![]() When the scene cuts to 20 years later, bringing us to 2023, we are met with a man hardened by his past trauma. While we may only have a brief time with Sarah, with her death in Joel's arms as impactful as it was in the game, her role is pivotal for Joel's on-going story. Joel (Pedro Pascal) comforts a shocked Sarah after he kills Nana. It evoked all the same feelings I had when I played the game for the first time. The camera pans from distressed civilians running for their lives and onto burning buildings, all the while staying close in on Sarah. As we follow the Millers, we see the scenes of devastation unfolding around them in an almost perfect recreation of the game, from the dialogue between Joel, Tommy and Sarah to its choreography. Next, the camera gets close to Sarah as she, along with her father and her Uncle Tommy, attempt to flee in their truck. Her once harmless neighbour is lying dead on the ground in front of her, with her father the murderer. Following Nana's execution by Joel, Sarah sheds a tear at the situation she now finds herself in. The impact of this sudden change in Nana is felt even more deeply thanks to Sarah's reaction to her aggression. This simple change by the showrunners created one of the most unnerving pieces of television that I have seen in years. It can manipulate its host, bypassing any preexisting conditions that could render a person incapable of their own self-care, and turn them into an animated and volatile force. Seeing the infection take hold of someone who was so defenceless and fragile only that afternoon shows us the scale of what this fungus can do. Rather, this neighbour is Nana - an elderly and once immobile lady who, before becoming infected, required full-time care. Unlike in the game, however, this neighbour is not a middle-aged and presumably healthy man (Cordyceps aside). Soon, these small hints become an all-too-real outbreak.Īs in the game, our first sight of someone afflicted with the fungal Cordyceps infection comes from a once benign neighbour. Sirens can be heard, people appear anxious, an old lady takes an unusual turn, a dog whines. ![]() Joel needs Sarah as she needs him.īut while Sarah goes about her day, small hints show something is not right in the wider world. Within a few relatively short scenes, we know that Sarah cares deeply for her father, and he for her. In these brief moments, a heartfelt connection is made between the viewer and Sarah - a testament to Parker's portrayal. We follow her as she makes breakfast for her father, we see her at school, we see her taking Joel's watch to be fixed. Parker brings a warmth to Sarah, with the viewers seeing the world through her eyes. This opening laces our expectations with the right amount of tension and unease before we meet the series' core characters and embark on their journey.Īn epidemiologist (played by John Hannah) discusses infections at the start of The Last of Us (image credit HBO/ fitz_screams).įollowing the show's cold open and its subsequent title sequence - itself an homage to the game's own opening titles, but with some added flair for TV - we meet Sarah Miller, Joel's teenage daughter played by Nico Parker. It sets the audience up for what is to come, giving those who have not experienced The Last of Us before some context, while acknowledging its long-term audience. Think of this as bonus content, rather than a hard steer away from its source material. However, it is still going to give those who do know the story plenty of sustenance. This version of The Last of Us is not going to be a scene-by-scene reenactment of the game, so it will be accessible to those who do not know the story already. ![]() It is a clever move by showrunner Craig Mazin, with this cold open setting the stage for the rest of the series. Here, two epidemiologists are taking part in an almost all-too-relatable discussion on viral and biological pandemics. Rather than dropping us off in Texas with the Miller family, it takes us instead to a talk show from the late 1960s. ![]() The TV adaptation of The Last of Us begins with a step back from Naughty Dog's 2013 game release. Eurogamer Newscast: What to look forward to in 2023! PLEASE NOTE: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE SHOW AND THE GAME IT IS BASED ON. Which is why, when a dog started to become uneasy around a seemingly harmless lady in HBO's The Last of Us, I knew straight away something was amiss. He would not leave my side, and I did not understand why. He became protective of me, constantly under my feet or curling up across my lap as soon as I sat down. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I did not realise it for a while. ![]()
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