HBO’s The Last of Us (2023–) is the rare video-game adaptation that respects both the source and the new medium. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann build a 9-episode road trip drama from the 2013 PlayStation game, casting Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
Episode 3 — Long, Long Time — became the most-discussed hour of TV in 2023. Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett’s Bill and Frank love story is a self-contained masterpiece. It’s the rare TV episode that justifies an entire series even if everything else were mediocre.
Everything else is, in fact, very good. Pedro Pascal anchors with weary grace. Bella Ramsey grows into the role across the season — her work in the finale is exceptional. The supporting episodes (Kansas City, Wyoming, Salt Lake) each have their own texture.
Season 2 is incoming. Expectations are reasonable: the source game’s second half is divisive.
