The Last of Us TV Show Ruined the Infected – Reader Feature

Having seen all but the final episode of The Last Of Us, it’s safe to say that it’s the adaptation that finally proves that video games can translate well into film and television, given the right material. Public and critical acclaim seems to back this up, perhaps finally showing that video games can and do have compelling adult stories.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect. It feels like there was one seemingly minor change in the TV adaptation that had the unfortunate side effect of changing the world-building of the entire story. Be warned, we’re getting into minor spoiler territory here – how the fungal spores were treated.

As anyone who has played the game knows. Over the course of Joel and Ellie’s journey, they encounter several instances of airborne fungal spores typically found in old dilapidated buildings and other damp, dingy spaces. It doesn’t add anything in terms of mechanics, but it does help reinforce the threat these fungal spores pose to humans as characters rush to don gas masks or avoid those spaces altogether. , in the television adaptation, these fungal spores are not actually mentioned.

In one early TV episode, characters unexpectedly encounter a fungus-covered corpse of a victim and, aside from the initial shock, continue chatting normally, oblivious to their health.

To some extent, I can understand why you made that choice. After all, seeing someone trying to emote with a gas mask and talking in a muffled voice is probably going to be a frustrating viewing experience. Please check if it has become

Unfortunately, rather than provide an explanation to explain the natural threat that fungi and spores pose, the TV adaptation instead chooses to amplify the threat by making the fungus somewhat sentient. That is, when someone steps on a piece of fungus in one location, it will “alert” nearby infected individuals of its presence via the “fungal network”, causing a flood and rampage at the unfortunate humans.

At first glance, it doesn’t look like much of a change, but to me it fundamentally changes the whole narrative of the relationship between the infected and the fungus.

In my opinion, the game does not portray mushrooms as sentient. Rather, like all plants in nature, fungi simply survived, multiplied, and evolved so that fungal spores could infect and reproduce human hosts. , they become infected and are then used like sacks of fertilizer that allow the fungus to grow within the host.

This process drives them insane, attacking them frantically until they mutate badly and eventually the fungus continues to thrive, releasing spores that can infect even more victims. becomes a mountain of

Contrast this with TV adaptations in which the infected act like murderous zombies, actively seeking out other humans to infect at the behest of malicious sentients within the fungal network. kissed) and become an Infected with a preference for human flesh. If that sounds awful like The Walking Dead or any other zombie movie or TV show you’ve ever seen, you’re right.In my humble opinion, it hardly works.

Games have always portrayed humans as the real enemy, as the old world order has collapsed and humanity has been relegated to survival of the fittest. The situation was made worse by a new hostile natural world inhabited by deadly fungi. prospered.

Sadly, the TV series leaves the threat associated with fungal spores on the editing room floor, so the threat posed by the Infected is elevated to something similar to the Infected 28 Days Later. It’s the evil hivemind that runs the show, and to me, that’s a bit of a shame because it dilutes the originality displayed in the game’s narrative.

This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the TV series. I think it’s interesting that one of the adaptations had such a big impact on the overall story. I hope the fungus spores make a comeback in the second series and lose the depiction of killer fungus zombies. tone down.

by reader Heinz57

Reader functionality does not necessarily represent a GameCentral or Metro view.

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