Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 1 Last of us.
Last of us was a beloved franchise long before HBO decided to turn it into a TV show. However, PlayStations are expensive, which is why many of us are entering the post-apocalyptic universe for the first time. Episode 1, “When You’re Lost in the Dark,” sets the tone for the show perfectly, introducing the main characters and exploring the state of the world in the aftermath of the fungus outbreak. Still, just as good as the first series Last of us maybe the stakes are skyrocketing when the show is all about Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her apparent immunity to cordyceps. And the final scene of Episode 1 lays the groundwork on which Joe (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s relationship will be built. And all thanks to Ellie’s hand.
Where are Joel and Tess going in Episode 1?
Episode 1 of Last of us does an excellent job setting the rules for the series’ post-apocalyptic world. The episode begins with a creative explanation of cordyceps mushrooms and why they can threaten humanity. We then fast forward to 2003 where we meet Joe and his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). Instead of releasing the infected immediately, Episode 1 takes the time to let us know the characters, making Sarah’s death more painful. In this last section of the episode, Last of us also highlights how the military can act under intense pressure to kill innocent people to prevent the end of the world. Sarah is one of these victims, shot dead by a soldier in front of Joel and left scarred for life.
Making us cry over Sarah’s death Last of us transported to the present, in 2023, where what is left of humanity is fighting for survival. In a devastated world, fortress cities were built to contain what was left of society. These cities are controlled by the iron fist of FEDRA, the Federal Disaster Response Administration, a military organization that won’t even blink before killing children if it means stopping the spread of fungi. However, not everyone is happy with FEDRA’s tyrannical government, as Episode 1 introduces the Fireflies, freedom fighters trying to restore democracy in some way. And then there are people like Joel and Tess (Anna Torv) who don’t care about the big political fight and just do their best to survive.
“When You’re Lost in the Dark” follows Joel and Tess as they try to get a car battery to save Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) from an unknown danger. We learn that Joel and Tess are not good people. In fact, they are criminals who do not hesitate to harm other people in order to get what they want. They are far from being heroes, but fate has prepared some surprises for them. Because their search for transport leads them to the Firefly headquarters, where the freedom fighter Marlene is located (Merle Dandridge) plans to get Ellie out of town. With no one to trust after getting hurt in a shootout, Marlene leaves Ellie in the care of Joel and Tess, promising that the couple will get a car and supplies once they get Ellie to a Firefly outpost outside the city. The couple agree to the terms, not knowing that Ellie is immune to Cordyceps.
Why is Ellie so important to the fireflies?
As Joel, Tess, and Ellie flee the city, they run into a FEDRA guard who tries to arrest them. As a standard procedure, guards screen prisoners for early signs of infection. Ellie knows she will test positive so she stabs the guard in the leg. The guard grabs his rifle and points at Ellie, prompting Joel to come between the angry soldier and the young girl. The guard tells Joel to move, but he can’t stand still and watch a soldier execute another teenage girl right in front of him. 20 years later, Sarah’s death still haunts Joel. Something breaks inside the smuggler and he jumps over security, risking his life to protect the girl he just met. Joel punches the soldier in the face until it turns into a soft mass of flesh, blood, and broken bones.
While Joel is busy knocking the life out of a soldier, Tess grabs a guard’s test tool from the ground and realizes Ellie is infected. The girl defends herself by showing the scars on her arm and claiming that she is not sick. No one lasts more than a day after being bitten by a person infected with Cordyceps, but the scars on Ellie’s arms show that her wounds have already healed. Ellie is immune and that makes her valuable. That’s why Marlene wants the Fireflies to adopt the girl and take her to a lab where they can hopefully develop a cure or a vaccine.
Ellie’s immunity completely changes the stakes for Joel and Tess. While Last of us Brilliantly written and highly entertaining, the series would have looked like a typical zombie outbreak story if it wasn’t for Ellie’s hand. Thanks to the immunity of the girl, the main characters of the series are fighting not only for their lives. Their journey may lead to the salvation of humanity itself. There’s no time in the first episode to explore Joel and Tess’ reaction to the shocking discovery, but we can already guess where the series will take us.
In 2003, Joel was a devoted father who overworked himself to take care of his daughter. After 20 years of surviving the apocalypse, Joel has become a violent man for whom the end justifies the means. Ellie’s hand gives Joel the opportunity to take a step back and consider his choice. It also gives Joel and Tess a reason to care for Ellie and see the girl as more than an asset to be traded for other resources. Ellie’s hand represents hope in a world so broken that good people can’t survive. And by saving Ellie, Tess and Joel can redeem themselves for all the bad things they’ve done. It’s an exciting prospect, and we can’t wait for next week’s episode to explore the implications of Tess and Joel seeing Ellie’s hand.
New episodes Last of us come to HBO and HBO Max every Sunday.
Source: Collider
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