In the world of The Last of Us, the cordyceps fungus- a real fungus that attacks the brains of ants-has adapted to humans, thanks to global average temperatures rising from climate change. Technically, the monsters in the show aren’t zombies. In the background, it is telling a different story about the failure of institutions during crises, the breaking of the social contract amid a turn towards authoritarianism, and the tradeoffs between utilitarianism and individual justice.įirst thing’s first. In the foreground, it is a fairly conservative story of survivalism and kinship. The show, based on the beloved video game from 2013, is split into two levels. As Daniel Drezner, the preeminent zombie scholar, explains, “Popular culture often provides a window into the subliminal or unstated fears of citizens, and zombies are no exception.” After three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no surprise that a post-apocalypse zombie story has had such a strong reception. Dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories tend to reflect the social fears and anxieties of their time and can be useful metaphors for broader understanding. But looking a little deeper, it’s clear the show has a great deal to say about our modern political moment. On its face, it's a fairly boilerplate zombie apocalypse show, focused on survival. These questions will reverberate throughout the show and are typical of the storytelling style of The Last of Us. Should he let them pass and hope they’re not infected? Will that risk the safety of non-infected populations if they are, indeed, infected? Ultimately, he is ordered to shoot them in the hopes of serving the greater good. He had just saved a father and his daughter from a zombie the daughter is visibly injured but it’s unclear what the source was. It’s noteworthy that within the first half of the episode, the main character encounters someone who is faced with a moral choice. This is the opening sequence of The Last of Us, HBO’s latest prestige drama about a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested America. A moment later, his brother Tommy shoots the soldier but it’s too late. In a flurry of action, Joel spins to shield Sarah, but she’s hit. “Yes sir,” he says into his radio as he turns back to them, raises his gun, and fires. Looking to see where the shot came from, a single soldier tells them not to move. When all hope seems lost, a lone shot rings out and saves them from their would-be attacker. To escape the danger, Joel and Sarah flee away from the city and into the fields, chased by attackers. On the side of the road, a house is engulfed in flames, military caravans have blocked the roads, citizens are attacked in the streets, and a plane plummets from the air and explodes as their car flips. “So do we,” Joel replies as they speed on and Sarah sits shocked and helpless in the back seat. On the side of the road, a family is calling for help but they don’t stop. Twenty-five minutes into the first episode of The Last of Us, Joel, his daughter Sarah, and his brother Tommy are fleeing their home as the world collapses.
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