HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us TV series can go in a number of directions. Things like the death of Joel’s daughter, his relationship with Ellie, and several other things are obviously going to be adapted, but there are features and storylines from the games that also need to be featured.
Then again, some of The Last of Us Part II’s negative reception wasn’t unwarranted, meaning some things need to be dropped in order to avoid alienating fans. There are also things that just don’t translate well from the zombie apocalypse to the live-action gaming world.
Ten Adaptation: Joel’s Wicked Turn
It wouldn’t be The Last of Us if the characters’ morals weren’t skewed and it was the moment it was confirmed that Joel was by no means a good guy. After killing all the men guarding Ellie for the operation that would have ended her life but created a cure, Joel came across Marlene.
He then killed Marlene in cold blood despite her pleas for mercy. It needs to be adapted for the TV series to have that big impact moment in which the hero turns out to have been the villain. It will be fascinating to see how Pedro Pascal can portray this aspect of Joel.
9 Loot: Superpowered Character Abilities
Among Joel’s traits and mannerisms is the most glaring flaw in his mastery. He’s not the only one as pretty much every protagonist is that way in games. This needs to be removed for the show because it’s just not believable.
It would also be better if the series was more grounded, meaning fewer enemies for the protagonists to fight to prevent things from getting too weird. The games had Joel defeating multiple men at the same time, many of whom were two decades younger than him, and it proved laughable in a live-action adaptation.
8 Adapt: The nomadic status of the protagonists
It would be a bummer if the TV series decides to focus on a community of survivors on Joel and Ellie’s journey. The first game saw the duo as nomads, surviving on their way to find the fireflies, and there’s no doubt fans are excited to see this game unfold.
It also won’t be a true father-daughter dynamic between the two if they’re always around other people, so Ellie and Joel being on the road is absolutely paramount for the show to fit.
7 Drop: The Hate Theme
It’s what The Last of Us Part II was based on, with Ellie going on a rampage for revenge in order to get back at Abby for killing Joel. However, it made sense in games due to the long gap between releases, but probably won’t translate well to a TV show.
Since the characters will be seen frequently, it will not be consistent if the theme of hatred suddenly enters the picture. This is especially true given that the original storyline has the theme of love, which means the change in tone will be too blatant and won’t match where the series began.
6 Adapt: The Subplots In Notes Found In Gameplay
While fans were excited at the prospect of adapting their favorite storylines, an underrated aspect of the first game was Joel’s discovery of numerous notes found in the environment. These would be leftover messages detailing the misadventures of past survivors.
Joel would comment on how tragic or horrific these people’s experiences had been, which went a long way in establishing the reality of the zombie apocalypse. Along the same lines, the TV series will benefit from presenting these subplots as a way to keep viewers invested in even the little things.
5 Drop: The Way Of Joel’s Disappearance
Joel’s death remains a sour storyline for fans even though it was the basis of The Last of Us Part II. If the TV series adapts the events of the second game, there’s no way Joel will survive because there’s no way around it.
What this may let down is how Joel’s disappearance is seen as the less than stellar way he dated is the biggest complaint from fans. Joel was unceremoniously beaten to death and following Pedro Pascal’s version up to that point, just to see him come out that way, won’t sit well with viewers either.
4 Adapt: The Brutality Of The Apocalypse
The advantage of the TV series airing on HBO is that it can be as authentic as possible. Some shows like The Walking Dead have been accused of blood-toning even though it doesn’t make sense and The Last of Us needs to avoid that.
It should be easy if the show reads it straight from the source material and fully depicts the brutality of the world. This should include the violent ways characters survive, which is necessary to establish how anyone can die in this new normal.
3 Drop: The Evolution of Zombies
It’s hard not to fall prey to genre-weary tropes in a zombie story and one of them for The Last of Us features new monsters that have evolved. It’s only passable for a video game because it’s tied to the gameplay but won’t feel authentic on a visual basis.
The zombies must be presented from the outset as a particular race and remain so during the series. Even in the games, the evolution of zombies appeared to be solved for the challenge, so something similar won’t be very exciting for the TV series.
2 Adapt: multiple viewpoints
The second game brought the unique storytelling style of two protagonists, who both had their separate stories and supporting characters. This will be a good aspect to adapt for the TV series as it will allow the rest of the characters to have more personality.
It would also allow viewers to care about others on screen rather than the main characters. Another way for the show to be creative is to show the viewpoints of multiple characters instead of just Joel or Ellie. This way, viewers will be able to see both sides of the story.
1 Drop: The Sad Ending
The ending of The Last of Us Part II saw Ellie left all alone after Dina left and she was left to mourn the loss of Joel. It would be a very dark way to end the TV series and it will even take away the fan shutdown because it’s too ambiguous.
Plus, after seeing all the twists and turns in an already dark story, an ending that doesn’t give the main characters any real benefit just doesn’t seem like something viewers will appreciate. For this reason, the conclusion of the games must be discarded in favor of a conclusion that will leave room for some positivity.
NEXT: 5 The Last Of Us Characters Who Would Be The Best Valentines (& 5 Worst)
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