The Last of Us debuted with some of the highest audience and critic reviews ever seen for a video game adaptation. Across its following two episodes, viewership of the series has soared. However, the third episode has seen the show’s stellar 96% audience score dip, with a wave of negative reviews aimed at the show by those upset with episode 3’s deviation from the game’s storyline and the central gay relationship between the characters of Bill and Frank.
The Last of Us has been hailed as not only the best video game adaptation but also the greatest series ever by many. For many, that praise continued into the third episode, with millions calling the extended episode one of the greatest of any series ever put on television. However, some were not happy with the show for its lack of horror action and the way it put two of the game’s non-central characters as the episode's main focus.
In the video game, Joel and Ellie visit Bill, who helps them in their mission, having lost his partner Frank who became infected and ended his life before their arrival. In the series, the opening part saw Joel and Ellie deciding to visit Bill and Frank. The rest of the episode then takes a step back in time to chart the relationship between Bill and Frank from their unexpected meeting to their joint death. While the episode provided an incredibly intimate look at the lives of two men thrown together and told the very human story of love, life, and loss, it was just not what some fans wanted to see, and they made their feelings known, as can be seen below.
The Last of Us Cannot Follow the Game to the Letter
While The Last of Us provides an apocalyptic drama series that doesn’t rely on action sequences or endless strings of bloody fights, the translation of the game cannot be done in a way that mirrors it exactly for the simple reason that a TV series cannot simply have a camera hanging at the shoulder of Pedro Pascal’s Joel throughout the whole thing. That means that other characters need to be developed, and other stories within the world of the game need to be expanded and explored to make a rich and fulfilling show.
For the vast majority of fans, both familiar with the game and new to the story, The Last of Us is still to really put a foot wrong. Providing a study of how humanity copes in the wake of an apocalypse, the series' pace is that of an unwinding novel rather than a quick-shot action blockbuster. Still, like many other shows considered the greatest of all time, The Last of Us is a human story first and foremost.
New episodes of The Last of Us air on HBO every Sunday.