'The Last of Us' Episode 2 Review: 'Infected' perfectly captures horrifying details of ruined world
‘The Last of Us’ took everyone by storm with a mesmerizing premiere episode and laid a strong foundation for things to come. Some people already started calling it the “best game adaptation ever” and they are not wrong because it has all the elements of being the next monumental franchise for HBO. If Episode 1 turned out to be extravagant, then the second episode was all about taking the story forward in a haunting way. The ending moments of the premiere saw Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and Tess (Anna Torv) embarking on a journey that is filled with danger. However, they still take a chance because that is the only chance they have to find a cure for the Cordyceps.
The second episode is a testament to how Neil Druckmann wants to expand the world he created for the video game series. The best thing about the episode is that it just doesn’t focus on Joel and Ellie’s journey, it also emphasizes the characters that play an important part in their journey. The episode starts with a flashback sequence where viewers are taken to Jakarta and we get to know about the first instance when the infection came in contact with humans. A scientist named Ibu Ratna working at the University of Indonesia is called in to study the specimen infected with ophiocordyceps. As soon as she investigates the person, she lets the concerned authorities know that there is no cure for this fungal infection and the only way to stop it from spreading is to bomb the entire city.
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The opening sequence of the episode once again proved why the entire situation is so dangerous. It is filled with dread because the scientist knows the outcome of this outbreak and wants to be with her family. It’s a deeply effective start and shows how hopeless the world has become now as we once again return to the ruined Boston city. The second episode of ‘The Last of Us’ perfectly captures the magnitude of the problem by showing the horrifying nature of its inception. On the other hand, it also makes us realize how terrifying the modern world has become and no one is safe. The cinematography and production design continue to be the highlights of the show.
Bella Ramsey continues to be marvelous as Ellie and provides some comic relief in between such dangerous situations. On the other hand, Pedro Pascal stays true to the character of Joel by just being interested in transporting the girl safely without showing any emotions. But the real MVP of the episode is Anna Torv who is brilliant throughout. The way she tells Ellie about how the people infected by fungus are interconnected made us feel the horrors of the ruined world.
All in all, Episode 2 of the HBO series is another phenomenal episode and continues to let viewers know about the horrifying details of the outbreak. It’s brutal, shocking, and a reminder that the world is on the edge of having an outbreak that might be impossible to contain.
