‘The Last of Us’ is the best show of the year

Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers.

HBO Max has proven that they know what they are doing when making TV shows. From “House of the Dragon” to “The White Lotus,” HBO rarely misses. The same can be said for their newest show, “The Last of Us,” which aired its season one finale recently.

“The Last of Us” stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, two actors known for their roles in “Game of Thrones” and “The Mandalorian.” Both actors are amazing; their gripping performances prove how good they are at their craft.

“The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic story based on a video game of the same name. It’s about two people, Joel and Ellie, traveling from Boston to Utah to manufacture a vaccine, as Ellie is the only immune human on Earth. Along the way, they face danger and death from cordyceps fungus victims, known as clickers, that have destroyed the world and humanity.

The title itself describes the story. It’s unlike the “Walking Dead,” where characters die or zombie hordes appear because the ratings are low. “The Last of Us” chooses to show how a global pandemic changes people. Our main character Joel went from a loving father to a ruthless killer, and his brother went from an Army veteran to a provider in a small community. However, the villains are the most interesting. Kathleen’s story of revenge for her brother’s death is excellent, but the best comes from David.

Like the video game, David is a warped man who “found God” after the apocalypse, becoming a preacher for a small group. After the group grew and David became their leader, things weren’t all peachy. They couldn’t find food and his people were dying, so he resorted to cannibalism to keep his followers alive. The show excels at character development and writing, and many of its characteristics remain true to the original video game.

As said previously, “The Last of Us” is based on the award-winning 2013 video game of the same name. Neil Druckmann, the director and writer of the game, was brought in to help write the show along with showrunner Craig Mazin. Mazin is probably the best person in the entertain - ment industry right now. He was also the showrunner for HBO’s “Chernobyl,” an excellent miniseries rated as the fifth-best show of all time on IMDb. However, with all the praise given, there is one outlier.

Episode 7, titled Left Behind, is based on the DLC from the video game, which included unfinished content from before the game’s release. Neil Druckmann wrote this episode independently, and it shows, as it doesn’t have the subtleties of Craig’s writing. The episode also relies on contrivance a lot, having characters make dumb decisions such as turning on power to a giant mall in a place that is heavily limited on power and regulated thoroughly. However, considering how every other episode is near perfection, these creative choices are not worrying for future seasons.

“The Last of Us” is to “The Mandalorian” what the Kansas City Chiefs are to the Houston Texans. While both shows have very similar plots and Pedro Pascal, it shows how well HBO Max can use actors. Pedro is wooden and emotionless as

Mando and has a drastically different performance as Joel; his acting is phenomenal in this show. Overall, this show is the best of 2023 so far and will likely end up as the best show of the year unless a show comes completely out of nowhere. For anyone looking for a new show to get into, “The Last of Us” is for you.

Rating: 5/5