HBO has come out with another drama sweeping the nation except for this time the fan base is slightly different. The Last of Us is based off of a video game that was released in 2013. According to Wikipedia it is a third person game that is based in a post-apocalyptic world. 

One qualm that fans have with the show is the change of the timeline. In the video game the year is 2013 while in the TV show the year is alluded to be 2023. However, this does not seem to interrupt the integrity of the plot. According to Wikipedia The Last of Us video game focused on the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and from what I have seen in the first three episodes that focus is rather prevalent.

The beginning of the first episode follows Joel’s daughter, Sarah Miller. She is depicted to be twelve years old in the show which is two years younger than Ellie. From Sarah’s point of view the audience learns about her and Joel’s sweet father-daughter relationship. The day that the virus spread was Joel’s birthday, and the first half of the first episode follows Sarah throughout her day getting Joel’s birthday present. This point of view made Sarah’s death even harder to watch as an audience member because I knew how deep their connection was. Due to this amount of background information on Joel when Ellie is introduced his protectiveness along with his apprehension is understood by the audience.

Another issue fans are rumored to have with the show is the casting choice. The actor, Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie identifies as nonbinary. While there is no hate from reputable sources there are apparently fans of the show who have an issue with Ramsey’s identity as well as the LGTBQ+ storyline that was introduced in episode three. According to Brut. America Ramsey made a statement to her haters saying that the upset fans are “Gonna have to get used to it.” I am unsure of what the direct quotes of the so-called naysayers are regarding Ellie not being portrayed accurately due to the actor being a nonbinary individual; however, I have looked up clips from the actual video game to see if Ellie’s character was being accurately portrayed. Ramsay’s depiction of the character is almost identical to the character in the video game. Ramsay delivers Ellie’s lines with the perfect amount of innocence and snarkiness. Her character appears to be as equally loveable as well as well-rounded. 

Overall, the manner in which the show switches in between flashbacks and the real time of the show is well paced and entertaining. I have a feeling that The Last of Us will be another well renowned hit by HBO, and will send overall American entertainment back into an obsession with zombies and a dystopian world.