‘The Last Of Us’ Episode 1 Spoiler-Free Review

TV & Film

Jan 17

HBO’s highly anticipated adaptation of Naughty Dog’s hugely popular videogame, The Last of Us, finally arrived last Sunday night! The show focuses on the survivors of a global pandemic who are living in quarantine zones across the country. The main focus is on Joel (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian) a former construction worker who is hired to safely take a 14-year-old girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones), across the country for a group known as Firefly. This post will contain no spoilers for the show, but since I have not played the game, I cannot promise that there will be no spoilers for the things that happen in the game. I do want to give a trigger warning as there is violence against children and the elderly.

When the episode begins, we are watching a talk show interview taking place in 1968. Two scientists are discussing the impact of a global pandemic, and they are debating whether it will be caused by a virus or a fungus. One of the scientists argues that a virus would be most concerning because it is transmitted through the air and could spread quickly due to air travel. The other scientist argues that a fungus would be the most concerning type of pandemic and gives an example of one that is known to infect insects and control their thoughts and actions. While he is ignored and laughed at, he explains that all it would take for this to become a reality would be global warming. We then go into a great title sequence that shows what looks like the hypha of the fungi spreading quickly and forming different shapes in the end.

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Next, we jump all the way to 2003 where we meet Joel and his daughter, Sarah, who are getting ready for the day and celebrating his birthday in Austin, Texas. Their day is fairly uneventful until all hell breaks loose that night, and they are surrounded by explosions, violence, and a heavy police and military presence. As they try to escape with Joel’s brother, Tommy, they quickly learn that no one, not even the military, is there to help. We are given our first glimpse at what the fungal infection does to humans during this period, but it isn't clear what exactly is happening to them. We see people with contorted faces moving erratically, jerking, and making terrifying guttural noises. They are also attacking people, but it isn’t clear yet if they are killing, eating, or infecting them.

After a truly heart-wrenching scene, we are then taken to Boston in the year 2023. The city is unrecognizable as it looks like a war zone that was hit by a massive bomb. The city is filled with some of the survivors and people that were born after the pandemic started. They are now able to test for the presence of the fungal infection, and if detected, the person is killed and their body burned. When we meet Joel again, he is helping to burn the bodies of the dead. The city is under military rule, and people of working age are given ration cards for the work they do which they can use for necessities. It is like the wild west, and public executions are carried out in the town center.

A group known as Firefly is working to overthrow the dictatorship-style of government currently in place in favor of a democracy, but that is not going well. We are still unsure of Ellie’s role, but the group is doing everything they can to protect her. We also find out at the last second that she may be immune to the fungus. The show also ends on a fantastic cliffhanger!

This show blew my expectations out of the water. I purposefully went into the premiere having not seen a trailer nor played the game so that it would be completely new to me. The 2003 scenes are beautifully shot, and although they are happy moments with bright colors, there is a constant feeling of foreboding that does not allow you to relax for a second. I am also a huge fan of having the premiere episode be the length of a feature film.

All-new episodes of The Last of Us air on Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and stream on the same day on HBO Max.