Disclaimer: This article contains some potential spoilers for HBO’s show “The Last of Us.”
10 years ago, on June 14, 2013, Naughty Dog Studios released the incredibly popular action-adventure video game, “The Last Of Us,” exclusively for PlayStation. Immediately, it began to gather fans from all over the world, and eventually went on to win the 2013 Game of the Year award. As Naughty Dog Studios released the game, many people were fascinated by the new take that Neil Druckman, the initial Game Director and creator of “The Last Of Us,” had on the classic zombie apocalypse genre. Seven years later, we were presented with the second installment of the franchise, along with the return of voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, playing their roles as the beloved Joel Miller and Ellie in the game. However, in November 2020, everyone was extremely surprised to hear the announcement of the HBO television adaptation, set to be released three years after the announcement. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the first episode launched on Jan. 15, 2023. The series is now set to be released every Sunday, with episodes spanning around an hour in length. The show features actors Pedro Pascal (Joel), and Bella Ramsay (Ellie), both of whom played characters in the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones.” However, the question everyone is wondering is whether or not the show is a successful adaptation of the video game. So far, fans are pleasantly surprised, as the general consensus is that the show is not too different from the game, with some small exceptions.
“The Last of Us” game timeline was accurate to the time it came out, with the initial “Outbreak” happening in 2013. Joel Miller, the playable protagonist, is living in Austin, Texas with his daughter Sara. The day after his 32nd birthday, the “Outbreak” happened. During the initial chaos and panic of the outbreak, Joel’s daughter Sarah was tragically killed. After this heartbreaking scene, time fast forwards to 20 years after the outbreak day (2032 in the game, 2023 in the show), and we see Joel Miller making ends meet as a smuggler in a Boston’s Quarantine Zone (QZ). These QZs are poor, unkept, and filled with neglect. It is there that Joel meets Ellie, a 14 year old girl who, unbeknownst to viewers, is immune to the infection that destroyed the Earth. Joel is given the task of smuggling Ellie out of the QZ, and into the wasteland which is the outskirts of the city. He needs to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies, an anti-government militia who are branded terrorists by FEDRA (Federal Disaster Response Agency), “The Last Of Us” universe’s government aid group. The Fireflies aim to topple the military dictatorship that FEDRA implements in all the QZs. However, the Fireflies have found a way to use Ellie to reverse engineer a cure to the infection, which is known as The Cordyceps. “The Last Of Us” takes us on a journey across post apocalyptic America, and showcases the building of a father-daughter relationship between two strangers, both of whom struggle with internal battles and dark pasts. This mixture of a violent, horrifying infection that turns humans into mindless zombies, and a heartfelt family story creates an unforgettable plot line that is proving to be very successful.
The Cordyceps infection is based on a real fungal infection that affects different types of insects, called Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis. The fungus targets an insect’s brain and begins to take control of the host, moving it to a location where its corpse can spread spores onto an underlying colony. “The Last Of Us” takes inspiration from this fungi species, altering it to have an effect on humans, portraying the same malignant characteristics on the host. The staple of “The Last Of Us” is the fungus-faced killing machines known as Clickers, who are the main “zombies” in the story. These Clickers are very progressed in the infection stage, having the fungus completely grown into their brain and head, controlling their movements. They are also completely blind, due to the overgrowth of fungi covering their eyes, and use echo-location to identify their prey, hence the name “Clickers.” How real is this infection though? Dr. Moyers, a biology teacher at Franklin High School, gave her professional insight; “This fictional infection is what we would call an ‘Emergent Virus.’ It is very contagious, and very difficult to combat, as we usually have a hard time fighting fungi, because of their cellular make up.” And as stated by a fictional biologist named Dr. Neuman, in the pilot episode, “If humans were to go up against a fungus infection, we would lose.” Different viruses have varying effects on humans, including reactions to antibiotics and vaccines. However, fungal infections rarely have any vaccines or cures. “Fungi are different from viruses and bacteria, as fungi are harder to transfer to humans. It takes longer to match with human cellular makeup, and would be almost impossible to remove from the system,” Dr. Moyers says. The closest possible link to a near future zombie infection, from the opinion of Dr. Moyers, would be an infection named Toxoplasma Gondii. It affects virtually all warm-blooded animals changing behavior and resulting in flu-like symptoms. The behavioral change, mixed with incredibly fast and contagious symptoms, creates a dangerous and potentially “outbreak-prone” infection. But how did HBO handle displaying such a seriously scary and interesting infection?
HBO’s “The Last Of Us” takes place in 2023, which is ten years earlier than the game’s storyline. Almost everything else about the timeline is the same, however, the director and game creator, Neil Druckmann, wanted the plot to take place in our time. Many scenes of the show are almost frame by frame identical to the game, obviously not wanting to change scenes that are vital to the story. As much as it doesn’t look like it, “The Last Of Us” is helping pave the way for a growing popular genre, named “Cli-Fi,” short for Climate Change Science Fiction. “Cli-Fi is the fastest growing type of fiction,” states Ms. Frazee, Franklin High School Librarian. “It combines fiction with the true science of climate change, creating an almost horrifying but possible storyline, taking inspiration from the changes our earth is experiencing from climate change,” Frazee adds. With new episodes coming out every Sunday, we can expect the first season to be around 8-10 episodes. This show is highly recommended by many people, and if you love post-apocalyptic atmospheres, mixed with great writing, then this show is the perfect hour out of your day.
