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HBO’sThe Last of Ushas proven to be a big hit among viewers. From loyal fans to new viewers, the show continues to put up big numbers every week. Episode eight introduced audiences to David and James. In the adaptation, James is actually played by Troy Baker, who played Joel in the video game. James is a young man who seems to be closer to David than anyone else in the group, though it may be a stretch to describe them as friends.
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In both iterations, James is there to question David’s decisions. He questions how wise it is to try and keep Ellie alive, for instance. In the show, David seems to sense James’ growing doubt. When James claims that things have been hard for the group for a while, he says he still believes. David then presses James further, questioning not his religious faith, but his faith in David as the leader. James reaffirms that he still has faith in David. This is something that doesn’t quite come up explicitly in the game, though the situation with Ellie causes doubts within the group in general.
Who Is James In The Show?
We get a bit of an expanded view of James in the show. When we see the way David treats the people in his group, we can see on James’ face that he isn’t quite in line with his leader. When questioned, he reassures David that he still has faith, but his actions say otherwise.
In the show, it’s James who shoots Ellie’s horse and almost kills her while she’s still on the ground. Members of the group encourage James to shoot the girl while she’s unconscious. David fires his gun in the air, stopping the man from ending Ellie’s life right then and there.
Who Is James In The Game
In the game, James is more of a lackey or a companion. He’s there to take orders from David. When David tells him to go get medicine, James does as he’s told. Because we don’t really see the group outside of enemies players are meant to kill, James acts as the face of the group. We can assume that James’ feelings and questioning attitude are indicative of how the group is feeling about David.
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In the end, the differences between the video game version and live action version of James are minimal. James is a minor character in the game whose role feels expanded in the show because of how much content was cut. In actuality, his role and screen time aren’t extended enough to change his overall role within the story.
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