Hey all! Your favorite recapper is back again and this time it’s for HBO’s latest series based on the beloved video game franchise The Last of Us. This is a story set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by a virus, which is based on actual science, and focuses on an unlikely duo as they journey across The United States in search of a cure. Fans have been understandably nervous to see one of their favorite games adapted for the screen. In my spoiler-free review, you can learn how the series lives up to expectations. For those who want a more intensive dive into the premiere episode, please join me on this journey.
The episode opens with a discussion taking place in a late-night TV show studio in front of a live audience in 1968. A seemingly intense discussion around a virus found in Madagascar that’s highly infectious and can spread across mass populations in a matter of weeks. That’s right folks – more pandemic talks and parallels are being drawn here. The camera pans to three gentlemen, one of them being the host and the other two being scientists. One of the scientists is an epidemiologist named Dr. Newman, who is played by none other than John Hannah.
The TV host proceeds to ask Dr. Newman about his concerns on the matter and Dr. Newman, to my surprise (given the time period) sort of shrugs it off. However, a strange turn of events plays out – with no cause for concern over harmful bacteria or viruses, he calmly diverts the attention of not just the host but everyone in the room, to something direr; fungi. He then cites different fungi that are known to be hallucinogens, such as LSD which comes from the ergot fungus and Psilocybin which is found in mushrooms. Not the kind you’d find at your local supermarket, I’m talking about the kind you’d find at Woodstock!
Dr. Newman then goes on to describe a specific type of fungi that’s present in the animal/insect kingdom that has a fantastical function, one that can take over and control the mind. Here is where we are introduced to Cordyceps. In my review, I mentioned how the show uses a shift in mood to keep the viewer drawn in. This episode started with a somewhat light atmosphere and mood, but as Dr. Newman continues his explanation, he then poses a serious and real possibility – what if these fungi were to evolve and affect humans? Now the atmosphere in the studio seems different, it feels more tense. As the camera pans to the audience members, we see they’re hooked, and some look a little worried. Even the host whose job is to entertain and make a few jokes here and there is silently contemplating this possibility. You can feel the tension in the air as the host tries to gather himself and brings the show to a commercial break.
The scene that follows after the opening intro brings us to a beautiful day in 2003 with a young girl waking up to make her dad breakfast for his birthday. Meet Sarah, who is played by Nico Parker. She’s Joel’s daughter, who is played by Pedro Pascal. The two stars continue to eat breakfast and carry on with typical father-daughter banter, which gets interrupted by Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna), who is Joel’s brother. We see from their discussion there’s a problem with their construction job and as a result, that means Joel’s working late on his birthday, and Sarah isn’t pleased at all about it. The TV is on in the background and the trio shifts their focus to it for a brief moment. Something went down in the capital of Indonesia, but we don’t know what.
As Joel scrambles to get ready for work, Sarah decides to sneak into her dad’s room while he’s not there and grabs his watch and some money. The next scene shows Joel and Sarah getting ready to leave for school and work, but before they leave Sarah has a brief conversation with her neighbor Mr. Adler about coming over, as he feeds his mother some biscuits. The mother (we’ll just call her Grandma Adler) definitely has something wrong with her because she’s completely checked out. Here’s where you really need to pay attention because things slowly start to go left. During class, Sarah notices a reflection of light repeatedly hitting her. As she looks up from her school work, she notices her classmate is wearing a silver bracelet on her left hand which is the source of the reflected light. She also notices her classmate’s arm twitching while her classmate is either completely oblivious or purposely not paying attention, and we hear a faint cough from someone else in the room. The school bell rings signifying the end of the day and everyone leaves.
Sarah gets on a bus heading for the city, taking her to her next destination and into another key moment. As she waits for Joel’s watch to be repaired, she casually looks around the shop at all of the different clocks as the sounds of police and fire truck sirens whiz by. The store owner’s wife hastily walks in and announces the store is closed. It’s 3:15 pm and the two are confused, and with no time wasted at all, the wife hands Sarah the watch and has her leave the shop. A street that once had people around when she got there is now desolate – something’s wrong and we’re about to find out. As Sarah arrives at the Adlers’ house, one of the questions she asks Mrs. Adler is if everything’s ok on the news because she noticed there’s more police activity than usual, but Mrs. Adler gives her the old “everyone needs Jesus” talk. She’s not wrong, but I don’t think whatever’s going on is something Jesus can handle.
The subtle signs of things going left aren’t so subtle anymore as Grandma Adler starts to silently lose control of herself while Sarah’s busy looking at DVD movies on the shelf. Sarah decides it’s time to go home and wait for her dad, so Mrs. Adler packs some raisin cookies and sends her on her way. Before she leaves, she notices their dog is acting weird and staring at Grandma Adler – who is acting normal again! As she heads homes, we see some fighter jets fly over the neighborhood. If I were Sarah, I’d be doing some quick math right about now because things just aren’t adding up. Fast forward and it’s now nighttime. We see Sarah sitting on the couch reading a magazine with the news on in the background. The volume is low, but if you pay close enough attention you can hear the news anchor mention something about a “rash of violent incidents” that police can’t explain – this is the news Sarah asked Mrs. Adler about and she’s not even paying attention!
Enter Joel, coming home from a hard day’s work he sits down and talks to Sarah who is yet again disappointed by her dad for not bringing home his own birthday cake that he had promised to pick up earlier that morning. He promises to pick one up tomorrow and as a result, Sarah hands him a present. It’s his watch that she had gotten fixed after school, a nice little heartwarming moment because it seems he really needed to get it fixed but just couldn’t get around to fixing it himself. Another little surprise for Joel is the movie Sarah borrowed from the Adlers, after Joel pops in the DVD they relax on the couch and begin to watch the movie. A couple of hours pass and Sarah is knocked out while Joel is still up watching the movie, he then gets a disturbing phone call from his brother Tommy – he’s in jail. Tommy explains the situation and pleads for Joel to come and bail him out. Tommy tells Joel the reason for getting locked up is because he was in a bar and some guy began fighting with a waitress so he stepped him in and knocked him out. He also says “it’s a mad house in here, you gotta get me out”.
Joel carries Sarah off to her room and then leaves to get Tommy and the scene ends by showing the clock which says it’s 11:03 pm. The next scene opens up with Sarah waking up and the clock now says 2:16 am with a faint sound of sirens followed by a power surge and a dog barking in the background and the sound of helicopters flying overhead blaring throughout the neighborhood. If you’re a fan of the video game, what comes next will feel familiar. We see Sarah walking around the house looking for her dad out of concern – something is definitely up and he’s nowhere to be found. As Sarah turns on the TV, a warning is being broadcasted advising people to stay indoors. The Adlers’ dog jumps against the glass window as if it’s begging to be let in and led to safety. Sarah decides to go investigate and return the dog home, only for it to get free from its collar and her grip and runs off like a bat out of hell. Keeping true to her blatant disregard for the signs of danger, Sarah decides to cautiously enter the Adler home to see what’s going on.
Now scared out of her mind, Sarah goes deeper into the home only to hear a gunshot go off somewhere in the neighborhood which sets off a car alarm – panic starts to set in, and yet this brave young girl pushes forward. As she enters the kitchen, she nearly slips on some freshly spilled blood and follows the trail to see it’s none other than Mr. Adler in the corner with blood all over his neck asking for help. With extreme terror in his eyes, he signals Sarah to look next to him, and guess who it is? Grandma Adler is on the floor next to him, chomping away at his wife! Grandma Adler slowly raises her head to set her deadly gaze upon Sarah, and as she does this we can see something nasty hanging from her mouth, and it isn’t human flesh. Grandma now has her sights on a new meal and it ain’t biscuits!
Sarah dashes out of the house and Grandma follows with a burst of speed out of nowhere. Once outside, she runs into her dad and Uncle Tommy and they both look like they’ve been through the wringer. Grandma Adler rushes toward Joel and with a swift blow, Grandma Adler goes down. It’s not just the Adlers that have ended up like this, there are many others. The trio hops into Tommy’s truck and makes an exit, and you can see in the background those who weren’t infected quickly become overtaken. The plan is to head away from all the chaos and get as far away as possible, and while they’re trying to make their getaway, they discuss what’s going on.
No one knows for sure, but Tommy basically repeats what he’s heard from somewhere – some sort of virus or a parasite. Sarah, who is scared and trying to make sense of everything, asks if it’s a terrorist attack. Joel does his best to keep everyone calm by saying “we don’t know”, but to no avail. Here’s where we see Joel’s hardened character and sense of self-preservation start to develop. As they’re driving down the road, they find another family that’s stranded and Tommy starts to slow down to try and help them out. Joel tells him to keep going – completely disregarding the fact the stranded family has a kid. Honestly speaking, at this point, I wouldn’t blame him for passing up the stranded family. With so much going on and so much uncertainty around all of this pandemonium, I wouldn’t risk the safety and welfare of my family either.
It seems everyone had the same idea of getting out because freeways are backed up, so as a result they cut through the fields and take a different direction. With nowhere else to go, the plan is to head through town and come out of the other side of the blocked highway and they’re home free. As they get to town, even more panic ensues – people are everywhere running for their lives, being bitten, and tearing through the streets. The trio once again finds themselves blocked but this time by hordes of people, infected and non-infected alike; going back the way they came in reverse leads them to be blocked again, but this time a passenger airplane comes falling out of the air, and only a few miles behind them, crashing nose-first into town causing collateral damage to everything nearby and then the screen goes black.
The truck has been flipped over and Sarah wakes up to nothing but anarchy. The street they are on is on fire and people are being eaten all around them. Joel gets her out but then gets separated from Tommy when a police truck crashes into another car close to them. With a broken ankle, Sarah can’t run and Joel has to carry her to safety. While navigating through a nearby alley, Joel and Sarah are discovered by an infected man that quickly pursues them through a nearby diner. What’s interesting to see about this variation of a “zombie” is this one closely imitates those from the movie 28 Days Later. They’re fast and have no sense of surroundings – this guy ran into more walls and shelves than any zombie I’ve ever seen in a movie or show – and that’s what makes them even scarier. They will go through hell and high water to take a bite out of you!
Joel and Sarah exit the diner and head toward a field close by with the infected man hot on their heels, and a soldier saves them by putting a bullet in this fiend’s head, putting him down for good. Keeping Joel and Sarah in his sights, the soldier checks in with his commanding officers informing them he’s come across two civilians with one being hurt (referring to Sarah in this case). After a series of acknowledgments, we hear the soldier ask his commanding officer to repeat themselves – to which another series of “yes sir”‘s are made, with the soldier now setting his sights on Joel and Sarah, not to help them, but to kill them. After pleading with the soldier to not harm them and constantly declaring they are not sick, the soldier opens fire as Joel tries to run away while still carrying Sarah, causing the two to fall and roll down a small hill.
The soldier says that he’s sorry all while Joel still begs to not shoot, and he’s swiftly put down by Tommy, who comes out of nowhere to save his brother and niece. Joel was grazed by the shot but Sarah was a direct hit. Tommy indicates to Joel that Sarah’s hurt, and we see her lying on the ground holding her stomach – it’s a fatal shot and Joel starts to panic. They both realize what’s happening…Sarah’s dying. The scene ends with Joel holding Sarah in his arms crying, hands stained with blood, and the loss of his baby girl. This is only the beginning folks, and we’re in for a wild ride.
The next scene brings us to the aftermath of the outbreak 20 years later on a bright sunny day. There’s a young boy roaming about in what appears to be the woods. He looks starved, hurt, hungry, and filthy. The young boy looks as though he’s been through hell to get where he is, which is now Boston in 2023. He stumbles upon a fortified Boston with some guards outside, and one of them witnesses the boy collapse to the ground. He’s strapped into a wheelchair and brought into a rundown medical facility and notices a pair of signs on the wall. One sign is a directive to notify authorities of a cordyceps infection while the other shows the signs of infection and how long until one turns.
An officer approaches the boy and asks him a few questions, to which the boy reluctantly answers. Another officer scans the boy’s neck on a strange device that turns up red. Given the circumstances, one can assume this isn’t good. The next scene brings us to a massive fire pit where people are dumping bodies. It appears to maintain a kind of order, civilians are put to work by the government, also known as FEDRA. We see a woman working and as she turns to get another body she sees an army vehicle pull up. As she and Joel go to continue their work, she sees the body of the young boy from earlier. She taps Joel’s shoulder to tell him she can’t be the one to throw the boy into the fire, so he does. As this happens, we see an empty expression on his face, one of sadness and loss of hope.
The people here are under strict laws from FEDRA and there’s an air of oppression here as both try to navigate themselves through this apocalyptic life of what once was the beautiful city of Boston. As Joel makes his way through the town square, we’re shown society has gone back to its primitive ways of doling out justice – the gallows. There are some criminals that have been found guilty of various violations of the new law placed by FEDRA, to be executed publicly. There’s one suspicious guard that’s off to the side that signals Joel to follow him. They’re making an illegal deal – in exchange for some drugs, the officer gives Joel more rations – the currency that is currently used to buy goods, and what appears to be cigarettes. They discuss payment for a working vehicle and after the deal is made and information exchanged, the guard warns Joel there’s going to be increased security due to a group called The Fireflies.
Meanwhile, another shady deal seems to be happening, except things just don’t seem right. In an underground location somewhere, we’re introduced to our next set of characters. One man appears to be upset, and his name is Robert. He was supposed to secure a truck battery but we quickly learned he double-crossed the woman in front of him and sold it. That woman is Tess, who is played by Anna Torv. Tess has been captured and beaten up by Robert’s guys and it appears to have all been a huge mistake on his part, and his biggest concern right now is how Joel will react. After reassuring Robert nothing’s going to happen she’s released, but then a sudden explosion happens, and the brick wall is caved in, killing some of Robert’s guys.
As she escapes the basement of the house she was captured in, she follows a trail of blood but quickly discovers FEDRA agents are sweeping the streets and are suddenly attacked by the fireflies. Thinking it’s better to turn herself over to the authorities and explain she was attacked, FEDRA soldiers quickly rustle her to the ground and place her under arrest. The next scene introduces us to Ellie, a young girl that plays a huge part in this story, is played by Bella Ramsey. Ellie is being held captive in a Firefly compound somewhere and seems to have been there for some time. After being tested for signs of infection, which include muscle spasms, awareness, and any other signs you could think of, she passes the test and is yet again left alone.
Meanwhile, Joel makes his way to some sort of office where he meets an old man that relays messages for people over a radio broadcast. He hands the old man the cigarettes he got from the guard earlier and asks if the old man has heard anything about his brother Tommy. After pressing the old man for information, he demands to be shown the location on a map where the radio tower that the old man contacts. Joel now has a new mission – to find his brother Tommy. After a disappointing day, Joel heads back to his apartment and uncovers some of his tools from beneath the floor along with a map. In a sort of downward drinking spin mixed with some of the pills he sold to the suspicious guard, he tries to find the best route to the tower in Wyoming but then goes to bed. Tess enters and joins him to end the night, and the following morning she talks to Joel about her troubles from the previous day.
Tess finally breaks the news to him that Robert had double-crossed them both and sold the battery they paid for, and after agreeing to do things her way, they set off to find out where Robert is and get not only the battery back but the money they paid him. A woman is seen heading quickly down a hallway inside a Firefly base and appears to be their leader. This woman is Marlene, who is played by Merle Dandridge, who reprises her role from the video game. As she meets with her subordinates, her leadership is brought into question. After clearing the room, Marlene elaborates on their plan and tells her second-in-command there’s a bigger mission here, and Ellie is the reason. Marlene shows her a note and suddenly her faith is restored and is willing to help however she can.
Joel and Tess discover Robert’s whereabouts after trading some rations and set out to find him to get some payback. Ellie is still locked up but this time Marlene pays her a visit instead. After gaining her trust, Marlene tells Ellie she has a greater purpose and they’re leaving the Boston QZ (quarantine zone) tonight. Meanwhile, Joel and Tess cautiously navigate their way through an abandoned subway system and into what appears to be an office, with an infected person stuck to the wall. Here’s where the infected in this show differ from any other zombie tv show or movie – the cordyceps infection causes those who are infected to mutate into something more.
Fungus grows all over their body and may cause them to plant themselves on a surface. This particular person has been there for a while and isn’t moving, which may signify he’s been dead for a long time. As they climb their way up a ladder shaft into an empty apartment building, their path is blocked behind a door and Joel notices something different. The smell of gunpowder makes him look around for any other clues and quickly spots fresh blood on the flood leaking over from the other side. Armed and ready, they proceed through the door only to find someone else has put Robert out of his misery, and what’s more, the battery he sold to Joel and Tess and the fireflies was bad. The sounds of someone in pain are around the corner from Joel, so he goes to investigate the source, only to find out it’s Marlene.
Her entire squad has been wiped out, she’s been injured and so was her second-in-command. This is where Joel and Ellie meet – right after she lunges at him with a knife only to be thrown against a wall like a ragdoll and rendered unarmed and helpless. During a standoff with Joel, Marlene decides to negotiate with Joel to smuggle Ellie out of the city since she’s no longer able to do it herself. The deal is to smuggle Ellie in exchange for a car battery and some supplies so Joel can find his brother. The trio head back to Joel and Tess’ place to plan their next move, and while they’re doing that Ellie snoops around and finds Joel’s secret code stashed in a book of top billboard records. After quickly deciphering the code, she asks Joel who are Bill and Frank – a couple of characters we’re sure to meet later in the season.
We start to see the dynamic between Ellie and Joel unfold here, as the two don’t want to be around each other but are stuck together out of necessity. At sundown, the trio heads out on their mission and maneuvers their way through a waste field outside of the QZ. The trio runs into the suspicious guard Joel had dealings with earlier and finds themselves between a rock and a hard place. While trying to negotiate with the guard, Ellie stabs him in the leg out of panic, and Joel gets a sudden flashback to 20 years ago when the soldier shot Sarah. This puts him into a rage we haven’t seen before, as he pummels the guard either dead or unconscious, and Tess picks up his scanner to discover Ellie is infected. That’s right folks, Joel and Tess are smuggling an infected little girl out of the city, but Ellie tells them her “infection” is three weeks old, and they need to escape from FEDRA. The scene closes out with a view of a destroyed Boston as cries are heard from infected in the background while “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode plays. This is just the beginning of their journey. The beginning of a troublesome yet turbulent adventure for survival. This is The Last of Us.
See you next week for more coverage of The Last Of Us every Sunday night at 9pm ET on HBO.
Hey! I’m Lais a.k.a. Chipz-N-Stix and I love video games and nerd culture overall. I typically do reviews and impressions on video games as well as offer some helpful tips and tricks to enhance your gaming experience. From time to time I tend to touch on certain topics that get you thinking – things that would matter to the individual. I’m also a self-proclaimed Pokemon Master but that doesn’t mean you can outright challenge me. I have to “motivate” my team for that!