If you’re looking for a show with powerful acting performances, rich storytelling, and something that will leave you on the edge of your seat screaming at the screen then ‘The Last of Us’ is for you.
The highly anticipated second season of ‘The Last of Us’ premiered on April 13 with new episodes every Sunday. We’re only two episodes back and its already full of nail-biting suspense and hauntingly gut-wrenching scenes.
Based on the 2013 action-adventure game with the same title, the story is largely set 20 years into an apocalyptic pandemic caused by a parasitic fungal infection which transforms the infected into gruesome zombie-like creatures. It follows Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, as they traverse the US seeking safety and make sense of this new reality.
The screen captures Joel and Ellie’s dynamic evolve from strangers to family, all enhanced by Pascal’s and Ramsey’s outstandingly provoking acting abilities. The world is highly immersive as it shows the horror and devastation of an apocalypse, leaving you afraid to sleep with the light off.
As the new season unfolds, we can expect complicated relationships and the confrontation of difficult emotions such as love, grief, morality, and revenge – all against the backdrop of a hoard of infected zombies and the destruction of civilisation.
Both season one and the beginning of season two boast an impressive production quality from the set design, costuming, writing, action sequences, and post-production. The latest episode released on Sunday has an epic Game of Thrones style battle, throwing the audience straight into the action. All in all, it is an award-winning piece of television for a reason.
While its die-hard fans since the game may always have a point of comparison or something they feel was not adapted correctly it is nonetheless a beautiful adaptation which captures many of the original relationships and the paralysing fear of the game.
If the first two episodes of season two are any sign of what’s to come, get ready to buckle in with some tissues as we explore life five years from where season one left off and journey through the intense passion for revenge (and a hint of gay panic).