Includes a brief mention of suicide.
Warning: Includes spoilers for the first The Last of Us video game.HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation is set to make some changes to the original video game story which might fix a particular problematic storyline. From the beginning, HBO has said that the TV show adaptation will be faithful to The Last of Us video games. As more teasers and trailers become available it has become clear that doesn’t mean it will be a shot for shot remake, but with Neil Druckmann (who wrote the games and some of the show) reportedly bringing in material that was cut from the games, but always intended to be part of the world, the spirit of the games should remain.
One of the biggest changes that has become apparent from The Last of Us releases are changes around the characters of Sam and Henry. In the game Henry (Brandon Scott) and his younger brother Sam (Nadji Jeter) meet Joel and Ellie in Pittsburgh while trying to escape from the Hunters and the infected. In The Last of Us TV series, Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodward) will instead meet the protagonists in Kansas City, a location that doesn’t appear in the games, and are hiding from “revolutionaries.” The change in backdrop and situation for the pair could open the door for a larger change to their story.
Why Henry & Sam's TLOU Story Is Problematic
While The Last of Us Part I is a strong game in many ways, it has very few prominent Black characters. Alongside Henry and Sam, the only other major Black character is Marlene (played by Merle Dandridge in The Last of Us video game and series). None of these characters survive the video game. While many characters die throughout the story, it plays into problematic tropes for all of the major Black characters to be killed off.
How Henry & Sam's Story Can Still Pack A Punch
Henry and Sam play an important role in The Last of Us video game, and so do their deaths. The pair function as an analog for Joel and Ellie with the older and younger of each pair bonding on their journey and seeing similarities in each other. When Sam is infected and has to be killed and Henry, unable to face feeling like he failed his brother, takes his own life. The scene is meaningful and impactful and highlights Joel’s fear of growing too close to Ellie and the fact that losing her might feel like a repeat of his daughter’s death.
Simply removing the tragic nature of Henry and Sam’s story from the game would mean losing a lot of that thematic storytelling. However, the story might be able to be changed to be more positive while still packing an emotional punch. With the relocation to Kansas, Joel and Ellie will have traveled further together before meeting the brothers and be further along in their bonding process compared to The Last of Us video game story.
Additionally, Kansas City looks set to be a large set piece, so it is likely the location will take more than a single episode. This can provide more time to explore the characters of Henry and Sam. With more room to explore the characters, it is possible that both would not need to die for Joel and Ellie’s narrative, or that Henry’s sacrifice could be more meaningful if he dies helping them escape from the revolutionaries when it comes to HBO’s The Last of Us version of the tale.
The first episode of The Last of Us releases on Sunday, January 15, 2023.