The Last Of Us Episode 9 Finally Gifts Us With Co-Op Mechanics From The Game
Contains spoilers for "The Last of Us" Season 1, Episode 9 – "Look for the Light"
For decades, Hollywood has been adapting one video game after another, with mostly middling or poor results coming out on the other side of the process. This is why gamers are so excited by an adaptation of their favorite hobby being done right with "The Last of Us." Having created a blueprint for how to please both viewers who are familiar with the source material and those who are new to the story, the HBO series should make the process a lot easier for future gaming adaptations to try to replicate.
While "The Last of Us" has been pretty faithful in bringing the story to life, it has left out key aspects of the game. While it seems that, unfortunately, we won't get to see an anxious Joel (Pedro Pascal) build a nail bomb or hurl a Molotov cocktail at unsuspecting raiders, fans did get to see a nod to some of the central game mechanics in the Season 1 finale.
A quick moment in Episode 9 pays off a lot of gameplay mechanics
Around the midway point of Season 1, Episode 9, "Look for the Light," Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel begin making their way up a skyscraper to try to get their bearings. However, when getting to the next floor proves to be difficult, Joel stands on some pallets to boost Ellie up. In turn, she tosses down a ladder to him so that he can get up as well.
While this moment might seem totally unremarkable to viewers unfamiliar with the game, longtime fans of "The Last of Us" will recognize this moment as a clever Easter egg. This is because using things like pallets and ladders to help Ellie get across areas and having her, in turn, help Joel reach these new areas is a key mechanic that players must employ throughout the game.
Though "The Last of Us" has mainly been praised for how effectively it has translated Joel and Ellie's bond and their journey to the screen, moments like this show that the series also has a lot of respect for the source material and its legions of fans. Luckily for viewers, though, they don't have to spend quite so much time watching Joel move things around to try to help Ellie since the series would probably be twice as long as a result.