So we're done. HBO's second perfect series. It wasn't Rod of the Dragon, which went on last year, or Westworld, which has already ended. It's a series based on the Playstation game The Last Of Us.
To start with, the last episode took us all the way to the end of the road. The main couple, Joel and Ellie, finally got to the lightkeepers so they could give Ellie their genetic information. It would probably make a vaccine against the entire destruction of humanity.
But all days are not over, and we learn some pretty important things about their lives during the end of their journey. Some explanations about Joel and also Ellie's story about not being just a little girl who needs protecting anymore.
We also learn about how Ellie was born and why she is immune to the disease. Her mother, by the way, is played by an actress who portrays the game Ellie. It's another acting cameo from the play. It's good that the introduction most of the episodes have, a little history, flashbacks don't hurt and it allows you to understand the story more. And the story of Ellie's birth is pretty important.
It's good that such a good show has different directors. This time, the direction has gone to Ali Abbasi, who also directed the previous episode. I commend the choice of directors. Craig Mazin was able to make a pretty good series with non-American directors. Each of them brought their own thing to the episode. We'll start with Neil Druckmann, for whom it's a big dream come true to make a few episodes of a major series, as his baby (i.e., the console game) has matured into a series adaptation.
Let's not forget Jasmila Žbanić, who is already a seasoned director backed by the worldwide acclaim of their films. She brought a pretty good family and cohesive feel to the episode The Family (S01E06). And lead creator Craig Mazin? He made his directorial debut right away on the pilot episode, which kicked off the whole series and was the best episode.
It's a very good thing that the nine-episode series isn't just about the main couple. We only followed their story in a couple of episodes. In most of the episodes, we enjoyed a different story that explains things around them. The story of the life of the two partners was unforgettable. Also, the story of how Ellie got infected is very important. And we also can't forget that the first episode was about how Joel lost his daughter and how that actually affected him.
The last episode of the first season wrapped up the story arc of the main couple. After a harrowing journey filled with bad people, enemies and zombies, they got where they were supposed to. They met the people they were looking for. As we know, however, their story will continue on in season two, so once again we're forced to leave the supporting characters (as in previous episodes) behind so that we can only follow the main duo for their story.
My rating: 60%
And why, sadly, this is the weakest episode, as it's only about the main couple's story ending with more bloodshed from other characters so that the main couple can move on in peace.
Original article March 13, 2023 – Kritiky.cz
