The Last of Us is a post-apocalypse drama thriller series that stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay as the show’s lead characters, based on the highly successful video game of the same name.
In 2003, a fungal infection starts a global pandemic. Deeming his home to be unsafe, Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) along with his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker) and his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), leave to find somewhere safe. Things go terribly wrong when Sarah is killed by soldier.
Twenty years later, Joel is separated from Tommy and is living in a quarantine zone where he works as a smuggler. Joel decides to track down Tommy, but he meets the leader of the revolutionary group The Fireflies instead, who makes a deal for Joel to transport teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsay) to the Massachusetts State House in exchange for a working vehicle.
Across the show’s nine-episode series, some episodes use flashbacks to tell its story and introduce new characters before they become part of the main storyline. This is done in a way that isn’t convoluted and helps you get to know the characters better. These scenes also help you have an appreciation for some of the characters when you see how difficult their life has been since the pandemic started. This is especially true for Ellie, who I initially thought was an annoying brat but when more of her back story was exposed, I felt sorry for her and I understood why she would have a chip on her shoulder, which helped me enjoy watching her character more as the series progressed.
Perhaps my favourite thing about this entire series is the chemistry between Joel and Ellie. I enjoyed watching them develop from strangers to caring about each other. This is largely due to the acting performances of both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. They portray their characters in such an enjoyable way and thankfully, they have plenty of scenes together and are always entertaining. There is a great contrast between the two as Joel is serious, while Ellie is a troubled teen. She also likes to show off her fun side by cracking jokes, so the two characters complement each other very well.
I have seen Pedro Pascal in a few different projects and I have been impressed by his range and how the characters he has played have been very different from each other, so not only am I impressed by his portrayal of Joel, but I am interested to see what he does in the future.
While I’ve never played the video game, I liked the way that the infected people looked in show. They had a look that is unique and different from mutants or zombies. They look very creepy and the make-up artist did a wonderful job to make them look like a fungus on a human body. As well as looking different to anything that I have ever seen before on screen, each person’s infection is a different colour and shape which I also enjoyed as each person looks different as well.
The Last of Us is a gripping show that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With nine episodes in total, the show is never dull and you are constantly learning more about the characters who, at times, are flawed but you still want to see them succeed and survive in this post-apocalyptic world.
The Last of Us is available to watch on streaming via Binge in Australia now.