The Last of Us: Finding hope and meaning in dark times
Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO The Last of Us featuring Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc
Editor’s Note: This article explores difficult and sensitive topics that may not be suitable for younger readers. It also contains Season 1 spoilers. In these challenging times, it's important to extend kindness—to ourselves, our loved ones, and the strangers we meet. We encourage thoughtful consideration and suggest reviewing this content before sharing it with younger audiences. Every small act of care, including mindful engagement with tough conversations, has the potential to make a big difference.
Since HBO Max released The Last of Us to record-breaking viewership and critical acclaim in 2023, fans of the series have been counting the days until it returns. Season 2 (finally) kicks off on April 13.
People have praised the high production levels and excellent performances – even those who had yet to play the original source material game. One thing that sets this show apart from other post-apocalyptic zombie productions is the script: It expands the game’s narrative scope, and creates a unique cinematic experience. While movies like Resident Evil focus on action and series such as The Walking Dead leave audiences with a feeling of dread, The Last of Us portrays a world where people face oppressive regimes and cruel raiders, but also safety, love, and happiness.
Episode 3, called “Long, Long Time,” for example, tells the story of Bill (Nick Offerman), a man who has to build a self-sustainable bunker and defend it from raiders. On one of his patrols, Bill meets Frank (Murray Bartlett), a stranded traveler, and reluctantly invites him inside for a shower and dinner. The two men quickly develop a bond and, unexpectedly, become life-long partners. After several years of sharing work, hobbies, and raider attacks together, the couple discovers that Frank has an untreatable illness, forcing their relationship into a new framework.
“Long, Long Time” was written with the intention of provoking a strong emotional response from the audience. This is achieved by the clever use of screenwriting techniques. First, the story offers plenty of evidence that Bill and Frank are kind people. From Bill being wounded by raiders during an attack to Frank surprising him with homegrown strawberries, their hardships and victories inspire empathy. We’re rooting for Bill and Frank.
In the LA Times, Tim Grieson wrote, “Long, Long Time” is the most concise love story put on screen since the tear-jerking prologue of the Pixar film “Up.”
Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc
Frank’s visible signs of illness are easily recognizable for most audience members, through first hand experience or the loss/decline of a once-healthy relative. As a result, the pair’s suffering yields an honest sympathetic response from most viewers. The audience wants them to get the happy ending they deserve, no matter how unlikely it is in the world of The Last of Us. Frank wants to make memories and enjoy their time together on their own terms, something most everyone can relate to.
Bill and Frank do find a solution, but it’s a bittersweet one. The story of Bill and Frank elicits strong mixed emotions in the audience because it is a reflection of real life, even as it’s depicted in a post-apocalyptic television series: Grief and joy, peace and pain – incongruent emotions can exist in the same space, both in real life and in front of an audience. These types of emotionally-complicated scenes have the potential to disengage audiences. But with care and respect, and by centering the nuanced moments that stem from complicated circumstances like these, the results can be profound.
One study suggests that emotionally challenging media experiences tend to be seen as more thought-provoking. This can be amplified even more so if the story presents characters with difficult choices as the one Bill and Frank face in “Long Long Time.” This not only moves people emotionally; it also inspires introspection and reflection on how the issues at hand correlate with real life. Another study found that thought-provoking stories capable of challenging how people see important issues make it easier for them to sympathize with characters and develop an emotionally fulfilling relationship with them.
In TV Guide, Kat Moon wrote: “If The Last of Us is able to show how deep of a bond Bill and Frank formed in under 90 minutes, it's bound to portray Joel and Ellie's love even more profoundly in the episodes to come.”
The Last of Us featuring Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman © 2024 Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc
Vanity Fair quotes game creator Neil Druckmann as saying, “We’re going to get every reaction under the sun. A lot of the people that fell in love with The Last of Us the game, because of how human those stories are, will fall in love with this story the way I have.” As a result, many viewers became deeply invested in the characters' emotional challenges and moral dilemmas. For a moment, they may have even set aside their own burdens. People were left feeling emotionally involved, uplifted, and perhaps a little wiser. It’s not a surprise then that movie critic Chris Stuckmann called the episode heart-breaking but also, hopeful.
“Long, Long Time,” is considered one of the best episodes of the series so far, but The Last of Us used similar story-telling techniques repeatedly throughout the show. During the nine episodes, viewers learned to care for characters who are kind to both friends and strangers, found their struggle with loss relatable, and reflected on the difficult choices they had to make. This hit TV series reinforces that even stories dealing with the darkest of settings and events can be written in a way that provides the audience with hopeful and meaningful experiences.
Here’s to finding more hope and kindness in season 2. Our friends at Common Sense Media offer robust reviews for parents.
Hugo Aranzaes is a writer based in Peru with a decade of experience researching the psychology behind narrative-based media experiences. your contribution is tax-deductible
KEEP EXPLORING:
