The Last of Us is a show based on a game, and it’s no game. It’s no joke. Episode 1, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” was intense, and I’m all about it. Mr. Know-It-All loved it, and we’re definitely in for it.
It’s a brand new series for us, the one that’s on Sundays on HBO Max. We had a busy weekend, which is why this one’s late, and I’ll be doing my best to get these out sooner after the episodes air.
This comes from one of the creators and directors of the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, and it’s an amazing story. I’ve never played the game. I’ve heard enough about it to have a basic understanding of what the premise is supposed to be, and I’ve watched several other reviews from people who are familiar with the material. I’m not. I’m coming at this with a completely clean slate, like I hope most of you are. It’s hard not to be spoilery because there’s a whole lot going on, so I’m going to have to be.
They Make Us Invest in Sarah
That whole opening sequence with Nico Parker, who plays Sarah Miller, Joel’s daughter. They make us invest in her, man. They take us through the entire opening with her. We’re following her. It’s Joel’s birthday, it’s 2003.
It’s funny, because Mrs. Know-It-All was like, oh man, I hope this show’s not going to try to be like The Walking Dead. We already got The Walking Dead. I want to see what’s going to happen. We’re used to slow burns, and then things start popping off, and I mean everything, starting with the creepy vibes Sarah’s getting.
And we know. So Mrs. Know-It-All and I are on the sofa and the whole time she’s going, what are you doing? Aren’t you listening to the news? Aren’t you listening to the police? I was like, why are you yelling at the TV? Why are you acting like this? And she says, they clearly don’t know. Is this another world where people don’t know about zombies? And I’m like, yeah, no, I hear you.
Then you get to the part where things start going bad. For people who know the game it wasn’t a surprise. It was super a surprise for us, and mind you, that’s knowing full well that Nico Parker isn’t in any of the promotion material. I’m sitting there going, oh my gosh, something bad’s going to happen. Sure enough, she ends up dying. She gets shot.
Maybe it’s me as a father, but that scene hit so hard. Mrs. Know-It-All and I were both sitting there sobbing on the sofa, and we’re just like, I can’t. I just can’t. It was such a moment. Nico Parker deserves something for it. She did such a phenomenal job, and that moment was so real and so visceral that I was in. I was like, wow. Okay.
Just Google Zombie Ants
Before all of this, I loved how they set the groundwork with this old 1960s interview, which may or may not even be based on a real interview, where they talk about the zombie ants. Do yourself a favor. I refuse, because I’ve seen it once already and it terrified me, but just Google zombie ants. That’s a thing, and it’s terrifying.
Now mind you, this is ultimately some form of science fiction and it takes a lot of liberties with some things. At the end of the day you get where they’re going, and it didn’t come off preachy. I know there were definitely some parts where they’re insinuating global warming and whatnot. Whatever. It’s fine.
Twenty Years Later, and They Showed Us Everything
Then you go twenty years later, so we’re in 2023, and you’re getting to see the world as it’s evolved. There are clearly these quarantine zones. Tommy, Joel’s brother, has now joined the Fireflies, the resistance. Not really a resistance, whatever, but rebels. He’s out and about, and he hasn’t responded in a while, so Joel’s getting worried. You find out Joel sells drugs on the side, which is dope. I’m like, really, dude? Literally. And he sells them to the actual federal officers, which is hilarious.
The nuance of what they’re doing here is the thing. They didn’t have to tell us anything, because they showed us everything. So you understand it immediately when this kid stumbles into town. They test him. The tester reads red, which tells you okay, this is something bad. Everyone’s nice and calm, nobody’s freaking anybody out, and ultimately the kid’s put down because he’s infected.
Then there’s Ellie, and the young lady who plays her, Bella Ramsey. You may remember her from Game of Thrones. She was that really awesome little head of her house who has all these guys following her. She’s a little bad-a. And Pedro Pascal is being Pedro Pascal. I’m getting tons of these hardcore Mandalorian vibes. Not really, but you know what I mean, in that he’s playing a character who has to essentially father someone else.
For those of you playing at home, Ellie is clearly immune to whatever this is. That means she’s got antibodies, and that means they need to be able to do something with that. So twenty years later, we have finally built, as a culture, an immunity to whatever this fungus thing is that’s taking people over.
I Hate Fast Zombies
Also, I hate fast zombies.
The other thing is, I think they’re just biting people to try to infect them. When they’re hunched over the bodies, there’s this movement they’re doing that reads to me as infecting, way more than eating. That was an interesting approach to the entire thing.
The Chick From Fringe
There’s this whole battery thing, and that’s where you get Anna Torv, who plays Tess. You might recognize her from Fringe. I loved her in Fringe. I’m sure she’s been in other things, but Fringe is the thing we recognize her from. Mrs. Know-It-All was immediately like, isn’t that the chick from Fringe? And I said yes.
I also don’t see her in much of the marketing material, so I don’t think she’s going to be around very long. I don’t know the story. Feel free, don’t spoil it in the comments section. I’m kidding. We’re all about spoilers here. Spoil whatever you want. Go into my comment section at your own peril.
There’s a Goal, and That’s the Difference
Toward the beginning, Mrs. Know-It-All was worried we were going to get some kind of Walking Dead vibes. I watched The Walking Dead for six seasons. I stopped right after they introduced Negan. The end of that introduction, the long wait for the summer, and then the first episode back, and I was done. It just did me in. I was over it.
This has not got those vibes. This is very different vibes, and I’m down for what this is doing. Walking Dead always felt like we were walking aimlessly. We don’t really know what’s going on, the story’s going to kind of just carry us, and you’re with us on the journey.
This feels different. There’s a goal. Joel has a goal. So you know you’re going to get from A to D, and you have to go through B and C to get there. You know you’re going somewhere, on a journey that’s going to tell a specific story. That’s the difference to me between this and something like The Walking Dead.
The Verdict
The Last of Us Episode 1 lands at an 8.5 out of 10 on the Know-It-All Index.
This was an excellent startup episode. Excellent. We’ll see how they take us and where they go. I’m waiting for them to impress me.
I’m liking the fact that this first episode was a slow burn on purpose. You don’t care about Sarah dying unless you watch the entire buildup in the opening. Unless you spend the time there, you don’t understand who Joel is.
The minute it all went down, Mrs. Know-It-All stood up and said, that’s it. From here forward, Joel’s not going to trust anybody, especially police or the authority figures of the military. And I was like, yeah, man. She’s absolutely right.
Tell me what you thought of Episode 1, and if you’ve played the game, spoil whatever you want. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.
