#fedra

With FEDRA’s militarized quarantine zones and “defensive biopolitics”, The Last of Us criticizes a government which prioritizes the security of the border rather than the safety of its people. This point is relevant to my topic because the display of the quarantine zones in the show illustrates how power is directed toward control instead of medical care in times of a pandemic. “The US and international responses to CBI depicted in the franchise might be described, to borrow a term from social anthropology, as examples of ‘defensive biopolitics’ practices such as ‘border closures, national lockdowns, international travel bans, big-data enabled testing and tracing, and policed quarantines” (Yeates, 2026). These policies create mistrust with the public and increase fear, this demonstrates that government intervention with border closures can worsen the public health crisis when it is led by militarization instead of care. With the portrayal of quarantine zones as a tool for domination rather than safety, this show reveals that power in times of a pandemic can put the public in danger instead of protecting them. In addition, the series illustrates defensive biopolitics by making the checkpoints and borders into a routine technology system that they use everyday, this could be things like ID checks to even extreme acts such as executions to try and maintain power. Instead of treating the outbreak as a medical problem which requires the need of resources and communication, FEDRA makes it seem like it is a security issue that needs the use of bordering off places, and using weapons. Yeates argues that defensive biopolitics relates the pandemic management to border politics which can lead to violence to populations that are already struggling. Relating the series to the real world with militarized checkpoints and even travel bans placed back in 2020 with Covid 19, these strategies can create more fear and not resolve the overall issue.

But... I confess that his description of the young Theseus (in Seneca) is very appealing

"They fastened their hair with ritual ribbons", "and a rosy modesty tinged her delicate face", "there were strong muscles in her delicate arms"