SiftPop

by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer

Back in 2013, developer Naughty Dog released a game for the PlayStation 3 called The Last of Us. Following acclaimed, breakthrough titles like BioShock and Uncharted, it was clear that a new age of gaming was dawning: the cinematic, story-driven experience. Essentially, these games felt like movies, and The Last of Us was the latest entry in this line. It was a single-player, action-adventure game that thrived in a survival-horror atmosphere, and it turned the tired zombie genre on its head. Upon release, it was a massive success that went on to win numerous Game of the Year awards, and eventually a sequel game that was released in 2020.

Now here we are a decade later, and this game has finally been adapted. After two failed attempts over the years to make a feature adaptation for the silver screen, Warner Bros. came through with a dark and gritty show to put on HBO and HBO Max, and it killed. It’s not often a new television show bursts onto the scene and instantly connects with audiences, impacts pop culture, and is universally considered a smash critical success. But with HBO’s The Last of Us, we have exactly that: a show that demands your attention, earns every single accolade it receives, and has instantly become one of the best shows on television today.

Our show takes place 20 years after an apocalyptic event. A fungal infection of the brain, from a strain of fungus called Cordyceps, has rendered humanity useless and put people in a zombie-like state. Although society has collapsed, there are some who have survived and are trying to rebuild, or at least keep existing. One of those survivors is Joel (Pedro Pascal), a cynical man who has already lost so much, and has no aversion to hurting anyone in his way. Another is Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a young teenager who is immune from Cordyceps and has the miracle cure in her body to stop the infection. It’s been tasked to Joel to take Ellie across the country to potentially save humanity. But all the while, they have to contend with the infected along the way, plus any surviving human raiders with malicious intent.

At its core, The Last of Us succeeds due to three main reasons: its faithful adaptation of the source material, which allows for tense moments, incredibly strong performances from all of its cast (but primarily its two leads in Pascal and Ramsey), and the show’s unwavering exploration and deconstruction of love as a thematic constant throughout every episode. These three elements allow the show to thrive. It grants us intense action and thrilling suspense that gets the heart pumping, as well as fully fleshed-out characters to get invested in, which in turn makes us care about the outcome of their experiences. But more than anything, it generates a whirlwind of empathy inside of us all so that we can simultaneously put ourselves in the shoes of these characters and care deeply for them, even if they are not our main characters.

In fact, an argument could be made that this season of television is one of the greatest explorations of love as a foundational emotion for life than we’ve ever seen in the history of television. In The Last of Us, there is a more comprehensive look as to why love is necessary, how love as an emotion is what makes us human, and all of the different ways in which love can show its face than there is anywhere else. This could be the love of brothers, or that of a father and a daughter. Perhaps it’s that of friendship, guardianship, or a mother having to give up her newborn child. Maybe it’s a more traditional connection that we see in stories: love formed from life partnerships and marriage. Whatever the relationship, this show understands what love means, and its intrinsic power over our lives and our decisions. You could feel hearts melting all over the world as people watched the impactful relationship between Bill and Frank in episode three, “Long, Long Time.” You could feel heart’s break due to the tragic ending between Riley and Ellie in episode seven, “Left Behind.” It’s all so poignant, beautiful, bleak, and crushing.

The powerful performances from Pascal and Ramsey are a large piece of the puzzle. Pascal’s pain brought on by the suffering and grief due to the death of his daughter is gut-wrenching. As a father of two girls, this rocked me to my core. But even if you’re not a parent, you’ll still feel the weight of this moment. After such a traumatic opening, Pascal displays a perfect guarded exterior that is brilliantly broken down as the show goes on. By the time we reach the end of the show and he starts calling Ellie ‘baby girl,’ you can understand why he can’t let go at the end of all things. The man has lost too much, and the idea of losing the one thing that gives him purpose in life would just break him. Ramsey offers a bold take on a young girl who is driven by anger and purpose, resentful of the fact that she was born into a tarnished world with little agency as to the direction of her own life. But the thought of providing a cure for humanity, and her neverending sense of loneliness due to having no one to connect to, gives her a relentless drive to stick it out with Joel and complete their improbable mission. Ramsey does a great job of portraying youthful innocence, a deep sense of passion, and the pain of a corrupted teenager who has seen and experienced far too much at such a young age.

It’s often difficult for a movie or television property to remain faithful to a video game. Some of the concepts may be so out there that they’re challenging to visualize, or the nature of the story where you need unique gameplay may be too difficult to replicate. Or, your director is Uwe Boll. Take your pick; game adaptations can fail for a variety of reasons. But The Last of Us gets so much right. It utilizes the already impressive narrative and dialogue of the game and messages it with solid visuals and world building. From the emotional moments, to the look of the world, to the horrifying design of the clickers, the game is brought to life. The action is also surreal. Seeing a horde of infected re-animate to life, watching a cannibal chase someone through a burning building, or seeing a shootout in a hospital, there are some tense moments that will have you gripping your chair. Frankly, one of the weak points of the show is that there isn’t enough action. I loved all of the slower dramatic moments, but I wish there was a more even balance. Still, the action, when it is there, is so good that it’s hard to fault it too much. Plus, the drama is handled perfectly. The show manages to perfectly maintain the moral conundrums of the game. Almost every episode features decisions that got people talking and contemplating our own personal moral compass. This season of television provided some of the greatest water-cooler moments since Game of Thrones.

So let’s talk about these moments in these episodes that made it all so great…

Ep. 1 “When You’re Lost in the Darkness”: 9/10

The opening 20-minute sequence of this show is perfection. Simply put, if this outbreak sequence, and the outcome of what happens with Sarah (Nico Parker), doesn’t hook you into watching this entire show, nothing will. It also brilliantly sets up the rest of the season with the establishment of the Fireflies, the FEDRA quarantine zones, and the trip with Ellie to find a cure.

Ep. 2 “Infected”: 8/10

This arguably gives us the scariest infected moment of the season with the silent evasion and fight with one dastardly clicker. That is immediately followed up with a swarm of infected converging on our heroes and the first unwelcome death of a character we care about. All of this really applies the stakes of the whole show. It’s a shame the infected were never this much of a threat the rest of the season.

Ep. 3 “Long, Long Time” 10/10

The best episode of the season. And, quite honestly, one of the best episodes of television you could ever watch. If anything about this show should get Emmys, it’s this episode and the jaw-dropping performance from Nick Offerman. This episode encapsulates everything this show is about: love, pain, growth, sacrifice, and terror. In the game, Bill is still alive and we don’t get this backstory. But here, the tale of Bill and Frank is the highlight of this experience. If this episode doesn’t bring you to tears, not much will. Brilliant; absolutely brilliant.

Ep. 4 “Please Hold to My Hand”: 8/10

More of a prelude to the next episode making this feel almost like the first half of a two-parter, this succeeds and is excellent setup thanks to the building of tension. It’s also the first time in which we see human beings as a viable threat in this world outside of just the infected. Plus, with Ellie saving Joel, this marks the beginning of when Joel starts to let his guard down, and they start to form a true bond with one another.

Ep. 5 “Endure and Survive”: 9/10

An action packed thrill ride, and in many ways, the most exciting episode of the season. The buildup to this all-out assault of human rebels versus Joel and Ellie’s team, with a horde of infected pouring out of the ground all around them, is epic. The story of Henry (Lamar Jonson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard) is also incredibly moving, and it marks one of the bigger changes from the game in which we have Sam portrayed as a deaf boy, adding an entirely new element to the story that makes it feel really fresh and engaging. Couple this with the heartbreaking ending, and this is easily one of the best episodes of the show.

Ep. 6 “Kin”: 8/10

Jumping three months ahead, this episode gives us a glimpse of what life could be for our complex heroes. It’s also a crossroads for our leads as they consider how to move forward with their journey. Plus, it gives us the one big cliffhanger of the season.

Ep. 7 “Left Behind”: 9/10

Another soul-crushing episode, as we get to see Ellie in a flashback episode before our adventure. It’s wholesome and sweet, but it also lets you into the naïveté and young rage of our character. Tying it back to the present, it’s nice seeing Ellie get the clarity to cherish life’s moments, no matter how short they may be, because they’re precious. One of the best messages of the show.

Ep. 8 “When We Are in Need”: 9/10

This episode is the incarnation of creepy. Led by a great cameo performance by Scott Shepherd, we see here how our decisions have ripple effects and consequences. Seeing Ellie have to protect herself against cannibals and pedophiles will raise the hair on the back of your neck. It’s absolutely horrifying and really establishes how traumatized our characters are from this experience.

Ep. 9 “Look for the Light”: 7/10

Not a bad episode by any stretch, but unfortunately the weakest episode of the season; the finale suffers from pacing. It’s the shortest episode of the season, and it feels like it too. Everything feels rushed. And although Joel’s assault on the hospital is badass, and the body count is high, it all flies by too fast. The credits roll before the audience, or the characters, can really tackle the weighty decisions that Joel has made. But, we do have a lot of interesting ground to cover next season as Joel’s purpose in life now directly contradicts Ellie’s. I’m looking forward to new episodes in a year or so already!

I know, I know. You’re tired of me yapping. But this show just gets so much right that it would be a massive disservice to everything it has accomplished if we didn’t get through it all. But the bottom line is this: The Last of Us is spectacular. It succeeds in almost every way, and is one of the best shows on television. I hope it gets a lot of love at the Emmys. I can’t wait for Season Two. But more than anything, I hope more and more people see this show so it gets the love it deserves… and so I have people to talk to about it!

Overall Score: 9/10

The Last of Us is currently streaming on HBO Max

---

You can read more from Heath Lynch, and follow him on Letterboxd