The highly rated video game, The Last of Us, has been turned into a television series on HBO. Developed by Naughty Dog, the best selling game immerses players in the post apocalyptic world of the cordyceps fungus. 

Now adapted by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the show accurately depicts the game with a few cinematic and storytelling additions. The objective sees Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, escorting Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, across the US to the Fireflies in hopes to create a cure.

Set twenty years after outbreak day, Joel’s hardening backstory and the chaos of the fungus are revealed to viewers. During Outbreak day Joel finds the world in panic, and through the chaos he attempts to escape with his daughter, Sarah. However, since the government is unfamiliar with this type of situation, soldiers were ordered to shoot anything suspected of being infected. Consequently Sarah was shot and soon after died in Joels very arms. Focused on his new smuggling journey, his goal is to not only to get to the Fireflies but also to find his brother Tommy.

The other protagonist in this story, Ellie, was born after the outbreak. She is the only human known to be immune to the fungus, therefore she may be the savior to humanity. Growing up as an orphan she was put through FEDRA schooling, although her defiant and witty attitude allowed her to escape the Federal Disaster Response Agency. Not fearful of what lies ahead, Ellie will have her confidence and emotions shaken.

During the show the duo encounters numerous conflicts avoiding clickers, who are the people who have gone blind due to the infection. Also not only do they have to sneak their way past the government and out of quarantine zones, they must defend themselves against bandits, even cannibals, and the pair must learn to trust one another in order to simply survive. Joel and Ellie’s father daughter relationship emerges as they spend more time together and save each other’s lives. 

Pascal and Ramsey bring a wonderful live action version of Joel and Ellie to the screen and have been loved by the growing number of fans. The HBO show is a nine episode series that remarkably fulfills the Last of Us Part I lore.