The Last of Us Season 1 Ep 2 is the second chapter of the first season of an American post-apocalyptic zombie horror TV series, based on the best-selling video game of the same name. The series stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, as the duo make a dangerous trek across the dystopian American landscape seeking a cure against the fungal infection that runs through the veins of Ellie, and thus save humanity.
S P O I L E R S
Entitled “Infected”, The Last of Us Season 1 Ep 2 presents the audience with the first close-up encounter with the zombies as Tess (Anna Torv) and Joel attempt to deliver Ellie safely to a Firefly outpost in the city. Naturally, things go sideways and the end of the episode provides us with a powerful inciting incident that establishes Joel’s own personal call to adventure for the rest of the series.
The character of Tess truly shines in this chapter, given a strong arc within a short space of time very effectively. Tess’s kindness and optimists has contrasted with Joel’s cynicism throughout these early episodes and in that moment of her self-sacrifice, The Last of Us Season 1 Ep 2 gives us the best moment in the series thus far. It’s a pity that Torv’s time with the series is over but she certainly nailed this memorably. It is impossible not to be moved and feel connection with where the series goes from here. Kudos.
Aside from the denouement, the rest of this episode really worked – especially the interaction between Joel and Ellie. foreshadowing where the series will need to go in the weeks ahead. In addition, the differences between your stereotypical zombie tropes and what is presented here, more than makes The Last of Us a justifiable inclusion in this already overwrought horror genre.
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