The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 1 Review: When You’re Lost in the Darkness

The anticipated series, The Last of Us, has finally arrived on HBO Max. The 90-minute premiere is a well-paced ride through an initial outbreak and the world after.

First, let’s talk about Austin, TX and the initial outbreak. 

I was weary about going into a series about an outbreak after the last three years, but the way we get the experience from Sarah’s perspective sells it well. She’s intelligent enough to know that something is going on, but young enough to not understand it. 

The intial panic that sets in during the last day of normalcy feels eerily familiar and it’s eclipsed by an escape that feels straight out of a video game with jerky camera movements and dizzying car chases and large-scale mobs.

Even though we only see Sarah for the first third of “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” the father/daughter relationship between Nico Parker and Pedro Pascal drives the narrative and gives us characters to connect to before we jump to Boston. 

Sarah’s death hurts, and we’re stewing in that as we enter Boston.

The contrast in how the world has changed since the initial cordyceps outbreak is stark and it takes us a while to catch up after Sarah’s death. The series expertly reveals those changes bit by bit and we quickly become aware of the dystopia that our characters have entered into.

This is the part of the series that could have dragged on, but the fact that we’re following Joel and Tess gives us a solid throughline to follow as we see how this world works.

Tess and Joel’s attempt to leave the QZ to find Tommy creates a compelling narrative even if we don’t fully understand Joel’s motivations in the moment. As they talk about leaving, it’s hard to remember Sarah’s quiet, “what if it’s everywhere,” in the back of the truck and gives us the impression that they really are as safe as they’ll get.

The introduction of Ellie is much more compelling giving the characters a call-to-action as we slowly understand why this character is so important. 

Bella Ramsey’s petulant performance clearly contrasts Ellie from Nico Parker’s Sarah. Ellie is a capable child who is always spooling for a fight and it’s very intriguing to see her buck against the situation that she’s finding herself in.

As an adult who used to be a cancer kid, it’s easy to relate to Ellie’s frustation as they continue to ask her to do through cordyceps protocols. While most of what we get from Ellie is in the room at the Firefly hideout it’s enough to make us invested in her story and the hope she may represent for those over 20 in a world post-cordyceps infection.

Overall, “When You’re In the Darkness,” is a promising premiere. It plays its cards close to the vest while setting expectations with the viewer. 

I will admit that this type of story does hit different in 2023, but I think as we see this series continue to take us into the world those anxieties will be subtly reflected in the narrative. 

What did you think of this episode of The Last of Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Last of Us airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO and HBO Max.

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