The Last of Us – Infected Review

Well shit. I didn’t expect that. Perhaps it’s years of conditioning from The Walking Dead and/or Game of Thrones, to expect that a named actor (in this case, the great Anna Torv) wouldn’t be dispatched with this quickly in a show. Sure, I knew that ultimately, The Last of Us was a buddy story about the relationship between Ellie and Joel, but I figured Tess would get separated from the pair at some point, saved to be brought out at a key moment down the line. But instead, the series (and perhaps the game – remember, I haven’t played and I’m not planning on spoiling myself on game arcs) made the choice to sacrifice her early to provide the necessary oomph to get Joel and Ellie off on their own. Kudos to whomever made that choice – the writers of the game or the writers of the series, or both, as the series can make edits that its writers wish – because it was not only an incredibly resonate moment within the episode, but it also set a clear precedent for the story moving forward: Outside of Joel and Ellie, there are no sacred characters within this story. And boy, is that refreshing to see.

But even before we got to that explosive final sequence, the episode made it clear just how dire this particular outbreak is with its 2003-set cold open. Perhaps it’s that we’re heading into year four of our own pandemic, but wow was that a terrifyingly chilling way to open this particular piece of this story. Yes, it was a wonderfully expositional way to link the bombing scars of Boston to the warnings about how to combat this infection (and, in a way, it foreshadowed Tess setting off her own gasoline bomb in the closing moments – always a good idea to let your audience know how to kill off a swarm of the infected early in a story), but it was also an emotionally effective way to show us how impotent humanity was in the face of a pandemic plague it didn’t see coming (sound familiar?). From the naïve “Cordyceps can’t live within humans” statement to the realization that the missing workers means that the infection had already spiraled out of control, a simple 10-minute sequence managed to express the fear and terror that came with those initial moments of outbreak. It was a masterful stroke of writing and I hope we keep getting these looks at the world before 2023 as the series continues onward.

As with last week’s episode, the camera work throughout the episode was unlike anything I’ve seen in previous prestige television. From the combination of shaky handheld cameras for the escape through the hotel and into the museum to the return of the steady cam and sweeping shots when the trio reached the state house, it helped draw the audience in, making us feel like we were alongside our heroes on their treacherous trip through Boston. Sure, the shaky handheld portions did make me a tad nauseous, but it helped the scenes feel more tense, more real. And that’s the one thing I’ve really noticed in these initial two episodes – everything feels real. The colors are sharp and clear, the acting isn’t precious or over the top, the lines are simple and focused. It feels like we’re within a new world but no one is acting out of the ordinary. And, as a regular watcher of way too darkly shot TV, it’s pretty nice to have an episode that is filmed mostly in sunlight – see, other TV directors, you don’t need to make everything in shades of grey for it to be a dark, emotionally complex series.

And then there’s the acting. I’m crushed to see Torv go out this early, as she’s one of the best actresses out there and she rarely gets a character like this one to sink her teeth into. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey continue to impress, and their chemistry will be a joy to watch over the course of the series. But wow, for such a minor role in the grand scheme of things – knowing the caliber of actors awaiting us later this season – Torv absolutely made the most of her limited time on The Last of Us. I wish we had more time with Tess, but I’m thrilled she got to go out fighting. And that creepy as hell tendril-laden kiss was definitely an image I won’t soon forget. If this series – its writing, direction, cinematography, and acting – are this strong this early, I cannot wait to see what’s still to come.