Content material Warning: The next article accommodates spoilers for the Naughty Canine recreation and HBO adaptation, The Final of Us.It has been a decade since Naughty Canine launched The Final of Us, a post-apocalyptic survival recreation that garnered two sequels and a cult following. After two scrapped movie variations, HBO Max did what nobody else may for megafans of the video video games: turned it right into a collection.
Anticipated to play out equally to the already-cinematic type of the video video games, followers have eagerly awaited the collection premiere and all the nods to the online game that was to be anticipated. From word-for-word quotes to the memorable rating to the importance of Sarah’s shirt, the primary episode of The Final of Us was contaminated with Easter eggs.
Joel’s Watch
It is a small however vital second within the first recreation not lengthy earlier than the zombie outbreak when Joel’s daughter Sarah provides him a birthday present, having gotten his damaged watch repaired. The watch’s significance lingers all through the sport when Joel is seen nonetheless carrying it a long time later regardless of it being damaged.
Whereas the online game solely speaks of Sarah getting Joel’s watch repaired, the already-incredible online game adaptation delves into all the expertise, from Sarah sneaking into her father’s room to take the watch and a few money to her popping into the store to get it repaired when one of many staff decides it isn’t secure to maintain the store open because the outbreak begins.
Sarah’s T-Shirt
Sarah could have a short-lived function in each the online game and the collection, however her character stays essential for the event of Joel and Ellie. Sarah’s existence stored Joel going within the 90s (or the early 2000s, per the present), and her dying destroys him.
Whereas the present modified up some particulars of Sarah – together with her race, hair colour and age – it stored one particular element the identical that solely followers of the video games may discover: her t-shirt. Sarah wears the exact same gentle purple tour t-shirt that includes the fictional band Halican Drops that the character does within the recreation.
The Video Recreation-Model Automotive Experience
The Final of Us has at all times been recognized for its spectacular cinematic tackle a online game, showcasing scenes that seemed like they have been proper out of a film in between gameplay. However now that it is formally hit all people’s screens, it is time for the collection to appear to be a online game.
Essentially the most video game-style scenes occurred within the first episode when Tommy is driving out of city in his truck, with Joel within the passenger seat and Sarah within the again. Within the recreation, gamers drive the truck and should get the characters as far out of city as they’ll get. Within the collection, the backseat filming and shaky camerawork as Tommy drives make it appear to be the viewers are again to enjoying their favourite recreation.
20 Years Later
A shocker for first-time gamers of the sport was the preliminary time bounce instantly after Sarah’s dying. After Sarah dies in Joel’s arms, the opening credit roll after which the following scene opens 20 years sooner or later to Joel with some grayer hairs.
As a result of the sport got here out in 2013, the outbreak occurred that very same 12 months and the sport skips forward 20 years to 2033. However so as to make the collection happen in its premiere 12 months of 2023 and keep true to the sport by leaping forward 20 years, the present made the outbreak occur 10 years earlier in 2003.
Merle Dandridge
The collection has made it no secret that the unique voice actors of Ellie and Joel, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, can be featured within the present in undisclosed roles. But it surely was an added shock when followers discovered that one other acquainted voice can be showing within the present.
Merle Dandridge performs Marlene, the commander of the Fireflies who seems as Ellie’s pal till she’s discovered to be the story’s antagonist. Dandridge is not any stranger to the function of Marlene, as she voiced the character within the video video games.
Ellie’s Hoodie
Between casting Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, The Final of Us has finished a notable job of bringing the online game characters to life, with Pascal and Ramsey each performing, sounding and looking out very similar to the principle characters.
One other method life has imitated artwork on this collection is with the wardrobe. The pink-colored hoodie beneath the backpack straps Ramsey wears as Ellie is sort of equivalent to the colour t-shirt the online game character wears over a black long-sleeved shirt all through the sport, and is the character’s most identifiable outfit.
Look For The Mild
The Final of Us gave gamers a memorable mantra that was initially utilized by the Fireflies, stating, “Once you’re misplaced within the darkness, search for the sunshine.” It is first mentioned within the recreation through the opening credit when snippets from information broadcasts are being performed, speaking concerning the outbreak and later the Fireflies. The previous few traces are mentioned by Marlene, who says this mantra earlier than stating, “Imagine within the Fireflies.”
The mantra is first seen and never heard within the collection premiere when Joel sells medicine to a guard within the alley and appears up on the phrases spray-painted above him on a constructing. The mantra sometimes goes hand-in-hand with the Fireflies’ emblem and is seen a number of occasions all through the primary episode.
Curtis And Viper 2
The start of the present discovered a technique to change issues up whereas additionally sticking on to the scenes within the recreation, introducing viewers to Sarah, Joel and Tommy by speaking about Joel’s birthday and following Sarah as she acquired her father a gift.
The present mimicked the sport nearly word-for-word as soon as Sarah gave Joel his birthday current, then switched issues up by utilizing one other notable Easter egg from the video games. Sarah fingers her dad a DVD of a fictional movie known as Curtis and Viper 2, which Ellie mentions being Joel’s favourite, tacky, 80s film in The Final of Us II.
The Rating
The Final of Us was at all times recognized for its eerie guitar strings, a rating much like one of many early seasons of The Strolling Lifeless that makes use of acoustic guitar sounds to make the listeners really feel uneasy because the apocalypse begins or jolt from their seats when a zombie launches right into a jumpscare.
The memorable rating was written by musician Gustavo Santaolalla, who returned to compose for the collection so as to keep true to the sport’s origins. Solely followers of the video games may acknowledge the precise guitar twangs performed all through the collection premiere, including to the general ambiance of the variation.
Direct Quotes
It is typical for collection or film variations to not persist with the script of the video video games or books they’re based mostly on, however The Final of Us shocked followers of the video games by throwing in direct quotes from particular scenes.
A number of traces are taken straight from the online game, together with Ellie’s, “Your watch is damaged,” as she walks by Joel, and Sarah’s, “I promote hardcore medicine,” when Joel wonders the place his daughter acquired the cash to pay for his watch. One other notable change pulled straight from the sport occurs when Joel asks Ellie if she’s “a bigwig’s daughter or one thing,” and Ellie responds with, “One thing like that.”
