Even in misery, the show manages to ooze out emotions. Here’s why ‘The Last Of Us‘ is the best show out there right now.

1. Every episode feels like a heavy dose of drama, action, emotion, love, heartbreak, and violence. It gets to you

The first episode begins with a supposedly funny talk show interview of 1960s. A scientist predicts a grave threat a fungus poses to humanity. Cut to 2003, Cordyceps Brain Infection is now a global pandemic. The fungus takes over a person’s brain, making them zombie-like creatures. Right from the beginning, you can sense an evil foreboding, as if a catastrophe is on the way. And soon enough, you are seeing violence, deaths, heartbreaks, chaos. You have a lump in your throat even before you know it.

2. The show meticulously portrays our limitless potential in times of crisis; how we can go to any extent to protect ourselves and the ones we love

When tragedy besets us, survival instincts kick in. Love is the core emotion. We’d do anything, be anyone, to keep our own safe. And in the dystopian setting of the show, love is accompanied by fear. The fear to lose people you love.

3. Compelling cast and their believable performances keep your heart on the edge

Right from the first episode, you’ll grow to love the characters. And not just Ellie and Joel but characters introduced throughout the series. Their bonds, their vulnerabilities, their stories, their losses, and suppressed grief will ache your heart.

4. The show is nuanced; it gets people. We’re all shades of grey; selfish yet full of empathy, pessimistic yet hopeful. And it’s only during tragedy all our shades truly come out

Tragedy blurs the definition of good and bad. When life is at stake, you can be a saviour for your people, but conflicting interests can make you an enemy to everybody else. A doting brother can gamble another life for the sake of his little brother and can still be a superhero for him. Our goals drive our actions, and they can also become a justification for every (good or bad) deed done.

5. It prompts you to ask questions with no easy explanations

Would you kill for someone you love? When does hatred become mindless vengeance? Can you really trust anybody? When do freedom fighters begin to lose purpose? What would you do for somebody you love? Are humans more dangerous than zombies? When do you become immune to suffering?

6. The show manages to find heart and soul in a collapsed society. There’s light in darkness, hope in ruins, and love in hate enveloping their dystopian world

In two decades of bearing loss and witnessing societal collapse, Joel has hardened. For him, Ellie, the last hope for humanity, is just a cargo to be delivered. But soon, her company grows to him, and she becomes more like a surrogate daughter for him, a fleeting shadow of his daughter, the jigsaw piece to fill his void. And Ellie has never had anyone look out for her. People have always abandoned her. Trauma shapes their bond, and they find a partner, an accomplice, a friend, a family in one another.

7. Phenomenal character arcs

Watching Joel and Ellie warming up to each other with every episode is heartwarming. A stubborn Bill falling for Frank & becoming possessive about him is heart-aching and soulful. Henry making the tough decision to kill his infected little brother, the sole purpose of his existence, is painful. There’s a story, an arc, a journey of every character, and its beautiful portrayal makes us more vested in them

8. It’s a faithful adaptation of the game, but you don’t need to play the game to watch The Last of Us

Those who have played The Last of Us can spot similarities in the plot and the dialogues and compare the additions made to humanise the game. But you don’t really need to play the game to watch the show. In fact, it becomes even more exciting and spoiler-free like that.

What do you love about the show?