The article is a review of the final episode of the first season of The Last of Us, an HBO show adapted from the popular video game of the same name. The review discusses how the finale is a faithful adaptation of the game’s ending, which is considered an outstanding feat of storytelling.
The article includes spoilers!
The final episode of the television adaptation of the video game “The Last of Us” begins by mentioning the possible divided reaction to the finale and how it is remarkably faithful to the source material. The episode picks up after Ellie’s encounter with David, a violent and paedophilic cannibal, and explores her anxiety as she and Joel reach Salt Lake City, the home of the Fireflies. The reviewer notes how Bella Ramsey plays Ellie’s quiet and solemn mood well and the giraffe scene, though adapted almost verbatim from the game, does not prove as affecting. The reviewer also comments on Joel’s transformation, his newfound honesty with Ellie, and how his vulnerability as an actor elevates his confessional scenes with Ellie.
However, the episode’s rushed sense of pace, the missing scenes or set-pieces that can knit the big moments together, and the lack of exploration of the infected make the finale feel more like a loose collection of big emotional moments than something that flows with rhythm. The reviewer mentions that Joel wakes up in a hospital and is told by Firefly leader Marlene that the Cordyceps fungus inside Ellie’s brain holds the key to saving mankind, but there is no way to remove it without killing the host. The reviewer also notes how the scene where Joel rampages through the hospital and kills everyone, including Marlene, subverts the idea of the noble strongman. The reviewer concludes by saying that the finale is worth watching, though the adaptation feels like a squashed, bullet-pointed summary of what made the game so interesting.
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