Henry and Sam are two major characters in The Last of Us. In the adaptation, the ending is the same as in the game, but there are some variations.
Episode 5 of The Last of Us, broadcast this Saturday, February 11, 2023 on Prime Video, includes a duo of major characters: Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Kevonn Woodard). Again, the HBO adaptation follows the same narrative thread as the cult PlayStation game, while incorporating significant variations in the course of events.
As a result, the story of Sam and Henry is the same… except for a few details.
Henry and Sam have the same ending
The end of the chapter dedicated to Henry and Sam is perhaps one of the most striking moments of The Last of Us in the game. After the characters have formed a form of friendship, and come a long way together, night falls. Sam and Ellie discuss and confide. But, early in the morning, Ellie understands that something is wrong: Sam turns around and attacks her. He is infected. Sam hesitates at first, threatening Joel, but to save Ellie he ultimately kills her brother. before committing suicide.
The violence of this scene is remarkable. Everything happens the same way in the series. With one small detail: the episode of the game ended like this before we changed location, but the series takes the time to show Joel and Ellie burying their friends – a touching moment that ends this chapter differently .
Sam is mute in the series
The adaptation changes the profile of Sam, Henry’s little brother: in the series, he is deaf-mute. This is not the case in the game.
This choice of staging makes it possible to create visually impactful sequences: for example, during the last dialogue between Sam and Ellie, when she confides, everything takes place in writing using the paper tablet. It also anchors the characters more in particular human realities, increasing tenfold the intimate approach to adaptation.
This change was to be expected on the casting side, because the actor, Kevonn Wodard, is himself deaf.
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