Astonishingly Alive

For both newcomers and fans of the original, HBO's adaptation of the popular video game “The Last Of Us” provides a stunning standalone series that expertly delivers the original's incredible storyline.

Based on the video game released almost ten years ago, the show follows the journey of Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler living in a post-apocalyptic zombie-flled world, hardened and reluctant to form emotional connections after the death of his teenage daughter, Sarah. Twenty years after the beginning of the disease outbreak, Joel now lives with his companion and smuggling partner, Tess, in one of the multiple quarantine zones (or Q.Z.s) around the U.S. The Q.Z.s, ran by FEDRA (Federal Disaster Response Agency), are the remains of what was the U.S. military. After Joel's brother Tommy fails to contact him and Tess after a communication attempt, they set out to rescue his younger brother from potential harm. While attempting to locate Tommy, the two run into Marlene (Merle Dandridgde), the leader of a revolutionary militia group called The Firefies, whose primary goal is to end FEDRA's widespread control. Marlene ofers a deal: sneak Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl immune to the disease, across the country in exchange for a working truck. Easy enough, right?

Co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (the video game's original cre- ator) had lots to lose when developing the series adaptation. The video game itself, released in 2013, won several prestigious awards, including Game of the Year, Best Design, Best Narrative and Best Voice Actor and Actress for the depiction of Joel and Ellie (Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson). Critics were not the only ones captivated by the intriguing storytelling and fawless execution, as the game was a massive success amongst video gamers worldwide. Mazin and Druckmann knew the risk that came with converting this best-selling game into a TV show. Still, by removing areas the game lacked but keeping the signature essence and niche, both showrunners produced an exceptional TV show adaptation.

In “The Last of Us,” the world is swarmed with infected "zombies" that progress in stages. However, these zombies aren't your typical mindless brain eaters, as they're still human (or retain some of their human qualities). The infected can think and form broken speech, but as time goes on and the disease takes over, they begin to take on diferent stages. The most notorious in the franchise are known as Clickers, infected individuals with fungus covering their heads, forcing them to use rudimentary echolocation to navigate.

Unlike most zombie franchises, the infection is not a virus or bacteria, but a mutated strain of a fungus in the real world called cordyceps, existing in insects. Thankfully, the human body is too warm to host cordyceps, but, as the show explains, if the world were to get warmer suddenly, cordyceps could evolve and thrive in hotter temperatures found in our bodies. The show connects the already disturbingly designed zombies to our world, making the infected even creepier than in the game.

Contrasting to the game, the show explores the depth of numerous "side characters” implemented throughout Ellie and Joel's expedition, giving needed backstories to illustrate that these—often disregarded—characters were anything but insignifcant. The show's adaptation also hired various voice actors of the characters from the original game to play diferent roles in the show. The voice actor for Joel himself, Troy Baker, plays a minor side part, and the actress of Ellie in the game plays Anna (Ellie's mother) in the show, providing context on how Ellie becomes immune. While some aspects of the show stray from the game, the stunning scenery and ambient melancholy soundtrack remain, contributing to creation of the best TV show adaptation of a video game I’ve ever watched.

However, the show simply could not provide the same engagement and immersion as the video game. This part was expected, as in the game, you are in control and can roam and explore the world freely, engaging in stealth and combat to complete objectives. That itself makes you feel as if you're Joel, set only on fnding a cure, eliminating all threats while protect-