How would mankind handle a fungus that takes over people’s bodies and turns them into flesh-eating zombies that could not be cured or controlled? The new hit television series, “The Last Of Us” is a post-apocalyptic drama that gives us a detailed look into what the world could look like.

The show starts off with the timeline being set in 1968 where talk show host, John Brener, is speaking with a couple scientists about potential plagues. One of the doctors is very adamant on the topic, stating that if the world gets hotter a fungal virus will arise. That fungal matter is called “cordyceps,” which will become a very persistent term in the show moving forward.

The talk show host asks the scientist what will become of this virus if it arises to which the scientist replies, “we lose,” setting the tone for the show immediately.

We then cut to the year 2023 in Boston where the main character Joel (Pedro Pascal) is introduced. It’s 20 years after the outbreak and Joel, who was a construction worker is now a jaded and grizzled smuggler. Through a series of bad luck incidents, he is introduced to Ellie (Bella Ramsey) where they have to embark on a journey across a ravaged U.S. to get to doctors who can hopefully use Ellie’s immunity to the virus to create a cure.

The zombies in The Last Of Us are not like the zombies we see in most shows or movies like The Walking Dead. The way the zombies act in The Last Of Us adds to how the audience may feel while watching the show. The fact that they can run as fast as a human and are able track the locations of survivors heightens the show’s fear element. This is different from the slow, dull-witted zombies found in The Walking Dead. Because of this, The Last Of Us can, at times, can be much scarier than regular zombie films and television.

Unlike The Walking Dead, the show’s pacing is also very fast. While situations and events in The Walking Dead are developed and ended throughout an entire season, situations in The Last Of Us develop and end in one or two episodes.

However, similar to The Walking Dead, The Last Of Us tends to go a long time without any zombie action. Although the element of survival and the dangers that humans bring is important, both shows tend to display a lot more of this than the entire reason why the characters have to live this way. In a way, this imbalance can really hurt the show and draw viewers away after a while.

The one thing that stands out about The Last Of Us compared to other various shows is that they really enhance the human element despite what is happening in the outside world. One episode this season is dedicated around Bill (Nick Offerman), a right-winged survivalist, and his polar opposite significant other Frank (Murray Bartlett). The love story between Bill and Frank was a twist that was not expected although, it was a story that felt like it needed to be included in a show where hope and good outcomes are rare.

Boston’s quarantine zone is a little more active and has more of a population compared to the video game’s depiction of it, which is relatively empty. With more people being involved with the scenes in the quarantine zone, it really adds that element of other people trying to survive along with the main characters. It adds emotion to the story to show other people trying to make ends meet.

One of the biggest distinctions is the opening scene of episode two where a mycologist, Iba Ratna, sees the virus herself before the pandemic breaks out and tells officials to start bombing as soon as possible. This was never included in the game. This scene gives the show the upper hand, adding to the clarity of the plot. It allows the viewer to better understand how this apocalypse came to be and why the survivors live in the setting they do.

The characters play their roles perfectly, with one key aspect being the growth of Joel and Ellie’s relationship. They started off rocky but, in time, they seemingly grow on each other. The timeline of Joel and Ellie’s relationship in the show is very similar to the video game depiction of it. This was a smart choice on the writer’s part because Joel and Ellie’s storyline is one of the most important aspects in The Last Of Us. The ways in which they become closer feels natural, which brings a piece of reality into the show.

However, The Last Of Us is far from perfect. The show is not afraid to kill off characters that you think will be there for a while. This creates missed development opportunities for side characters that can grow to become an important part of the plot. In this way, the show could have navigated away from the game script.

For example, instead of killing off Henry and Sam, two brothers Joel and Ellie meet during the season, the show could have kept them there and really built off the two.

In the episode where Ellie goes to a mall with her best friend Riley, the plot and dialogue felt a bit forced. The banter and jokes between the two characters isn’t that funny and the plot feels a bit rushed. Because of that, the intrigue that the storyline was trying to create was not present in the finished product.

The finale felt a little underwhelming to an extent. The decision for Joel to not tell Ellie why he had to save her life, made the plot feel awkward and uncomfortable at times. The ending of the show wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, and a show like The Last Of Us should really leave off on a cliffhanger to keep the viewers engaged and wanting more which it lacked on.

Watching The Last Of Us will not disappoint you nor make you regret wasting hours of your life on it.

Although you may question the show’s decisions, it still has characters that attract the viewer’s eye. Surprisingly, it also has a good amount of comedy in the dialogue which makes the show more enjoyable to watch.

Usually when a show slows down in pace, you eventually lose interest in the show and stop watching. In this case, when the show slows down, you still have the urge to watch and see if the show picks up in action or not.

If you have not watched “The Last of Us” it is definitely worth adding to your watchlist. It is a show that will leave you wondering what is going to happen next and is not afraid to surprise you, for better or worse.