Summary
The Last of Us: Part 1 and Part 2 are some of the most important, iconic, and divisive video games ever created. They’re famous mainly because of their storytelling and narrative impact, which brought in a more casual audience to appreciate games as a way to tell a story.
The HBO series based on the gamechanges some things, but is equally divisive and great. Joel Miller, the co-protagonist of the saga, suffers some changes. Many people hate them, others love them. Nonetheless, they are still bothgreat versions of an iconic character.
8Crouching And Crafting
He Doesn’t Do It As Much In The Show
Of course, video games have a way of being… well, ‘video gamey’. So, mechanics like crouching for stealth and picking up resources to craft weapons and medicine are integrated to add variety to the gameplay, and that’s exactly what we do with Joel during the game.
To be expected, these things aren’t really necessary in a live-action scenario, so we don’t see Joel crouching or crafting items nearly as much in the series. Having him mechanically crouch or pick up random garbage from the floor wouldn’t look as good on a TV show.
7Hearing Loss
Joel Is Partially Deaf In The Show
Joel being partially deaf is not a really important difference, but more of a small detail, which was probably added in to give a little more depth and backstory to the character. The HBO version of Joel confesses to Ellie that he’s probably been exposed to too many gunshots, which affected his right ear’s capabilities.
During the game, we really don’t see this interaction, nor is this ever mentioned. It could’ve been an interesting idea to have it added to the gameplay. Maybe, Infected coming in from Joel’s right side could’ve been harder to hear and expect coming.
6Joel’s Age
He’s Older In The Series
Joel is around 51 or 52 years old during the events of the first The Last of Us game, while in the HBO series, he is around 55 or 56. This might not seem like a lot, but if you directly compare both versions of Joel, you see the live-action one is clearly older.
We know the entire setting of the series was made to be in 2023, as opposed to the game’s 2003, to match current real-life time, but Joel’s age didn’t have to be changed. Another reason might’ve been because it would look more believable for actor Pedro Pascal.
5Joel Is An Uncle
Tommy Didn’t Have Kids In the Games
Tommy Miller is just as tough and skilled with a gun as Joel is,both in the games and the TV show. He also has a loving wife or partner in both as well. The difference is, in the live-action, he also has a kid called Benji.
This obviously makes Joel an uncle, and we see them have a little uncle-nephew moment in the second season. It’s very short, to be expected, but very sweet nonetheless. Like everything, it works to give Joel’s character a little bit more depth and relationships.
4Joel’s Anger
He’s Much Angrier In The Games
Joel is far angrier and tougher in the games. Maybe you can attribute that to a worse case of PTSD suffered after the loss of his daughter Sarah in the games, or maybe it’s just Pedro Pascal’s interpretation of the character.
The point is, HBO’s Joel is softer and much more caring than Naughty Dog’s version. This might be a general decision for the overall tone of the show, since Tommy Miller, Joel’s brother, also seems to be a lot less aggressive and reckless in the adaptation than in the original.
3His Relationship With Tess
It’s Clearer In The Show
The chemistry between Joel and Tess has always been clear, ever since the game first launched, but there’s never been any sort of confirmation or hint as to the true nature of their relationship. At least, until the live-action adaptation.
Even without a straight-up romantic scene, Joel and Tess share more time together, and have much more physical contact, with them even spooning in a scene. Joel also gets very sentimental about Tess’s death when reading the letter Bill left him before passing away.
2Joel’s Friendship With Dina
They Hardly Interact In The Game
The Last of Us: Part 2 introduces Dina, who is a very important character to the story… Just not to Joel. She is obviously Ellie’s love interest, and she spends most of the game with her. As to her relationship with Joel, they barely even interact.
A note-worthy change to Joel’s character in the HBO live-action is Joel’s interaction with Dina. They talk, get along, make jokes, and even go out and patrol together. Joel also talks about his good relationship with Dina with his therapist, which is another change, in fact.
1Joel Goes To Therapy
It Never Happens In The Games
During Season 2 of the show, Joel visits what appears to be the town’s therapist, Gail, played by Catherine O’Hara, famous for her roles in Beetlejuice and Home Alone. She is an admitted alcoholic and marihuana smoker, allegedly to help her deal with being the only therapist in town and having to listen to everyone’s problems.
In the games, not only does Joel not see a therapist, there is no therapist at all. Gail’s character does not exist. Her addition seems to be another way to give depth to Joel and Dina’s relationship, as well as everyone else who might need to talk to her.
