The Last of Us (season 1)

The first season of the television series The Last of Us premiered on HBO on January 15, 2023, with the episode "When You're Lost in the Darkness", and ended on March 12, 2023, with the episode "Look for the Light".

Cast and characters[]

Plot[]

When You're Lost in the Darkness[]

The first episode details life leading up to the outbreak. The audience are introduced to Joel living with his teenage daughter Sarah and his younger brother Tommy. The show quickly establishes Joel’s love for family and his belief that dependency is the greatest sign of love, with Sarah reliant on his as a father and Tommy needing him to provide work. The episode follows Sarah’s day at school and her efforts to repair her father’s watch for his birthday. By nightfall, she gifts it to him but the pandemic breaks out, causing societal collapse. While attempting to flee the carnage, Joel and Sarah are shot by a soldier. Joel survives the attack but Sarah is killed, the loss devastating Joel.

The show then jumps 20 years ahead to show a bleak world. The military (renamed FEDRA) have turned cities into quarantine zones where people serve under their tyrannical regimes for guaranteed protection from infected humans and the Cordyceps. A militia group known as the Fireflies has developed to oppose the military, with their leader Marlene wishing to restore social order by creating a cure for Cordyceps. Joel now works as a smuggler with his ally Tess and the pair are tasked by Marlene with smuggling Ellie, a teenage girl, from the zone. However, they learn she is uniquely immune to the Cordyceps, hence Marlene’s fixation on keeping her alive.^[19]

Infected[]

The second episode marks the start of Joel and Ellie’s journey together. The pair travel with Tess to the Firefly base at the Massachusetts State House. On the way, they face clickers – enhanced version of infected – in the city’s museum and Tess is bitten in the struggle. At the state house, they find the Fireflies are dead and Tess reveals her bite. She contrasts it with Ellie’s, using her deteriorating state as proof Ellie is immune. She then persuades Joel to travel to their smuggling partners – Bill and Frank – to find a way to get Ellie to Marlene’s Firefly headquarters out west. Tess sacrifices herself to kill an infected horde to ensure Joel and Ellie escape.^[20]

Long, Long Time[]

The third episode opens with Joel and Ellie walking to Bill and Frank's. On the way, Joel answers Ellie's questions about the pre-outbreak world, and how the military executed civilians in the non-occupied towns to stop the infection spreading. Ellie asks about a scar on his forehead, Joel claiming he got it in a gun fight. While stashing some supplies in a gas station, Ellie wanders downstairs to find a trapped infected. Angered from Tess's death, she stabs the infected to death. The pair continue onwards, encountering a mass grave of corpses. Joel explains to Ellie that FEDRA and the Army killed many people to stop the spread of the infection.

The episode then cuts to a lengthy flashback about Bill and his life living in the isolated town of Lincoln, Massachusetts. Bill, unlike the rest of the town, did not trust FEDRA and instead hid in the town and made a life their surviving alone, barricading the town over the years. One day, he met Frank and fell in love with him, deciding to share his life in Lincoln with him. The flashback also reveals how he met Joel and Tess and the group forming their trading partnership. The flashback reaches an end with an old Frank and Bill deciding to commit suicide together, content their life of love has been purposeful.

Back in the present, Joel and Ellie reach Lincoln and find Bill and Frank dead. Bill left a letter for Joel urging him to use his belongings in the town to protect those he loved. Joel then decides to let Ellie join him on his journey to find his brother Tommy in Wyoming.^[21]

Please Hold to My Hand[]

The fourth episode depicts Joel and Ellie starting to bond on their journey together. In conversation, Joel reveals Tommy was an ex-Firefly member who left him with hopes of rebuilding the world but, with Tess now dead, Joel sees it his purpose to find and protect him. The pair stop to sleep in a woods, where Joel stays up to guard Ellie.

The pair continue their journey, reaching Kansas City, Missouri. Finding the highway blocked, Joel drives them into town where they discover the FEDRA quarantine zone deserted. They are then attacked by hostile survivors. Joel manages to kill two of them but a young man, Bryan, surprises him from behind and nearly kills him. Ellie intervenes, shooting the man and saving Joel. The two then flee the area as more hostiles arrive.

Elsewhere, it is revealed the hostiles are a resistance movement in Kansas City. Their leader, Kathleen Coghlan, is searching for a man named Henry and has her soldiers search door to door for him and Joel, whom her second in command Perry informs about his killings at the city entrance.

While hiding from Kathleen's soldiers, Joel apologizes to Ellie for forcing her to shoot a man and gifts her a gun. They eventually rest in a skyscraper. However, while sleeping, a man and a boy sneak up on them and hold them at gunpoint.^[22]

Endure and Survive[]

The episode opens with a flashback of the man and the boy – revealed to be Henry and his brother Sam – hiding from the resistance. Eventually, Henry and Sam plan to leave the city but spot Joel’s fight with the resistance. Henry then decides to follow Joel, leading to how the previous episode ended. Henry proposes an alliance with Joel, promising to get them out of the city. Joel agrees.

The group travel to the underground and take shelter in an abandoned classroom. As Ellie and Sam play, Henry reveals to Joel that he sold out Kathleen's brother, Michael Coghlan, to FEDRA to secure medicine to save Sam's life. He also senses Joel was a father before the apocalypse, despite denying he is Ellie's dad. Joel dismisses his remark and insists they move on.

Elsewhere, Kathleen laments on her desire to have Henry killed to avenge Michael. Perry finds her in her childhood bedroom. He then swears his allegiance to her and promises to secure her vengeance. Satisfied, Kathleen leaves to continue the hunt.

By nighttime, Joel, Henry, Sam and Ellie emerge into the suburbs but are shot at by a resistance sniper, Anthony. Joel flanks him and manages to kill him but not before Anthony alerted Kathleen. The resistance then arrive in their trucks and a standoff ensues between Kathleen and Henry. However, an infected horde breaches the ground and attacks the group. In the battle, Kathleen and Perry are killed but Joel's group escapes.

That night, the group rest in an abandoned motel. Joel decides to invite Henry and Sam to join him and Ellie on their journey to Wyoming, which he accepts. However, in the next room, Sam reveals to Ellie he was infected. Ellie (being immune) keeps it a secret, slicing her hand to rub blood on his bite mark to try to cure him. By morning, Ellie's efforts failed; Sam turns and attacks her. In the scuffle, Henry shoots Sam to save Ellie. The decision devastates him, Henry proceeding to kill himself. Joel and Ellie bury their bodies before pressing onwards.^[23]

Kin[]

The episode opens with a brief recap of Henry and Sam's deaths, much like how the game did it. The show then cuts to winter where we find Joel and Ellie holding two country folk, Marlon and Florence, hostage for information. The pair tell them to avoid going west towards Jackson, speculating the supposed hostile community living there has killed Joel's brother, Tommy.

Joel and Ellie march onwards anyway, with Joel appearing to be suffering panic attacks on occasion. That night, the pair talk about their dreams – Joel claiming he wants to live on a peaceful sheep ranch while Ellie wants to fly to the moon someday. That night, Joel falls asleep on watch and Ellie covers for him.

By morning, the pair cross the river but are ambushed by patrolmen on horseback. The group use a dog to check if Joel and Ellie are infected. Joel freezes when it approaches Ellie, but it doesn't react to her. Relieved, Joel gives his name and the leader, a woman named Maria, agrees to take him and Ellie to Jackson.

Once in the Jackson community, the pair find it is a thriving town. Joel spies his brother, Tommy, and the pair hug in their reunion. Tommy and Maria give Joel and Ellie a tour of the town, where Joel learns Tommy and Maria are married and that Jackson is effectively a collectivist and peaceful society resembling pre-outbreak times.

Joel and Tommy depart for a drink in the Tipsy Bison bar. Joel lies and claims that Tess is still alive and that he is delivering Ellie to her Firefly parents. Tommy reveals their main base is in the University of Eastern Colorado but refuses to travel with Joel there, revealing Maria is pregnant with his child. Angered, Joel storms out, where he has another panic attack, only calming when he sees a woman who resembles Sarah, his deceased daughter.

Elsewhere, Ellie is in Maria's house, the woman providing her new clothes and cutting her hair. While conversing, Ellie learns about Sarah and reveals to Maria she knows of the violent, terrible things Joel once did to survive with Tommy. Maria cautions Ellie to be wary of Joel, remarking that trusting him could lead him to betray her.

That night, Ellie watches a movie with the other children in the community. Meanwhile, Tommy finds Joel in a workshop and apologizes for his refusal earlier, knowing reminding Joel of Sarah would hurt him emotionally. Joel then speaks up, revealing Ellie's immunity. Though initially concerned, Tommy sits and lets Joel tell him everything, from Tess's death to Henry's suicide and Joel nearly dying in Kansas City. Breaking down, Joel begs Tommy to take Ellie in his place, crying that he doesn’t want to fail to protect her like how he failed Sarah. Tommy agrees as a final favor to Joel for keeping him alive throughout most of the apocalypse.

Soon after, Joel heads to the house where Ellie and he are staying. Inside, he finds a sullen Ellie and realizes she had snuck out of the movie and heard his and Tommy’s conversation. Ellie reveals she knows about Sarah, causing Joel to get angry. The pair then have a heated argument, ending in Ellie confessing that Joel leaving her will leave her scared and Joel declaring he is not her father. That night though, Joel stays up remembering his final Christmas with Sarah.

In the morning, Tommy and Ellie prepare to leave together. However, they find Joel in the stables. Joel reveals he wants to offer Ellie a choice of who takes her: him or Tommy. Ellie chooses him. Joel and Tommy then say their goodbyes, Tommy gifting Joel his scoped hunting rifle and promising him a place in Jackson when he returns. Joel thanks his brother and he and Ellie ride away together.

On their journey, Ellie and Joel bond together, with Joel teaching her how to shoot and telling her about his life before the outbreak. A week later, they reach the university but find the Fireflies have fled to Salt Lake City, Utah. While returning to their horse, raiders attack the pair. Though Joel kills one, he is stabbed in the process. They flee but, after running for several miles on horseback, Joel passes out, falling from the horse as Ellie cries for him to get back up.^[24]

Left Behind[]

Ellie manages to get Joel to the basement of a house in a deserted neighborhood. Joel deliriously tells her to leave him behind and go back to Jackson. Ellie puts his jacket over him to keep him warm before heading to the top of the stairs to consider her options.

Months before, Ellie listens to music on her Walkman while running laps at FEDRA school in the Boston quarantine zone. Another trainee, Bethany, steals her headphones and taunts her about Ellie's "friend" leaving. The resulting fight leaves Bethany in the infirmary with 15 stitches, and Ellie in Captain Kwong's office with a black eye. Rather than throw her in solitary confinement, Kwong firmly tells Ellie she is smart and strong enough to be a leader, but her attitude is becoming a problem. He gives her two options: if she keeps acting out, she will most likely end up as a nameless grunt under Bethany's leadership, and probably die a meaningless death; or, she swallows her pride and becomes an officer, and enjoys the benefits of the position while also getting to be Bethany's superior. He tells Ellie that FEDRA is the only thing preventing the people in the quarantine zone from falling into chaos, and Ellie could be a part of keeping the peace. Ellie decides to give following the rules a try.

The following night in her dorm, a person climbs into Ellie's room through the window and tries to sneak up on Ellie, who promptly wakes up and throws the intruder to the floor before grabbing her switchblade. She is surprised to discover the intruder is her former roommate and best friend Riley, who ran away from the FEDRA school three weeks ago. Riley reveals she joined the Fireflies, to Ellie's frustration, and asks Ellie to come with her for the night. Ellie reluctantly agrees and follows Riley out of the dorm.

The two sneak through the streets, managing to avoid the patrols, before entering an abandoned building. As they climb up, they come across the dead body of a civilian, who appears to have committed suicide recently by imbibing alcohol and some kind of medication at the same time. The two steal the man's liquor and drink some as they reach the roof of the building. Ellie asks to hold Riley's gun, which she briefly allows, noting it was issued to her in her capacity as a Firefly. Riley explains she joined the Fireflies while Ellie was in the hole: a woman noticed her while she was sneaking around one night, and invited her to join the group after Riley voiced her opinion that FEDRA are "fascist dickbags." Ellie suggests that the Fireflies' view on FEDRA is too simplistic, and that FEDRA actually holds everything together. Riley refuses to argue, and leads Ellie in jumping across the rooftops. As they stop for a breather, they look at a newly-powered block of apartments, which Riley explains was set up by FEDRA for new residents of the QZ. The two argue again over FEDRA's motives versus the Fireflies, with Ellie bringing up the Fireflies blowing up a storage depot and jeopardizing the QZ's supplies. Riley points out their destination: the abandoned Liberty Gardens mall, which was allegedly sealed off due to being full of infected. Riley points out that the mall is, in fact, no longer sealed off.

They head inside, where Riley explains the mall is connected to the same power grid that FEDRA set up for the new apartments. She turns on the power in the mall, and Ellie marvels at the colorful storefronts. Riley reveals it is just the two of them in the mall, and that she plans to show Ellie the "Four Wonders of the Mall." They find the escalators, which Ellie immediately plays on, prompting Riley to jokingly claim there are now five wonders. As they walk through the mall, Ellie eyes the various storefronts, making note of which storefronts are looted based on the need for their products versus what gets left behind. They look at a Victoria's Secret display, and joke about how uncomfortable the items must be. Riley then shows Ellie the second wonder: a working carousel. The two climb on the plastic horses and enjoy the ride while drinking from the liquor bottle, stealing glances at each other as they do so.

The carousel breaks down. As Riley goes to try to fix it, Ellie asks if Riley really left in a bid to liberate the Boston QZ. Riley claims Fireflies in other QZs have freed everyone and run things like before the Outbreak. Ellie points out Riley could still do that if she stayed with FEDRA, but Riley claims she does not have the same future in FEDRA that Ellie does: she reveals Kwong gave her sewage detail as her assignment, which prompted her to run away and eventually join the Fireflies. Riley then takes Ellie to the third wonder, an old photo booth. The pair take several silly pictures together, but are disappointed to learn the twenty year-old ink is faulty and leaves the photos mostly faded, though Ellie decides to keep the sheet anyway. Riley takes Ellie to the fourth wonder, Raja's Arcade, filled with working video game consoles including Mortal Kombat II which the both of them are fans of. The pair play several rounds of the game using an endless supply of coins from a dispenser Riley broke into. Unbeknownst to them, the sound of the games and their playing draws the attention of a long-dormant Infected in another part of the mall.

After Ellie finally gets a Fatality, Riley tries to take Ellie to the next wonder but Ellie suggests it is time for her to head back to the dorms so she does not get in trouble, proposing they pick up the next day. Riley protests by offering to give Ellie a gift. She takes Ellie into the food court, revealing her living quarters in the kitchen of a taco restaurant, and a copy of No Pun Intended: Volume Too that she gifts to her. They share some terrible puns with each other, only for Ellie to notice a shelf full of bombs. Ellie, knowing the Fireflies' bombs are used to kill FEDRA soldiers, realizes Riley was actually stationed at the mall by the Fireflies rather than finding it herself. Riley protests that she would not let the Fireflies hurt Ellie. Ellie incredulously asks if Riley really thinks the Fireflies would listen to her, and storms out. Riley chases her through the food court and reveals she is leaving Boston: the Fireflies are sending her to the Atlanta QZ. She had tried to request recruiting Ellie so they could go together, but "Marlene", the woman who recruited her, turned her down. The night at the mall was meant to be one last chance to spend time together before she left.

Ellie storms off, but barely makes it to the maintenance corridors before changing her mind and heading back into the mall. She hears distant screaming and runs into a costume store, only to find the source of the screams were a Halloween display that Riley had activated, what was meant to be the fifth wonder. Ellie retrieves the joke book from Riley and laments that Riley came back to give her a fun night only to leave her once again for a cause she does not fully understand. Riley replies that Ellie does not know what it was like having a family, which Riley had, albeit briefly, and has long wished to have again. She invites Ellie to do one last activity, and gives Ellie one of the store's latex masks. She then plugs Ellie's Walkman into the store's speaker system and the two dance on the counter in their masks to Etta James' cover of "I Got You Babe".

Ellie soon slows her dance and removes her mask as she stares at Riley, prompting Riley to remove her own mask. Ellie begs Riley not to leave and kisses her. Their moment is interrupted when the store is broken into by the infected. The pair make a run for it, trying to fight off the infected using Riley's gun and Ellie's switchblade. After a brutal fight, Ellie manages to stab it in the head. She is at first gleeful at having killed one, only to notice Riley staring at her arm. Looking down, she is horrified to discover she was bitten. Riley tearfully raises her own hand to reveal she was also bitten. The pair consider their options, both electing to wait out the infection and spend their remaining time together rather that take their lives.

In the present, Ellie decides to stay with Joel, searching the house for supplies. She finds a needle and thread and heads back down to the basement. Ellie silently reassures Joel that she will not leave him behind before beginning to stitch his wound.^[25]

When We Are in Need[]

A day after Ellie stitched Joel's wound, the episode opens to David before a congregation of survivors in Todd's Steakhouse in the resort town of Silver Lake, Colorado. He reads from the Bible, giving a eulogy for a dead man, Alec. He comforts the man's daughter, Hannah. When the girl asks when she can bury her father, David claims they must wait for spring because of the frozen ground. Outside, David talks to a man, James, and remarks on his lack of faith recently. James replies that he still believes, and the two men decide to go hunting.

In the town, Ellie sits over a weak Joel, who has contracted a fever. Low on food, Ellie decides to take Joel's rifle and go hunting. She spots a deer in the woods and manages to shoot it. She follows it where she runs into David and James, who stand over the now-dead deer. She holds them at gunpoint and makes them drop their rifles. David talks with Ellie, the two striking a deal that James will go retrieve penicillin for Ellie and then he and David can keep the deer. When James leaves, Ellie and David take shelter from the snow in a burned out building.

Inside, David talks about his life and his group, earning Ellie's trust. He then tells her how a group of his men were attacked by a "crazy man", who killed Alec. He then remarks how this man was traveling with a little girl. Stunned, Ellie realizes he knows her. James arrives and holds her at gun point, but David insists he let Ellie have the medicine and leave.

Ellie flees back to the basement where Joel is and injects the penicillin into him. Back at the resort, Joyce is making food when a man enters with a bowl of meat. She asks him what it is, the man claiming it is venison. However, David and James arrive with the deer for their group, still uncooked. David announces plans to take a group out to find Joel and Ellie. Hannah demands he kill them, but David strikes her to the ground in front of the group and orders Hannah to show him respect as her new father. The group then eat their food, with only a few knowing it is actually Alec's corpse.

By morning, Ellie gives Joel more penicillin and feeds their horse ice. However, she hears birds fly away in the distance. Inspecting the sound, she sees David and his hunting party. Ellie runs back to Joel, arming him with a knife and informing him of David searching for them. David and James talk about their plans for Joel and Ellie, with David insisting they spare Ellie. James questions him, but David glares at him. Suddenly, Ellie races past them on her horse, firing her pistol at them. James pursues her and uses his rifle to shoot the horse, killing it. Ellie falls from it, unconscious. James and the group surround her and prepare to kill her, but David fires a warning shot, halting them. He picks Ellie up and orders they find Joel while he and James take Ellie back to Silver Lake.

In the basement, Joel hears one of David's men search the house. The man climbs down the staircase and searches for Joel. Joel attacks him from behind, killing him with a knife.

Back at Silver Lake, Ellie awakes to find herself locked in a cage. David is there and insists she tell him her name, but she only swears at him. He begins walking away, claiming she has to trust him because her life with Joel is ending.

Back at the town, David's men continue searching for Joel. However, Joel subdues them and traps them in a house. He tortures them for information on Ellie's location, learning about their base at the Silver Lake resort. He then murders them in cold blood.

In the cage, David comes in with food for Ellie but she spies Alec's bloodied ear on the floor across the room. Disgusted, Ellie kicks the food away. David justifies himself, claiming he has to make difficult decision at the leader of his group to keep them alive. He then monologues that Ellie can join his group because he senses she is similar to him, feeling that she is violent like he is. He assures her that he will ensure his men will spare Joel if she does and they can thrive together, claiming he has a love inside him that is pure, because it is the same as how the Cordyceps fungus has expressed its "love" to humanity through violence. Undeterred, Ellie breaks one of his fingers. Disappointed, David leaves the room to fetch James.

Elsewhere, Joel has finally arrived at the resort, and is scouring the area looking for her. He soon notices a boathouse filled with human corpses and retrieves Ellie's backpack.

In the cage, David and James enter and force Ellie onto a table. Ellie fights against both of the men and she bites David in the struggle. Before David could swing the butcher knife down and kill her, Ellie reveals that she is infected. As James and David stand shocked, she grabs the butcher knife from them and buries it into James' neck, narrowly escaping as David shoots at her.

Ellie flees into Todd's Steakhouse, with David following, armed with the butcher knife. The restaurant catches on fire as Ellie sneaks around the tables, eventually charging at David to stab him. Though wounded, he avoids a killing blow and knocks her to the ground. He then mounts her and insists she stop struggling because "there is no fear in love". Frightened, Ellie grabs a hold of the butcher knife and violently hacks David to death with it.

The man dead, Ellie stumbles from the restaurant where Joel finds her and comforts her, calling her "baby girl". Joel wraps his coat around her and they walk away in the snow.^[26]

Look for the Light[]

In the springtime, Joel and Ellie enter Salt Lake City. They make their way along a highway of abandoned cars and soon reach a decaying bus station. Joel boosts Ellie up onto a platform; she drops a ladder down for him, but sees something in the distance and hurries off without waiting for him. Confused and worried, Joel follows after her as quickly as he could, and soon discovers that a group of giraffes had roamed into the deserted city, one of which was grazing on the vegetation that had grown around the decaying building they were standing in.

The two take turns petting the giraffe, then lean over the balcony to marvel at the sight of the herd. As they turn to exit the building, Joel realizes they have the option to simply leave all they set out to do behind, and return to Tommy's to live out a simpler life. He brings this up to her, but Ellie, determined to reach the hospital and see their mission through, insists that everything they've done up to this point "can't be for nothing". Joel nods and they walk onwards.

Soon, they reach an area set up with medical tents. Joel recalls that shortly after the outbreak, he ended up in a similar location and reveals that he attempted to commit suicide after Sarah's death. Ellie consoles him, Joel admitting his time with Ellie has made him feel like life was worth living again. The mood tense, he suggests they read some more puns. While doing so, a smoke bomb lands at their feet. In the resulting blast, three men grab Ellie and another knocks Joel out.

Joel wakes up in a hospital bed with Marlene by his side. She welcomes him to the Fireflies, and reassures him that they have rescued Ellie as well. When he asks to see her, she reveals that they are already preparing her for surgery - a surgical process to remove the mutated infection within her, and reverse engineer a vaccine from it. The truth dawns on Joel as he points out that the infection grows all over the brain, meaning Ellie will have to die for them to successfully extract it. He demands that they find someone else for it. The tension in the room grows and Marlene and Joel begin fighting about Ellie's fate. A Firefly in the room knocks him to the ground. Marlene justifies that there is no other option for them, and orders two guards to march him out, gifting him Ellie's switchblade. As he is escorted out, Joel decides to save Ellie. He attacks the guards, killing them both and stealing one's semi-automatic rifle. The gunshots alert and attract the attention of other Fireflies, and they soon discover Joel has escaped and is on the loose.

Joel fights his way to the operating room, killing every Firefly in his path. Once there, he finds a surgeon and his two assistants standing around Ellie, who is unconscious. They back away as Joel approaches, but the doctor attempts to stop him from taking Ellie and is killed as a result. Joel removes Ellie from the operating table, and carries her out of the room. He enters an elevator and descends to the hospital parking garage. However, once there, Marlene arrives and trains her gun on him. She makes a final attempt to change his mind, reasoning that Ellie would rather die for the vaccine than escape with him, wanting her death to mean something rather than die without hope when Joel inevitably dies and can't protect her anymore. Joel thinks about her gruesome words. As she lowers her guard and tells him that he can still do the right thing, the scene cuts to Joel driving away from the hospital, seemingly alone.

Joel drives in silence for some time, then a bit of stirring can be heard in the background as Ellie is seen waking up in the backseat. She asks him what happened, and Joel lies to her as he recalls the events that transpired in the parking lot; he had shot Marlene to prevent her from coming after Ellie, but tells her that the Fireflies have already stopped looking for a cure, and that she is not the only human immune to CBI. Ellie turns away silently in disappointment, and Joel apologizes as he continues to drive back to Jackson.

Sometime later, not far from Jackson, Joel is looking under the hood of their vehicle, and a still dejected Ellie lightly traces her infected bite wound as she thinks about their trip to the Fireflies' lab. Joel declares that they will be walking from this point, and the two continue to make their way to Tommy's settlement on foot. On the way there, Ellie stops Joel and confronts him about his version of events that transpired earlier. She expresses her survivor's guilt, mentioning all of their friends who have died and succumbed to CBI, and wonders if she could have done more to end the pandemic. She asks Joel to swear to her that everything he told her about the Fireflies is true, and he does. She hesitantly accepts his answer.^[27]

Episodes[]

Production[]

Development[]

After the film adaptation for The Last of Us entered development hell for six years and subsequently cancelled, a new television series for HBO was announced on March 6, 2020. Craig Mazin, the creator of acclaimed HBO limited series Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, writer and creative director of the game, executive produces the series. Evan Wells, the president of Naughty Dog, and Carolyn Strauss are also served as executive producers. Moreover, Sony Pictures Television will co-produce the series in association with PlayStation Productions.^[35]

On January 6, 2023, Craig Mazin stated that, "The first season is the events of the first game and you can tell, if you have played the game, from watching the marketing materials that we're also covering the events of the downloadable content. I think that the amount of story that remains that we have not covered would be more than a season of television. So assuming we can keep going forward, the idea would be to do more than just one more season. But this isn't the kind of show that is going to be seven seasons."^[36] Mazin also hinted that in future seasons, viewers could see side stories from The Last of Us Part II, one in particular he hinted was the Seraphite Prophet.^[37]

On January 9, 2023, Druckmann and Mazin said that when it came into TV series adaption, their hope was to build beyond the bounds of the game to create more narrative nuance. Particularly, when it comes to the fungi, which has been modified somewhat to better fit the show with a focus on how the infected are connected. Starting with how the Infectious spores from the dead infected that would fill the air are also gone. Mazin added that any changes were heavily coordinated with Druckmann in order to keep the focus on Joel and Ellie.^[38]

On January 15, 2023, Mazin was also asked about the inspired song choice in the show's final moments to use Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down Again", noting it seemed rather perfect: one of the few '80s hits that hasn't been overplayed, and felt both foreboding and darkly comic.^[39]

On January 20, 2023, after the live-action adaptation of the acclaimed Naughty Dog video game "Never Let Me Down Again" plays more than tripled in on-demand U.S. streams, according to music sales tracker Luminate (via Billboard). Streams increased by 220.5% overnight, rising from 26,000 on the day of the January 15th premiere to 83,000 on January 16th. Moreover, the official Depeche Mode YouTube channel has even updated the music video, which you can watch below, to include the subtitle "(Heard during the HBO series: The Last Of Us)."^[40]

On January 22, 2023, it was stated that the flashbacks to the outbreak aren't the only change that fans of the game would notice. The timeline has been shifted so the outbreak happened in 2003 (rather than the game's 2013), with the post-apocalyptic narrative occurring in 2023 (instead of 2033). Because the game took place the year it came out, Mazin and Druckmann agreed that the chronological repositioning made sense since it didn't fundamentally change the story, "Practically speaking, it didn't change much other than giving us a slightly different palette of props, set design and car choice. Interestingly, as we go on through the series, we keep finding new places and new relics of the old world, [always] coming back to that 2003 vibe."^[41] Also on this day, it was announced that The Last of Us scored HBO's second-best debut of the last decade on Sunday night, with 4.7 million viewers tuning in for the premiere.^[42]

On January 23, 2023, according to measurements by Nielsen combined with first-party data from Warner Bros. Discovery, episode 2 brought in 5.7 million viewers across linear airings on HBO and streams on HBO Max. That marks a 22% increase from last week's record-breaking 4.7 million, a number that Warner Bros. Discovery later reported had already jumped to 10 million after two days of availability. Per HBO, the jump from the initial premiere viewership to Episode 2's debut audience is the "largest week 2 audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in the history of the network.'^[43]

According to GamesIndustry.biz, the game's 2022 PS5 remake, The Last of Us Part 1, reentered the UK sales charts at the No. 20 spot after a 238% jump in sales for the week of January 21, 2023. Its PS4 predecessor, The Last of Us: Remastered, also saw a sizeable boost with a 322% sales bump that placed it at No. 32.^[44]

On January 27, 2023, the first episode, "When You're Lost in the Darkness", was made available to stream in its entirety for free on YouTube ahead of Episode 3 to the YouTube channel of Sky TV (where the show is available in the UK) and will likely soon be uploaded to HBO's YouTube too.^[45]

On January 25, 2023 it was revealed that if you searched on Google, "The Last of Us" or cordyceps, a mushroom button will pop up at the bottom of the screen and fill the results with fungus with each click.^[46]

On Feb. 4, 2023, Saturday Night Live used Pablo Pascal’s appearance as host to make a spoof of the famous Nintendo videogame characters Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach, and the way they would look like pays homage to the The Last of Us.^[47]

On February 10, 2023, Barrie Gower, the prosthetics designer on The Last of Us, birthed the Bloater for its live-action debut and is made of a bulky, practical suit and some CGI.^[48]

On February 17, 2023, after some truly ridiculous jumps week to week for The Last of Us on HBO, which increased its live viewership by a significant amount for four weeks straight, had it streak come to an end with Endure and Survive, the series' fifth episode.^[49]

On February 23, 2023, HBO Latino América released a new promotional poster created by Akiko Stehrenberger featuring an infected.^[50]

On February 27, 2023, Sony went onto announce that the soundtrack from the HBO hit series TheLast of Us is now available worldwide.^[51]

On March 14, 2023, it was announced by HBO, that the first season will be available to purchase Digitally on April 11, 2023 while the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD will be available on July 18, 2023 to purchase online and in-store. Special features on the Digital version include various featurettes to give fans a look into the behind-the-scenes making and insight of actors, creators, and experts. Starting with The Last of Us: Stranger Than Fiction, is a featurette for people who have been wondering about the likelihood of a fungus creating the post-apocalyptic disaster. The cast and filmmakers speak to experts in survival, microbiology, and parasitology for a discussion on the realities of the invasive fungus and subsequent apocalypse. Another featurette, Controllers Down will be focused on adapting The Last of Us from console to screen, as cast and filmmakers take us inside the process of expanding the world and the game’s beloved characters. From Levels to Live Action will showcase how the series incorporated and expanded fan-favorite game moments in the series.^[52]

Casting[]

On February 10, 2021, it was reported that Bella Ramsey was cast as Ellie in the series.^[2] Pedro Pascal was also cast as Joel.^[1] The pair had already starred together in HBO's Game of Thrones, though this will be the first time they will share scenes together.^[2] On April 2, 2021, it was reported that series started filming on July 5, 2021, and wrapped on June 8, 2022, in Calgary, Canada.^[53]

On February 3, 2023, Pedro Pascal admitted that he forgot he landed the lead role of Joel on HBO's The Last of Us because he took an Ambien right before receiving the casting news.^[54]

On February 10, 2023, Jeffrey Pierce, the actor who voiced Tommy Miller in The Last of Us video games and plays Perry on the HBO series adaptation, spoke out in defense of his costar Melanie Lynskey, who has faced negative remarks about her body from naysayers saying she didn't look the part of a warlord in this post-apocalyptic genre show.^[55]

On February 21, 2023, it was revealed by Naughty Dog that Graham Greene who voiced Rains Fall in Red Dead Redemption 2, would be portraying Marlon in Kin, the sixth episode of Season 1.^[56]

Filming[]

"Long, Long Time", the series' third episode, was filmed in September 2021. Moreover, Peter Hoar stated that the last shot of the episode lingers on the window, and in reality two things were going on with that shot. When you play the original game there was a menu screen, and it was a window with a breeze. That's where you select "play game' or whatever. There was this discussion with Craig where that might be something that we try and emulate, we would put it at the beginning of every episode. I think it was a gimmick really about if you're on HBO Max, you could see it and click on it, and then you watch that.^[57]

In Kin, the sixth episode of Season 1, a reunion between Joel and Tommy takes place, but fans of the PlayStation video games will also recognize that their reunion takes place in Jackson rather than at the hydro-electric dam that is seen in the game. As a result of this shift, some fans of the game will instantly recognize some locations that weren't introduced until The Last of Us Part II that are hidden in the video (such as potentially the Tipsy Bison saloon).^[58]

On February 13, 2023, Ramsey revealed that she wore a chest binder most of the time while filming HBO's "The Last of Us" because it helped her to focus on set. Moreover, she also reiterated that LGBTQ+ characters are a key part of the franchise, as those who've played "The Last of Us Part II" will already know. So according to her, any viewers that are angry over LGBTQ+ representation will just "have to get used to it."^[59]

On February 16, 2023, Pascal, during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers on NBC revealed that on the set of The Last Of Us,' he would talk in an exaggerated Los Angeles accent, which he used again when hosted Saturday Night Live.^[60]

In regards to the filming order Luna confirmed that they shot "When You're Lost in the Darkness, which is the pilot first in the summer of 2021. He personally was there for about three months, including quarantine time and prep time. Then they got to shooting episode six in the winter, but they we were waiting for snow. In the end, Luna said he is glad they waited because director Jasmila Žbanić and director of photography Christine Maier did in the sixth episode was just phenomenal. They captured the landscape in such an epic way, with all of the Western undertones.^[61]

On February 22, 2023 an editing error was discovered in "Kin". As Joel and Ellie are seen trekking over a bridge in the snow from an aerial view, when the audience can see a group of people hiding under a canopy of trees. It's not infected or survivors from a local settlement, but the actual camera crew set up at another angle.^[62]

On February 26, 2023, in regards to "Left Behind, Ramsey confirmed that in the first scripts she and Reid got, they didn't see Riley turn into an infected. Ramsey think the writers may have talked about a possibility to show it, but in the they left to the imagination, to have it be more impactful.^[63]

In the season 1 finale "Look for the Light, deries co-creator Craig Mazin revealed to GQ that there was a longer and sadder final scene between Joel and Ellie. In the alternate ending, the duo is walking back to Jackson, but there is a clear and quiet divide between them. Joel promises Ellie that they will find something else to fight for, and she simply says “Okay,” before walking in her own bubble. This ending would be more of a growing distance between them over Joel’s decisions versus the cliffhanger we got.^[64]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

The HBO series released to universal acclaim among critics, with it holding an approval rating of 96% based on 478 public reviews and 155 professional reviews, with an average rating of 8.75 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes.^[65] Several reviewers considered it the best adaptation of a video game despite the differences Mazin and Druckmann incorporated into the series.^[66][67][68] Ironically, a few actually criticised some of the scenes lifted word for word from the game as some of the weakest.^[69][70]

Critics were also split on the use of action in the series, with some thinking too much was used while others wanted more. In particular, the lack of infected in later episodes was criticised, with the infected's lack of presence after the horde encounter in episode 5 being the most criticised aspect.^[71] Overall though, praise was consistently given to the presentation and progress displayed between Joel and Ellie's relationship^[72] and some considered the show superior to other zombie-apocalypse genre television shows like The Walking Dead.^[73] IGN wrote how the series excelled during the quieter moments on screen.^[67]

Critics overwhelmingly considered the third episode the season's best,^[73][74] with some saying it was one of the greatest episodes of television overall.^[65][66] In contrast, the first episode was deemed well-made but too familiar,^[69] with some considering it the season's weakest.^[71] The final two episodes were also considered rushed compared to the screentime given at the start of the series. Indeed, episodes 8 and 9 were the shortest for run time in the series, with critics saying that left them markedly lacking compared to earlier episodes.^[68][69][70]

The cast's performances received widespread acclaim, with critics singling out the chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey for praise.^{[71][65][66][67][68][73][69][75][70]} Rolling Stone called them "compulsively watchable and almost instantly endearing” with Pascal's performance considered the best of his career, citing his ability to portray nuance and rare vulnerability.^[69] Pascal was overall considered a near-perfect embodiment of Joel from the video game.^[75] Even the changes he made to Joel’s character were well liked by critics.^[65][74] For instance, the portrayal of Joel's struggles with mental health were deemed a commendable effort to humanize Joel and provide representation of anxiety attacks in media.^[70]

Several critics found Ramsey gave the show's breakout performance for their balance of comedy and emotion.^{[71][65][66][73][69][70]} IGN applauded them for "making [their] mark" on Ellie, a character already considered iconic long before Ramsey's portrayal.^[67] Some critics considered the seventh episode Ramsey's strongest because it was narratively the darkest for Ellie's character and placed her as the central focus during its runtime.^[68][75]

Guest performances throughout the season were highly praised by numerous reviewers.^[75][71][70] For the premiere, Rolling Stone praised Parker for "holding the screen" and making Sarah likeable,^[69] and Push Square wrote about how Luna flawlessly "slips into the role" with little screen time.^[75]

Offerman and Bartlett's performances were described as ground-breaking and award-worthy; their representation of Bill and Frank's relationship has received high praise for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community.^{[71][65][66][73][76]} NBC News described this series as "a milestone for LGBTQ gamers."^[77] However, episode 3 also faced review bombing on multiple public review networks, with many reviews contrasting with the critical consensus and actually slandering the episode for its inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters, revealing the episode was the most divisive of the series because of this.^[78] By contrast, episode 7 (which also featured an LGBTQ+ storyline) was not nearly as review bombed but was considered the weakest episode of the series among public reviews, being the only one rated below 8/10.^[79]

Push Square thought Lynskey's performance in the fourth and fifth episodes was praised for contrasting humanity’s kindness, as seen in Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam’s relationship with the viciousness displayed in her fixation on vengeance.^[75] Johnson's emotional performance in his final scene was praised and the innocence of Woodard's role intensified the narrative.^[66][73] Den of Geek liked Pascal and Luna's chemistry in the sixth episode and Ramsey and Reid's in the seventh, calling the latter award-worthy.^[74] Critics believed Reid effectively captured Riley's sense of youthful rebellion.^[79] Shepherd's performance in episode 8 was considered expertly done.^[80]

Ratings[]

Viewership across the episodes remained strong, with the series garnering roughly 8 million viewers on average for each episode’s debut release on the weekly basis. The series premiere drew in 4.7 million views on premiere night.^[81] Despite its low viewership, within the first 2 weeks of release, the episode surpassed 22 million viewers in the United States, reflecting the series' immense rise in popularity garnered by the episode's critical acclaim.^[82] The episode is now the second largest debut for an HBO series since 2010, beaten only by 2022's House of the Dragon.^[81]

The show's dramatic rise in popularity continued throughout the series,^[83][84] until peaking for overnight viewership for Episode 5, with 11.6 million overnight viewers.^[80] The series then dipped back down to its average of 8 million viewers from episode 6 to the end of the series.^[85]

Awards and nominations[]

Gallery[]

Promotional images[]

Teaser poster for season one.

Teaser image released on The Last of Us Day 2021.

Image released during Summer Game Fest 2022.

Main poster for season one.

Official Key Art for season 1.

Behind the scenes[]

Neil Druckmann behind the scenes with a clicker.

Craig Mazin behind the scenes with an infected.

Videos[]

The Last of Us - Official Teaser - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Official Trailer - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Opening Credits - HBO Max

The Last of Us cast sit down with game and show creators - Creator to Creator -Part 1-

The Last of Us cast & creators on violence & shoot-delaying laughs - Creator to Creator -Part 2-

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 1 - HBO Max

A Father's Love – Building The Last of Us Episode 1

The Last of Us Episode 1 Breakdown, Easter Eggs, Cast Reactions - Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey

The Weeks Ahead Trailer - The Last of Us - HBO Max

Episode 2 - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 2 - HBO Max

The Last of Us Episode 2 Breakdown, Anna Torv Interview, Social Reactions

Episode 3 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

Episode 3 - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 3 - HBO

The Last of Us Episode 3 Breakdown- Frank & Bill's Love Story, Social Reactions

The Last of Us Episode 3 - Bill and Frank Interviews - NIck Offerman and Murray Bartlett

Nick Offerman on His Episode of The Last Of Us, Reactions to His Performance & Being Spoiled on Tour

Episode 4 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

Episode 4 - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 4 - HBO Max

Episode 5 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 5 - HBO Max

Episode 5 - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last of Us Episode 5 Breakdown- Sam and Henry's Fate, Lamar Johnson Interview

Episode 6 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 6 - HBO Max

Episode 6 - "Kin" - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last of Us Episode 6 Breakdown- Tommy’s Secret, Joel’s Breakdown, Gabriel Luna Interview

Episode 7 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 7 - HBO

Episode 7 - "Left Behind" - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

The Last Of Us Episode 7 Breakdown- Ellie And Riley Flashback - Left Behind DLC

Episode 8 Preview - The Last of Us - HBO Max

The Last of Us - Inside the Episode - 9 - HBO Max

Episode 9 - "Look For The Light" - The Last of Us Podcast - HBO Max

Original Ellie voice actor praises Bella Ramsey’s performance in 'The Last of Us' l GMA

The Last of Us Finale SPOILERS- Bella Ramsey on Joel's Decision & Season 2 - Spoiler Sessions

The Last of Us Finale Breakdown- The Great Joel Debate, Merle Dandridge Interview

External links[]

• Watch The Last of Us on HBO Max
• Listen to The Last of Us Official Playlist on Spotify

Notes[]

References[]