There are secondary characters and then there are characters who, in a second, become protagonists: thanks to Neil Druckmann and to his work with Craig Mazinco-creator of The Last of Us, the registered series HBO extension not only is it faithful to the game, but it broadens some elements and personalities that were not explored in the original title. This is the case, for example, of Thess.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers about The Last of Us
Tess of The Last of Us: the differences between game and TV series
The Last of Us: the relationship with Joel
Ever since the introductory scenes of the first episodes of The Last of Us, we have noticed how some elements taken from the original story of Naughty Dog, have been taken and extended. The changes made have often developed on what is already present in the history of the game, other times they are completely new additions. Among these never unexplored changes, there is certainly also the case of the history of Tess, played by Anna Torv.
With the first episode, the kind of relationship that Tess and Joel (Pedro Pascal) had in the original plot. While remaining extremely faithful to the game, with scenes and in some cases dialogues taken verbatim from the exclusive work sony, the co-creators have gradually added new parts and that integrate the personality of the character. What could not be replaced in the series (in Italy exclusively on Sky and streaming only on NOW from January 16, absolutely simultaneously with HBO) was Tess’s death: this event is central to the entire narrative of The Last of Ushow confirmed by the co-creators.
The Last of Us: Tess and the other characters
Tess’s sacrifice, both in the game and in the series, will have a impact on other characters. To begin with, Joel’s decision to continue with the mission to deliver Ellie to the Lights, is due precisely to the death of Tess, who made him swear to take the girl with him and take her to Bill and Frank. If Tess had never made Joel promise to take Ellie with him after her death, it is unlikely that Joel would have traveled with her.
What changes substantially between the game and the series, is basically the death of Tess: first, in survivor game the woman has to face the soldiers of the FEDRA who killed the Lights, while in the TV adaptation Tess is attacked by ahorde of infected. In this important scene, Tess makes escape Ellie and Joel, stay behind and prepare to blow up the Capitol together. After spilling barrels of oil and tipping grenades on the floor, Tess awaits the horde with a lighter in hand. Here we witness together with her one of the most horrific moments of the series and one of the most different from the game.
The Last of Us: Tess and the Cordyceps
An infected approaches Tess and, just as anticipated in the first two episodes, shows that inside her body there are some tendrilssign of infection Cordyceps. Contrary to how it happened in the game, in the series the parasitic fungus is transmitted from one body to another through bites or oral contact. Just as we see, in fact, in the finale of the second episode of The Last of Us, the infected appears to “kiss” Tess to further spread the infection. Since it is shown in the series that the Cordyceps acts as a kind of hive mindwith mushrooms alerting other infected creatures through a network of underground tendrils who also travel great distances, it is thus explained that the infected in front of Tess does not need to attack her. She has been bitten before, the fungus is already creeping into her body. The “kiss” of the infected has the sole purpose of definitively infecting, compromising and thus destroying the last resistances of the woman.
