Photo courtesy of HBO

At the conclusion of HBO’s new season finale of “The Last of Us,” viewership reached nearly 8.2 million despite competition from the Oscars. The show has gained rapid popularity while still asking the question: How can you be safe when you can’t protect others? 

The story follows Joel and Ellie, played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, two survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to make a journey across the continental United States while meeting other survivors and fighting zombies. The lack of zombie fights in a show like the “Last of Us” somehow adds more to its story, knowing that there are constant threats. 

The show’s main conflict comes when Joel begins to find an attachment with Ellie, who he finds resembles his daughter Sarah, who died at the very beginning of the outbreak because he was unable to protect her from the police who shot her thinking she was infected. 

Bell Ramsey does an incredible job as Ellie, acting as a cold, unruly teenager who begins to warm up to Joel as they save each other’s lives time and time again. But other characters in the show aren’t so lucky.

The Kansas City dictator Kathleen wasn’t able to save her brother Michael and became enraged with power trying to make up for his death. Henry does the best to keep his brother Sam safe whilst hiding in the attic of a house, but once he gets infected, he loses all hope with his life. 

But the most striking events come in Episode 8, where Ellie and Joel encounter the evil preacher David and his camp of followers. The events of the infection had caused David to develop a God-complex, resorting to cannibalism in order to survive. 

The Last of Us succeeds where other video game adaptations fail; it does a good job of staying true to the source material and not trying to create a truly original story. Other shows, like 

The show has reportedly cost over $10 million dollars per episode, making it one of the most costly shows ever to air. This production value is seen throughout the series, with scenes looking like complete replications from the game.

A second season is currently in development at HBO and it is confirmed to cover the events of the game’s sequel.