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HBO’s The Last of Us has been receiving so much praise since the show premiered in mid-January.

The Last of Us is 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 explained the change.

The director explained that he didn’t really talk about it, because for him 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,” he said.

He added. “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.”

The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO.

Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set in 2023, twenty years into a global pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which forces its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society.

The series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States. Guest stars include Nico Parker as Joel’s daughter Sarah, Gabriel Luna as Joel’s younger brother Tommy, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, and Anna Torv as Joel’s smuggler partner Tess.

The Last of Us was premiered on January 15, 2023, with episodes released weekly. It received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, and score; several called it the best live-action adaptation of a video game.

Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by 4.7 million viewers on the first day—the second-biggest for HBO since 2010—and over 22 million within twelve days. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.