IR TV Review: THE LAST OF US - EPISODE 1 (“When You’re Lost In The Darkness”) [HBO]

The aspect of video game lore is mostly based in the aspect of a journey but it has to move in regards to the motivations of the life it shows. With the instigation of "The Last Of Us", the ideal has to show the basis without taking away motivation. The initial episode sets up scale without losing perspective and consequence. One chase and the impending doom one shot shows is quite intense but it is about building it from a slow hum before jumping in a way. Pedro Pascal plays the lead in Joel Miller who with his brother Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna) are just trying to get by. That texture is not quite brought to bear in the first episode but a texture of loss and survival is. However its movement forward depends how it is integrated in the main juxposition of the plot which is a journey across the United States with a virus staring down the main proponents.

Bella Ramsey plays Ellie which is likely the crux point in the series. Her performance is just edgy enough to likely keep Pascal on point. This was the delay that interplayed with the 3rd season of "The Mandalorian" so it will be interesting as time goes forward to see where Pascal's head is at in his performance. It is an interesting tread since he is has the context of "The Mandalorian" as well as "Narcos" but while identifying with that taking this character and building since there is a degree of empathy pacing through here (though it still needs to build) which is different from the others. Anna Torv (of "Fringe" fame) is initially almost unrecognizable here as Teresa but obviously will become key though her strength hasn't completely focused yet. The story obviously has elements of "The Walking Dead" in a slightly different context so it will have to overcome that texture with originality of its own to push forward while still engaging in a visceral cinematic superlative of its own. B

By Tim Wassberg