Fans are only just figuring out that the first episode of The Last of Us had a well-hidden cameo.
Per Deadline, the show’s first 2 episodes were viewed by over twenty million people, making it HBO’s fourth current show to average over fifteen million viewers.
It’s no wonder that they’ve already renewed it for a second season!
At the start of the year, audiences were first introduced to the HBO Max series, which is the first live-action adaptation since the video game wowed audiences way back in 2013.
Just like the games, the series is set in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by an unstoppable, brain-eating, fungal outbreak that transforms humans into cannibals.
The writers have been commended for honouring the original source material, which rapidly gathered a devoted fan base when it first came out. The engaging storylines, impressive visuals, and music propelled it to its massive success.
For those who haven’t watched the show, Joel, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, is a ruthless smuggler who is responsible for transporting the young teen Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) to a medical facility situated on the opposite side of the country after it turns out she’s immune to the infection, leading him to believe she could hold the cure to the deadly parasite.
The Last of Us premiered on January 15, and has been met with rave reviews from both critics and fans, resulting in an unbelievable score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes when it first hit screens.
But it seems there’s one thing viewers didn’t notice about the first episode that has only just come to light.
YouTuber Erik Voss pointed out a pretty incredible detail that was missed by many in the first episode. In the weeks after the premiere of episode one, titled When You’re Lost in the Darkness, fans are realising that show-runner Craig Mazin is really the soldier who shoots at Joel and Sarah, ultimately killing Sarah, as they seek to flee Austin.
Taking to Twitter, Voss wrote: “The fateful soldier in the prologue is a cameo by series co-creator Craig Mazin. Wild to see so many act like all he ever wrote were goofy spoof movies as if Chernobyl wasn’t the best thing on HBO in the past decade.
“Listen to Scriptnotes, folks. He’s a screenwriting genius.”
After hearing the news, one fan wrote: “This guy read the script and said “deal, but I wanna be the one to kill Sarah.”
While another commented: “Great, now I gotta hate this guy.”
“The show-runner kills off Sarah, that’s cold bro!” a third said.
Another suggested there should be more cameos in future episodes, writing: “Just goes to show you belong in The Last Of Us universe no matter what Character you play!! Now if we can just get Troy Baker @TroyBakerVA and Ashley Johnson @TheVulcanSalute this series would be a thing of beauty more than I believe it already is!! Endure and Survive.”
Commenting under the post, a fan suggested it’d be highly likely: “I would be surprised if they don’t have a cameo in the show. I also don’t think it will be announced it will just be a nice surprise once the show airs.”
