The Last of Us television series has officially concluded its first season, as its ninth episode aired Sunday August 08, 2025. Similarly to its PlayStation source material, the Last of Us TV series achieved a combination of critical acclaim, sporting a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, while peaking at over 8 million viewers according the most recent available data.
Over the course of the nine episode story arc, viewers witnessed a faithful adaptation of the events of the Last of Us Part I, demonstrating Joel and Ellie’s struggle to traverse a post-apocalyptic USA, encountering colorful characters, horrifying monsters, and navigating a world that thrives in the grey area of morality. While The Last of Us was chock full of memorable, shocking, and gut-wrenching moments that built upon the powerful foundation of the game series, some episodes stand out from the pack. Let’s recap and count down the episodes of HBO’s The Last of Us, as we analyze the greatest moments from the new hit prestige TV series.Warning:Major spoilers ahead, beware!
9. Episode 4 – “Please Hold My Hand”
Why it’s #9:Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed “Please Hold My Hand,” but it is more of a transitional episode that sets up the events of the following week, and stands on its own less than the rest of the series.Despite the fact that there are shot for shot callbacks to the “Pittsburgh” chapter of The Last of Us Part I, the television adaptation is the shortest episode in the series and is highly limited in its scope. Even though it was interesting to learn of Joel’s checkered past, and meet Kathleen, the K.C. Resistance’s iron-fisted leader, the episode is entirely build-up, followed by an exciting cliffhanger.
8. Episode 6 – “Kin”
Why it’s #8:“Kin” is the slowest-paced episode of the entire series. For a large portion of its runtime, the dialogue-heavy entry is an interesting character-study, that is forced to rush through some of its interesting plot threads. However, the shocking ending is one of the series’ most memorable moments.
7. Episode 5 – “Endure and Survive”
Why it’s #7:Despite my personal enjoyment of the exciting, harrowing, action-heavy nature of “Endure and Survive,” using an objective lens, I can’t rate it any higher. While I appreciated its strict adherence to many elements from The Last of Us games, it felt a little more absurd than the other episodes and the overall series, which prides itself on being more grounded in reality than most other “zombie” shows. The battle between the militia, infected, and protagonists was arguably the best action sequence of the nine episodes, and the conclusion is as gut-wrenching as the source material, but it does not change the fact that this is more of a filler episode, and a mere footnote in the broader story. You could completely erase the entire Kansas City arc with minimal impact to the rest of the series. Finally, an interesting fact is that (chronologically) this is the last time any infected appear in The Last of Us.
6. Episode 2 – “Infected”
Why it’s #6:Even though gamers who experienced 2013’s The Last of Us were prepared for Tess’s untimely demise, those who hadn’t played The Last of Us were likely shocked that the series would kill off one of its most important characters in merely the second episode (they have some surprises on the way in season two).”Infected” is another great episode, but has one glaring flaw: “the kiss.”
In a highly bizarre scene, a bitten Tess prepares to sacrifice herself in a fiery explosion to save Joel and Ellie from the incoming horde of infected. As she struggles to ignite her lighter, Tess receives a smooch from a fungus monster prior to sacrificing her life in a disturbing, head scratching moment. It is one of the few choices I found myself disagreeing with in the entirety of the series. Although I appreciate the creepy, grotesqueness of the kiss, it somewhat diminished the horror of the infected. Maybe it’s my fandom for the games talking, but I prefer fungus zombies ripping out jugulars instead of locking lips. Furthermore, the moment seemed highly out of character for a badass like Tess.
5. Episode 1 – “When You’re Lost in the Darkness”
Why it’s #5:The strongest aspect of this episode and a wise choice was that we get to learn more about Joel’s daughter, Sarah. Witnessing the last remnants of normal life through her eyes only makes it more horrifying when she is gunned down in her father’s arms by the military. It’s a very strong start to the series that I would love to rank higher, but its purpose is to set the stage for future episodes, where The Last of Us really kicks into gear. There isn’t anything wrong with “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” there simply are some episodes that slightly edge it out.
4. Episode 7 – “Left Behind”
Why It’s #4:This episode is an excellent character-driven, unique love story, featuring strong performances by Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and Storm Reid (Riley). “Left Behind” also combines an interesting blend of past and present, as Ellie tirelessly works to stitch up Joel’s bleeding wounds, while flashing back to a moment that is simultaneously, the happiest and saddest of her life.
3. Episode 9 – “Look for the Light”
Why It’s #3:The conclusion to The Last of Us takes everything that was great from the original game and adds to it. Not only do we witness a re-creation of the game’s hailed ironic conclusion, complete with reenactments of the exact dialogue, but there are a few new moments that stood out. The scene of Ashley Johnson giving birth to Ellie, was an emotional, powerful choice that paid homage to Johnson’s performance as the co-protagonist of Naughty Dog’s videogame series, providing a key moment in the lore of The Last of Us. Furthermore, Pedro Pascal’s performance as Joel provides a unique vulnerability to one of the toughest characters in gaming, doing justice to the role made famous by videogame legend Troy Baker.
2. Episode 8 – “When We Are in Need”
Why it’s #2:This episode ratchets up the horror element of The Last of Us and provides somewhat of a slow burn of terror. Once again, the episode recaptures the magic (or trauma) from the Lakeside Resort chapter of The Last of Us Part I, while providing some new concepts not previously explored in the games. “When We Are in Need” gives unique vantage point to witness the struggles of David and his group, united by their religion, but in a dire state of desperation. Scott Shepherd’s masterful portrayal of David begins as sympathetic, but slowly reveals the true evil that lurks in the heart of the Last of Us’ most feared villain, and provides a performance worthy of Nolan North’s iconic character from the first game in the series. However, unlike the game, David’s group are not shown to be evil, cannibalistic caricatures, but are desperate, hungry people who do not know the depths of their leader’s psychosis (most of them don’t even know they are cannibals). Along with being a major turning point for Ellie, “When We Are in Need” is the scariest episode of the entire series, hands down.
1. Episode 3 – “Long, Long Time”
Why it’s #1:Not only is this the best episode of The Last of Us, it also justifies the series’ entire existence, and is proof that more great videogame stories deserve film and television adaptations. The Last of Us as a franchise has always been ahead of its time on LGBTQ+ issues, and this episode demonstrates the creators’ respect for that community. “Long, Long Time” is a poignant love story, driven by the powerful performances of Nick Offerman (Bill) and Murray Bartlett (Frank). The episode showed that videogame adaptations can be successful without being shot-for-shot remakes of what was previously done, as aside from a few elements, “Long, Long Time” is entirely original. The episode provides a unique experience that you can’t find in any Last of Us game, showing the importance of videogame adaptations in other media.
Grant Testa
Grant Testa is a writer at Prima Games, who specializes in achievement hunting and horror gaming. He is also an avid comic book reader/collector, fantasy footballer, and rock music fanatic.
Thousands who have been defeated by Grant in online multiplayer games have cried to themselves, wondering, “How did he get so good?! Why can’t I be a gaming demigod like him?” They would probably be surprised to learn that Grant actually inherited his elite gaming skills from his mom, Joann Hansen, one of the speediest stenographers/typists in the nation, (and probably the world). Fun fact: he is also the son of the world’s first “let’s player” and comedy legend, Tim Testa.
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