The Last of Us Fans Have An Issue With The Show’s Setting
The Last of Us episode 3 included a shot of the Canadian Rockies labeled '10 miles west of Boston' and fans noticed.
HBO’s The Last of Us has been taking the world of television by storm. Still, although its third episode premiered to critical acclaim, some fans are raising an issue with one aspect of the episode. A recent tweet from Stephen King, picked up on by Boston.com, points out a continuity issue in a scene from the third episode of the show titled “Long, Long Time.”
King and other fans are referencing a passing shot from the episode. The shot is meant to establish the episode’s location.
Many fans agreed with King’s tweet:
The scene features a large woodland area and mountainous terrain. It is undoubtedly a beautifully composed shot. It is supposed to be set 10-miles outside of Boston, and many familiar with the area aren’t buying it.
The actual terrain of the area is nothing like shown in the shot. The mountainous terrain and evergreen trees look like they are pulled from the Pacific Northwest rather than near the New England metropolis. This may make sense, as the show shot in Alberta, Canada, an area with large mountain ranges and more ruggedly-forested geography.
Some fans were able to pinpoint the exact locations of the shot and others:
Stephen King is a longtime resident of Maine and is probably familiar with the geography of New England. Thus, it comes as no surprise that he would point out the absurdity of a mountainous wilderness 10 miles west of Boston. Other fans thought King’s skepticism was missing the point:
The series is one of a few series adapted from video games that has found commercial and critical success. A growing number of video game adaptations including The Witcher and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood have found success on major streaming platforms.
The Last of Us is based off of the survival horror game of the same name created by Naughty Dog in June 2013. The game’s post-apocalyptic setting and mutant infected creatures ready to eat human flesh may seem like familiar video game fodder. What set the game apart was its emotional storytelling, and commitment to multi-dimensional, compelling characters.
When fans heard that the game was receiving a television adaptation, some worried that it might not be able to maintain the same quality as the game. The show has fans pleasantly surprised so far. The series continues to raise the bar of storytelling.
The series has been faithful in many ways to its video game source material. Some have shot-for-shot re-imaginings and nods to specific actions from the game. Its most recent episode has created buzz for its emotionally driven storytelling in a similar way to its source material.
The third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, titled “Long, Long Time,” features a digression from the main storyline of the series and from the video game source material. It instead explores a love story between Frank and Bill, played by Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman respectively. Originally two side characters within the game, the show takes liberties with their story in welcome and surprising ways.
Viewers do not have to be fans of video games to watch The Last of Us. The series’ riveting storytelling and tense action make for a great watch regardless of genre. Show runners may just need to make sure that they are more careful with their portrayal of the New England wilderness.
