‘The Final of Us’: Who’re the Fireflies and FEDRA?

If you happen to’re watching The Last of Us, you’ll have heard the phrases “Fireflies” and “FEDRA” thrown round quite a bit. However who’re they once more?

The 2 teams are featured each in the Naughty Dog game and the HBO adaptation by Chernobyl director Craig Mazin and The Final of Us creator Neil Druckmann. Now, it’s going to be unimaginable for me to inform you every thing concerning the Fireflies and FEDRA, as we’re solely 4 episodes in — should you’ve performed the sport, you will have rather more information of what occurs with each these teams and the folks in them because the story goes on. Belief me, there are a lot extra raiders, smugglers, black market sellers like Robert (Brendan Fletcher), militant groups, and armed communities Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) come throughout of their travels.

However this is what I can inform viewers of the HBO sequence to this point concerning the Fireflies and FEDRA.

Who’re the Fireflies in The Final of Us?

Natasha Mumba and Merle Dandridge play Fireflies Kim and Marlene.
Credit score: Shane Harvey/HBO

The Fireflies are a highly-skilled, revolutionary militia group revolting towards the U.S. authorities’s army arm FEDRA within the quarantine zones (QZs) throughout the nation. Utilizing repurposed (learn: seized or smuggled) FEDRA gear and weapons, their aim is to liberate QZs from FEDRA forces and topple the army dictatorship — however they’re branded terrorists by the authorities. The Fireflies’ signature brand is an summary design of a firefly, which the rebels spray all around the QZ partitions together with written graffiti that reads, “Whenever you’re misplaced within the darkness, search for the sunshine.” It is the Firefly motto, one Joel immediately recognises when approached by a recruiter within the market in episode 1.

FEDRA and the Fireflies in a single picture.
Credit score: Liane Hentscher/HBO

Once we encounter the Fireflies within the HBO sequence, we meet the Fireflies’ chief Marlene of their Boston QZ hideout, giving orders to place Firefly groups in place throughout town. Completely embodied by Merle Dandridge, reprising her position from the sport, Marlene is referred to by Tess (Anna Torv) as “the Che Guevara of Boston.” Having strategically blown up FEDRA targets over two weeks and ​​regardless of her second-in-command, Kim’s (Natasha Mumba) doubts, the plan is for all Boston Fireflies to go away town.

Tess (Anna Torv) didn’t anticipate finding the Fireflies right here.
Credit score: Shane Harvey/HBO

“We’re in a struggle towards a army dictatorship to revive democracy and freedom,” says Marlene. “Struggle for 20 years and get nowhere, you are not a insurrection. Simply spray paint.”

One in every of these explosions is the automotive bomb that interrupts Tess’ dialog with black market vendor Robert (Brendan Fletcher) — “Free Boston now, motherfuckers!” calls out a close-by Firefly sniper partaking FEDRA’s Incident Safety Pressure from the rooftops. When Tess will get arrested by these authorities, she screams, “I am not a Firefly!” and will get despatched to lockup.

We first meet Ellie (Bella Ramsey) captive within the Fireflies’ Boston QZ hideout.
Credit score: Shane Harvey/HBO

The larger plan for Marlene’s Fireflies is to go away Boston and take Ellie west to a bunch of Fireflies supposedly ready on the outdated State Home in one other QZ in Massachusetts, then onto a Firefly base camp the place medical doctors are engaged on a treatment for the Cordyceps pandemic. “No matter occurred to me is the important thing to the vaccine,” Ellie tells Joel and Tess in episode 2. Nevertheless, on the finish of the episode, Tess, Joel, and Ellie sadly discover the group within the State Home all lifeless and Contaminated, leaving the mission of their fingers as an alternative — and leaving Tess to make the last word sacrifice to get Ellie out of there. Marlene has recognized Ellie since her youth — Ellie was coaching in FEDRA’s army college, as Marlene explains she enrolled Ellie there to maintain her protected — however Ellie snuck out and was bitten by an Contaminated. Marlene stopped her from being killed.

How did Tess and Joel get combined up with the Fireflies? Joel, Tess, and Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) have recognized the Fireflies for a very long time by way of their smuggling networks within the Boston QZ. When looking for and pulverise Robert for screwing them over, Joel and Tess comply with the path to the Fireflies hideout, the place Ellie has been held captive and monitored for indicators of an infection. As we study in episode 4, Tommy joined the Fireflies after assembly Marlene, then left and went lacking, which suggests Joel does not precisely have love for the group. However as Marlene is shot in her dangerous cope with Robert, Joel and Tess tackle the journey with Ellie.

Who’s FEDRA in The Final of Us?

Joel (Pedro Pascal) is noticed by a FEDRA officer exterior the Boston QZ.
Credit score: Liane Hentscher/HBO

The Federal Catastrophe Response Company (FEDRA) is the primary authority within the U.S. following the outbreak of the Cordyceps fungus, a army arm of the federal government that has basically changed it. 

You may see FEDRA warning indicators dotted all around the buildings in The Final of Us, as markers of quarantine zones, guidelines, and laws to handle the fungal pandemic. “Security begins with you,” reads a FEDRA signal itemizing the indicators of Cordyceps an infection. “Report Cordyceps to authorities instantly,” reads one other detailing how lengthy it takes to full an infection with a diagram. FEDRA additionally runs factories for making ammunition and prescribed drugs, because the FEDRA officer tells Joel in episode 1 of a manufacturing facility within the Atlanta QZ that supposedly solely makes each.

FEDRA’s Incident Safety Pressure has one job: to “safe areas.” No matter meaning…
Credit score: Liane Hentscher/HBO

FEDRA acts because the legislation within the QZs, with surveillance marking the streets and perimeter in particular person or by way of safety cameras. They enact the QZ curfew of 6 a.m. to six p.m. “to struggle an infection and rebellion,” as you’ll be able to see specified on an indication Tess walks previous in episode 1. FEDRA additionally has an Incident Safety Pressure, which works to “safe areas,” throughout the QZs — this group engages a rooftop Firefly and wrongfully arrests Tess after the automotive bomb goes off.

Sporting navy army armor with ballistic protect helmets, FEDRA officers patrol the entrances to QZs, ensuring nobody will get in or out. If folks arrive on the gates of the QZ, they’re taken to a processing station, the place they’re checked for an infection. Once we first encounter FEDRA in The Final of Us, an officer is questioning a baby who collapsed exterior the QZ. They’re scanned with FEDRA’s bio gadget, and when discovered to be contaminated, they’re executed by injection.

Purple is dangerous.
Credit score: Shane Harvey/HBO

Contaminated will not be the one ones executed by FEDRA, nevertheless. Joel witnesses a public hanging within the Boston QZ of individuals accused of violating FEDRA’s legislation. In these instances, unauthorised entry or exit in a quarantine zone. Every particular person was “tried in a courtroom of army justice” and located responsible offscreen, however we’re not aware of how truthful these trials had been.

FEDRA has a listing of jobs out for folks within the QZ to enroll in, together with road sweeping and sewer upkeep, of various pay ranges. In actual fact, FEDRA hires folks to burn contaminated our bodies (and doubtless not contaminated in there too) to keep away from additional unfold, for which they’ll earn ration playing cards — Joel Miller is considered one of these folks.

FEDRA’s QZs aren’t untouchable, nevertheless. As we see in episode 4, a militia group of Hunters led by new character Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), is headquartered in Kansas Metropolis’s former QZ, the place FEDRA has been overthrown. Inside these partitions, nonetheless lined in FEDRA warnings however now housing Hunters, Kathleen interrogates a physician about “ratting in your neighbours to FEDRA.”

Basically, FEDRA are the army authority in America in The Final of Us and the primary focus of the Fireflies’ insurrection. And there will be extra to every faction because the sequence progresses. 

The Final of Us is now streaming on HBO Max(opens in a new tab). New episodes air each Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.