\n<\/p>\n
A very different kind of apocalypse. The Last of Us<\/em> follows a group of survivors<\/a> after a pandemic wipes out most of humanity, but it\u2019s not a virus that causes the catastrophe \u2014 it\u2019s a fungus.<\/p>\n The culprit is cordyceps, a real fungus that in the show has evolved to infect humans, who become zombie-like after exposure. While minor characters come and go, the series focuses mainly on Joel (Pedro Pascal<\/strong><\/a>), a middle-aged survivor who is charged with protecting Ellie (Bella Ramsey<\/strong>), a teen girl who is seemingly immune to cordyceps.<\/p>\n The sci-fi drama is based on the 2013 video game of the same name, which was written by Neil Druckmann<\/strong>. The Naughty Dog co-president is also a creator and executive producer of the HBO series, so he\u2019s well-placed to ensure the show maintains the spirit of the game while also deviating where necessary.<\/p>\n One of the biggest differentiations came in episode 3, \u201cLong, Long Time,\u201d which pulled back from Joel and Ellie\u2019s story to focus on Bill (Nick Offerman<\/strong><\/a>) and Frank (Murray Bartlett<\/strong><\/a>). Bill appears in the game, but by the time Joel and Ellie encounter him, his partner, Frank, is already dead. The show, however, devoted a full episode to Bill and Frank\u2019s love story, from their first meeting to their heart-wrenching deaths.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we got to this part in the season, [co-showrunner] Craig [Mazin]<\/strong> brought up a really interesting point which is \u2026 there\u2019s a lot of examples of things not turning out well for people, and often those are reflections and cautionary tales for Joel of, \u2018Here\u2019s what you stand to lose,’\u201d Druckmann told IGN<\/em><\/a> in January 2023. \u201cIt was, \u2018What if we show them what you could stand to win?’\u201d<\/p>\n While Mazin and Druckmann used the game as a jumping-off point<\/a> for the show, they advised their actors not to do the same \u2014 though not all of them obeyed<\/a>. \u201cI hadn\u2019t heard of the game. Their instruction was: Don\u2019t play the game,\u201d Pascal explained to Wired<\/em><\/a> in January 2023. \u201cI ignored them. I tried to play the game, and I was very, very bad at it. \u2026 It was important to me to play notes that were directly related to what was originally in the game \u2014 physically, visually, vocally.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramsey, meanwhile, waited to play the game<\/a> until after the show premiered in early 2023. \u201cI\u2019ve not got to the bit where Ellie comes in,\u201d the Game of Thrones<\/em><\/a> alum said during a February 2023 episode of the \u201cHappy Sad Confused\u201d podcast. \u201cIt\u2019s actually not as weird as I thought it would be. I just need to get on with it. I get in a room, I look at all the details and I\u2019m just wandering around. Then I end up getting lost. I just need to go forward and get to the point.\u201d<\/p>\n