Review: HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1 – One of the best Seasons in TV History
Hello, dear readers! Alina and I woke up at 6:30 in the morning today, without any alarm, because both of us were super anxious to watch the season finale of HBO’s The Last of Us. This is a tradition that we are keeping since the show premiered in late January. We did that even for the first episode which we also were fortunate enough to experience in a real theatre, thanks to the nice people at HBO Nordic.
Today the Gods of Winter have spread their white wings again over Oslo and snow is falling slowly upon this wonderful city that we call home.
I waited for Alina to head for the office, I booted up my trusty MacBook, asked Siri to play The Last of Us season 1 soundtrack, and started to write this spoiler-free review for what both Alina and I consider to be one of the best seasons in television history.
In case you are one of the 5 people on the planet who does not know what I’m rambling about here like an excited teenager, I can tell you that The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure video game from Naughty Dog and PlayStationwhich has been successfully adapted now into a series for HBO by the game director Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl’s creator, Craig Mazin.
As the episodes of this first season have poured in, the interest in the show has only grown. HBO has seen huge viewing numbers that have continued to increase with every new episode release.
Yes, this is the power of The Last of Us, it brings people together, and it makes them care for these supremely flawed characters that are trying to survive in a world where even hope seemed to have crawled under a rock, never to be seen again.
Some may say that it is a zombie story, but it is definitely not! It is a story about love, survival, hope in a hopeless world, and about life, friendship, loss, and what the apocalypse could look like. But ultimately it is a story about how far we are willing to go to save the ones we love and about how we always must continue living because you never know what we could be missing out on if we stop before time.
Although we had huge expectations from this show, especially after watching that first episode in the cinema and after knowing the story from playing the original game, the remaster and the remake countless times, we were absolutely blown away by what we experienced throughout these nine, brilliantly written, perfectly paced, carefully produced and exquisitely acted episodes.
The atmosphere is dark, ominous, and oppressive throughout this epic adventure, I cried, laughed, swore out loud, and lived countless conflicting emotions again and again, not only at events that I knew but also at some new ones that have expended and improved on storylines only touched in the game.
Everything we love about The Last of Us is here and what’s new is for the better. I can’t write this review without saying that episode 3 is a masterpiece of writing, acting, and directing, but won’t say anything else because I don’t want to spoil it for you. The same can be said about Left Behind and this last episode that we’ve finished just a few hours ago, fantastic! Bravo!
All the actors are doing a fantastic job, they are amazing, perfect, and deliver breathtaking performances. Joel and Elly meet in the first episode and the connection between them is immediately palpable and electrifying. Although I’m blind, I enjoyed this experience tremendously – I can definitely appreciate the sound design, the instantly recognizable music, and the superb acting. Add to that expertly implemented audio descriptions which always manage to inform just at the right moment, but never intrude or take away from the experience, and I could almost see everything in my mind’s eye.
Alina and I are impressed and delighted by the first season, she tells me that the cinematography is gorgeous and even though I can’t see Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and all the actors, I could feel their dedication and talent from their performances.
All of these are made even better by the emotional script set in place by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.
I absolutely consider The Last of Us to be the best story ever told in a video game, I played both games multiple times, while sighted, while going blind, and even now, when I’m totally blind.
For now, I want to congratulate again everyone involved with The Last of Us, it is a masterpiece of a show, and I’m sure the second season will be amazing after such a gripping start. Congrats and thanks to Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, HBO and of course to Pedro, Bella, and all the actors from this amazing cast. Finally, I wrote this article on my MacBook Air while listening to the sublime soundtrack composed by Gustavo Santaolalla who is also involved with the series, so I’m still in the zone, although the first leg of this adventure has ended for now.
I wanted to stay a little longer in this world that means so much to me. The Last of Us was the last game I was able to finish on my own before going blind, I spent hundreds of hours in the multiplayer, and last year I was able to play it again when The Last of Us Part I was released in September with a revolutionary suite of accessibility features – including audio descriptions, which allowed me to experience the game like I never went blind.
These stories and experiences transcend the medium for which they were created and now I’m super excited that people who never picked up a controller in their lives will get to discover why we are so hyped about The Last of Us even 10 years after its release.
I can’t wait to watch the second season which has already been confirmed by HBO and I’m sure that most of those who watched this first season have no idea how their lives will be shaken by the second!
I will end with a quote from the game that stayed with me all these years. “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.”
Victor Dima
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