The highly anticipated series The Last of Us premiered on HBO last night, with so many users tuning in that the HBO Max app crashed around the time the first episode began streaming. The nearly hour-and-a-half-long episode has been widely praised by critics and audiences alike, with particular acclaim for its faithfulness to its source material, the videogame of the same name that came out in 2013.
The episode ends with a classic 80s song, “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode, after a particularly shocking and violent moment. One of the showrunners, Craig Mazin, explained the soundtrack choice while on The Last of Us Podcast, citing the dark undertones of the song:
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The father-and-daughter relationship between Joel and Ellie - although Joel isn’t literally Ellie’s father - is the main thematic focus of both the game and the TV series. Mazin says it’s a “tradition” to use upbeat 80s songs around dark moments, which is something co-showrunner Neil Druckmann did with the original games:
“A lot of 80s music is chipper and fun but with this, I was looking for an up-tempo 80s song that had a darkness to it lyrically. What “Never Let Me Down Again” is about is ‘I’m taking a ride with my best friend’ — he was singing about drugs, it was a song about addiction. Well, Ellie’s about to take a ride with her best friend, and Joel is a dangerous man. Joel’s about to take a ride with his best friend, he doesn’t know she’s his best friend yet. She’s a dangerous little girl. Now, the point is, you’re ’never gonna let me down’? They are gonna let each other down, and then they’re not, and then they are, and then they’re not. That thought was a really interesting way in.”
“There is a grand tradition of 80s music in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, and ’80s means trouble.’ I love that line, because one of the things that Neil has done so beautifully at Naughty Dog is hurt you for the things you love and taking things that are bright and beautiful and cheery and optimistic, and giving them this dark undertone.”
The Last of Us has Avoided the Video Game Curse - For Now
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The “video game curse” is a commonly used phrase for when TV/film adaptations of beloved video games are received poorly - both by fans of the original IP and by audiences who know nothing about it. The Last of Us has avoided that curse, boasting a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, both from approved critics and the average audience member. Many shows and movies that get a positive reception from critics aren’t as warmly received by audiences, and vice-versa, but the first episode of The Last of Us is already loved by both groups.
While many adaptations get flak for straying far from the source material, The Last of Us is notable for having the creative lead of the games - Neil Druckmann - serve as a showrunner for the HBO series. He teamed up with seasoned screenwriter Craig Mazin, who is well known for his work on the 2019 miniseries Chernobyl.
The Last of Us premiered on January 16th, 2023, on HBO Max. The series will run for nine episodes, with new episodes coming out every Sunday. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star in the series, with a supporting cast including Nick Offerman, Gabriel Luna, and Anna Torv.
