the eighth, and penultimateepisode of The Last of Us brought to the small screen the adaptation of one of the most impactful and tense moments of the game. With Joel debilitated from the serious injury he suffered at the university, Ellie was acting alone for the duo’s survival. With that, the girl found herself threatened by a strange group that kept sinister and cruel secrets.
While in the game players go through a long stretch of gameplay with the girl, alternating between moments involving conflicts with humans and infected, in the series this was left out, with production focusing only on the dramatic side of the plot. Although the content has been faithful, there is a significant change in the final moments.
The end of the episode changed a remarkable event in the game
As in the series, in Naughty Dog’s game the girl is extremely threatened by David, the leader of the group of survivors, who turns out to be a wicked man. Also exactly like in the series, the clash between the girl and the man takes place in a burning restaurant, but the big change involves Joel, who in the HBO production never got to enter the place.
While in the game the character finds Ellie in shock still inside the restaurantwhile striking David’s body, who was already dead, in the series the man only finds the girl already outside. Craig Mazincreator of the series alongside Neil Druckmann, stated that the spread of the fire had a different impact on each production, in addition to also citing David’s keys as one of the main reasons for the change.
The keys to the restaurant were with the wicked leader, which made it impossible for Joel to enter the place. Neil Druckman also spoke about the change, stating that the scene had deep meaning. Check it out below.
Ultimately, Ellie saves herself. He [Joel] also rescues her, but now he needs to do something very different than a father would: he saves her emotionally before she loses her sanity. He’s there to bring her back.