The Last Of Us - Series One Review

After years of being in development, the long-awaited adaptation of the critically acclaimed The Last of Us has been adapted from console to screen by HBO. Since this game debuted on PlayStation 3 in 2013, I have been an avid fan of the series and was eager to see how The Last of Us would translate on screen with the game's original writer Neil Druckmann working alongside Craig Mazin in the writers' room.

After a global pandemic destroys civilisation, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope. Initially voiced by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson in the video game, the live-action adaptation sees Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials) bring the roles of Joel and Ellie to life on screen. Both were phenomenal in their respective roles and perfectly captured the complex father-daughter dynamic the pair developed throughout the first season.

This season's nine episodes focused solely on the narrative gamers would know from The Last of Us: Part One. From the opening scene, the show has an uneasy sense of foreboding as we follow the origins of the pandemic and its tragic aftermath. The series takes full advantage of the opportunity to expand on the universe outside of Joel and Ellie's arc - we get to spend more time with characters we know from the game, but there's so much more depth on screen. Episode Three had to be one of the most beautifully tragic and romantic pieces of TV I've seen portrayed on screen.

Alongside Pascal and Ramsey, this series has superb casting, and it's so refreshing to watch a diverse cast of characters that are as nuanced and complex on the page and through their performances. Every character felt like they could carry a spinoff show of their own. Even with characters I was familiar with from the game, I could not help being emotionally invested in them whenever they appeared on the screen. It was also a pleasant surprise to see the game's original voice actors - Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce and Laura Bailey - joining the cast in different roles or, in Dandridge's case, returning as her game counterpart.

For an apocalyptic show, this series didn't feature as many infected clickers as some franchise fans expected. Infected zombies are a regular occurrence in the games - not so much here. Instead, the overgrown wastelands of society and the eerie silences add to an uneasy atmosphere throughout. The viewers are kept on their toes in these suspense-filled episodes. The infection is a threat that lingers over all the characters, but the real monsters are some of the humans Ellie and Joel encounter.

This is a compelling character study of the dark side of humanity and the depths people will go to for survival, to save their loved ones or gain some semblance of power within a broken society. Each episode sparked interesting questions and debates with people I was watching this show with about a character's moral compass or their motives being, for the better or worse.

The clickers were less terrifying compared to some of the genuinely sinister moments in this show, especially to our two leads. One aspect I loved about this first season is that we see Joel and Ellie attempting to overcome their traumas and demons. Nothing is brushed under the carpet or magically fixed by the next episode; the audience is with the protagonists as they try to process what they have lived through every step of the way.

The moral ambiguity of what we would do for the people we love is a strong theme throughout season one. If I had to be critical of the show, I would have made the finale much longer than it was - especially when the pilot was over an hour long. Again, this is a minor issue in what was one of the best video game adaptations I've seen.

With season two confirmed to follow The Last of Us: Part Two, I cannot wait to see how the showrunners move forward with the series and how Pascal and Ramsey portray the complex relationship between Joel and Ellie in later years.

There's so much story left to cover, but season one did a phenomenal job of laying the groundwork. Both exciting and moving, this has to be one of my favourite shows of 2023 so far.

My rating for The Last of Us: Season One is ★★★★★.

The Last of Us is exclusively available on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.