HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us wins critical applause for its brutal depiction of a post-apocalyptic United States. Created by Neil Druckmann and Greg Mazin, The Last of Us portrays how a global pandemic caused by a deadly fungus precipitated not only a public health crisis but also a political one.
In the post-outbreak United States, the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) acts as the ruling authority in quarantine zones (QZ). They rule with an iron fist and are infamous for the misuse and abuse of power. FEDRA is essentially a militaristic authority who have committed several notorious acts over the course of The Last of Us.
7 Riled-Up Citizens Using Torture Tactics
Following the Cordyceps outbreak, FEDRA directly assumed charge after the United States civilian government dissolved. They were least bothered with the well-being of the US citizens and relied on torture and violence to maintain power. FEDRA's ruthless rule led to the rise of resistance movements such as the Fireflies led by Marlene and the Hunters led by Kathleen in Kansas City.
In The Last of Us season 1, episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand," a former FEDRA collaborator, Dr. Edelstein revealed that FEDRA agents put a gun to his head to extract information about his neighbors. Kathleen's brother and the original leader of the Kansas City resistance, Michael was tipped off to FEDRA and beaten to death in a cell.
6 Established A Vast Network Of Informers
The Last of Us season 1, episode 5 "Endure and Survive," further reveals that FEDRA extracted information from QZ inhabitants and collaborators/ informers in exchange for medicines, alcohol, and apples. FEDRA acted ruthlessly, regularly threw people into prisons, and tried them without a fair trial.
Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) and the resistance movement in Kansas City successfully depose FEDRA's rule and establish theirs. She orders a citywide manhunt for a man named Henry who is guilty of ratting out her brother, Michael to his death. Michael was a compassionate leader, loved by all and Henry tuned him in exchange for a Leukemia drug for his brother, Sam.
5 Carrying Out Public Executions
The Last of Us season 1, episode 1, "When You're Lost in the Darkness," is home to FEDRA's very first public execution. A huge crowd gathers to watch as a FEDRA soldier announces three people be sent to the gallows for unauthorized exit and entry into a QZ. These people who are about to be sentenced were tried in FEDRA's military court of justice and sentenced to death by execution after being found guilty by the court-martial panel.
One of The Last of Us' strongest human groups, FEDRA arms and empowers itself with Draconian laws to ensure maximum grip on the people. The public executions make sure there's a minimal challenge to their rule.
4 Drafted People For Odd Jobs Against Measly Income
FEDRA offers nothing to the people and employs them for manual labor such as burning dead bodies, street sweeping, and sewer maintenance in exchange for measly pay and ration cards. Though each of these jobs has a varying level of pay, none of them guarantees a secure and stable livelihood.
The fact that FEDRA failed as an administrative authority after the Cordyceps outbreak is evident from Boston QZ's state of affairs. There's never adequate ration to go around and thanks to FEDRA's oppressive tactics, the QZ inhabitants are malnourished, starved, and raggedy.
3 Control Of Essential Supplies
FEDRA also assumes responsibility for pharmaceutical manufacturing. They also control the day-to-day administrative activities in QZ, as shown in The Last of Us premiere.
FEDRA's mode of operation is anti-people and by controlling the supply of essentials such as medicine and food, they ensure maximum grip over people. Henry, for example, ratted Michael out because he needed a rare drug to save his brother. FEDRA deprive people of basic amenities which in turn forces them to become their informants and collaborators.
2 Tortured And Murdered People For Twenty Years
Henry who has worked as a collaborator knows FEDRA's working mechanism very well. He tells Joel (Pedro Pascal) that FEDRA killed, and tortured people for twenty years, i.e since they took control.
FEDRA have been abusing their power without any remorse or guilt. They are essentially an authoritarian form of limited government that act only in their interests. FEDRA do everything to keep QZ inhabitants in check and ensure that they know that any resistance to their authority is futile.
1 Killed The Uninfected
The Last of Us season 1, episode 3 "Long, Long Time," confirms that FEDRA did, in fact, kill the uninfected, ordinary people. This comes to the fore after Ellie finds a stretch of land filled with skeletal remains and tatters.
Joel, seen as a relatable introvert in games, tells Ellie that FEDRA began transporting people from the countryside to QZ and if there was no room, they were killed. These uninfected civilians included infants and the elderly. FEDRA wiped out the human population of the United States to control the spread of the fungus. They did so because the dead people, as Joel pointed out to Ellie, cannot be infected with Cordyceps.