5 Things Naughty Dog's 'The Last Of Us' Did Better Than The Television Show
Image Source: IMDb
The Last of Us has been hugely popular since it was first released by Naughty Dog in 2013. The video game is set in a post-apocalyptic America where for the last twenty years spores from mutated Cordecyps have started to infect humans causing them to turn into mindless killers. They eventually grow the fungus on their bodies and are referred to as “clickers”. The game became even more popular after Max released a TV show adaptation earlier this year starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. As with any adaptation, there are some things that the show did better, but there are also a few things that the game did better and we are going to take a look at five of those things today. WARNING!! Contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1 video game and The Last of Us TV Show season one!!
5. No Kathleen
Image Source: IMDb
Arguably the most annoying part of the show is the introduction of Kathleen in Kansas City. She is running a group that is pure evil and the show spends most of episodes four and five focusing on her motives regardless of who dies. Thankfully, in the game, she does not exist and Joel and Ellie actually go to Pittsburg rather than Kansas City. Her character adds nothing to the show so I was excited to find that she isn’t in the game.
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4. Tess’ Death
Image Source: IMDb
In both the game and the show we lose Tess pretty early on when the trio reaches the capital building and finds that the fireflies they were supposed to hand Ellie off to have been killed. In the show, they have been killed by infected so after revealing that she has been bitten Tess stays behind to blow up the building and take out as many infected as possible. This also leads to a disgustingly disturbing Cordecyp kiss that is completely unnecessary. In the video game, the fireflies are killed by the military and Tess stays behind to distract them and give Ellie and Joel time to run. This was a much better ending for Tess and allowed her to fight back rather than fight with a lighter that doesn’t want to work.
3. Bill
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One of the best episodes of the show is episode three when we are introduced to Bill and Frank. We get to see their entire relationship unfold and then see their deaths all before Ellie and Joel arrive hoping that Bill will be able to help them on their journey. While Nick Offerman’s portrayal of Bill had tears in my eyes I enjoyed getting to have him as part of the team in the game. Rather than having him pass away before Joel and Ellie arrive, in the game he is a huge help on their journey and is even with them when they encounter their first bloater.
2. Character Connection
Image Source: IMDb
There is one thing that video games will always have that movie and TV adaptations never will, and that is your connection to the characters. When you are playing as a character you will always feel more connected to them than you do when simply watching them on your screen. I didn’t consider this until I started playing The Last of Us after finishing the show and not only was it scarier, but I also felt more connected to Joel and Ellie than I did when watching the show.
1. Higher Stakes
Image Source: IMDb
One thing that the game has that the show does not are higher stakes. While the show sees the characters constantly thrust into life-or-death scenarios you are watching it from the safety of your home. Similar to the character connection when you are playing the game you feel more involved so every choice feels like there is more at stake. Another thing that raises the stakes in the game is the Cordecyp spores that the characters must avoid. This is something that they chose not to use in the show, but the necessity of gas masks adds to the life-or-death situations of the game. I would love to see them find a way to bring this into season two of the show!
The Last of Us season one is currently streaming on Max.
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