My Thoughts On The Last Of Us TV Show - Episode 1
When you're lost in the darkness.
I am not going to beat around the bush: The Last of Us TV show is incredible. Well, at least episode 1 is.
As a fan of the game (you can read my review here) I was eagerly anticipating HBO’s adaptation of NaughtyDog’s milestone title. But at the same time, I was a mix of skeptical and wary towards how it would turn out.
The show opens with a talk show where two scientists are discussing potential threats to making. One scientist poses the question of a virus infecting the global population; the other scientist a fungus, one that takes control of human minds, rewires them with the sole purpose of spreading the infection, and cannot be cured. It’s a chilling description of a haunting future, one that The Last of Us is about.
The scene then cuts, and Gustavo Santaolalla’s iconic theme song plays as the title sequence unfolds. Honestly the use of the main theme from the games was enough to sell me on the series. Suffice to say, I was hooked.
I had my doubts about Bella Ramsey as Ellie, not in her acting abilities but in her being the right fit for the role. But from her very first scene, she establishes herself as the Ellie we all know and love. Pedro Pascal’s portrayal of our protagonist Joel is near perfect, and other characters like Tommy, Tess, and Marlene are brought to life superbly.
I like how the show is confident in the way it deviates slightly from the story told in the game, and also how it brings further plot to the table. It correctly skips out on the combat from the games, focusing entirely on the characters and their journey.
Though combat in the game’s equivalent of episode 1 is extremely minimal, I hope they continue this going forward. No one is watching The Last of Us for the action, so please don’t give us a whole load of that going forward.
The show also recreates some iconic scenes from the game in style. The scene at the very beginning where Joels’ daughter Sarah dies is not at all same in its direction and cinematography but still lands the same emotional punch the game did. And the shot of two towers leaning on each other in an overgrown and decrepit Boston after Joel, Tess, and Ellie escape the Quarantine Zone looks just a good as the one in the game.
Should you watch The Last of Us TV show if you haven’t played the game and don’t have any interest in doing so? Yes, most definitely. The Last of Us is built on its narrative, and watching the TV show will give you exactly that. I will always have a soft spot for the video game source material of such adaptations, but maybe watching this show will make people want to give the game a try?
If episode 1 is the template that the entire TV show is built on then oh boy am I excited to watch this thing to the very end. HBO have handled this beloved franchise with such care and thought, and I hope this holds through till the very last episode.
The Last of Us is going to be a part of my Monday evening routing for the foreseeable future and I couldn’t be happier about it.
I have never written anything about television before so this was an interesting experiment for sure. I don’t know if I am going to write an article for each episode because honestly I don’t know what I will talk about, but maybe I’ll do one for every two episodes released. Anyways, thanks for reading!