The following contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand," which debuted Sunday, Feb. 5 on HBO.
From Ellie's introduction as Veronica to the fates of Bill and Frank, The Last of Us hasn't been afraid to spice things up for the HBO series. The television adaptation has made some interesting choices that deviate from the game, but some scenes don't stray too far from source material.
As of Episode 4, "Hold My Hand," the only episode to directly adapt any scenes from the game is Episode 3, which features Bill and Frank's love story over the years. The episode has been acclaimed as the best of the series thus far by fans, which gives future TV shows in 2023 a tough competition beating out this episode. While it's refreshing to get new material that even the most dedicated fans won't see coming, it's always enjoyable to see scenes pulled straight from the game almost word for word.
Joel's Watch Is an Iconic Symbol in the Game and Show
Episode 1 introduces Joel's preteen daughter Sarah, who is the main reason he lives and breathes. Although the series gives Sarah a lengthy backstory unlike the game, she does give into a joke that couldn't be denied from the game. The night of Joel's birthday, she gifts him his watch that she had fixed up at a pawn shop. When he asks how she got the money to fix it, she sarcastically replies, "Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs." The scene shows off the banter between the father and daughter, but also foreshadows some fun Joel and Ellie will spend together with Will Livingston's No Pun Intended: Volume Too. Later, Ellie points out to Joel that his watch is broken, a devastating scene from both the show and game that speaks on Joel's inability to mend himself 20 years after the death of his daughter.
The First Night of The Last of Us' Outbreak and Sarah's Death
The initial start of Outbreak Day in Texas has its changes from the game (i.e. the reasoning for the car crash and Sarah discovering the infected), but it relatively stays faithful to the traumatic prologue of the game. While Tommy, Joel and Sarah are riding out of town, the group passes a barn on fire and a family on the side of the road, begging for a ride. Even though Tommy is adamant about helping them, Joel tells him to press forward. It's a necessary scene that depicts the duality of the brothers: Tommy has a big heart that advises him to help others, while Joel is a survivalist who only cares about helping his family.
Of course, The Last of Us couldn't resist adapting Sarah's death, which is an imperative event in Joel's life. With Sarah in his arms, Joel is confronted by a soldier on the outer perimeters of the city and is ordered by his superior to shoot them down. Unlike the game, the soldier doesn't question the order, but what remains the same is that he shoots them and kills Sarah. Sarah's death in Joel's arms is a shot-for-shot scene from the game, even with Nico Parker's cries sounding eerily like Hana Hayes, who played Sarah in the game.
Ellie Lets Out Her Childish Side in a Hotel
Episode 2 introduces the hotel sequence a little early in the series than it does in the game, but it provides some well-needed humor from Ellie. The teenager shows off her childishness, playfully joking at the hotel front desk that she'll be checking in to the hotel's finest suite. Joel mocks her, calling her a weird kid, to which Ellie shoots back that he's a weird kid. This scene is actually rare dialogue in the game, most likely because many players rush through the lobby of the hotel to escape the Hunters, skipping over Ellie's time to be a kid.
Tess' Final Wish for Joel
Tess had one of the most invasive deaths in HBO's The Last of Us, becoming paralyzed by an infected that kisses her on the mouth before she blows up the building. In the game, Tess actually dies standing off against FEDRA, knowing she's going to die from an infected bite anyway. In terms of the portrayal of her death, the game wins because she's able to go out fighting against the fascist regime she's been living under for years, whereas in the game she's subdued and paralyzed by the infected in a sensual manner. But one thing that didn't change for the better was her final words with Joel, where she begs him to take Ellie to the Fireflies to atone for their past mistakes. While The Last of Us skips past 20 years of Joel's life, this scene alone describes the unthinkable things Joel had to do to survive.
Ellie Finds Bill's Interesting Collection
Jumping forward to Episode 4, Joel and Ellie are finally on their road trip to Wyoming to find Tommy. Along the way, Ellie has a bit of fun pushing Joel's buttons and giving the older man some grief. Thankfully, this is done with one of the most amusing scenes in the game. While on the road, Ellie rummages through Bill's truck to kill time. She finds a Hank Williams' tape, asking if it makes Joel all nostalgic. Joel informs her that it was before his time, but plays it anyway.
The most hilarious part of this scene is when Ellie reads a pornographic magazine, asking Joel "Why are all the pages stuck together?" A stunned Joel can't quite make the words to answer the question, but she cracks and throws the magazine out the window.
Hunters Ambush Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us Episode 4
Later in the episode, Ellie and Joel arrive to Kansas City to find FEDRA has abandoned the quarantine zone. A presumably hurt man walks out in front of the truck, asking for help. When Ellie asks if they're going to help him, Joel simply responds "No" (in the game, he responds, "He ain't even hurt") and drives straight for him. Raiders (known as "Hunters" in the game) ambush the duo, who crash their car in a shop. The nail-biting scene is almost word-for-word, shot-for-shot from the game, and sets Joel and Ellie on a dangerous side quest in Kansas City.
The Last of Us debuts new episodes Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.