If you are a fan of video games, “The Last of Us” is not a new name for you. If you are not, don’t worry. HBO has released the most anticipated series of the year, “The Last of Us,” which has won the hearts of both audiences and critics. The first episode opens with a TV show where the host is trying to roast an expert who believes microorganisms pose a great threat to humanity, but it’s not bacteria or virus, but rather a fungus. Although back in the day when the interview was taking place (1968), no one thought fungus could cause dire threats.
The main story begins in the year 2003 when a fungus outbreak creates havoc. Not to mention, everything that the expert said about fungus in the interview about 35 years earlier turned out to be true. If you are interested now, you might just be blown over by Pedro Pascal’s appearance here. Pedro Pascal officially won the attention and hearts of millions when he appeared as “Oberyn Martell” in the HBO famous series “Game of Thrones.” He has acted in several other series, like Netflix’s popular “Narcos,” movies like “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” and many others.
In this series, he appears first in the 2003 timeline as Joel, the father of an early teenage daughter, Sarah, played by Nico Parker. In an unfortunate turn of events, Joel loses her daughter. Interested much? Well, the elements of interest have just begun. After the death of Riley, cut to a new timeline, 2023, 20 years later, where we see a much-aged Joel, a bitter and shattered man. But Joel has a mission.
It is immensely difficult to talk about the story without mentioning the characters. Of course, in the very first episode, Joel holds a strong position, but there are other characters who have immensely impacted the scenes and the storyline. Here is a guide to the characters that appeared and dominated the screen.
Pedro Pascal As Joel
Pascal plays the protagonist, a father, and a fighter. We see him in two different timelines—2003 and 2023. It goes without saying that he has aced the character. In 2003, Joel was a single father, trying to balance work and family life. He has raised his daughter right and has loved her all his life. Unfortunately, his happy times end on the night of his birthday. The city falls prey to fungus-infected zombies, and the military takes complete control of the situation. Chaos and horror follow. Joel, along with his brother Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna), drives around the city trying to find a safe refuge. However, his luck fails him, and they meet with an accident in which Sarah hurts her ankle. The distressed father carries the scared and wounded daughter in his arms around the town to find a safe house. But before they can find a safe spot, a zombie finds them and starts chasing them. However, the zombie was shot dead by a military man, but according to protocol, he fired a shot at the duo as well. Unfortunately, the bullet hits Sarah and leaves Joel wounded. The military could have fired his next shot, but Tommy comes to the rescue. Although Joel survives, Sarah takes her last breath in Joel’s arms.
Twenty years later, we again see Joel working in a military camp of the Federal Disaster Response Agency, where he is in charge of decomposing infected dead bodies. It is clear through his expressions that Joel is no longer moved by the heaves of dead bodies that he had to throw into the burning pyre. He has grown bitter and has a very strong survival instinct. He had the determination to see things through to the end and planned something bigger, which is not yet revealed. At the same time, he is in search of his brother Tommy, who is apparently missing. Joel, in order to earn money and meet his needs for his personal mission, sells drugs to military men. He lives the life of a carefree yet tough guy, ready to handle any situation. He has a partner, Theresa (Anna Torv), and everyone knows he will beat the life out of anyone if need be to protect her. The rough and apparently emotionless Joel didn’t have any idea that his life was about to change. The time was ruthless; on the one hand, the FEDRA was patrolling and controlling the town, openly executing people who didn’t follow their orders, and on the other, there was a radical group called Fireflies who wanted to win back their town. Joel belonged to none. He satisfactorily detached himself from any sentiments and belongingness.
He meets Veronica, aka Ellie (Bella Ramsey), at a strange encounter. Soon his personal mission will be entangled with taking the girl to the safe house of the Fireflies. Ellie was approximately the same age as his deceased daughter Sarah. Was Joel emotional? Apparently, in the beginning, it felt negative. However, when a threat was posed to Ellie, Joel seemed to clearly remember who took away his only child—the military. He showered punches at the one who pointed a gun at Ellie. Joel left the guard mortally wounded to take Ellie away to a zone that is uncharted. It is hard to comment on the depths of Joel’s character based on the first episode. But we can be sure of one thing: this time, he is leaving no stone unturned to keep Ellie safe. Is it his way of redemption? We shall only know at the end.
Bella Ramsay As Veronica, Aka Ellie Williams
Ramsay had previously shown how talented she is with her performance as “Lyanna Mormont” in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” With the same valor, she steps into her role as Veronica, aka Ellie. Ellie is an orphan who has been held prisoner by the Fireflies for reasons unknown. She has been infected by the virus; however, surprisingly, her body seems not to react to the infection. She is immune to the virus.
She is one feisty little lady who was left in the military ward when she was just a child. She always dreamed of seeing the other side. She is incredibly smart for her age, for when she was handed over to Joel to carry her safely to the Fireflies, she was quick to break the radio codes that Joel used. At the same time, she was brave enough to carry a knife and wasn’t shy about using it. First, she tried to harm Joel; unfortunately, she failed. But she harmed the military once they were caught. Her secrets were not completely unveiled in the first episode. But you cannot rule out the hints that she is a prominent character in the series. May be the solution to the entire fungal infection outbreak. If it is, she might just die. Will she die? What awaits her future? Importantly, after knowing she is infected, how far are Joel and his partner willing to go to safeguard her? Hopefully, all these answers will be clear in the next episode.
Gabriel Luna As Tommy Miller
Tommy is mostly seen in action in the 2003 timeline. We see two sides of Tommy. Where is the fun uncle who finds joy in annoying his brother Joel? He gets into trouble, and the unfortunate incident happens. At the same time, he, too, like his brother, feels very strongly for his family. Although we don’t see him in the 2023 timeline, hints have been dropped, and the two brothers have made a pact of their own to do something big. What is the mission? Why is Tommy missing and whether he will be found or not will be answered in the following episodes.
Anna Torv As Tess Servopoulous
Joel’s partner in crime, Anna, is a strong woman. She knows how and where to play games. When we first encounter her, she seems swollen and wounded. It is clear that she has been thrashed. But the candor with which she speaks to a smuggler, Robert, makes it clear that she knows how to turn a situation in her favor. Anna is not only a strong woman physically but intellectually too. Joel seems to trust her decision-making skills. Not to forget, she is the one who convinced Joel to take up the task of safekeeping Ellie for the Fireflies.
Merle Dandridge As Marlene
The leader of the Fireflies resistance group in Boston, Marlene, is a woman of her word. Although she was mocked by Anna as “Che Guevara” of Boston, Marlene knows how to operate and has true leadership qualities. Prior to the encounter with Joel and Anna, she patiently explains to Ellie why she was kept as a prisoner. She even informed her that in order to keep her safe, she was the one who had handed over Ellie to the FDRA hospital. But how does she know Ellie? Well, no clarity was given. She requests and makes a deal with Joel and Anna that if they safely escort Ellie to where Fireflies are meeting, they would have more than anything that they were looking for. It might sound stupid and strange to trust Joel with Ellie on Marlene’s part. But, it seemed the two knew each other pretty well and that she knew what she was doing.
There are other characters, too. However, these five have dominated the first episode of the first season of one of the most anticipated series, “The Last of Us.” We are hopeful about the following seasons and patiently wait for our questions to be answered. Along with it, we hope the season gives us a clear understanding of what happened between the two timelines that were shared with us.
See more: ‘The Last Of Us’ – Everything You Need To Know About The Character Joel
