Looking back at 'The Last of Us': Did the show need more gore?

And the show's more daring decisions to stray away from the game's canon and reimagine particular (fan-favorite) scenes actually made things even better, despite everyone's initial apprehension.
While The Last of Us changed some storylines, including Bill and Frank's and even the cause of cordyceps , one unique way the show formed its own character was by downplaying the game's violence and gore.
Yes, the show had its fair share of violence, but it was considerably less gory than The Last of Us' gameplay.
This may have been disappointing for some, but it was an incredibly smart decision that made the show's teasing of violence and gore all the more significant.
Show-writer Craig Mazin explained (Opens in a new tab) that he was worried ceaseless scenes of gore would become numbing to an audience.
The intentional decision to reduce violence made scenes like Joel's displays of more animalistic aggression all the more surprising and important .
And other scenes, like Ellie finding a human ear underneath a table in David's (Scott Shepherd) estate, also teased the right amount of gore without sacrificing her (or our) fear.
Ultimately, the wild card decision for a dystopic, post-apocalyptic show to not revel in blood and guts kept the focus on our characters.
Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBOThe Last of Us isn't about blowing up bloaters , it's about Joel and Ellie.
We're allowed to see her reactions to Joel's hostility through landmark moments instead of a continuous, forgettable drawl.
Keeping the violence contained meant we could really see Ellie and pinpoint the exact moments that were influential for her.
We all love a good, squeamish fight scene, but that wasn't the point of this season.
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