HBO’s original series The Last of Us, based on video game franchise under the same name season one episode two entitled “Infected” kicks off with Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller, Anna Torv’s Tess, and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie as they traverse what is left of Boston as they head for a firefly outpost due to Joel and Tess making a deal with them. During this Joel and Tess have a moment where they both argue over the possibility of a vaccine made from Ellie due to her immunity from the fungus. Here the viewer sees that Tess is ready to believe in the hope of vaccine much to Joel’s dismay. In her mind, she sees this as a potential way of finding redemption for everything she has done to survive. Deep down despite her biggest efforts to show that she is a tough survivor she still has her humanity enough to seek forgiveness. However, Joel does not believe that there is a possibility of a possibility for a vaccine and thinks that the fireflies are foolish for trying to find a vaccine. This can be seen as Joel not caring about anything at all as a result of the loss of his daughter.
Additionally, in a surprising turn of events Tess and Ellie end up having a slight mother daughter moment when they travel with Joel. Only Joel is the one who thinks them acting so close is redundant as she is just cargo. In her mind, Tess sees Ellie as a troublesome girl. However, as she gets to know her, she sees that Ellie is a tough and resourceful girl which she respects. Deep down her closeness with Ellie could be a hint of how she once was before the outbreak.
Later into the episode, the viewer gets to see the terrifying new monster that they all must face in order to survive. It is here that the viewer enters into an intense scene where Joel explains that the monsters cannot see instead, they can hear using echo location similar to bats. This is an interesting part due to how the fungus managed to change the physical aspects of a human being. From what the viewer can see the enter face of one of the infected monsters is covered in giant mushrooms while only the mouth is left seemingly unchanged. Also, an even more interesting part is how they make a clicking sound when they use their echo location. This makes the scene with the trio even more intense as no one can make a sound due to the monsters finding them. At a certain point, the viewer also feels the need to join the trio in not trying to make a sound. This shows how excellent of a scene the series sets up with the dim lighting, the ominous atmosphere, and the clicking noise that takes over all the background sounds.
At the end of the episode, the viewer sees that Tess gets infected during the fight with the monsters. And later on, she decides to stay behind to help Joel and Ellie escape the horde of infected. In her mind, now that she is infected, she cannot go with them anymore. Not to mention that she also knows she will have to be killed by Joel. Deep down leaving Joel was the hardest decision she had to make. From the look on her face the viewer can see how much she loves him and wants him to live. It can be assumed that Tess hopes for a vaccine so Joel can continue to live only now in a safer world. In a way she has found her redemption which is why she appears to be at peace with her decision.
Also, in comparison to the game franchise the new monsters never get a proper name in the series whereas in the game they are named clickers. Not to mention that the game does not have the interesting aspect such as all the infected are connected by a hive mind due to the fungus. Another aspect is how the infected gather together during the day as they appear to be in a type of hibernation. However, in the game they do not gather as they do in the series, nor do they hibernate in the daytime. By far the best added aspect is how the infected have a tendril kiss that seems to connect a recently infected person with the hive mind.
Rating: 9.5/10