The Last of Us season 1 episode 1: Sarah’s death sets the stage

For everyone familiar with the source material for The Last of Us, you probably were horrified from the moment Sarah turned up. We knew what was going to eventually happen to the character but in the end, that did not make anything easier.

Losing this character so early on in the show is nothing short of horrifying, especially when you consider the impact that it has on Joel. We saw him at his more joyful side early on in the series, played brilliantly by Pedro Pascal. The show invested more than half an hour in getting you to care about this dynamic before ultimately, Sarah was taken from him. Her death sets up the future dynamic between Joel and Ellie, and explains the jaded, hardened nature of the character twenty years after the fact.

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When it comes to a show of this nature, one of the biggest challenges you have from the get-go is especially the world and the high stakes in it. Joel went from someone living a seemingly normal life and trying to celebrate his birthday to someone, after the flash-forward, having to burn the bodies of the dead. He allowed us to at least understand the two different timelines, and also bring a face to the grief that a lot of these people are feeling.

Yet, Joel soldiers on. For much of the rest of the series, you will get a better sense of what that looks like, plus a lot of the struggles that will be coming as he takes on his most important job yet.

Related – Go ahead and get some other news on The Last of Us, including what else could be coming down the road

What did you think about the events of The Last of Us season 1 episode 1 as a whole?

Did Sarah’s death devastate you as much as it did in the games, or did you even know that this was coming? Be sure to share in the comments! Once you do just that, come back for other updates. (Photo: HBO.)