*Warning: Major spoilers ahead.*

If there’s one lesson that I’ve learned from watching the first two episodes of The Last of Us, it’s that I sure as hell better not get attached to *any* of these characters.

Baby Luv, Coco Chanel, Harajuku and many more

I am now one of the hundreds of thousands of viewers who have been sucked into HBO‘s latest gripping series, which is based on the acclaimed 2013 video game of the same name. This post-apocalyptic drama follows a smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is charged with escorting 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a desolate United States in an effort to save the world after an evolved fungus has turned humans into killer zombies.

The Last of Us seems to have arrived at the perfect time, alleviating the pain of Walking Dead fans who are still mourning that show’s end, and playing right into our pandemic fears, only three years after COVID-19 struck. And while I am undeniably hooked, it’s clear that this series is giving Game of Thrones a run for its money in terms of killing off its main cast. That was made clear this past Sunday night, with the episode “Infected,” which saw the shocking death of Tess, played by Anna Torv. However, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of her (and yes, I’m ignoring the show’s title with this declaration).

Baby Luv, Coco Chanel, Harajuku and many more

Liane Hentscher/HBO

Let’s just get one thing straight: the writers of The Last of Us do not want Joel to be happy. Not only does his…