The Last of Us: When You're Lost in the Darkness Show Only

January 16, 2023 8:01 AM - Season 1, Episode 1

Twenty years after a fungal outbreak ravages the planet, survivors Joel and Tess are tasked with a mission that could change everything.
posted by ellieBOA (32 comments total)

As per the books included thread, show only means without info from the video game it’s based on, I haven’t played it and am watching the show as it sounds interesting!
posted by ellieBOA at 8:08 AM on January 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Never played the game, so I'm interested to know how it differs; there were certainly scenes that felt like a video game cut scene and moments that I expected a "dialogue choice" box to appear on the screen (along with a "quest accepted!" popup). I'm not saying that in a negative way, just that being aware of the origins of this made me view it through a gamer's lens and it felt like I could see those edges.

Overall, interesting and enjoyable if a tad telegraphed in places - knew the daughter was going to die, knew the kid coming into Boston wasn't ok, and so forth. The show likes its tragedy and bleakness. I did like the depiction of the infected - the horrid little fungal growths from the mouth, the quick movement of them sitting up and taking notice of non-infected, along with what society might look like after twenty years of this. Found the Fireflies a little lacking - maybe I've been spoiled by Andor, but I wanted a bit more exploration of the political aspirations and aims of the movement, besides overturning martial law via bombing.

Very obvious that Ellie is infected but resistant, even from the first scene with her, so I'm not sure why the show feels a need to play coy with that. I'm in to keep watching (in part because parts of this were filmed around where I live), but I'm hoping for some surprises along the way.
posted by nubs at 9:53 AM on January 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Last of Us Series-Premiere Recap: Fungus Among Us [Vulture / Archive]

The Last of Us Episode 1: What song plays at the end? this link has a bit of info from the video game FYI.
posted by ellieBOA at 9:57 AM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

‘The Last of Us’ Series Premiere Recap: Fungus Among Us [NYT / Archive]
posted by ellieBOA at 10:07 AM on January 16, 2023

A sidenote: the scene at the beginning, that panel show where the participants are disagreeing on some points, agreeing on others, and letting everybody have a turn to explain what they mean...

...ah yes, this is science fiction.
posted by Mogur at 4:01 PM on January 16, 2023 [7 favorites]

Huh? The opening scene was essentially a long monologue with brief interruptions by the host.
posted by rhymedirective at 5:17 PM on January 16, 2023

Thank you for the show only thread!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:13 PM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Having never played the game and only being vaguely aware of the overall story, this initial episode was a decent beginning. Sure, there were a few of the horror cliches, but we got the foundation of a series laid and that's good.

Joel is scarred man, changed by what happened to the world and the murder of his daughter, whom he failed to protect. It's not his fault she was killed, but her death understandably haunts him.

Now there's Ellie, a daughter replacement long term, whom he has to protect. Not just for himself, but clearly for sake of the incredibly fucked up world they're in. Where are Ellie's parents? Don't know and it possibly doesn't matter. She's going to gain some semblance of family if she can manage to stay alive.

That's the only question I have at the moment, why is Ellie being hidden from Fedra, if she clearly has some type of immunity to the zombie virus? That answer might be that Federa would only use that knowledge to cement their power and continue their dictatorship, while the Fireflies would presumably use to beat Fedra and restore democracy.

The story is shaky, but the foundation is solid and frankly I'll watch anything Pedro Pascal is in. Add in Bella Ramsey and you've got me for a few episodes. Let's see how it goes!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:20 PM on January 16, 2023

Two reviews from the Guardian:
The Last of Us review – one of the finest TV shows you will see this year (Archive)
The Last of Us recap episode one – welcome to the mushroom apocalypse! (Archive)
posted by ellieBOA at 2:06 AM on January 17, 2023

Unmasking Pedro Pascal, the Complicated New Face of Sci-Fi [Wired / Archive] (he mentions the Mandalorian but without spoilers)
posted by ellieBOA at 2:34 AM on January 17, 2023

Huh? The opening scene was essentially a long monologue with brief interruptions by the host.

But somehow still more civil than any popular science discussion I've seen on TV.
posted by Mogur at 3:42 AM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Last of Us review – one of the finest TV shows you will see this year

What a depressing thought. It's only January 17th! I certainly hope that this show isn't the high point for the rest of the year!

The first episode was fine (interesting at points, dull for stretches) but mostly a standard dystopian actioner. A quest, a child who represents hope and so on.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 6:50 AM on January 17, 2023 [5 favorites]

If this show is one of "the finest TV shows [I] will see this year" then TV is in even worse trouble than I thought.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:52 AM on January 17, 2023 [4 favorites]

So far, I don't get the excessive level of praise heaped on this show. I mean, it's fine, but there's nothing in the first episode that seems to merit the slavering hyperbole I've seen in the Guardian review and elsewhere. I can only assume it's the later episodes which make it stand out as something special.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:28 PM on January 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

I thought the hype was mostly my local media (the show was filmed in large parts in my province/city, and it is being made into a big deal in the hops of boosting our film industry), but it appears to be everywhere for reasons I don't understand.
posted by nubs at 12:37 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

So far, I don't get the excessive level of praise heaped on this show.

I think it's being given a video-game-adaptation curve. HBO's Last of Us is several levels above the Warcraft, Super Mario, etc.

Granted, those are very different genres- not remembering other crappy video game adaptations off the top of my head. Maybe Hitman? I didn't see Hitman, but bald Timothy Olyphant looked pretty ridiculous in the trailer.
posted by ishmael at 1:30 PM on January 17, 2023

I wonder if the praise comes from the idea the show will address our current times through the guise of sci-fi video game adaption.
posted by oldnumberseven at 4:01 AM on January 18, 2023

Also: Anna Torv! Damn, do I miss when Fringe was new, and I had not watched it all.
posted by oldnumberseven at 4:09 AM on January 18, 2023 [15 favorites]

Anna Torv is one of those actors that I'm always rooting for. So happy she's in this show!
posted by ishmael at 7:09 AM on January 18, 2023 [5 favorites]

I wonder if the praise comes from the idea the show will address our current times through the guise of sci-fi video game adaption.

I bet you're right.

And I think people also trust Craig Mazin's track record so far. He also wrote (and was the show runner I think?) for Chernobyl. He's also the co-host of the excellent ScriptNotes podcast about screenwriting.
posted by ishmael at 7:14 AM on January 18, 2023 [1 favorite]

So far, I don't get the excessive level of praise heaped on this show.

While there's definitely some hype going, I am excited for show. Have never played the game, so I'm not very familiar with the story, but I was impressed by how well this episode was done. Just a good solid bit of storytelling that laid a very good foundation for the rest of the season at least. To me it feels it's been a while since anything started off so well.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:43 AM on January 18, 2023 [3 favorites]

I thought this was a pretty good opener, but also a little slow? I dunno maybe I was just tired when I watched it, but the pacing felt off. It felt like it could have been a 45 minute episode instead of an hour and a half.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 7:59 AM on January 18, 2023

Someone else must have noticed this, but I haven't seen it, so I'll just say it -- Pedro Pascal is once again escorting a willful child across a hostile landscape, beset by vicious enemies and aided by dubious allies, but this time with no shiny armor.

And that's great! I really enjoyed the time they took to build out the world, and Pascal, Torv and Ramsey are terrific. Looking forward to E2.
posted by martin q blank at 8:34 AM on January 18, 2023 [6 favorites]

How ‘The Last of Us’ Turned Its Terrifying Outbreak Day Into a ‘Period Piece’ [IndieWire]

Also I read somewhere I’ve now forgotten that if you feel like you recognise Nico Parker who plays Sarah, despite not having seen Dumbo, it’s because she’s Thandiwe Newton’s daughter!
posted by ellieBOA at 2:06 AM on January 19, 2023 [6 favorites]

If this show is one of "the finest TV shows [I] will see this year" then TV is in even worse trouble than I thought.

In fairness, the actual article says episode three “might be one of the finest episodes of TV you will see this year.”
Bad headline writing. Plus ca change.
posted by chill at 1:31 PM on January 19, 2023

Whoa! I kept thinking she looked just like Thandiwe Newton! 🤯
posted by iamkimiam at 10:59 PM on January 19, 2023 [4 favorites]

… so, I have only played the first hour of the game, it was nerve wracking as I am not to great at video games (and I have kids), but the first 28 minutes captures that anxiety perfectly …

So, wow - this is great so far!
posted by rozcakj at 10:32 AM on January 21, 2023

I knew nothing about any book or video game before I saw a trailer for this and so came to it with no pre-conceptions. As a standalone opening episode of a TV series, it was (subject to the criticism below) pretty good. The scene where, in the background, out of focus, the old lady is taken over by the fungus was creepy as fuck. (TV trope: listen to what the dog is telling you - always!) The tension of the 2003 escape scene was palpable, and I thought the main actors were excellent. In particular Bella Ramsey was awesome.

But I think there wasn't enough plot/character exposition in the 2023 part of the episode. There seemed to be an assumption that the audience would have some familiarity with the various groups and factions, so I found that a little confusing, particularly around who was scamming who with a battery. I'll stick with it though.
posted by essexjan at 11:26 AM on January 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I've learned through The Ringer's usual excellent coverage that the episode's length is because this was meant to be two episodes. Consequently the whole season run is 9 episodes not 10.

Three old lady infection was great/terrible/scary. The subway person-fungus-hybrid did me in because body horror is the worst for me. The infected man chasing Joel and Sarah through the diner throwing himself into things with such violence was also very scary.
posted by mmascolino at 5:08 PM on January 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

I haven't been paying attention so haven't seen much overpraise for the show, but the characterizations in the first episode were much better than I expected. The interactions between Ellie, Tess and Joel are believable, well-written and fun to watch. I think my fave moment comes when Joel starts pounding on his guard buddy; there's a quick cut where you see Ellie in the background bending over for a closer look at what Joel is doing, and there's almost a smile on her face as she sees what he's capable of for the first time. Gave me chills. Looking forward to getting more of her backstory, and to hopefully seeing more of Tess and Joel's relationship in flashback.
posted by mediareport at 6:42 PM on January 25, 2023

Someone else must have noticed this, but I haven't seen it, so I'll just say it -- Pedro Pascal is once again escorting a willful child across a hostile landscape, beset by vicious enemies and aided by dubious allies, but this time with no shiny armor.

I highly recommend the excellent movie Prospect for more in this micro-genre.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 3:26 AM on February 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

Having never played the games (and not even knowing there were books), I went in with an extremely limited knowledge of the world and story beyond: man travels through post-zombie-apocalypse world with a surrogate daughter figure, is forced to do bad things to keep her safe.

I'm watching partly because of the hype, but mostly because most of it was filmed in and around the place I live (and someone local bought or was gifted one of the prop cars, because filming for the parts done in my city wrapped over a year ago but I've seen it driving around and parked in random places a few times since then).

I thought the 2003 portion was really well done. The escape felt harrowing. The soldier being given the kill order was a bit predictable, but I liked the "cough and you won't hear it" moment of humanity when he asks his commanding officer on the other end of the radio to "say again?" Cliché, perhaps, but compared to so many "plague/pandemic" movies where the government is just indiscriminately killing and burning everyone without a second thought, it was a nice little touch to remind us that the faceless soldier is still a person and is probably trying to do the right thing in an unimaginable scenario.

The 2023 section was not as good and I felt it was a bit too slow, but did an OK job of world-building and hinting at the type of man Joel has grown to be over the past 20 years.

I thought the Fireflies were incredibly underdeveloped, but it was only the first episode so hopefully that'll be explored a bit more in the future and they'll be more complex than stereotypical, "freedom fighters" whose cause is just because the narrative tells us it is and because, hey, at least they like democracy.

Overall, while it's not without some pretty glaring flaws, I liked it and look forward to watching the rest.
posted by asnider at 11:25 AM on February 8, 2023