HBO’s drama The Last of Us has returned to screens after two long years, plunging viewers back into a post-apocalyptic world crippled by the deadly spread of the Cordyceps fungus.
In the show, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) return for season two of the hit series, in which the surviving characters must grapple with zombies — or even scarier, other humans with sinister ulterior motives — while fighting for survival and a potential cure.
The show has now fast-forwarded five years into the future, where Joel and Ellie have seemingly settled into a more peaceful existence among a colony in Jackson, Wyoming — albeit they’re more distant than they once were. Unfortunately, the outside world is more unstable and dangerous than where the show left off.
But after a two-year hiatus from screens, it’s easy to overlook some key details and events of the first season that might set up what drama may come next.
Here, we’ll recap everything you need to know about season one to help you get back into the swing of the hit show.
1. It’s been more than two decades since the outbreak
The premise of The Last of Us starts with a society where a Cordyceps fungus has infiltrated the brains of its human hosts, turning them into zombies, who further spread the infection through bites.
There are various stages in the evolution of these terrifying figures, which start to sprout various fungal growths, making them look less and less human. The more advanced the infected people are, the more dangerous they prove to be.
We glimpse what everyday life was like in 2003 before Outbreak Day in season one, before the series flashes forward 20 years to a post-apocalyptic United States where the surviving factions navigate various risks and dangers.
Joel and his partner, Tess, had been tasked with smuggling Ellie out of the quarantine zone and safely taking her to an alternative facility. Unfortunately, Tess doesn’t make it, but Joel and Ellie push forward and ultimately form a strong bond during their high-stakes journey.
With season two starting five years later, it’s been 25 years since the first outbreak, suggesting that most zombies are in a very advanced stage.
2. The survivors are divided into various factions
Season one centres on the division between FEDRA forces and the rebel Fireflies — although other characters and groups are removed from both sides.
Short for the Federal Disaster Response Agency, FEDRA are armed government troops tasked with governning quarantine zones across the country, even though this leaves many residents destitute. FEDRA controls these areas with an iron grip, executing anyone who shows signs of infection or even those who break the self-imposed laws they create.
The Fireflies, on the other hand, serve as an armed rebel militia that’s made up of various people who oppose the military dictatorship and want to liberate the quarantine zones.
Based on the game, it’s likely that the characters will encounter a number of other factions in the upcoming series as well.
3. Ellie is immune to the cordyceps virus
Viewers see Ellie bitten and infected during season one, only to discover that she is the only person in the series who doesn’t turn into a zombie.
One of the flashbacks from season one later reveals that Ellie’s mother had gone into labour when she was infected with the virus, and it ultimately led to the baby being born immune to the infection.
That’s why smuggling Ellie out to the other settlement had been important — because she could potentially help the Fireflies find a cure.
4. Joel chose to save Ellie over finding a cure
When Ellie and Joel arrive at the settlement, Joel discovers that the Fireflies have planned to experiment on Ellie’s brain in an attempt to find a cure for the infection.
Fireflies' leader Marlene explains: "Our doctor, he thinks that the Cordyceps in Ellie has grown with her since birth."
"He's going to remove it from her, multiply the cells in a lab, produce those chemical messengers, and then we can give it to everyone. He thinks it could be a cure." However, it’s surgery that Ellie wouldn’t survive.
A furious Joel eventually goes on a killing spree at the Fireflies' settlement, rescuing Ellie just before surgery and killing the surgeon who was about to perform the procedure.
When Ellie wakes, Joel lies to her about the incident, explaining that the doctors had given up trying to find a cure and that there had been others like her.
It seems like Ellie finds this hard to believe, as she later asks Joel: “Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true.” However, she seemingly also has no other choice but to trust him as they rely on each other to survive.
5. People want revenge
After Joel massacres so many Fireflies, including the only surgeon who could operate on Ellie, it sets up season two to be one where people are out for revenge.
If you’ve played the game, you may have some idea of coming up. Either way, HBO viewers are guaranteed to see the narrative take a much darker turn in the upcoming seven episodes.
