‘The Last of Us’ Episode 3 Shakes Viewers and Revives World’s Adoration for Linda Ronstadt (NO SPOILERS)
If you’ve been keeping up with the newest megahit show, HBO’s “The Last of Us,” you already know what went
Ivy Griffith
If you’ve been keeping up with the newest megahit show, HBO’s “The Last of Us,” you already know what went down on Sunday night.
Simply put, it was one of the most stunning examples of screenwriting and acting in recent television history. Yes, it’s that good.
Just in case you’re a little bit behind, we’ll keep the spoilers under wraps.
But we have to talk about something: Linda Ronstadt.
The series third episode brought the ’70’s crooner back with a vengeance, and she’s been trending on Twitter since late yesterday.
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The Last of Us …Plus Linda
Last night, viewers turned in for the third episode of the adaptation of the hit video game of the same name.
And people were left blown away. Without giving anything major away, let’s just say that you should expect a roller coaster ride.
The new episode takes a different approach from most post-apocalyptic thrillers, and tells a single, sweet story.
With jumps through time and a double linear progression, it’s the satisfying kind of feel-good that draws people in.
Episode 3 (aptly titled “Long Long Time”) is evocative of the series’ first episode, which spent time walking through the life of the daughter of main character Joel Miller (played by the indomitable Pedro Pascal).
Post-apocalyptic series often get too bogged down in overarching stories and forget to humanize the characters we’re supposed to care about, but “The Last of Us” hasn’t fallen into that trap – yet, at least.
And the newest episode brought back a surprising superstar from the ’70’s which nearly every house with a Boomer in it had a tape or record of – Linda Ronstadt.
The song, “Long Long Time” was featured heavily in the episode, and the song’s crooning romance was the perfect contrast for the raw and intense survivalist world our heroes have found themselves scraping out a living in.
Why is ‘The Last of Us’ Capturing the Heart of Every Last One of Us?
In a world where “The Walking Dead” has already risen and fallen in glory, and post-apocalyptic thrillers are in no short supply, why is it that the adaptation of a video game has struck such a chord with viewers?
While it’s early days, it’s clear to see that the show offers something a little different from what’s come before.
While shows like “The Walking Dead” and “The 100” do offer a dramatic peek into the personal lives of their protagonists, they often lose the minutiae in the storytelling.
But “The Last of Us” has managed to be both detail-oriented and delicate in storytelling, while also pulling viewers along on a fast-paced and engaging main story.
It’s the perfect blend of little story/big story, and it’s the kind of screenwriting a production team might work their whole lives without encountering.
In episode 3, viewers got to appreciate the full breadth of skill from screenwriters Neil Druckman, Craig Mazin, Halley Gross, Kantemir Balagov and Paul Becker. Druckman also wrote the script for the 2013 video game that spawned the TV series, which helps translate that game-to-show feel.
The show is reminiscent of hit television series like “The Expanse,” which does a similarly impressive job of balancing big and small storytelling, and “Game of Thrones” which eventually lost the script and focused so hard on the big picture that all the details fell by the wayside.
It remains to be seen whether or not “The Last of Us” can maintain the delicate and engaging balance they’ve struck, but they’re off to a strong start.
New episodes air live on HBO Sundays at 9PM EST, and drop on HBO Max shortly after. Tune in if you want to go on the ride of a lifetime.