Content material Warning: The next article accommodates spoilers for the reveals The Final of Us and The Strolling Lifeless.Since debuting on HBO in mid-January 2023, The Final Of Us has blown up in reputation. Primarily based on the online game of the identical identify, the sequence has been drawing lots of comparisons to AMC’s The Strolling Lifeless, one other fashionable post-apocalyptic, pandemic-inspired drama.
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Certainly, whereas each The Final of Us and The Strolling Lifeless have their very own distinct storylines, they do share some parallels. This begins proper from the onset of the outbreak within the first episode of each reveals. Among the similarities between the reveals, which contain eventualities, settings and even characters, are extra pronounced than others.
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1 The Walkers Need Flesh
In each reveals, there are, for lack of a greater time period, walking-undead-former-humans who’ve been contaminated not directly. The Final Of Us’ zombie-like creatures are much more agile and perceptive than the seemingly brainless, slow-moving ones on The Strolling Lifeless. However one factor they do share in frequent is that they wish to feast on human flesh.
This commonality between each reveals has led to some grotesque scenes of the undead crouched down over high of the useless, generally nonetheless residing, our bodies of others. For The Strolling Lifeless, the only cause is to gasoline themselves, and as soon as they get their palms on a human, it is feasting time, making The Strolling Lifeless among the best zombie reveals to look at for such cringy but compelling scenes. In The Final of Us, nonetheless, the eaters are additionally seeking to unfold the virus, and achieve this in distinctive ways in which make it even higher.
2 The Pure-Born Chief Protagonist
The Final of Us begins with the protagonist Joel, who shortly emerges as a natural-born chief. His potential to guide is first proven when he and his brother uncover that one thing horrible is occurring they usually escape with Joel’s teenage daughter to discover a secure haven. In The Strolling Lifeless, in the meantime, the protagonist Rick Grimes was equally a pure chief who folks trusted and wished to observe.
Joel may not have been a police sheriff like Rick Grimes, however the two each organically deliver collectively others to hash out a plan. Whereas, following the loss of life of his daughter, Joel apparently took a extra Daryl Dixon-like loner route, his management abilities are nonetheless evident, even 20 years into the longer term, as are Rick’s greater than a decade for the reason that apocalyptic state of affairs started on that present.
3 The Youngster Who Will get Injured
Teenager Sarah sadly meets her finish within the first episode of The Final of Us. Whereas it takes for much longer in The Strolling Lifeless for Sophia to perish by the hands of a walker chew (adopted by a gunshot to the top after reanimating), the idea of a younger teen or pre-teen who will get injured or killed is shared among the many two reveals.
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Though The Final of Us solely lately begun, Sarah’s loss of life was arguably simply as gut-wrenching as Sophia’s. Extra so, Joel’s response as he clutched her useless physique was paying homage to Carol when she fell to the bottom, distraught on the sight of her useless daughter.
4 The Sassy Youngster
The scene-stealer in The Final of Us is Ellie, the teenage lady Joel is tasked with escorting throughout the U.S., believing she would possibly maintain the important thing to the remedy on this. That is a very good factor since Ellie is tremendously essential to the plot of The Final of Us. Other than this storyline being much like the one in The Strolling Lifeless whereby Abraham and Rosita journey with Eugene believing he is aware of the place to discover a remedy, Ellie’s common character is much like different children from The Strolling Lifeless.
Most notably, she may be likened to Judith, one other youngster born within the apocalypse who solely is aware of the world prior from books. They’re each sassy, proficient with a knife (and a gun), and fiercely impartial. The 2 younger women might need been buddies had they existed in the identical TV universe.
5 Communities Coming Collectively
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Neighborhood was a giant a part of The Strolling Lifeless and can seemingly proceed to be by way of its many upcoming spin-offs, together with Daryl Dixon, Strolling Lifeless; Lifeless Metropolis, and the untitled Rick and Michonne spin-off. The communities depicted to date on The Final of Us aren’t fairly as tight-knit and extra so run like army outfits than hapless teams of survivors coming collectively to determine issues out.
However the sense of group is felt amongst those that work inside the quarantine zone managed by FEDRA (Federal Catastrophe Response Company) in addition to the outcast group the Fireflies who’re making an attempt to begin their very own revolution. The set-up is much extra tactical and structured in The Final of Us, however whereas the communities may not be as candy and harmless as folks like Daryl, Carol, Andrea and Michonne from all walks of life coming collectively on The Strolling Lifeless, they exist, nonetheless.
6 A Submit-Apocalyptic Situation
The obvious similarity between the 2 reveals is that they each observe a post-apocalyptic state of affairs whereby the survivors of a world pandemic are left to fend for themselves. They need to scour for meals, water, and different assets, struggle off enemies and do no matter is critical to outlive.
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In each circumstances, it’s an an infection that successfully results in the top of civilization because it has been identified as much as that time. The town, and certain world, is in ruins with buildings deserted and collapsed, buildings worn down, flowers demolished, and most people lengthy gone.
7 The Onset Of An Outbreak
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One of many worst selections The Strolling Lifeless has ever made is preserving the origins of the pandemic below wraps for thus lengthy. In reality, it is solely starting to come back to the floor now that the present has formally ended and several other spin-offs are within the works that can discover the survivors and their seek for solutions. On The Final Of Us, followers know from the outset that it was a mutation in a genus known as Cordyceps that induced the outbreak and the signs. Whereas the trigger is totally different, on each reveals, the outbreak infects people and turns them into some type of flesh-eating monster.
The Final of Us reveals a mycologist in Jakarta being known as in to look at a specimen, reacting in horror to what she sees as a result of she is aware of what it means. On The Strolling Lifeless, in the meantime, Rick learns from Dr. Edwin Jenner on the CDC (Middle for Illness Management) that everybody is contaminated and reanimates when useless, whether or not bitten or not. These two authoritative figures are key to an element in each reveals that provides a way of actuality to a second when somebody is conscious of what’s about to occur earlier than it does.
8 Grotesque And Distinctive Walker Sorts
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The Strolling Lifeless was identified for its prosthetics and make-up work, creating a number of the most memorable zombies ever on tv. These included the bloated effectively walker Glenn encountered in an early season, charred and burnt walkers, and Winslow, the Heaps walker who was coated in armor and spikes, making him just about unkillable.
On The Final of Us, the few walkers which were revealed to date have their very own distinctive traits. Followers discovered that they will hear very effectively however can’t see, which is sensible given their monstrous, mushroom-like heads that counsel a fungal an infection. Then there’s the memorable walker kiss scene with Tess, whereby one open-mouth kisses her, tentacles squirming out from his lips. Each reveals have zombies which are equal components horrifying and interesting.
9 Assembly Individuals Alongside The Method
Joel and Ellie are certain to satisfy a number of folks alongside the best way as they head out on their journey on The Final of Us, identical to Shane, Lori and Carl did on The Strolling Lifeless earlier than Rick wakened from his coma and located his manner again to them. For a time, these three adults have been among the best The Strolling Lifeless trios. A couple of extra characters have appeared on The Final of Us, like Frank and Invoice, two survivalists residing in an remoted city that the pair come throughout.
In the meantime, different characters that will likely be launched in upcoming episodes of The Final of Us embody Kathleen, the chief of a revolutionary motion in Kansas, two younger brothers named Henry and Sam who’re hiding from the motion, and a married couple Marlon and Florence who reside within the wilderness. Chances are high all these characters can have counterparts on The Strolling Lifeless who followers can liken them to, and a few will likely be categorized as villains and others allies.
10 The Basic Look and Really feel
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Each reveals have a usually ominous feel and look with elaborate units that embody lots of darkness and supply a chilling sense of doom. Buildings are rundown and even demolished, flowers is all however non-existent, and animals seem like gone as effectively. The thought of useless our bodies surrounding everybody, all over the place has develop into commonplace.
The Strolling Lifeless did not do a time soar to delve deeper into how badly issues had gotten till a lot later within the sequence. However each are depicting a world in ruins lengthy after the preliminary onset of the virus.
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