HBO’s The Last of Us has received so much praise since the show premiered in mid-January and much of that praise has come down to the show being a faithful adaptation – in many parts – of the 2013 video game it is based on. The show’s creators, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have, however, taken the liberty to alter various aspects of the game as they have seen fit - alterations that have largely flowed well and, in some cases, enhanced the viewing experience. In the show’s latest episode, changes were made, this time bringing forward elements that were only seen in the second installment of the game, The Last of Us Part II.
The journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the continental US has seen them arrive in Jackson, Wyoming where they finally meet Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel’s younger brother, and his partner, Maria (Rutina Wesley). However, avid players of the video would notice that the Jackson settlement as depicted in the show is widely different from its state in the first game. In the first game, upon which most of the first season is based, the Jackson settlement is set in a hydroelectric dam encampment, and while speaking to Variety, the show director, Jasmila Žbanić explains the change.
The director explains:
"I didn’t really talk about it, because for me it was very natural. What we talked a lot about was that I survived the war in Sarajevo in the '90s. I think for Craig and Neil, it was interesting that I was kind of living in a place which was like Jackson in a way, because we were surrounded by the Serbian army, we were constantly bombarded. We had to be on alert, we had to survive, we had to learn how to live without anything, without civilization. There was no electricity, no food, nothing. But we managed to survive because of solidarity, and the way the city was restructured."
HBO has already renewed the show for a second season and this depiction of Jackson leans a bit toward what the settlement looks like in the game’s second installment, upon which future seasons of the show will rely. Žbanić goes on to add that attention to detail in line with the second game was paramount when making Jackson. "I was talking a lot with Neil about all the atmosphere of the city and what he had in mind, and what is also not there," she added. "There are some elements that Craig added to the whole piece. I was also talking to a lot of gamers. I always ask, 'What do they want to see? What do you expect from the game?' They would be saying to keep these emotions and atmosphere."
Episode 7 of The Last of Us airs on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, February 26. Watch the trailer below: