Today, Binge unveils the highly-anticipated adaptation of The Last Of Us.
We being in 2003 with the outbreak of a fungal infection. As it begins to take hold, we are introduced to Sarah Miller (Nico Parker), a teenager living with her dad Joel (Padreo Pascal), who’s working with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna).
It’s a nice tone settler before we move forward 20 years where Joel has changed as a result of the harsh world we now reside in.
Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsay) out of an oppressive quarantine zone, a place she’s been all her life. And it appears that Ellie is immune to the disease.
Joel begins working with Tess (Anna Torv), a former lover who joins him on the quest. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival.
The series, which consists of nine episodes that were all watched for this review, starts out as a survival road trip story, full of wonderful mini character arcs along the way. Its standouts are Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as Bill and Frank, respectively, who take over episode three and deliver not only one of the finest performances, but an episode of TV that is among one of the finest hours in television history. All while still keeping the series arc moving forward.
Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have delivered something special with the 80-minute pilot. Everything is engrossingly compelling, and with that comes masterful performances from Pascal and Ramsay, with complex characters that are fleshed out.
It may only be January but the best TV show of the year has just landed, so make sure you’re watching it.
5 Stars.
The Last Of Us drops new episodes every Monday on Binge from 16 January.
