Madison Meeks – Opinion Editor 

mvm7037@psu.edu

Photo Credit: HBO

[Spoilers for the first episode of “The Last of Us”]

“The Last of Us” is a new series that premiered on January 15 on HBO. Based on the Naughty Dog video game of the same name, the show follows Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a middle-aged man, who is haunted by his past, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, a 14-year-old girl who is immune to the Cordyceps infection. 

While the video game was originally released on PlayStation in the summer of 2013, the overwhelming critical and commercial success led to the creation of a sequel in 2021, various ports and remasters, and now this televised adaptation. 

The first episode starts in the year 1968, at a tv interview where a scientist talks about a fungus and a virus that may come from it. 

The show suddenly forwards to the year 2003 and the audience begins to follow Sarah. Sarah and her dad Joel start out the day with breakfast. This seems like Sarah acts like a parent for her father most of the time. Joel tells Sarah that he and his brother Tommy have to work a double shift, leading to her disappointment. Sarah hoped to be able to celebrate her father’s birthday. 

After the disappointment, Sarah decides to do something nice for her dad and gets his watch fixed. She is told to leave the shop because the shop has to mysteriously close early. This could be a connection to the sirens that are heard throughout this point of the episode. At this point in the show, there is no sign of one of the main characters, Ellie, and Joel is barely even seen.

Later, Sarah joins Tommy and Joel in a pick-up. While downtown, the three see that traffic is backed up and the fields are filled with soldiers. Suddenly, the scene turns into chaos in the streets as the trio attempt to flee. This chaos culminates as a plane crashes. In the pandemonium, Sarah twists her ankle and Joel has to carry her while trying to get away from a group of human-like zombies which are spreading the infection.

The show quickly cuts to 20 years later. Now following the heartbroken Joel, it is evident that the world has gotten. This point of the episode is where the audience meets Ellie. The story of how Ellie survived the ongoing apocalypse is yet to be revealed yet her introduction shows that the story is going to be one that audiences will want to watch. 

I wish I could tell more about what happens in the rest of the episode. People will have to watch the episode to find out what happens at the end. Even though there is only one episode currently available of the show. Overall, I would recommend this show to anyone looking for something to watch. The show seems to be very entertaining, well-made, and interesting with incredible acting. New episodes of “The Last of Us” release every Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max.