A love letter to The Last of Us' frog maestro
If this is the soundtrack to the apocalypse, then I'm on board.
Last week, I issued a demand to the HBOverlords: I get weird Annihilation noises, or you get nerdy emails. Perhaps needless to say, I did not get my weird Annihilation noises. But I’m rescinding my demand nonetheless—I truly could not give less of a crap about my precious noises anymore. Because the latest episode of The Last of Us gave me something far superior.
About midway through the episode, our three adventurers Joel, Ellie, and Tess make their way to a hotel lobby that’s been transformed into a thriving pond since the cordyceps pandemic decimated the human population.1 It’s a tranquil scene, dotted with piano notes trickling through shots of ducklings and lily pads. And then we get to see the artist behind the music:
It’s a frog that plays the piano. I have named it Tchaifrogsky. And it is my new best friend.
Tchaifrogsky represents a bright point in an otherwise sobering episode of television. Yes, the notes it plays are low notes and minor keys,2 which often invoke feelings of dread and malaise in listeners. This makes sense, given that the next main scene is our trio nearly getting ripped apart by fungus monsters. But I would just like to remind those listeners that a frog is playing the piano. As the Fireflies say, when you’re lost in darkness, look for the light.
Of course, because this is the show we’re watching, it’s not long until Ellie stumbles across a human skeleton also inhabiting the pond. And I’m going to be honest with you: I’m sure there was some point being made about how this beauty came at the cost of human civilization, and I’m sure it was poignant, but my attention was still fixated solely on Tchaifrogsky. The artistry! The talent! The skill to play like that on a waterlogged piano when I can barely eke out a chord on a perfectly dry one!
In what can be charitably called a downer of a TV show, given that it deals with the near extinction of human society amid a zombie apocalypse, Tchaifrogsky is a gift. I don’t know who said “hey, we should have a frog jumping on a piano and giving Hans Zimmer a run for his money before we scare the viewers shitless in about 10 minutes,” but Emmy for them immediately. Actually, no, screw that—Emmy for Tchaifrogsky! I’m tired of worthy artists getting overlooked by dint of the fact that they are frogs. It’s indefensible and I will have none of it.
I can only hope we get more musical animals in future episodes. Maybe we’ll see some crows pecking at a discarded guitar, or a deer stepping across a xylophone. We could use the levity, and we could especially use the lesson Tchaifrogsky teaches us: when you’re trudging through a pond created by an extinction-level event, look for the piano-playing frog. You might also find human remains, but you’ll get some sweet tunes.
I’m writing this assuming that you’re somewhat familiar with the show, so sorry if some of this doesn’t make sense. You should watch the show though, it’s great.
Not at all sure I’m using these terms right, it’s been years since I touched a piano.