HBO’s adaptation of the popular Naughty Dog/PlayStation game is now on HBO and HBO Max.
I love The Last of Us franchise. I’ve played all three games (which includes the DLC), been wholly engrossed by them, and that’s why I’m here to begin io9’s recaps of the new HBO show. However, with a few exceptions, these recaps are going to be more focused on the show itself—a series of thoughts and observations based on how showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann chose to adapt that story for TV. Because let’s face it, the story has to work and be engaging for someone who doesn’t know anything about the games. Just like Game of Thrones had to work if you didn’t know about the books.
And so, with that disclaimer, it’s time to dive into the series premiere of The Last of Us, HBO’s latest attempt to add another major piece of IP to its staggering success with Sunday night television. Is The Last of Us the next mega-hit like Game of Thrones? The next strong starter, but weak finisher like Westworld? Or is it the next not-quite-there, like His Dark Materials? Let’s find out.
Ignore everything I just said. Because in literally the first scene of the show, we get a glimpse of how this adaptation will take what we think we know about The Last of Us and expand on it. The year is 1968 and we catch a glimpse of a very of-its-time talk show. Two epidemiologists are talking about global pandemics, and one in particular proposes that it’s not viruses humans should worry about, it’s fungus. Fungus that doesn’t kill its victims, but controls them. He admits fungus in 1968 can’t live in a body that’s over 94 degrees—so humans are safe—but if the world begins to get warmer, fungus could evolve. And if that happened, he believes, the world would be over. A cure would be impossible.
That’s a serendipitous collection of thoughts to consider as the show shifts to its second time period, 2003. In Austin, Texas, a young girl named Sarah (Nico Parker) wakes up her dad Joel (Pedro Pascal) on his 36th birthday. They have a playful, kind banter between them, as do Joel and his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who stops by to go to work with Joel. On the radio, there’s something about Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, but they pay it no mind.
Before leaving the house, Sarah sneaks into her dad’s room and steals from him. At first, we’re disappointed because we think she’s a bad kid, but oddly, she only takes a few dollars of the loose cash in the drawer. That and an old watch. After school, the show flips its intentions on us and we realize Sarah stole from her father out of love. She goes downtown to a watch repair store to have her dad’s watch fixed. But before she can pay, the shop owner’s wife frantically forces her out. Something is wrong.
Despite it being his birthday, Joel has to work until late, so Sarah goes to the next-door neighbor’s house to hang out. She makes some cookies and borrows a movie as the sick, elderly lady of the house seems to sit there silently. Except, when Sarah’s back is turned, she starts convulsing a bit and, when Sarah decides to leave, the dog stares at the woman curiously.
Obviously, we know that this is a show about a zombie apocalypse, but the way The Last of Us, even in these first few minutes, slowly layers in the rising threat through the eyes of an at-first unaware Sarah is supremely effective. We want to scream at her “Turn around!” or “Go home!” But she thinks it’s just a normal day. Excellent stuff.
Joel gets home an hour late and Sarah is disappointed, especially because he forgot the birthday cake he promised to bring with him. Still, she gives him the watch he paid for, which he’s supremely touched by, and the father and daughter pop in the cheesy action movie she borrowed from next door. It’s the last quiet moment this father and daughter will ever experience together.
Joel’s phone rings. Tommy finds himself in jail after defending someone in a bar so Joel puts Sarah to bed and goes to bail him out. It’s 11 p.m. Three hours later, Sarah is awoken by explosions. Her father isn’t there and the neighbor’s dog is scratching to get in. She brings the dog home, only he doesn’t want to go inside and runs away.
