that occurred in the second video game, which saw the light in 2020, and which I am already telling the days for its release. But let’s focus, the third episode just premiered and here is my weekly review.

From the beginning of the series until now, The Last of Us has presented us with an adaptation almost modeled on the source material, where small changes were simply added that helped to bring the story together or expand it even more – with the exception of the small variation at the end of the second episode. A fact that many, including myself, have deeply respected, as the original video game material is a work of art. However, as usually happens in this type of adaptations and how the creator of the video game had progressedNeil Druckmann, some events would undergo major changes to add new layers to the story and to make it clear that The Last of Us it is an adaptation and not a copy of the video game. Druckmann assured that this adaptation was a great opportunity to explain things that 2013 couldn’t in one way or another -don’t forget that developing a video game is not the same as developing a television series- or to change them to give them greater depth. And that’s exactly what happens in this third episode.

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The world expands

The third episode of The Last of Us it is the most different from the video game so farbut that’s not why it’s bad at all, it’s just us it adds another layer to this post-apocalyptic world, in my opinion very apt. But before I get into the actual content of the episode, I’ll talk about Joel and Ellie. From here the spoilers will begin for both this episode and the previous ones, you are warned before continuing.

The episode begins without a prologuewhat the series already had us used to, although in this one it is not necessary because Joel himself will be responsible for further expanding the information about the start of the outbreak and how PHEDRA quickly took control after a few days, even murdering uninfected people in cold blood. Pedro Pascal continues to bring us a fantastic Joel, who just like in the video game is silent, but says everything with his expressions. His relationship with Ellie remains distant, but we begin to see him begin to grow in his trust in her and his concern for her well-being and protection, respecting Tess’ last wishes before she died. Bella Ramsey once again proves her incredible ability to bring Ellie from the video game to life, albeit with a never-before-seen slight twist. From the beginning, it’s clear that Ellie is made of different dough, but it wasn’t until this episode that we got to see it with our own eyes. As the two explore, Ellie finds an infected trapped in some rubble, which she mutilates with her razor as she watches, then takes her own life.

It must be remembered that an infected turned his life upside down and it is normal for him to show this hatred towards them, although not in such a graphic way. In the video game we couldn’t count on such an insensitive Ellie at the beginning of the adventurethis being more childish at first, but little by little she became more and more fixated on Joel’s excessive cruelty, not being the best example for a girl. This small change from the video game allows viewers to get a closer look at the up close and personal stages that Ellie is going throughsomething that wasn’t as obvious in the video game because the action was more focused on Joel. The couple travels five hours outside of Boston to find Billplayed by the fantastic Nick Offerman, and Frankplayed by recent Emmy winner Murray Bartlett, the only ones who can help them get a ride and the real stars of the episode.

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Feelings found

Here begins a significant departure from the series’ story in terms of the video gamewhere we are shown through flashbacks the relationship of Bill and Frank from the beginning to the end, a love story in the midst of the apocalypse that stands as one of the best episodes exploring true love on televisionshowing many similarities with ‘San Junipero’ – the fourth episode of the third season of ‘Black Mirror’ – one of the best episodes in the genre. The episode breaks the pattern of showing the continuous horrors of the outbreak and leans towards its more emotional side. It tells us how two very different individuals who love each other grow old together as the world around them crumbles, but that doesn’t matter. Bill and Frank couldn’t be more different from each other, and although they argue and fight often, they bring out the best in each other. We find a complete trajectory of their relationship that perfectly conveys the meaning of true love, the purest affection and the greatest sacrifice, with the greatest possible sincerity. In particular, the episode feels like a window into true and pure love, which is conveyed as an essential part of the story.

In the video game, the fate of both of them is very different from what we get in the chapter. Joel and Ellie find Bill who is alone and paranoid, as he claims that his partner – at no point does Bill claim that he is his partner, although it is obvious – has left him. We’ll keep getting more information until we find the lifeless corpse of Frank, who committed suicide by hanging himself, leaving a note behind, which Bill quickly picks up, but later crumples and pulls. If we are smart, we can recover this note and finally reveal the tragic end of the couple. The note says: Well Bill, I doubt you found this note as you were too scared to come all the way to this part of town. But if for some reason you do find her, I want you to know that I always hated your gannies. I got tired of this city crap and your attitude of reluctance to change. I wanted more from life and you could never understand it. And that stupid battery you were always complaining about…I have it. I guess you were right, trying to get out of this town will kill me. Anyway, it’s better than spending another day with you. Good luck, Frank.

The ending is certainly very different, though it teaches us that closing in on yourself and hating the world, just like what happened to Joel, will only bring you misfortune. As a huge fan of the video game, I was a bit reluctant at the beginning of the episode as I contemplated the changes. However, they all make a lot of sense and add another layer to the video game. I think that this new narrative that introduces the series works better, at least on an emotional level, and teaches us exactly the same thing, but seen from a different perspective. Not only does it once again manage to expand the world of the video game and show how the current state of humanity came to be, but it also it allows the series to have its own identity and not just be a copycat, as predicted by Druckmann. It also adds more depth to the characters of Bill and Frank, who had little or no role in the video game. Frank and Bill fall in love and manage to carve out something like a normal life in the chaos that engulfs the world. However, none of this would work without Offerman and Bartlett’s performances, which are extremely human. When we first meet Bill, he is wary, paranoid and suspicious. However, Frank manages to break through his hardened shell, allowing us to see a scared man and making us discover that the two share a perfect chemistry.

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A successful and meaningful change

While I enjoyed the chapter, there will be a section of fans of the video game who will not accept these changes, just as it happened with the second video game – and so far I will say -. But it is quite clear what Druckmann wanted to do with this part of the story. Besides adding more layers of depth to both the plot and the characters, it has moved away from series like ‘The Walking Dead’. The events that occur in the original part of Bill, although very entertaining and stressful, are very reminiscent of the famous zombie series and it is normal that he wanted to take another course to avoid comparisons. Also, the changes in the episode allow us fans of the video game to continue to surprise us, while the little nods continue, when at the end of the episode Joel and Ellie don the same clothes as the original characters.

The Last of Us continues to prove its quality and leaves us with one of the most important and beautiful episodes about love on television.

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