The Last of Us "Through the Valley" and Star Wars Celebration Discussion | NYSQ Breakdowns

Episode 2 of the Last of Us was crazy, so please join us for an indepth conversation about everything that happened and we got some juicy nuggets from Star Wars Celebration 2025

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 causes the collapse of society. It follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who travel across the United States in the first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us. In the second season, based on 2020's The Last of Us Part II, they have settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie's friends Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino).

Guest stars include Rutina Wesley as Tommy's wife Maria, while the first season features Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, and Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce as resistance leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry. The second season introduces Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, who seeks revenge against Joel, and Spencer Lord, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, and Danny Ramirez as her friends Owen, Nora, Mel, and Manny, respectively.

The first season was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022, while the second season was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024. One of the most expensive television series, it is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the first season's nine episodes, joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote the second game, and Bo Shim for the second season's seven episodes. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the games, and David Fleming.

The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. It received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, direction, and score; several called it the best adaptation of a video game. It won several awards, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards out of 24 nominations. Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by almost 40 million viewers within two months; the series averaged almost 32 million viewers per episode by May, and it became HBO's most watched debut season. The second season premiered on April 13, 2025, and a third season is in development.

The Last of Us Episodes 1 & 2 Discussion and Breakdown

We are talking about the first two episodes of the The Last of Us, When You're Lost in the Darkness and Infected, so grab a snack and make sure you let us know your thoughts in the comments! 

The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years after a mass fungal infection caused by a mutation in the genus Cordyceps, which sparked a global pandemic. The infection causes its victims to transform into hostile, cannibalistic creatures resembling zombies. The series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States. Guest stars include Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Gabriel Luna as Joel's younger brother Tommy, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, and Anna Torv as Joel's smuggler partner Tess.

The Last of Us, said to be the largest television production in Canadian history, was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022. It is the first HBO series based on a video game, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. The first season consists of nine episodes written by Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the original game, and Mazin. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the game, and David Fleming.

The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. It received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, and score; several called it the best live-action adaptation of a video game. Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by 4.7 million viewers on the first day—the second-biggest for HBO since 2010—and over 10 million after two days.