The Last of Us Review – Riveting, Engrossing, Addicting
- Details
- Category: Streaming, Cable
- Published on Monday, 26 June 2023 13:57
- Written by Janet Walker
The Last of Us, from HBOMax, brings to the screen a post-apocalyptic world initiated by the fungi Cordyceps, that gained access to the global food supply and within a day infected civilizations turning mankind into monsters.
Episode one opens in the late 1960s, when Psychedelics were the rage and an early talk show with two genetic scientists discussing an apocalyptic end to society. The show takes a more serious tone when the guest explains the idea of Cordyceps, which currently cannot live in a human host, and as he continues, we understand certain, at the time recreational drugs such as LSD and psilocybin are created by fungi, just as penicillin comes from fungi. Of course, the entire forewarning of a future, which many in the audience will not see, is dismissed as futuristic sci-fi.
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Immediately the episode moves to 2003, Sarah, played by Nico Parker, is running late for school. She and her father, Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, live in the suburbs of San Antonio Texas. We also meet her uncle Tommy, played by Gabriel Luna. On the way out the door, Mr. Adler, the neighbor, played by Brad Leland, who is feeding his wheelchair bound, mother. Later that day Sarah visits the Adler’s, this is when the audience sees a glimpse that something is wrong. Later that evening, Joel returns home, late and Sarah who has been waiting for him to come home with the cake, decides to give him his birthday present anyway. Later, Tommy calls and is in jail and Joel goes to bail him out.
We see over the course of four hours chaos, the calm of this suburban neighborhood has erupted with an unfathomable chaos, and as it is so close to the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks the first thought is that we have been attacked again by terrorists. Mercy, the Adler’s dog escapes and Sarah attempts to return him to his home, and finds the door open, and a trail of blood on the floor.
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Sarah moves closer into the kitchen and sees Mr. Adler sitting in the corner bloody with a gaping bite on his neck, and she moves in further and sees Mrs. Adler, played by Marcia Bennett, on the floor, her formerly wheelchair bound mother attacking her. The old woman looks up and sees Sarah, which is when the audience sees for the first the Cordyceps roots, long, slim, white stems, escaping from her mouth. She sees Sarah and suddenly becomes superhuman. She leaps like a jungle animal chasing its prey.
Joel and Tommy arrive and each of them armed, as the old woman leaps off the porch chasing Sarah. A few short hours ago, this was a wheelchair bound elderly mother and now they had to make the decision to save themselves or kill her.
Episode one sets the foundation for the chaos that ends civilization. After the introduction the episode moves forward to Boston 2023, and now society is divided between FEDRA, the new government order set up after the fall, and the Fireflies, a group of rebels looking to overthrow the fascists FEDRA warlords and return cities to some level of democracy.
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Civilization sites are run like Ghettos, unauthorized exits result in death. Money is no longer used. Workers are paid in ration coupons. Side hustles, for those who are willing to take the risk to transport drugs or other forbidden substances, can net a surplus of rations. We find Joel, here in Boston taking on the highest pay, which translates to crematorium duties or other emotionally debilitating options, as he plans for his escape.
We also meet Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, at this point. Although she and Joel have not yet met, she is being held in a Firefly hideout. We don’t yet know how, but she became infected, and the disease has yet to make its way to her brain. We find out she is immune.
By this time, 20 years into the meltdown, small communities have begun to stake out territory. After the end of Episode one, the story centers on Joel and Ellie as they travel across the country hoping to find Tommy somewhere in Wyoming.
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Along the way we meet others, friends, survivalists, who have prepared for a doomsday they never expected to happen and enemies who have become dedicated to revenge and drunk on power. And then those who are simply surviving, alone, without the need or desire for interference from anyone.
The Last of Us captures the attention immediately with the idea of a potential contamination of the global food supply and as it progresses and as we travel the journey across the country, we are drawn into this community of survivors, who hope for little more than another day.
The Last of Us, a gripping, riveting and fascinating journey. A must-see binge fest!
Country: U.S.
Runtime: Eight episodes/ (45-60 minutes; 100minute pilot).
Platform: HBOMAX
Director: Craig Mazin, Ali Abbasi, Jeremy Webb, Neil Druckmann, Peter Hoar, Liza Johnson, Jasmila Zbanic.
Writer: Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin.
Producer: Greg Spence, Cecil O’Connor.
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Lamar Johnson, Nico Parker, Merle Dandridge, Keivonn Woodard, Jeffrey Pierce, John Getz, Gabriel Luna, Rutina Wesley, Storm Reid, Scott Sheperd, John Hannah, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Christine Hakim, Terry Chen, Troy Baker, Graham Greene, Elaine Miles, Brad Leland, Marcia Bennett.