Stephen King and ‘The Last of Us’ Fans Take Issue with TV Show’s Setting

Fans of “The Last of Us” could buy the post-apocalyptic setting and the mushroom zombies. However, a few seconds of a specific location upset many.

Episode 3 showed a mountainous landscape with the caption “10 miles west of Boston.” Nearby residents could not contain their complaint. 

One notable rant came from Stephen King, author of The Thing and The Shining. He said, “Do you really want to tell me that’s 10 miles west of Boston?”

Why are people upset about that shot?

THE LAST OF US. Episode 3: Do you really want to tell me that’s 10 miles west of Boston?

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 31, 2023

That establishing shot featured a wide woodland area with a mountain range on the horizon. It is a breathtaking shot, but people do not believe it is 10 miles away from Boston.

The mountainous area and pine trees are more akin to somewhere near the Pacific Northwest instead of the New England metropolis.

The crew recorded the show in Alberta, Canada, so it makes sense for some scenes to show that terrain. 

However, that doesn’t keep the narrative consistent, especially for people who live near the area.

For example, Stephen King is a longtime resident of Maine, so he’s familiar with what New England looks like. 

It is not surprising to see him point out the silliness of a mountain ranges 10 miles west of Boston. 

Also, Stephen King is an award-winning author who is famous for creating horror stories like IT and The Shining.

It is challenging to evoke dread with words. You have to build tension while keeping your readers glued to the pages.

That requires extreme attention to detail so that his stories make sense and evoke the right emotions. Needless to say, King would spot something wrong with “10 miles west of Boston.”

Other Last of Us fans supported the highly-acclaimed writer. Twitter user jenflower8 said: 

“His point is that those from us from the Northeast could clearly tell that was NOT filmed in the NE. Especially the river/forest scene. Wrong trees and landscaping. Obviously filmed in the Northwest.”

Others tried to pinpoint the shot’s real location. Someone with the Twitter handle stuartmilliner1 said: 

“Sheep river was the opening scene then the walking round stuff was near elbow falls and the romantic stuff was shot in high river.”

What makes The Last of Us worth watching?

Photo Credit: crast.net

Some fans felt frustrated about that establishing shot of “Boston,” but others were unfazed. Someone named Allie Mac Kay told Stephen King:

“That’s what you got out of one of the most beautiful episodes of television?” Another with the Twitter handle cb_rockefella stated: 

“So? Who cares? It’s a story not based in localism or reality.” The appeal of the Last of Us relies on dramatic tension and interactions among characters.

The Last of Us started as a video game that came out in 2013. It was a survival-horror game where you play as Joel and Ellie shooting zombies.

Yet, it gripped gamers with the connection between the two protagonists. Joel takes care of Ellie as he sees her as a daughter figure following his kid’s death.

Meanwhile, players see Ellie grow up while trying to make sense of a world overrun by cordyceps-infected people.

Eventually, gamers see the duo meet other people and see how life changed in the apocalypse. An unexpected change of pace for a shooter game, isn’t it?

You can still catch up to The Last of Us series because we are just on the third episode. On the other hand, you might want to play the remastered game on the PlayStation 5.