By Carolina Alphonso, Staff Writer
On January 15th, 4.7 million people waited in front of their screens for the first episode of the new HBO series The Last of Us to air. The show had been promoted to audiences for months, getting people hyped up for the show. Now, the wait is over, and over the 5 weeks that have passed since the first episode, the show has aired 6 episodes, with a new episode every Sunday.
The show is based on the hit game of the same name from 2013. Its popularity allowed it to get not only a remastered version with more advanced graphics, but a part 2 to the game as well. Ever since the release of the show, the game has skyrocketed in sales, with a total of 37 million copies worldwide as of December 2022. Junior Jazzy Dong, commented about the game: “I’ve heard about the game and seen Let’s Plays of it before. The story was interesting and really keeps you on your toes.”
The show takes place in 2023, five years after a mysterious plague caused by a fungus had spread across the world, turning people into flesh eating zombies. Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, is a cold hearted man trying to live his life through the apocalypse after losing his daughter. He now has the task of taking Ellie, a young girl played by Bella Ramsey, to a facility when it is learned that she is immune to the fungus even if she is scratched or bitten, the primary ways the fungus usually travels. Mr Wall, history teacher for both honors and GT had said, “The show so far is great. I like how the way people get sick is realistic and is something that could potentially happen to us as well.”
Pedro Pascal is known for his many prominent roles, from playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, the title character in The Mandalorian, and even the rich Javi in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Sophomore Maggie Orlofsky thought that, “He portrays the character really well and I feel like no one else could have pulled it off better than him.” His co-star, Bella Ramsey, has played Lady Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, making this her second large role in her young career. When asked about the young actor, junior Andy replied by saying “She’s very pretty and is really cool. She plays the character extremely well which I think is great.”
A new episode airs every Sunday at 9 pm eastern standard time, giving viewers something to look forward to each week. Let’s see if the show can keep up with satisfying and entertaining the viewers or will it crumble and fade into the pile of shows that are long forgotten.