Warning: This review contains spoilers for “The Last of Us.”
HBO Max has proven these past few years that they know what they are doing when it comes to making TV shows. From “House of the Dragon” to “The White Lotus,” HBO rarely misses. The same can be said for their newest show, “The Last of Us,” which aired its season one finale recently.
“The Last of Us” stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, two actors known for their roles in “Game of Thrones” and “The Mandalorian” for Pedro Pascal. Both actors are amazing, giving gripping performances that prove how good they are at their work.
“The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic story based on the video game of the same name. It’s about two people, Joel and Ellie, who are trying to travel across the country to manufacture a vaccine, as Ellie is the only immune human on Earth. They travel from Boston to Utah, and along the way face danger and death, not just from the zombies that have destroyed the world, but also the people.
The title itself describes the story, it's not a story like the “Walking Dead” where characters die or zombie hordes appear because the ratings are low. “The Last of Us” chooses to show how a global pandemic affects and changes people. Our main character Joel went from a loving father to a ruthless killer, his brother went from an Army veteran to a provider in a small community. However, the villains are the most interesting. Kathleen’s story of revenge for her brother’s death is excellent, but the best comes from David.
Like the video game, David is a warped man who “found God” after the apocalypse, becoming a preacher for a small group. After that group grew and David became their leader, things weren’t all peachy. They couldn’t find food and his people were dying, so he became a cannibal. The show is so good at portraying these characters that it’s something better left said than described, but the characters are the best part of this show. Yet, no character is good without good writing.
As said previously, “The Last of Us” show is based on the 2013 video game of the same name, which won many awards including best game, narrative and design. Neil Druckmann, the director and writer of the game, was brought in to help write the show along with showrunner Craig Mazin. Mazin is probably the best person in the entertainment industry right now. Besides this show, he also was the showrunner for HBO’s “Chernobyl,” an excellent miniseries rated as the fifth-best show of all time on IMDb. However, with all the praise given, there is one outlier.
Episode seven, titled “Left Behind” is based on the DLC from "The Last of Us" game, which was actually content they didn’t finish before the game came out. This episode was written by just Neil Druckmann and it shows, as it doesn’t have the subtleties as Craig’s writing. The episode also relies on contrivance a lot, having characters make dumb decisions such as turning on power to a giant mall in a place that is heavily limited on power and regulated thoroughly. However as said before this episode was an outlier, and considering how every other episode is near perfection, it's not worrying for future seasons.
"The Last of Us" is to "The Mandalorian" what the Kansas City Chiefs are to the Houston Texans. While both shows have very similar overall plots and Pedro Pascal, it shows how well HBO can use actors when Pedro is wooden and emotionless as Mando and then compare it to the phenomenal acting in this show. Overall, this show is the best of 2023 so far, and will most likely end up as the best show of the year unless a show comes out of nowhere. For anyone looking for a new show to get into, “The Last of Us” is for you.
Rating: 5/5
