Ep. No. 45 HBO’s The Last of Us, and the Terrifying Power of Love

The Last of Us series of games on Playstation did a great deal to promote serious consideration of the medium as a true narrative art form. The performances, the attention to detail in building its characters and world, and especially the writing and directing from Neil Druckmann and others gave a story that players are still discovering, and in indeed weeping over.

It’s this emotional core, among other things, which has been brilliantly transferred to the medium of television thanks to Druckmann and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. The HBO series eschews many of the game’s action sequences in favor of expanding the characters, the world, and the complex connection between protagonists Joel and Ellie.

Ultimately, as Druckmann and Mazin have stated, The Last of Us is a story about love. Love of all kinds, how it survives through the darkest of times, how it enriches and enlivens us, and how it may cause us to commit unthinkable acts.

For this conversation, Karl and Jubel are joined by Bryon Kozaczka of the acclaimed Twin Peaks Unwrapped and Geekonomics Podcast, and Josh Minton of the Red Room Podcast, In Our House Now, and author of the book A Skeleton Key to Twin Peaks. We thank you for joining us for our at-times emotional discussion, as we celebrate this fantastic story.