‘The Last of Us’ Finale: First-Person Shooter

 

 

 In its stunning first-season finale, “The Last of Us” became a video game — and, in the process, morally potent TV.

 "The “Last of Us” finale puts the controller, figuratively, in the viewer’s hand. You share Joel’s perspective. You have the gun. You have come to know Ellie, to laugh and grieve with her, to love her. You want her to live, and you have the charge of protecting her. So everyone standing in the way needs to die. Humanity will need to find some other way to save itself.

 

What complicates the scene is that no one is entirely the good guy here. The Fireflies didn’t give Ellie the chance to choose her fate. But the scene also doesn’t offer the easy comfort of framing Joel as the underdog beating the bad guys. There are only people making lousy choices, trying to survive."

 

read review by James Poniewozik

‘The Last of Us’ Finale: First-Person Shooter – DNyuz