HBO’s The Last of Us televisation is our latest cultural zeitgeist, and I’m watching it like everybody else. Last night’s episode (ep 3) was the best so far, although it’s notable what they changed to appeal to a broader audience.

— SPOILERS —

Without going into the specifics, sufficed to say that Bill and Frank’s life in the game version is more antagonistic and stark. You can spoil yourself here, but the last piece in Bill’s ark is grim, and it’s not because he dies or is injured. He’s also more abrasive, and exchanges some great one-liners with Ellie as they insult each other. The TV version portrays a far more idyllic life and very gentle redemption ark. It plays on your emotions well and I liked it better overall, but it does some to detract from driving home the brutal edge of The Last of Us’s world.

By the way, I love how they kept the game’s military-style angle-head flashlights looped onto their backpack straps (see Ellie’s left shoulder in the image below). You can actually buy these things.