The new episode of The Last of Us delves into the plot presented superficially in the game and makes Bill a really important character in the story
It is no longer a spoiler for anyone to say that the third episode of The Last of Us that’s what works best change the story presented in the games. Series production HBO extension he had already anticipated it by saying that some storylines would be expanded and the promotional images made it clear that the relationship between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) was among them. What no one expected, however, was that this change would make the series much better than the game.
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The chapter of this week’s adaptation touches in a very significant way not only the events within the saga of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsay), but also changes some dynamics, introduces new facts and develops concepts that are addressed very superficially in games or even exist. And it’s such welcome news that it shows just how willing the series really is to improve on what fans already know.
And it’s not about deprecating games, also because these changes come from the same Neil Druckmann who introduced this world to video games. However, the greater freedom that the series has to play with the narrative and the same maturity of everyone involved in the adaptation make episode 3 of The Last of Us exceed all expectations.
let’s go billing
So far, the series of The Last of Us it is very faithful to the games in terms of events. Joel left the Quarantine Zone with Tess (Anna Torv) to take Ellie to the Fireflies somewhere in Boston, but everything goes wrong and his ally ends up contaminated. So, he and the girl have to go to another possible spot where they hope to find the group.
Up to this point, game and series are on the same level. The big difference happens from then on.
In the game, Joel and Ellie meet Bill while trying to dodge the infected in a suburban area. Confronted with a series of traps set up between houses, the smuggler realizes he’s close to this old acquaintance and pays a visit in an attempt to get clues about the Fireflies, as well as ammunition and supplies.
It’s clear, then, that they know each other, especially when Bill shows up and starts helping the duo against her will. He laments past encounters and there is some dialogue that hints at a backstory, but it’s all covered very lightly with banter that happens as the player navigates certain obstacles.
This superficial approach is also present in the relationship between Bill and Frank. At first blush, the paranoid survivor implies that he is an activity partner who cheated on him and walked away and you will only realize that they are a match later when you come across a letter that explains it better. Further on, the player finds Frank’s body.
And all this happens in a very short stretch of the game, also because all this interaction is interrupted by an infected attack, which causes Bill to be exploited a lot en passant and without much depth. At best, he’s a grouchy ally who comes quickly and leaves quickly.
How the series changes everything
That’s why the adaptation of The Last of Us it affects so well drastically change the whole structure. The game chooses to create a continuous narrative to create a sense of urgency to the gameplay, but the series forgoes this to better develop these characters and mostly uses it to further flesh out Joel and Ellie’s story.
Proof of this is that, in the third episode of the series, the duo ceases to be the protagonist for a moment and the narration turns on Bill himself. The chapter is almost a huge flashback that accompanies the fact that the character has survived these 20 years since the beginning of infestation of cordyceps until the moment Joel arrives.
We won’t go into spoilers about the various twists and turns this story features, but HBO’s smash hit focuses on building the relationship between Bill and Frank. while he was only mentioned in dialogue and in-game documents – and then killed off in some corner – the series shows how instrumental he was in restoring her boyfriend’s humanity.
And this is the biggest asset of The Last of Us on TV. The first two episodes show how much the end of the world as we know it has made Joel increasingly hardened. With Bill, on the other hand, the series presents the opposite logic: he is the paranoid lunatic who doesn’t trust anyone and who has a bunker in his house even before the fungus spreads, but who begins to soften from the moment he meets Frank.
This inversion is essential to show how, even in this wretched world, love is still light in the midst of darkness. A somewhat trivial message, it is true, but one that will echo in the relationship between Joel and Ellie from here on out. Not surprisingly, it is from that moment on that he begins to fall in love with the girl and to follow this new road.
So while Bill is just another character the player meets in the games to illustrate how the apocalypse has turned the world upside down, the series uses the same story to say something much bigger and illustrate something that will build over the rest of the season. of the series. And it does so without mischaracterizing or even changing the essence of what fans already know. in fact, it only enriches the whole.
The Last of Us is available on HBO Max.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
