The Last of Us

So like I’ve said before zombies are not my thing and the clickers or whatever in the Last of Us are super creepy and gross, which leaves me wondering every episode if I am going to continue watching this show. The problem is that the writing is so good, it's very hard to pass. So let's dive into my thoughts on episodes 3&4.

The internet exploded when episode 3 came out, mostly for good reasons but I saw a few outraged posts because it didn’t stick exactly to the game. Now I didn’t play the game so I genuinely don’t care how accurate or inaccurate it is. That said, I saw far more people appreciating the writer's ability to take a relationship that was really nothing more than a passing meeting and turn it into one of the most beautiful queer relationships ever depicted on television. I absolutely love the representation in this episode, it was not forced, it was natural and it was romantic and beautiful. They changed each other. Bill and Frank unlocked something in each other that shouldn’t have been possible when the world is falling apart. Their love story was stunningly beautiful. The scene where they are talking about how they are now going to end up dying together was heartbreaking and beautiful. “You were my purpose” made my husband and I reach for each other and hold tight. This was one of the most beautiful, eerie, and truly emotional episodes of television to exist. It was absolutely brilliant.

The other thing that I thought was really important is that the writers made you care about these characters in a single episode, we are never going to see them again yet their story didn’t feel like a break in the action or out of place. They still gave Bella and Joel enough screen time that it was clear that this story was going to be emotionally impactful for them as well. When Joel discovered the flowers all dead and he knew immediately Pedro Pascal showed his insane acting ability with the subtleties on his face. Then he and Bella gather what they need and set off to find his brother.

This show has hooked me and it won’t let go, the writing is brilliant, grounded and emotional. It's truly a character driven story and that is why I have to keep watching. They casted the show so well and I am wildly invested.

Episode 4 focused more on Joel and Ellie and what they needed to do to survive. Plot wise we got introduced to an anarchist group of people who use violence to survive, but the episode was once again character focused and allowed for Joel and Ellie to grow closer. We saw Ellie get violent for really the first time, we saw the two of them bond through bad puns and we saw them seek refuge together. The fourth episode did everything it needed to do to set up the next plot line while also developing its characters and their relationships.

I’ve said before that I really love character driven stories and honestly it's so nice to see a truly character based story that is so engrossed in a genre setting. Normally zombie/vampire/horror stories are so caught up in their plot that you have to dig for any character development, but The Last of Us keeps it front and center so that the plot is something that the characters unfold rather than it being something that they are thrown into. Truly this is a brilliantly written show and I can't wait to see where it goes.