When You're Lost in the Darkness
"When You're Lost in the Darkness" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. Written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and directed by Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on January 15, 2023. The first episode of the first season, it introduced Joel and his daughter Sarah during the chaos of a global pandemic outbreak caused by a mutated form of the Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into bloodthirsty attackers. Twenty years later, Joel and Tess set out to find Joel's brother Tommy and are tasked with smuggling the young Ellie in exchange for supplies.
Joel, Tommy, and Sarah flee through a large crowd. The driving sequence was filmed over four weeks with hundreds of extras, and its camerawork was compared to the game.
Image: Pedro Pascal by Gage Skidmore
Image: Bella Ramsey at the 2022 TIFF Premiere of Catherine Called Birdy (52358884151) (cropped)
Image: Anna Torv headshot (cropped)
The Last of Us (TV series)
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The first season, based on the 2013 game, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The second season is expected to adapt the 2020 sequel, partly following Abby.
Halley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part II, joined the writers' room for the second season.
Gustavo Santaolalla, who worked on the video games, composed the score for the television series.
Image: Pedro Pascal by Gage Skidmore
Image: Bella Ramsey at the 2022 TIFF Premiere of Catherine Called Birdy (52358884151) (cropped)