The Last of Us deviates from the game in the third episode: this is what the creators say

Series ‘Last of us‘ showed one of its best episodes to date with the publication of the third chapter in HBO Max.

AT ‘Long, long time‘we are told a love story Check (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). To do this, the production takes many licenses from the original game, giving us emotional and reflective moments for the future. But why did they decide to part ways with the 2013 title in this area?

QuestionWhy did the creators decide to move away from the game?

In a 2013 video game Frank as the character is mentioned Check through notes, memories, and more, but never appears physically. Of course, the narrative always assumes that both were a couple.

In this original story Frank commits suicide after being infected with cordyceps, but not before leaving a note Checkwhere he scolds him for the way he ran the city.

Now, in the series’ third episode, the producers are taking the license to film this love story, from how they met, how they met Joel and Tess, to the end of their days (both commit suicide).

HBO releases a behind-the-scenes look at the episode and why the co-writers Craig Mazin D Neil Druckman they decided to expand on that story and those two secondary characters in the game.

“My philosophy on the show has always been when should we deviate and when should we return?” Drakman says. “If things are the same or worse, we stay where the game is. If it’s better, we deviate.”

“We can disconnect from Joel and Ellie and go see what life was like for Check when did the outbreak occur? What were these relationships? Frank? and expand on that in these really interesting emotional ways that we couldn’t do in the game because, again, you would have this tension that the player wants to act, wants to get back into the game loop,” Druckmann adds. “So the whole story needs to be told around these game loops, that the program doesn’t have these limitations, it has other limitations. And so we could lean on the strength of this other environment.”

Druckmann, creator of the original story Last of us and the president of Naughty Dog, the developer who released the game, said that one of the first conversations he had with Mazin about the episode was Mazin’s first physical appearance. Frank.

“We talked about using Check because it’s just a way to keep track of time and see how everything has changed in the context of one person, says Mazin. We knew from the game that Check he had a partner, his partner Frank. In Game, Frank He’s already dead and I thought this was an opportunity to go the other way.”

“I remember thinking about my emotional reaction and response to moments in the story. And what’s interesting, despite the fact that I played Last of usi think maybe seven times at this point what i really remember are the moments when he talks about his partner and i do remember the scene where they find frank and i felt like that’s what i’m talking about would like to know more. Mazin says. Empiredelved into this topic.

The director of the episode, Peter Hoare, also spoke about this. “The last scene is emotionally charged, but oddly enough, it’s also pretty superficial,” he adds.

Like the PROGAMER fanpage on Facebook to keep you updated with the latest news from video games, anime, comics and geek culture. In addition, you can also listen to our PROGAMER Podcast on the RPP Podcast, iTunes and Spotify.