Unsurprisingly, the hit video game The Last of Us’s television adaptation has taken the world by storm in the past few weeks, being showered with praise by fans familiar and new. The show, while being a very faithful adaptation of the source material, was unafraid to take its own liberties when it came to telling its timeless story throughout the first season’s batch of episodes. As a fan of the original game, I found this show to be constantly rewarding and engaging week to week, and I’m extremely satisfied with the end result.
SYNOPSIS: Joel and Ellie, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across a post-outbreak America.
But let’s get one thing straight: This was never going to be as good as the game, and just as with every adaptation, there is always that expectation looming over whatever the final product comes out to be. However, I don’t see the point in comparing the two when it comes to quality any longer, as they are two completely different mediums of entertainment, so for the majority of this review, I will be refraining from comparison on the basis of quality, and focusing more on the overall essence of the game that the show captured.
From the jump, it’s apparent that the show is trying to carve out a space for itself aside from the source material, with the first few episodes beginning with flashback scenes from around the world outside of our main cast of characters that serve to build the world they exist in. By episode three, a fantastic bottle episode which focuses on Nick Offerman’s Bill and Murray Bartlett’s Frank, the show leans into the “us” part of the story in a beautiful and original way that effectively tugged at my heartstrings. I wish the show had time to do more spin-off type stories on pre-existing characters, but I’m still excited to see how they implement that technique in the future.
That’s not to say that characters from the game don’t get more time to shine here though, they certainly do. Merle Dandridge’s Marlene, Nico Parker’s Sarah, and Lamar Johnson and Kevion Montreal Woodward’s Henry and Sam are given some extra breathing room that enhances their characters quite well in my opinion.
The show looks fantastic as well. The cinematography is very grounded and real in its presentation of the world surrounding our characters, and the production design is absolutely flawless. You can tell that everyone involved with the production of this series truly cares about the game, as each set piece is insanely laced with details and cool easter eggs for fans to notice, but fanservice aside, it just looks fantastic on its own. Never once did I doubt the validity of the world on display here. The infected look fantastic as well, although I do wish they were given a little bit more of a spotlight considering the weight of their inclusion in regards to Ellie’s immunity.
Of course, at the epicenter of this entire show, the heart of it all lies in the relationship between Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie. Both are so equally great in this show and their chemistry, although hardstuck at first, evolves in such a beautiful and engaging way that made me care for both of them effortlessly. Pedro Pascal has so many moments to shine in this show, but perhaps his brightest moment comes from my personal favorite episode of the series, Episode 6 “Kin”, where his hardened facade drops in an emotional confrontation with his brother Tommy. Few actors could handle such a moment with such grace, and Pascal overrides any expectation with flying colors.
However, the true knockout of this entire thing for me, has got to be Bella Ramsey. There were so many moments from episode to episode where I found myself in awe of their abilities as an actor. Some actors pretend to be other people, and some just truly are, and I have to say Bella Ramsey truly became Ellie on screen throughout this series, and I absolutely can’t wait to watch them tackle the things to come.
Something I was concerned about as the show progressed, was knowing how the narrative was going to draw to a close, but not having some of the narrative buildup necessary for certain actions that take place in this story’s final act for them to work. I won’t get into spoilers, but the ending of the show has proven to be very polarizing for new viewers, as many are upset with how certain things turn out. Yes, the issue with the ending being misinterpreted has been present ever since the game’s initial release, but (curse me for the comparison) the game proved in the end to be a far more subtle story than the show, yet people still are up in arms over the conclusion.
So, I can’t help but wonder if maybe some of that narrative buildup (for Joel’s character specifically) was lacking throughout the show. I still felt like I understood the weight of the show’s final act perfectly fine, but something that did slightly hinder my perception was just how short the finale ended up being. Clocking in at around 45 minutes, it’s the shortest episode of the series so far, and you can definitely feel the rush of certain narrative threads being tied up here. I still thoroughly enjoyed the episode, but felt as if it needed some more time to breathe in order to be fully effective.
Although the show lacks the bricks and bottles that fans of the game know so well, The Last of Us proved - to me - to be an extremely worthy adaptation of the game. It’s full of life on and off screen, as Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin show their deep care and understanding for this story in every aspect of the show, and as each of the actors really give their all to bring this story to life. If you enjoyed the show, try the game! It’s definitely worth your time, and you’ll be astonished at just how faithful the show really is! I’m going to dearly miss watching this weekly, and I absolutely can’t wait for it to return.
8/10
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