From Video Game to Small Screen: A Review of The Last of Us
By: Mallory Johnson
The first season of the critically acclaimed new HBO Max/Crave show The Last of Us recently wrapped up, and I am a huge fan! The hit show is based on a video game of the same name. It took some convincing for me to start watching the show, and once I started the first episode, I quickly became obsessed. The show stars Pedro Pascal (Narcos, The Mandalorian), Bella Ramsey (Catherine Called Birdy, Game of Thrones), Anna Torv (Fringe, Mindhunter), Merle Dandridge (Station 19, Truth Be Told), and more. The show follows Pedro’s character Joel, and Bella’s character Ellie who are on a journey through a post-zombie-like-apocalypse United States. I was hesitant to watch the show as I am not a fan of zombie media. I don’t watch The Walking Dead, but the monsters/”the infected'' in The Last of Us are different (in my opinion, they are less scary and realistic looking). Before I go any further, here is a MAJOR SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: blood and gore, death, war (prominent theme), loss, grief, suicide (shown and discussed), murder, disease (prominent theme), gun violence, pandemic discussion, the apocalypse, a few animal deaths (for hunting purposes; no family pets are killed), an attempt at sexual violence (shown and hard to watch), discussion of cannibalism, abduction, fire/arson, abandonment, violence, a cult, drug use and dealing, addiction, torture, body horror, police brutality, fascism, PTSD, flashing lights, swearing, childbirth (shown), a plane crash, and a car crash.
The performances done by main characters Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie are phenomenal and highlights of the show. Some scenes and the major themes of the show are very difficult; the show is not a light and fluffy comedy, so major props to Bella and Pedro. I have not played the game that the show is based on, but I have seen on TikTok and YouTube that the show is VERY accurate to the game and even uses exact lines of dialogue in the show which is amazing. I have started watching people play through the game on YouTube and it is very cool to see for myself how well they adapted the game.
The first episode, with a whopping one hour and twenty-minute runtime, provides necessary context about how the world ended up in the zombie-like apocalypse. The conversations eerily mirror conversations regarding COVID-19, which is very unsettling. We also get necessary background into Joel’s life, as the end of the world was beginning. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: We see as Joel tragically loses his only daughter, Sarah, after she was shot, even though she was innocent and was perfectly fine. It’s heartbreaking, as Joel desperately yells for help and cradles Sarah. Her tragic death is commentary on how the real threat was the government and soldiers, not the Infected. After this, we are taken twenty years later to 2023, where the main action of the show takes place. What is haunting about the disease present in this show is that there is no cure or vaccine. However, Ellie is immune (and had already been bitten) so she is safe.
Easily one of the best, most heartfelt, and easily the most heartbreaking episodes out of all nine in the first season is episode three. We see the love story of two adult men named Bill and Frank. Bill is a smart survivalist who is totally content living alone if it means he is safe. He has set Home Alone style traps and cameras all around to prevent getting infected. One day, a healthy, unarmed man named Frank falls into one of his traps and asks for a meal. Long story short, Frank ends up staying for more than just a meal and they live a long and safe life together until they poetically end their lives on their own terms together. The end of the episode is devastating, but the tough subject matter was handled very well.
In my opinion, after episode three, the tone of the show had a major shift. It felt a lot darker and more brutal, but it was still enjoyable. Something I noticed about this show is that they love to introduce new characters, have viewers get attached to them, and then kill them off before the episode even ends. Another one of my favorite episodes is number seven, which provides viewers with more context and background for Ellie, and yet another heartbreaking LGBTQ+ love story. In this episode, which is set three months before Ellie met Joel, she is seen spending time with her best friend Riley after sneaking out. They go to a deserted mall, which Ellie has never been to, and they have the time of their lives. Unfortunately, they get attacked by an Infected and both get bitten. They decide to ride it out together and “poetically lose our minds together” as Riley says - except Ellie is immune, so she is fine…however, Riley is not. This episode had some beautiful, tender love between Ellie and Riley who shared a kiss together after Ellie was crushing hard.
Episode eight is easily the most brutal and hardest to watch episode of the whole season. It combines some of my least favorite horror tropes: cults, cannibalism, sexual violence, and religion. It reminded me of the horror show Midnight Mass at the beginning of the episode. Ellie nearly gets sexually assaulted, but she defends herself and murders her attacker. She is understandably traumatized and finds Joel outside; and becomes his unofficial daughter when he comforts her, which is one of my favorite moments in the show. I loved that some actors in the show also voiced characters in the game, and that it was filmed in Alberta!
Overall, I really loved this show and cannot wait for season two. I am very glad that my sister convinced me to watch it; I had no idea what I was missing! Now that the first season is done, I need a new show to watch on Sunday nights. I am giving The Last of Us a whopping 10/10 and wish I had more episodes to watch!