(L to R) Isabela Merced and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Preview:
‘The Last of Us’ has been renewed for Season 3.
The show adapts the wildly successful video game.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star in the show.
With the second season of much-loved video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’ landing on screens to plenty of acclaim this past weekend, it would appear that HBO’s belief in the show is at an all-time high.
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The channel has handed down a third-season order for the show, which adapts the video game created by Neil Druckmann and his team at Naughty Dog Studios.
‘The Last of Us’ series is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected by a fungus that turns them into mutated zombie-like creatures, and stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, played by Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Producers/Showrunners Craig Mazin (‘Chernobyl’) and Druckmann have yet to detail exactly what the new season will cover.
The first season of ‘The Last of Us’ covered much of games ‘The Last of Us Part I’ and ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’, while Season 2 will cover part of ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ kicking off with a five-year time jump as in the video game.
Ellie, 14 in Part I and Left Behind, is 19 in Part II, and she and Joel have been living in Jackson since they left the Fireflies in Salt Lake City.
While zero details have been revealed on Season 3, we can expect it to tackle more of ‘The Last of Us Part II.’
Who else is in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
With Pascal and Ramsey both back for the new season, the cast of the show is growing and changing as their quest continues.
On top of them, Jeffrey Wright is playing Isaac, who in the game is the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group, known as the Washington Liberation Front. They sought liberty but instead have become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.
Wright represents the second actor to reprise a voice role from the game, after Merle Dandridge did the same for her character Marlene in Season 1.
And while we won’t get too deeply into it, if Season 2 covers certain events, the cast will be a little smaller when Season 3 dawns. But again; without having seen the whole season, we can’t speak to that, and won’t spoil anything for those who approach the story from the point of view of the show alone and haven’t played the game.
‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 renewal: The Team Talks
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
With the renewal now official (hardly a surprise given the success of the show so far and the early reactions to Season 2 even before its launch), HBO and the show’s creators have weighed in on its return.
“It can’t be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of ‘The Last of Us’ is. Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”
And this is what Craig Mazin had to say:
“We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of ‘The Last of Us’ with season three!”
Finally, this is the quote from Druckmann:
“To see ‘The Last of Us’ brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of ‘The Last of Us’!”
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 be on screens?
We’ll all need some patience. Season 2 has just launched this past weekend, and while we’re relatively sure the team knew that Season 3 would be a done deal, there is still scripting and filming work to be done.
With luck, we should have the new season next year, though ‘The Last of Us’ has been such a good thing so far that it’s worth waiting for.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
Back on Max for its second season and debut the first episode on April 13th, ‘The Last of Us’ plunges us back into the chaotic, carefully-crafted world adapted from the Naughty Dog game originally created by Neil Druckmann and his team.
Now Druckmann, working again with co-showrunner Craig Mazin, is starting the even more perplexing process of adapting ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ which deepened the story of the game and its hard-bitten survivors.
Is ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 worth battling mushroom zombies to see?
(L to R) Bella Ramsey and Gabriel Luna in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Perhaps the biggest question, and indeed challenge facing the new season of the show is whether it can live up to the praise and success of the first. It’s a situation that co-creator Neil Druckmann has faced before in this universe, and it should give fans of the show who never played the game hope that by all regards, ‘The Last of Us Part II’ is seen as superior to the original, much-loved game.
Of course, season 2 of a TV series, even one with a pedigree such as this, is a different beast. Yet Druckmann and Mazin have shown remarkable patience and care with their work, bring what works about the game to the screen by making the changes necessary to ensure it functions in a different, less interactive medium.
And it’s reassuring to report that, on the basis of the first episode of the new season, ‘Future Days,’ their efforts continue to pay off.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
While Mazin and Druckmann do the lion’s share of the writing on the show, the first episode features a script by Halley Wegryn Gross that has a lot of work to do.
Though there is a brief moment set right at the end of Season 1, the majority of the episode takes place five years later. With the survivors’ base in Jackson, Wyoming (a former ski resort repurposed as a fortress against the fungi-ravaged zombie-like mutants that prowl the lands between encampments) up and running as a functioning community.
That means we not only have to be re-introduced to Pedro Pascal’s tough-but-heartfelt Joel and Bella Ramsey’s headstrong Ellie (now even more so as a 19-year-old brawler itching to take on more responsibility), but fill us in on all the other characters.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The script for ‘Future Days’ is busy but finds time for everyone –– even deviating from the game in introducing and immediately identifying Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby Anders as someone who is looking to enact vengeance on Joel for his actions in the final episode of the previous season.
Another challenge for the script is to start building towards what game players already know is coming either in this season or the next (both are drawn from ‘The Last of Us Part II’ game) –– no spoilers, but things don’t end well.
Mazin doesn’t have that many directing credits to his name despite years in the feature business, and even with his involvement in the series, this is the first time he has called the shots on an episode. But he shows a steady hand and a clear eye for what makes the show work, and if the time jump is a jolt, the style is not.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Anchored by Pascal and Ramsey, the episode doesn’t forget to give other performers some solid work.
Pascal is, of course, still great as the haunted, soulful Joel, the man who never expected to find a surrogate daughter after losing his own in the early days of the pandemic that rocked the world. Here, we find him in problem-solving mode, and Pascal brings out all the tones, including his sly sense of humor.
(Left) Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO. (Right) Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Ramsey has even more to prove with the more grown version of Ellie, but they handle the job fluidly, this tougher, less childish version of the character finding new connections while still dealing with old issues.
Among the newcomers we meet, Dever makes and impact with relatively little screen time as Abby, Isabel Merced is a shiny delight as Dina and Catherine O’Hara gets to go to some deeper places as Gail, who is tending to Joel’s mental health.
Final Thoughts
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Though it remains to be seen how the rest of the season and beyond plays out, the first episode of ‘The Last of Us’ new season is a welcomer reminder of why this is one of the best shows on TV.
There is so much solid character work going on from both sides of the camera, and the look of the show, including some truly scary mushroom mutants, is still superb.
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What is the plot of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2?
Five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
When it originally landed on our screens with its first season two years ago, ‘The Last of Us’ became an instant sensation, hailed for transferring its video game source material with care and authenticity while also expanding the complicated, emotional world originally built by Neil Druckmann and his team.
With Druckmann involved as a key collaborator alongside fellow show developer (and ‘Chernobyl’ limited series veteran) Craig Mazin, ‘The Last of Us’ tells the post-apocalyptic story of the world brought to ruin by mutated Cordyceps fungus, which spread through a global pandemic and turned a majority of the population into infected, transformed zombie-like creatures.
Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are two survivors trying to make their way through this difficult world.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Season 2 explores the fallout from the first, when Joel massacred a group looking to extract a cure from Ellie –– the procedure nearly killing her –– and is set five years later, with Joel and Ellie seemingly settled into a mountain community of fellow survivors in Jackson, Wyoming.
But Joel’s actions may yet catch up to him, and Ellie is finding other connections in this world.
Here are 10 things we learned at that press conference, edited for clarity and length. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 will debut with its first episode on Max on April 13th.
1) Bella Ramsey Is Excited For The Show To Be Back
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Ramsey admitted they were nervous to see the reaction to the new season.
Bella Ramsey: It’s a little bit scary. When season one came out obviously it was this huge thing. I think I’m just so aware of season two coming out and everybody looking at it and looking at me and it’s quite scary, but it’s exciting. I’m trying to see it as a celebration of all the hard work that we did. I just hope that people will –– I mean, people are going to like it ––because these guys did an incredible job and we all went into it with complete trust for them. We’ve been carried and protected the whole way, so it’s pretty exciting and I hope that people will watch it.
2) Kaitlyn Dever Was Anxious About Joining The Show
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Dever –– who was actually attached as Ellie back during a version of the story being made as a movie –– plays Abby Anderson, who has a reason to hate Joel.
Kaitlyn Dever: It was all of the feelings. I was nervous, I was anxious, but also very excited. I’ve been a huge fan of this game and the show for a very long time. The reach of this world is so, so big. The world of ‘The Last of Us’ is so large. You can feel that, even in wardrobe fittings when you’re first in prep and then finally getting on set. It still feels very big but I felt less nervous once I got onto set, just because of this wonderful group of people and being held by Craig and Neil.
3) Mazin Was Actually Very Impressed With Dever As Abby
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The co-writer/showrunner and occasional director was full of praise for Dever and her co-stars.
Mazin: Kaitlyn did things that I’m not sure she even should have done. I don’t know how you did them. We knew her, obviously, as an actor and what she could do, but when you then meet the person and you’re, “well, what can you actually do? What are you comfortable with?” Kaitlyn just would never say no. It was amazing. When you see how physically tremendous her performance is, it’s insane. We just haven’t f****d up in casting. We just haven’t f****d up.
4) Young Mazino Felt Fortunate To Have Gotten The Job
Young Mazino in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Mazino, who was seen in ‘Beef,’ plays Jesse, ex-boyfriend of Isabela Merced’s Dina and friend to Ellie.
Young Mazino: I felt incredibly fortunate. Joining a second season for something that was so well established the first time and the trust that I think Craig and Neil had in me to deliver on this character. I do remember getting more nervous when I stepped onto set and realizing the sheer scale of the town and seeing the huge gate that they built. That’s when I started to feel a little tripped out. But then, but then the longer I was there, I realized the energy was so, so warm and so inviting, and I feel like there was no ego on set. I think that’s a rare thing, especially the larger sets. I had such a blast. It was chill.
5) Ramsey and Pascal Talked About The Rifts That Have Formed in Ellie and Joel’s Adoptive Father/Daughter Dynamic
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
It’s clear when season 2 kicks off that in the years since the first, Ellie and Joel have seen emotional distance grow between them, which for the actors presented a challenge but also an opportunity.
Ramsey: Obviously a lot has changed over those five years. Ellie was 14 and now is 19. I think in any teenager’s life that’s always the formative years, so that definitely informed it. But there’s deeper reasons for their little rift. I didn’t enjoy the feeling of feeling estranged from Pedro within a scene. It wasn’t a nice feeling. When the cameras were rolling. In real life, we still sort of each other, just about! But it was definitely interesting.
6) Pascal Addressed Treating a Show Such as ‘The Last of Us’ as Escapism When It Still Confronts Real-World Issues
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The actor opened up about the show’s depth of theme and feeling.
Pascal: I think that storytelling is cathartic in so many ways, always has been. It’s the way that human beings have made testimony to life. Whether it was handprints on the walls inside of a cave to television show that you can stream on Max. So, for me, growing up, all of my development was based on books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, and television that I’ve watched. So, it’s very much going to reflect the human experience. Under such extreme circumstances, I think that there’s a very healthy and sometimes sick pleasure in that catharsis, in a safe space, to see human relationships under crisis and in pain and intelligently draw political allegory, societal allegory based off of the world that we’re living in and, and very beautifully and very intelligently.
7) Druckmann Was Asked About the Show’s Change to Abby’s Backstory Introduction
(L to R) Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, Kaitlyn Dever, and Spencer Lord in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ makes a key change to Dever’s character Abby, setting up her backstory immediately as opposed to the game, which holds it off for a while.
Druckmann: In the game [Part 2], you play as Abby, so you immediately form an empathic connection with her because you’re surviving as her. You’re running through the snow, you’re fighting infected, and we can withhold certain things and make it a mystery that will be revealed later in the story. We couldn’t do that in the show because you’re not playing as her, so we need other tools. That context gave us that shortcut. Something similar happened in season one when the first game starts with you playing as Sarah, and we didn’t have to do a lot of heavy lifting for you to care about Sarah, because you’re playing as her, you’re experiencing the outbreak as her. In the show, we had to spend quite a bit of time to achieve something similar.
8) Asked What The Most Satisfying Moment Was to Adapt, Mazin Gave a Careful Answer
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Not wanting to give away spoilers, Mazin talked about his favorite scene to craft.
Mazin: There is –– I don’t want to say what it is –– but there was a scene in the in the final episode of the season. It’s quite impactful in the game, but there was this evolution of it as we put it on film that blows me away. Those moments are very exciting. But I have to admit, there’s also –– this is not a spoiler, it’s in the trailer –– you see Pedro and Bella both by the space capsule in the museum and that scene is the first thing that Neil ever showed me from [the game] ‘The Last of Us Part Two.’ It’s beautiful and watching them inhabit that and make it their own was pretty spectacular. [doing Larry David impression] Pretty, pretty good. We’ll let you watch it sometime.
9) Isabela Merced Talked About What Dina Means To Her
Isabela Merced in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The actor discussed her character, who starts a relationship with Ellie in the new season.
Isabela Merced: I kind of see Dina as an extension of myself. If I were in an apocalyptic situation, I would try to lighten it up a bit. I think that’s our superpower as humans, is we really have the power to shift our perspective and make our own reality. I think Dina is also Ellie’s compass and light, in a way. I think Dina’s also grieving at the same time, and we explore that. I think it’s going to be really fun to get to know Dina as more than just “the funny guy.” I think Craig does a great job of well-rounding his characters like that.
10) Mazin Says That We Can Expect At Least One More Standalone Episode This Year
(L to R) Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Following the wide praise for the standalone diversion episode ‘Long, Long Time,’ which told the story of survivors Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), the showrunner explained there will be more.
Mazin: One thing that Neil and I talked about was just making sure that we didn’t just say, “Oh, you know, that Bill and Frank episode… people really liked that. Let’s do a very special episode of ‘The Last of Us’ Season Two.” It just has to happen as it happens. But I will say that there is a gorgeous episode this season directed by Neil that is different. it’s not Bill and Frank, but it is, in its own way, its own thing, because it needed to be. Just you wait.
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What is the plot of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2?
Five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
And indeed, such a show exists –– it’s even called ‘True Lies’ and has the same plotline albeit with some tweaks –– but unfortunately that series, which had its first season on CBS, failed to ignite interest with audiences and has been cancelled.
Premiering its entire first season on Netflix, ‘FUBAR’ is an example of how to do that story with an even lighter touch and while it may not have the title, it does have a not-so-secret weapon: the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the blend of laughs and set-pieces that made ‘True Lies’ so entertaining.
The series follows Schwarzenegger’s Luke Brunner, a CIA operative with a knack for inventively taking down bad guys (essentially an Arnie character from his 1980s heyday) and a venerable reputation at the agency.
But Luke, long since realizing the toll his job and its need for total secrecy had on his family –– he’s been divorced from wife Tally (Fabiana Udenio) for nearly 20 years –– is ready to retire. He plans to win his wife back and properly reconnect with his grown children, especially Emma (Monica Barbaro).
Before he can really call it quits, though, he’s informed that Boro (Gabriel Luna), the son of a terrorist Luke dispatched years ago while working undercover, has resurfaced and is aiming to relaunch his father’s dangerous organization with even more vehemence. So, our hero must go back into the field… Whereupon he discovers that Emma is already there, and that she’s been a CIA operative herself for the last few years. The father-daughter bonding he’d hoped to achieve now takes on a much more elevated, more dangerous nature…
Created and run by Nick Santora (who previously worked on the likes of ‘Scorpion’ and ‘Reacher’), ‘FUBAR’ is a Skydance Television project.
If you’ve been missing the sort of action charisma that Schwarzenegger brings to screens, then this should help mitigate those withdrawal symptoms. The actor and former bodybuilder has had a rough go of it with recent cinematic choices (‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin of his work with that franchise, and others including ‘Iron Mask’ and ‘Killing Gunther’ hardly burnishing his career or box office with glory).
With ‘FUBAR’, he’s on much more solid territory.
Schwarzenegger’s on good form as Luke, his usual bravado on display but balanced with a decent sprinkling of vulnerability. While this is a man who absolutely knows he’s one of the best in the business, he’s still prone to making mistakes when it comes to those he loves.
Santora and his team has smartly built the ensemble around their leading man so as to take some of the comedy load off him. Milan Carter in particular is well developed as Barry, Luke’s CIA tech guy and “man in the chair” who also happens to be the only person who also knows his family (the two run a gym supply company as their cover story).
And it’s far from a two-man operation, Luke and Barry surrounded by a team that has both spy capabilities and winning comic personas –– Feimster and Van Winkle give good banter as Roo and Aldo, the duo’s usual backup in the field. As the story develops, all of the cast are given solid running jokes or moments to show what they can do, and the characters feel the benefit of the show’s running time to become more than just throwaway sidekicks.
Even smaller roles, such as Scott Thompson as the CIA psychiatrist hired to help Luke and Emma figure out their fractured relationship, work well, Thompson at one point breaking out puppets of the pair to aid their communication.
Barbaro, meanwhile, has to carry more of the dramatic weight and does so with skill and finesse. Though you might not quite always buy her as Arnie’s daughter, she’s more than up to the task of sparring with him and can also hold her own when it comes to the action sequences. At home, meanwhile, she has some funny interactions with her nervy boyfriend, played by Baruchel.
We all know, of course, that Schwarzenegger, for all that he brings to screens, is not the world’s greatest actor. And ‘FUBAR’ certainly stretches that idea in places. He can deliver some of the comedy and a fair portion of the drama, but he’s still more comfortable when things are blowing up or he’s being imposing.
The show also takes a while to truly hit its stride –– though it kicks off with a fun action sequence, it doesn’t quite manage to hide the early exposition dump to introduce Luke’s situation and various family connections. And there are moments where you really feel like you’re watching a pilot episode for a show.
Plus, even with the sort of generous budget afforded by Netflix, the stunt sequences will never quite challenge the levels routinely on display in Schwarzenegger’s glory days. And one or two subplots, such as rival gym supply company owners complaining about Luke’s success when he rarely seems to be in the office have the whiff of something quickly whipped up to give Tally more to do when she starts working for him (still unaware of his double life).
Still, stick with it and the series soon finds the right blend of espionage set up and goofy comedy. It’s the most fun Arnie has had on screen in years and that proves to be infectious.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
You might not think that a show about a cataclysmic infection would be so warmly embraced by audiences still dealing the effects of a huge pandemic, but clearly viewers were ready for ‘The Last of Us’.
Adapted from the bestselling PlayStation game franchise developed by Neil Druckmann and the team at Naughty Dog, ‘The Last of Us’ landed on HBO Max a couple of weeks ago. After trending on twitter and scoring huge viewing figures, it has now been renewed for a second season.
‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a fungal infection that turns humans into vicious, disease-spreading creatures. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
(L to R) Nico Parker and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations,” says Druckmann in a statement. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
“I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey,” adds Mazin. “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
While Season 1 dealt with the first game (and some prequel material showing how the infection started and spread), Season 2 seems likely to tackle the follow-up while also exploring avenues of its own. And the series has made some changes to the story and characters that fans have appreciated rather than complaining about them.
Now we have Season 2 to look forward to, though there are no details yet on when it’ll hit screens.
New episodes of ‘The Last of Us’ arrive weekly on Sundays via HBO Max.
HBO Max’s ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
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Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
Launching with its first episode on Sunday, January 15th on HBO Max, ‘The Last of Us’ represents the latest successful translation of a video game title to another medium.
Of course, the source material––game creator Neil Druckmann is deeply involved in the show as an executive producer––offers a solid base, with its rich, cinematic aspect and compelling characters. But then, that’s also a risk; as a bestselling title with a massive fan base, there are very high standards to be met.
Fortunately, the show should impress almost anyone who has ever picked up a controller to help Joel and Ellie on their mission.
But what if you’ve never so much as passed by a TV where someone is playing the game? Not to worry––the series smartly clues you with all the necessary information in as organic a way as possible.
(L to R) Nico Parker and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
In the first episode, that information is delivered by a scientist (John Hannah) on a 1968 TV talk show, outlining the way in which a determined fungal infection could burn through humanity as it does insects, effectively turning its victims into zombies whose scrambled brains can think of nothing but spreading the ultimately deadly condition.
Though he’s mocked as a doomsayer, he’s proven right years later in 2003, when Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) and brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) have to escape their small Texas town when that very infection starts to do its thing the world. A pacey, superbly directed (by show co-creator Craig Mazin, who previously brought ‘Chernobyl’ to the world) sequence sees the trio desperately driving through military blockades and chaos as survivors and the infected dash around and planes plummet from the sky.
It’s brutal and effective and ends with tragedy before the clock is spun forward 20 years. We catch up with Joel as he lives and struggles to find work in post-apocalyptic Boston. Part of the city has become a well-guarded quarantine zone, the infected outside kept at bay by a brutal policy of testing and incineration.
Its run by the military dictatorship known as Fedra, which has imposed all sorts of rules on those living within its borders, including a curfew (“to fight infection and insurrection”). The insurrection that Fedra’s authority is worried about comes from the Fireflies, a group fighting to end the organization’s tough tactics. Fedra, for its part, views them as terrorists and is aiming to wipe them out.
(L to R) Bella Ramsey, and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
It’s in this chaotic world that we meet Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who will become the other key player in the story. Her background is less well defined in the first episode (others dig into her deal), but we do learn she has a very special quality that means the Fireflies will do anything to spirit her out of the quarantine zone and across the country.
When their efforts are stymied by a deal gone bad, their leader Marlene (played by Merle Dandridge, who had the same role in the game) turns to Joel and his partner Tess (Anna Torv), who begrudgingly agree to get Ellie to where she needs to be in exchange for valuable transport and weaponry.
Pascal, who has become famous for another gruff warrior who is charged with looking after a young person in ‘The Mandalorian’ here gets to show some different sides, even with the basic storyline similarities. Joel is a hardened man, described variously as capable (“capable of what?” snorts Ellie) and dangerous. He puts the fear of violence into various small time criminals but doesn’t seek out power himself. Mostly, he’s just trying to track down Tommy.
He and Ellie are like oil and water at first meeting, her snark and spirit meeting (and annoying) his world-weary charm. They, just as in the game, have the makings of a memorable, squabbling partnership.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Anna Torv in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
Like her co-star, Ramsey has made her name with characters who have qualities in common with Ellie, particularly the scowling, youthful leader Lyanna Mormont in ‘Game of Thrones’ (she never crossed paths with Pascal there, since both were in very different segments of that sprawling fantasy series).
Here, Ramsey gives Ellie vitality and spark, and while her grumbling attitude could get dull in a hurry, the actor makes it work.
It’s thanks also to the script from show creators Mazin and Druckmann, who both offer faithfulness to the game’s story while also finding ways to make small but crucial changes. The characters are vigorous and memorable, and the world, while it draws from the tropes of the post-apocalyptic nightmare, manages to show fresh angles.
And it helps that this is on an HBO budget, certain set pieces and set dressing showing an impressive level of detail. Imagine something along the lines of ‘The Walking Dead’ but with even more movie-level financial backing.
Gabriel Luna in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
A little like that that long-lived zombie series (which outstayed its welcome), ‘The Last of Us’ focuses more on the humans at its core than the infected creatures around them. It doesn’t skimp on the body horror, especially in the 2003 section, where an old couple’s early infection leads to some truly gross moments.
But this series is even more invested in the people trying to survive, sketching their characteristics out in inventive and impressive ways. There is also plenty left to discover in future episodes, and the sense that the narrative will only get deeper and darker as it goes along.
It might seem premature to suggest this, but it seems likely that ‘The Last of Us’ despite debuting in the first month of the year, appears likely to sear itself into viewers’ minds (much like the dreaded Cordyceps fungus) and make it on to top 10 lists by the time November and December roll around.
‘The Last of Us’ receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
HBO Max’s ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
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Hulu’s new Marvel series “Ghost Rider” has a familiar actor in the titular role.
Gabriel Luna is set to star as Robbie Reyes (aka Ghost Rider), Variety reports. Although fans may recognize the actor from when he played the character on the ABC series of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Variety’s sources indicate that the shows and storylines are not connected. Ingrid Escajeda is the Hulu series’ showrunner, and she, Paul Zbyszewski, and Marvel’s Jeph Loeb are executive producing.
Ghost Rider is one of Marvel’s antiheroes who debuted in the comic book anthology series “Marvel Spotlight.” He later got his own series and has since been brought to screen. Luna played the character for 10 episodes in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Season 4 and earned himself a Teen Choice Award nomination for his work.
The actor’s other recent credits include stints on the TV series “Wicked City,” “True Detective,” and “Matador.” He has also appeared in the films “Hala” and “Transpecos.” Additionally, we’ll see him as T-1000 in the upcoming “Terminator: Dark Fate.”
Hulu’s “Ghost Rider” is expected to debut in 2020.
