The Last of Us is a gripping and thought-provoking drama series that takes you on a journey through the post-apocalyptic United States, following Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they trek across an unrecognizable and terrifying landscape in search of a safe haven.
It’s a genuinely captivating experience, one that’s both deeply moving and surprisingly romantic. The writing, visual effects and casting work brilliantly to tell a story that’s both heartbreaking and gratifying.
The Story
After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity’s last hope. The Last of Us tells the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), two survivors who travel across a ruined America to survive in the aftermath of a fungus outbreak that transforms humans into zombie-like creatures called “Clickers.”
Based on the PlayStation video game, The Last of Us follows the journey of Joel, a hardened survivor, as he smuggles Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What started as a small job turns into a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
With a strong, defined moral compass, The Last of Us is one of the best post-apocalyptic series to date. It is a tense, thrilling and emotional exploration of a post-zombie world that’s perfect for fans of The Leftovers, Station Eleven or the few good parts of The Walking Dead.
The Cast
The Last of Us Season 1 has an amazing cast that will have fans falling in love with the characters. From Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984), to Bella Ramsey, Gabriella Dandridge, and Troy Baker, these actors bring their own special touch to these characters and their journey.
The casting director of The Last of Us, Anna Torv, ensured that all of the roles were played by top-notch actors. The cast also embraced the changes that were made to the characters from the games, and they all fit into the story in a very natural way.
This is a show that understands the importance of familial bonds and human connections in this world. It has a fantastic and powerful narrative that will keep you gripped from start to finish. It is one of the best shows to come out in a long time. If you have not yet checked it out, then you should definitely give it a shot.
The Visuals
The visuals of The Last of Us are a big part of what makes this adaptation such an amazing piece of storytelling. With a big budget and a massive world to capture, the visuals are stunningly realistic and breathtaking.
There are plenty of references to the video games in the show, though this isn’t a mindless adherence to the original game. Instead, it finds ways to incorporate new ideas and stories into a series that feels more like a live-action TV show than a video-game adaptation.
Episode 7 is a good example of this. It’s a direct homage to The Last of Us Part 1’s DLC, Left Behind.
Ellie finds an old porn magazine in the back seat of Bill’s truck and flips through it, asking Joel, “Why are these pages stuck together?” It’s a great little scene that plays almost exactly like it did in the game. It’s a fun way to play around with the video-game world of The Last of Us and is one of the best Easter eggs in the show.
The Ending
In a TV landscape dominated by shows that wallow in misery, The Last of Us celebrates life — despite the fact that the world is ruined. The show, created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, is based on the acclaimed video game that broke new ground with resonant themes, intensely fluid gameplay, performance-captured cutscenes, and unusually decent writing.
The finale of the first season is a powerful challenge for the viewer, but the writers deliver a compelling conclusion. It takes a hard look at the moral murkiness and confused humanity that makes these characters so fascinating, and it forces viewers to make a choice about who they want to see in control of Ellie’s life.
Throughout this first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) has been an unwavering force in Ellie’s life, but he is a man who isn’t necessarily good, or even good for her. The decision he makes here in the finale, to become a killer for Ellie, is a choice that we know he will make and that we can’t avoid, no matter how much we love him.