The Last of Us Show is Here

Last night, HBO released the premiere of The Last of Us, an adaptation of a critically acclaimed Playstation series. I’m a big fan of The Last of Us game, as you may recall. And while it’s too early to say that HBO’s The Last of Us series has stuck the landing, it delivered the HELL out of a first episode.

In a series that depends so heavily on atmosphere and the chemistry between protagonists Joel and Ellie (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, respectively), first impressions are everything; and they nailed it. It’s difficult to take the stress and fear you feel playing a video game, where you are responsible for actively looking for threats, and translate it to a passive medium like TV. This episode solves that problem by making the show SOMEHOW CREEPIER than original source material. It’s sadder, too, as the show lets you settle in before kicking off the action.

I’m sold on Pascal and Ramsey. They’re not trying to impersonate the original games actors, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, which is clear the second Joel opens his mouth and you don’t hear a tired southern drawl. It’s like watching different performers run Shakespeare plays. The character is the same, and the actors get to the heart of the character in their own ways.

I’m waxing poetical here. It was a tense, heavy delight to watch the first episode and see how well they translated the source material, but I think those with no knowledge of the game will be able to enjoy it just as much with fresh eyes, even if the genre trappings feel familiar.

To put it simply, I’m so glad it’s so good so far. And this is the first weekly show to get me this excited in a long while.