How The Last of Us turns an apocalypse into a meditation on care, moral survival

On the face of it, The Last of Us might seem like another entry in the long list of post-apocalyptic dramas — full of violence, danger, and a familiar fight for survival. But it asks difficult questions about how people behave when social and political structures fail, when trust is built and broken. Crowned with multiple Emmy awards and backed by a solid, unwavering script, it has been adapted faithfully from the video game series of the same name by game development studio Naughty Dog’s president Neil Druckmann.

When the bond gets tested

The show recently returned to the small screen again, with new episodes releasing every week. And just like the first season, its second instalment — currently streaming in India — hasn’t disappointed. Starting slow with the pilot episode, it shows the cracks in the relationship which had begun appearing between Pascal’s Joel and Ramsey’s Ellie after the events of the first season.

Set at first in Boston (US), the events in the second season later shift to Jackson, Wyoming. Besides our regulars (Joel and Ellie), we are now introduced to an ensemble which boasts of names such as Jeffrey Wright (who plays the leader of the organisation Wolves); Isabela Merced’s Dina graces the screen as Ellie’s romantic interest, and perhaps one of the more central figures who appears (for now) to have a limited screen time is the veteran Catherine O’Hara. She essays the role of Joel’s therapist. O’Hara’s role, though perceivably small, is significant as it gives insight into Joel’s psyche.

The show dives into the bond between Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) as they find themselves anchoring each other through life’s struggles. Joel is a broken and hardened man after losing his daughter Sarah (Hana Hayes) to a fatalistic viral attack by Clickers (flesh-eating mushroom monsters turned so due to a critical brain infection). But life goes on and so does our hero until he crosses paths with the feisty teenager Ellie, who happens to be immune to the deadly virus.

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One thing leads to another and Joel finds himself in charge of the young girl. After all, she is the chosen one who has the potential to save humankind. What Joel and Ellie did not expect was finding solace in each other. As time goes by, Joel becomes a de-facto father-figure to Ramsey’s Ellie. However, their growing bond is tested when Joel lies to her in order to save her life.

A mirror to our everyday life

Cut to the ongoing second season, where Ellie is still refusing to engage with Joel as he tries his best to make amends to her, through therapy, by standing up for her in crucial moments. Meanwhile, the world around them continues to crumble. Kaitlyn Dever is introduced as Abby, who vows to avenge her father’s death; he was killed in the earlier season by Joel. And this will not be too much of a spoiler since the game has been out for years now, but Joel dies.

The Last of Us, through subtle and compelling analogies to daily life, shows us how hard it has become to ‘believe’ as our everyday existence continues to disintegrate and rebuild itself. Season 1 was a slow burn through grief and guarded affection. Joel’s relationship with Ellie wasn’t just about saving humanity, but about navigating the complex terrain of reluctant parenthood. Jackson, the walled town that thrives on routine, is not too dissimilar from our own gated comfort zones, where safety is always provisional and built on delicate trust.

Season 2 gets darker, and therefore, perhaps more truthful. It trades the comfort of companionship for forgiveness. Ellie’s pursuit of justice is raw and human. It’s not hard to see how that kind of tunnel vision — born out of personal loss — mirrors our own inability to move on from certain hurts. The emotional cost of unresolved grief is something this season is deeply enmeshed in.

There are no monsters here we don’t already know. The infected are just noise. The real narrative — the real fear — lies in how easily love curdles into hate, and how difficult it is to pull ourselves out once we’ve sunk in. Joel, Ellie, the Fireflies, in fact the entire lot, are like us — humane, fallible and just searching for some kind of purpose to ground themselves in a meaningless world about to eat itself whole.

Critique of global political framework

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson had once said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” While this statement still rings true in our world, in the equally complex and compelling universe of The Last of Us, these words might be its cornerstone.

In the show, Joel is trying to change his dynamic with Ellie, while the rebel group Fireflies are trying to change the very fabric of their society by tackling the supremacists. Meanwhile, humans around them continue to transform, both mentally and physically, after their encounter with the lethal Clickers, enduring lasting physical and emotional trauma.

The Last of Us shows that change is the only constant in a fractured society that continues to puncture and pierce its citizens. Take, for instance, the Fireflies versus Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), a fictional US government agency that manages the aftermath of the Cordyceps fungal outbreak. On paper, one fights for freedom, the other for order. But both have been assaulted by corruption (moral and financial).

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This is a critique of the global political framework involving people who get into politics to ‘serve,’ hiding behind lofty ideals. But things fall apart when temptation arises in any form — control, abuse of power, or wealth — often leading to drastic and disastrous consequences. It is as if The Last of Us is asking its audience, “What do we ultimately become if survival is our only goal in such a place? Where is the moral or ethical compass, and what are we without those values?”

Packing a punch

But even then, the series and its writers brilliantly show us that human beings possess not only the power of resilience, but also of courage and love in a shattered society. After suffering the devastating loss of his child, Joel pours his love into Ellie, who is forced to grow up quickly to survive harsh environments and safeguard herself.

While The Last of Us delivers stirring commentary through its graphic visuals and superb dialogue (enacted wonderfully by the cast), it is in its quieter moments and metaphors (what are those metaphors? Answered in the next line with an example) that the series really packs a punch. A fine example is the infected (aka the Clickers). They are horrific and capable of terrible acts, but when contrasted with the moral corruption of humans, they sometimes seem like the better choice, much like that oft-asked question to women on social media — “If you were alone in the forest, whose company would you prefer, a bear or a man?” It implies that females would rather risk the possibility of an assault by a wild animal than share the same space with opposite sex, hinting at the deep sense of mistrust women have in men.

The Last of Us seems to insist that we get familiar with the discomfort that we often sideline in our daily lives. Ultimately, the show underscores that survival is not the endgame —retaining one’s humanity is. And in that pursuit, perhaps the most radical thing we can do is to choose care over cruelty.

(All the episodes of The Last of Us, Season one and Season two, are currently available to stream on JioHotstar in India).