Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 2 of The Last of Us.As many fans of The Last of Us game can attest to, so far the HBO adaptation has done quite a great job in handling both the original content and source material. Keeping many pieces of dialogue unchanged from its original game counterpart, and maintaining many of the large set pieces, the series has shown that it’s not afraid to compliment the original without overwriting it.
One of the finest examples of this can be seen in Episode 2 of the show. Audiences are shown a certain museum sequence found early in the first game, as it’s brought to the screen in what feels like a 1:1 match. What’s impressive about this particular scene is its ability to make a game sequence originally set up by an extremely tense moment somehow even scarier in its live-action adaptation.
RELATED: 'The Last of Us' Co-Creators Discuss Designing the Clickers' Game-Accurate Look
Episode 2’s Museum Sequence Introduces the Clickers
Early on in Episode 2, we hear Ellie (Bella Ramsey) mention the various infected that she’s heard about through rumors in the Quarantine Zone. One of these mentions refers to an infected with "split-open heads that see in the dark like bats." Fans of the game might be able to clearly pick out that she’s referring to the clicker, foreshadowing the later encounter that we’ll end up seeing in this very same episode. An interesting thing about clickers that ends up being mouthed by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the museum as the trio hides, is that they can’t see, but they can hear. That’s why that earlier mention by Ellie comparing that infected to a bat is also in direct reference to the clicker, as just as in the game, we see them use echolocation in this encounter, as their distinct clicking noises allow them to detect surrounding objects.
If you were to ask any fan of The Last of Us what the most memorable enemy in the entire series was, there’s a high chance that the first type of infected that they’d mention is the aforementioned clickers. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have talked about in interviews and the show’s podcast how important getting the design right for the clickers was. If you were to take video games out of the equation entirely and consider just the genre itself, when it comes to creature designs in any type of horror media, you can say with confidence that they’re one of the most important aspects.
With all of this in mind, it makes their debut in the show that much more important, as these are designs with which gamers have been familiar for more than 10 years. They are a design that should be instantly recognizable for any fan of the game while maintaining an ability to feel as if it could exist in this real-life adaptation. As we saw already in the series premiere, Mazin’s previous work on Chernobyl continues to permeate throughout this episode, as audiences once again see him collaborating with those who helped with the creation of that show as well. He once again teams up with prosthetic designer Barrie Gower (Stranger Things), who was instrumental in creating the radiation effects for the victims of the reactor’s meltdown. The end result for the clickers in The Last of Us is eerily accurate to their in-game counterparts.
The Museum Sequence Is Our First Interaction With the Infected After the Outbreak
The way The Last of Us has been structured for TV so far has seen the infected largely absent outside the first 30 minutes of the show. This isn’t that surprising when you consider that when it comes to video game adaptations, a lot of the actual gameplay of whatever title it is you’re bringing to life ends up getting cut. For The Last of Us, so much of the actual gameplay is about either stealthily or shooting your way through packs of infected; actions which would become tiresome in a TV format.
Though in the game the clickers are introduced in an earlier segment, that combat encounter is actually cut out of the show. Because of that, their inclusion in the museum sequence, which they also appeared in during the game, is the next logical choice. While there have been quite a handful of scenes that have been directly lifted from the game, the museum sequence of The Last of Us' second episode is also the first big comparison point that gamers can make to the show in regard to this specific episode, as it ends up largely playing out in a similar fashion.
This is also the first time audiences are getting to see Joel handle himself around infected after losing Sarah (Nico Parker). He has of course had to deal with them in the 20 years prior, but allowing us to see how he handles them alongside Tess (Anna Torv) shows both the ferocity of the evolved infected, and their overall prowess in having to deal with them for the past two decades.
The Changes to the Museum Sequence Create an Even Tenser Situation
Drenched in darkness throughout the entire museum, the lack of light is used as a tool throughout this sequence in creating a heightened sense of fear. Much in the same way that the game ramped up the tension of this sequence by including multiple types of infected throughout your journey, the TV show does as well. The final result ends up playing out more like a horror film than anything else, rightfully embracing the source material’s post-apocalyptic nature. It's a nice choice, as similar to the game, the situation is out of Tess, Joel, and Ellie’s hands, as they aren’t able to simply walk through the area as if nothing has happened, but instead alter their plan in such a way that leaves them in a vulnerable position.
In a way, this harkens back to the way the game deals with cutscenes, as it takes complete control out of the player’s hands. It's a section of the episode that ends up working even better than its game counterpart. In the game, Joel possesses an almost superhuman ability that players can take advantage of with his "listening mode" ability. This mode allows for audio directional hints to let gamers know where enemies are. Thankfully what could be considered the most “gamey” aspect of a title that was otherwise incredibly grounded on almost all other fronts is axed entirely. Instead, the tension is wrapped up even further, as silence ends up playing an integral role in our trio’s survival. Because of that, nearly the entire sequence plays out quietly before everything begins to fall apart.
As evidenced throughout the first two episodes of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, it’s been quite clear that the source material is something that’s been heavily relied upon. For fans of video games, many of the complaints about previous adaptations have revolved around simply not utilizing the game’s story similarly to how the original did. That’s why when looking at a set piece like the museum sequence in episode two, game fans can’t help but appreciate the detail with which these environments and scenes are being brought to life. As the show continues to break records for HBO, it seems like both fans new and alike are liking what they're seeing.
New episodes of The Last of Us premiere every Monday on HBO and HBO Max.
Read More About ‘The Last of Us’:
'The Last of Us' Movie by Sam Raimi That Never Happened
Every Character in 'The Last of Us' Series Who Is Not in the Games
'The Last of Us': Every Zombie Type Explained, From Runners to Bloaters
