Episode Grade: (8.4/10)
In a post-apocalyptic world where fungi turn humans into zombies, survivors have quarantined themselves in military-controlled cities for the past twenty years. However, the world might be on the verge of change after a teenage girl develops immunity.
Plot (44/50)
This was a strong first showing for the video game-inspired show. Time jumps are tricky, but they were executed to perfection here: they were condensed, effective, and spread out. The first scene defined, in simple terms, how the zombies are created. Zombies are not my thing, but at least there was some originality in their origin story. The second scene was impressive in that it showed the outbreak whilst also giving us adding weight to Joel’s character by giving us an extended look into his backstory. This was an effective way to get the audience to establish a natural connection with the show’s main character. I didn’t expect Tommy to live, but Sarah’s death was obvious considering how heavily Bella Ramsey was featured in the promotional material. Moving into present day, the setting is post-apocalyptic Boston. Several storylines are introduced: Joel’s planned expedition across the country to find his brother Tommy, the fight between the military and the freedom-fighting Fireflies, and Ellie’s unknown identity. There were intriguing developments in said storylines, with the mystery of Ellie’s identity being of particular interest. Developing immunity is enough to make her special, but there seems to be more to her than that. The drama was solid. Surely, the suspense will be a constant. The one major negative was how in-your-face some of the themes were (the pandemic, freedom fighters, global warming). Hopefully they focus on telling a good story with subtle, well-developed themes moving forward.
Character Development (13/15)
Joel is given a traumatic past and a believable grit as a former military man. Ellie is a good balance between intelligent and brave, but also reckless and anxious as would be expected from a kid. Tess is a no-nonsense hard-hitter. Put those three together and you have a really interesting dynamic. Joel will feel he has an obligation to protect Ellie at all costs as a way to compensate for his perceived failure to protect his daughter twenty years ago. Ellie won’t make it easy because of her fiery personality, but Tess won’t make it easy either as she will view Ellie as a sentimental burden. Joel and Tess seem to have a rock-solid relationship, but Joel’s commitment to protecting Ellie will surely test how strong their bond really is. Other notable characters include Tommy, who is presumably with the freedom fighters, and Marlene, who’s clearly a competent leader with a vision past scattered violence.
Theme/Messages (3/5)
- Even in the most dire of circumstances, people will always find reasons to fight each other.
- Is there any price that’s too high to pay for freedom?
Acting (12/15)
Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) put in strong performances, as you would expect from Game of Thrones alumni, that set the tone. Nico Parker (Sarah) was impressive in her brief role.
Cinematography (12/15)
- Cool wide shot of the town with the window of the repair shop also functioning as a clock (13:11)
- Great shots of the ruins as lightning strikes and “Never Let Me Down Again” plays on the radio to signal trouble ahead (1:20:30 onwards)