Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Last of Us Episode 1.The wait is over, the cordyceps is finally among us. The Last of Us had its premiere, "When You're Lost In The Darkness," on HBO Max this past Sunday, and, somehow, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann managed to deliver an episode that is just as good (if not better, somehow) as the original introduction of the 2013 game. All the major elements are there and were expanded, from Sarah's (Nico Parker) sad demise to the very dynamics of gameplay, like how the characters move between places of different make, crouching through tunnels or squeezing between walls.

Another very important element of the game was also expanded, and that is music. We're not talking about Gustavo Santaolalla's awesome score, mind you, but of popular music. Pop songs were always a big part of how The Last of Us managed to establish such powerful connections between player and characters, and now the HBO series is promising to also expand on that original game trait. At the end of the first episode, for example, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) cracks Joel's (Pedro Pascal) communication code with people far from the Boston Quarantine Zone, and, as they move away from FEDRA's walls and into the post-apocalyptic wilderness, we listen to a 1980s song with its own meaning according to the code: trouble.

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What Was the Song That Was Playing in Episode 1?

No need to Shazam it, we'll tell you right away: the song was "Never Let Me Down Again," by Depeche Mode. A 1980s banger if there ever was one, surely, complete with the band's iconic synthesizers and Dave Gahan's deep and melodic vocals. It starts playing as soon as Joel, Ellie, and Tess (Anna Torv) venture into the nightmarish landscape that has become Boston downtown after the cordyceps outbreak twenty years earlier, right after their skirmish with the FEDRA officer (Max Montesi) to whom Joel sold pills earlier.

As one would expect knowing who's behind this series' production, the lyrics of "Never Let Me Down Again" are perfectly aligned with the whole episode's story. The words can be read mostly through Ellie's point of view, but there are some parts that also apply to Joel, as we'll see. In the first part, the song tells of two people going on a journey together, the singer hopeful that this time will be better than the last: "I'm taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again / He knows where he's taking me / Taking me where I want to be / I'm taking a ride with my best friend"

The main voice is, of course, Ellie, being taken to the State House in Boston, which is outside the QZ. She's been let down by the Fireflies' leadership after being chained to a wall for a long time before being allowed to leave and, although Joel and Tess are not technically Fireflies, she's still in their custody, only this time doing something a little more exciting (and dangerous) than sitting around and yelling by herself. For Joel, this is a near-perfect mirror to the original outbreak twenty years earlier, when he had to venture into the chaos with his daughter Sarah and brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), but we know how that turned out, right? Hopefully, this time it will be better for him. "We're flying high / We're watching the world pass us by / Never want to come down / Never want to put my feet back down on the ground"

Right after setting foot outside the wall of the QZ for the very first time, Ellie can't help but stand up and look around, almost jeopardizing the whole operation. "I'm actually outside!" she says in wonder. We know full well there's nothing to see, really, but she's a teenager who grew up surrounded by walls on all sides. She's entitled to her amazement and to never want to go back in again. "I'm taking a ride with my best friend / I hope he never lets me down again / Promises me I'm safe as houses / As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers / I hope he never lets me down again"

The objective of the whole operation is to take Ellie to the State House, located outside the QZ. Joel and Tess are smugglers, specialized in doing this sort of thing, and are more than used to going outside. So Ellie will be safe, as long as she remembers that they are the ones in charge and that she must obey and follow their lead. Simple tasks for a rebellious teenager, right? Things should go smoothly.

What Does the Song Mean in the World of 'The Last of Us'?

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Image via HBO

When the Fireflies settle things up with Joel and Tess, they take Ellie back to their apartment in the Boston QZ. She's left alone for a few seconds, enough for her to sneak into Joel's stuff and find a book about Billboard's most successful songs. Turns out the book isn't being used just for the music, though, it's also a code for radio communication with people called Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).

The code is simple: songs from the 1960s mean they haven't received new stuff, 1970s mean there's new stock, and 1980s songs mean "X." We soon find out what that means when Ellie tells Joel the radio came on while he was asleep, playing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham, and he reacts with concern. She quickly gathers that 1980s songs mean trouble. As the trio ventures outside, the radio does come on again, this time playing "Never Let Me Down Again." With all the significance it has for the characters, its function according to Joel's code means nothing good for the future of their mission. After dropping Ellie at the State House, Joel and Tess plan to go west in search of Tommy, likely stopping by Bill and Frank's for supplies. If there's trouble at their place, though...

We also know that Frank appears exclusively in the HBO series. He is a part of the game's story as Bill's partner, but died by suicide upon learning he was infected. Joel learns about it only when he reaches Bill's house in the game, already alone with Ellie, so Frank's appearance in any form is a major deviation from the source material. A few episodes from now, when we meet them, we will definitely find out what happened, and why there's trouble on their side. One thing's for sure: The Last of Us is not planning on ever letting us down.

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