User Reviews

The journey to the hospital took eight and a half episodes. Getting out of there took 20 minutes. Both this season and this episode are great. It's genuinely a great episode, but at the same time, it's a bit anti-climactic. The anticlimax is what makes it so great and unique.

I was expecting a more explosive ending; perhaps a cliffhanger. The ending we got was bleak and very unexpected. You think "all that for nothing?" but that's what's great about this show. It's the journey, not the destination.

Joel's actions make perfect sense. This is the most realistic route this show could have taken. Ellie and Joel went through this insane quest to save humanity, only for Joel to change his mind at the last minute. It's not really a heroic decision by Joel, therefore the bleakness and quietness feel absolutely right. It's almost hard to fathom that we root for Joel in this. He kills good people, but we still root for him.

The bleak ending makes us think. We rooted for Joel, but knowing that Ellie probably would've wanted to go through with the operation makes us rethink everything. Even if it means potentially dooming mankind, he will do anything to protect Ellie. Are his actions justifiable? Is he the villain? Was sacrificing her the right move?

If you are looking for a feel-good story with a light-hearted happy ending, this is not the series, nor the episode for you.

From the beginning of the episode we are told that the reason Ellie is immune to the cordyceps is because her mother got infected when she was in labor, and Marlene was the one who found her and her mother, and as viewers we have not still recovered from the last episode, and neither has Ellie.

Joel's brooding persona was always contrasted by Ellie's joyful self, but what she went through has already scarred her, she is not the same person, but at least everything these two have been through was not for nothing, they are finally reaching the hospital in Utah that will work on the cure.

But upon reaching the hospital Joel is incapacitated, and knocked out. When he wakes up Marlene is there and tells him that Ellie was born with cordyceps in her brain, and they need to remove it from her to find the cure.

Joel sees her not only as his daughter by now, but as a second chance at life as he wasn't able to save his own daughter, so he is not going to let the Fireflies kill Ellie under any circumstance. While it is true that the entire first season has been fast paced and suspenseful with many adversaries, not even the clickers seem as evil as the Fireflies who had a child cross the country to be sacrificed in the hopes of maybe finding a cure. In all nine episode you have ever rooted for Joel to save Ellie as hard as in this instance.

The stakes have never been higher and we know he can go into beast mode to protect the ones he loves, this is not a devil whom you wish to be on his path. The conclusion to this episode and the season is nothing short of amazing.

As I have said before, casting Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey was a magnificent decision by the producers of this series, they are so captivating that you can have them walking thru a desolated place, and you still enjoy it.

This was a satisfying end to a brilliant entry into the television world. The cinematic experience was the same feeling I had when I watched a friend play the video game in 2013. I remember saying "I care more about the storyline then playing the game."

Sensational opening, made the conclusion even heavier. Joel's enduring drive to find anything to keep going really shows the measures he'll take to ensure that. It's really such a mental conflict But he made a human decision, "we don't trade lives," for better or worse. Selfish? Maybe, right?, maybe. I mean, what are the rules now anyway?

Great season, the formula of the show has changed, major pivot to some unknown built on a lie. You know this will end up all coming back around, it always does.

This was by far the best adaption of a video game to film to date but not without a few issues. One issue being, the lack of depth in acting performances from certain actors. Especially in emotionally demanding scenes. Lines in such scenes are delivered far too casually from time to time. I don't take a big issue with that but it's definitely worth pointing out. Ashely Johnson's performance was phenomenal! I love that they gave us a backstory to Ellie's immunity. But coming to my biggest issue with the finale, where are the zombies? This is supposed to be a dangerous world and these two are walking from state to state Scot-free! Are you kidding?? There is an amazing scene at the end of the game where Joel and Ellie go into an underground tunnel and fight multiple bloaters. I can't believe that they cut a scene that could've raised the stakes of Joel's decision at the end! Instead, they chose to make the finale the shortest episode of the series. The last thought I had when I finished this episode was that this, in the end, is a discount Last of Us for people who don't have the time to play the game. I didn't wanna think that especially considering the many things that this show got right but, unfortunately, I still did.

40 minutes? The last episode was 40 minutes... Let's spend 1 hour and 20 minutes on something that's not in the game or have any meaning to the overall story, but let's rush one of the most impactful ending in game history!

This should have been at least 1h 20m, and there were almost no infected through out the show! Why not include the part when they are walking through the tunnel, with the bus and trying to avoid all the zombies? This just felt like they wanted this to be over so they could get going with season 2. This season hade it ups and downs but this was just annoying, such a waste! And there was no tension, no built up! Joel kills 30 armed guards in a montage, when it could have been such suspenseful scene... This brought down the entire show for me! It just felt like they didn't care!

1. Ellie feeds a giraffe 2. Ellie and Joel get captured 3. Joel kills everyone.

What a ride it has been! While "The Last of Us" hasn't been a perfect show, it's certainly showed why it deserves much praise.

I wanted to discuss some of the criticisms that I saw in various comments.

1. There just aren't enough zombies: This is a fair point. What we have to keep in mind that while this is technically apocalyptic show, it focuses less on the horror of the Infected, but more on the drama. The main reason for that is that 20 years has passed since the initial outbreak. So a lot of the Infected either were killed or been maintained to some extent. Even in the 11 seasons of Walking Dead, I believe less than 10 years pass, so I don't think it's unreasonable that the threat of Infected is smaller. I think it's a good thing that the show focused on it less.

2. Bond between Joel and Ellie developed too quickly: While I agree the 3 month time jump made it seem a little sudden, I think that there has been incremental development in their relationship so nothing felt underdeveloped. For instance, we see how their interaction through jokes evolve. It starts with no reaction from Joel, and ends at them exchanging one-liners.

3. Why do they need a cure at this point?: This is more a discussion surrounding the last episode. I agree that Marlene made a pretty bad choice by not telling Joel and Ellie the exact consequences of trying to make a cure. Consent is important! I just find it stupid that you are willing to kill a child to maybe make a cure that may not have a lot of impact. It's just not worth it. You probably need more ammunition than cures to deal with this. A vaccine, however, would have been slightly more valuable in my opinion.

I do have to complain that the scene where Joel takes out everyone felt very video-game like and not quite realistic. I know Joel is capable but to take an entire squadron is tougher thing to do. He felt so overpowered in this particular moment. I feel like if they collaborated instead of showing up one by one, they could have easily subdued him. Anyways, that's minor.

Let's talk about Joel's decision overall. With reasons laid out in #3, the argument that Joel's decision was wrong because Ellie's sacrifice could have saved lives is rendered somewhat weak. There wasn't a guarantee that it will be beneficial and they got no consent from either of them. Joel acted on his love and protective instinct selfishly because he couldn't let daughter of his die again. Possibly in vain. However, for Ellie, this creates a difficult problem. She endured all this journey and the apocalyptic life that she is special. That she can really bring an end to the world as she knows it. She could provide value. But now all of that has been stripped away from her with Joel's actions, which she obviously sees through Joel's lies. This is the ultimate act of "betrayal", foreshadowed by Maria in episode 6. Joel was put in a difficult lose-lose spot between choosing life of Ellie and her purpose, which is arguably just as important. In season 2, this decision will lead to a perhaps unfixable strain in their relationship and all of this would have been prevented if Marlene got CONSENT from Ellie.

As a whole, I thought the show was amazing. It featured top-notch performances from the two main cast and great world-building. Episode 3 was particularly amazing and my favorite from the entire series. It focused more on the drama rather than battle of living in an apocalyptic world, which I enjoyed. It was quite excellent in narrative and pacing, though I believe that couple more episodes would have benefitted the series more. In the end, it made me want to play the game, which by any standard, should be considered a successful adaptation!

The ending of this season was perfect. Joel's decision to kill the fireflies was brutal but also very in character for Joel. He values Ellie over the rest of humanity because Ellie is the new reason he has to live. The music, editing and set design are all fantastic as always. Salt Lake City looked fantastic and was very distinct from the other cities we've seen so far. This conclusion is complex and raises a lot of questions as to whether or not Joel made the right decision or if it was a selfish decision that doomed the rest of humanity. This is one of the best episodes of television history.

The beginning of the episode reveals the birth of Ellie, born into an apocalyptic world with the fungus already in her body (making her immune). However, the cruelty in this episode lies in disclosing that, to potentially save humanity, Ellie's skull must be opened to retrieve the fungi and synthesize them. This act could inevitably lead to her death (but for the greater good). This is not the conclusion Joel wants to see, as Ellie must be alive to undergo this operation. Ellie, on the other hand, contemplates her own existence by revealing to Joel the moment when she killed someone for the first time. In a sense, this episode takes a stance on human emotions. If humanity has been the common thread in The Last of Us so far, it is quite relevant here in a season finale.

With an episode much shorter than usual, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann seem to be racing against time to conclude the season as quickly as possible. There is no time wasted in this episode, and in 43 minutes, we go from Ellie's first cries in this world to the complex question about her future. The cold open is one of my favorite parts of the episode, and the scene of Joel, the hero, killing everyone plays a bit like a nod to video games. This episode, which weaves the final bonds of the characters, allows us to grasp the series one last time before the next season.

Look for the Light might be the best episode yet ! What a fantastic story. The cinematography slaps as always, and the music delivers so many emotions all at once.

Ashley Johnson is perfect as Ellie's mom, and you get to see the beginning when Marlene brings Ellie back with her and promises Anna she'll protect her. After the last episode, the tone is really dark from the get go and Ellie is very much lost in her own mind, dealing with the aftermath of David's encounter. Joel here tries his best, but it doesn't always go well. The giraffe was a nice sight, a sign of hope.

Ellie and Joel's relationship is really fleshed out at this point and that makes for some of the best emotional payoffs. So many callbacks in this one. Joel tells Ellie he is the one who missed and actually tried to kill himself, and Ellie talks about the first person she killed being Riley. The pun book is back. We also get the ¨We can't deny that view¨ scene and the ¨We can manage that¨ talking about the five-mile hike.

The firefly camp is chaotic as all hell, and the audience is thrust into that dramatic clusterf.ck trying to assess what's wrong and what's right. There's no clear answer, but it seems no cure is on the horizon, and the tests are dangerous and not worth it. The montage where Joel has to kill everyone to find his way back to Ellie is phenomenal and one of the best scenes of the series up to this point. The sheer determination, the editing and the music all contribute to a sense of progression, whether story wise or emotionally. It puts you in there with Joel and you feel the action.

I thought it was a satisfying ending, not too rushed or anything and it leaves us wanting more and wondering what might happen next season. Ellie says ¨Okay¨ and the book ends.

They could not have done this finale more perfectly.

I guess I'm not entirely sure why some were worried about the finale. Why change an already perfect ending? What could have been better? Of all sections of the game to make perfect, this was the one. And they did.

I actually think some of the dialogue in this was very impactful and even better than in the game. That's such a small change though, seeing as this was pretty much shot for shot the ending of the game!

Watching Joel take everyone out was just as uncomfortable as playing as the character in the game for that chapter. My friends and I have been talking about the ending of the game for years, and now I'm l probably be thinking about it much more after seeing it in tv format.

I really loved the extra content with Marlene and Ellie's mom. That was brutal... and emotionally destroying for me. I think it made Marlene a better character than in the game. A bit more understandable that is.

I have no idea where the writers plan on taking the next season, but I loved Part II and I think they could potentially make that story much better in tv format. This first season was pretty much perfect. For every small change they made that I may have preferred in the game, there was a change that I actually liked more than in the game. Casting was perfect, look and feel was perfect, pacing was mostly great, and the directing and unforgiving nature of the show was perfect too. It's been a ride. I'm gonna miss it.

First of all: I'm huge fan of the show - I think it's a masterpiece, however I do think the finale falls short, which is disappointing considering the series was nearly perfect. The acting and production of the finale were all exceptional, but it did feel way too rushed. I haven't played the games, but I have read about them and I've listened to every episode of the Last of Us official podcast, so I have a decent understanding of the creators' inspiration, intentions, & goals. I definitely appreciate the art of telling a story as concisely as possible, and I think generally, they've been extremely successful with that approach up to this point.

These are my thoughts on the where the finale had issues (again, the acting, production, & directing of the episode were all exceptional):

1. Even though the opening scene with Ashley Johnson as Ellie's mom is so amazing & beautiful (both because of the actual scenes, which were incredible, and because of what it represents with Ashley playing Anna; even though I haven't played the game, I can still recognize the beauty & significance in that, and I could feel the connection between Ashley & the character(s) & it's gorgeous), it raises some practical issues re: Ellie's immunity, namely that it could potentially be recreated. As awful as that would be, considering the stakes, it seems like there would be consenting individuals who would be willing to sacrifice their bodies and lives to the cause for finding a cure. The key is that they would be willing, consenting adults. Obviously there are many arguments that could be made re: the ethics of that situation, but it seems like it would be more ethical than volunteering an unconscious teenager without her consent (and at only 14 years old, Ellie couldn't ethically consent to the surgery even if she had been given the option). I know we're not supposed to consider these lines of reason, but I don't think we can help it as viewers when we're given that kind of background information. Plus, as others have pointed out, too - the leap to automatically perform a surgery that would kill the only known immune human seems incredibly hasty and not scientifically sound, not to mention extremely unethical (which I could look past as a reason to question the story logic, given the circumstance, if we were given absolutely no reason to believe there could be any other viable options, i.e., willing & consenting adult volunteers).

2. I don't feel like the series lacked infected as I've seen some people criticize (mostly fans of the game, I think), and I really loved that the show focused heavily on the characters and was very much grounded in reality (especially around violence), but I do think some infected in the finale, besides the one in the opening with Anna, would have helped drive home the importance of finding a "cure"/vaccine. I realize that it was likely avoided to make the action/violence of the climax & Joel's actions more impactful and I totally understand that & agree, but even if there was a scene (maybe before the giraffe scene) where Joel & Ellie had to avoid a group of infected, or even if we just saw more cordyseps growing on a building and/or they had to avoid walking on it... something to bring that threat back into focus to really highlight the consequences of Joel's decision to save Ellie over the rest of humanity. I also don't think we've seen just the two of them come up against any infected, and I think it could have been a really interesting addition to the episode.

3. I also think that the sequence leading up to the giraffe scene is the only place where the show fails by trying to follow the game too closely. Not the actual scene with the giraffe, which is stunning and so bittersweet & beautiful, and definitely achieves what it is meant to, but from the moment Ellie apparently notices the giraffe & drops the ladder to when Joel gets to her. I think the whole sequence after she drops the ladder (also, I cant help wondering how/where she saw the giraffe from there) while she's running toward it & yelling to Joel & he's chasing after her - it all just feels too video game-y, if you will. It really took me out of the medium in which I chose to experience this story, which is television (and truly, up to this point, some of the best TV ever created... and still, despite my issues with this episode, very good)... but it was strange IMO & definitely my least favorite part of the entire series. I feel like that segment of that scene could have been adapted to feel more natural for television. The rest of the giraffe scene was beautiful and definitely fit the medium better, and the dialogue between Joel & Ellie after that and before the hospital was great (and phenomenally acted by Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsey - the chemistry between those two was incredible throughout the entire series).

I think the final sequence in the hospital was perfect. Again, I haven't played the game, so I have no comparison, but it hit exactly how it was intended, and I didn't find it unbelievable (as I've seen some people criticize), as we have caught glimmers of how ruthless Joel can be (particularly end of Ep. 1 & in Ep. 8), and it makes perfect sense that he would execute that slaughter exactly as he did. Perhaps slightly far-fetched, but it was very easy to suspend disbelief given the character & his history & what's at stake for him.

Overall, it was still a great episode (8.5/10), but I truly feel that if the creators allowed themselves to be a little more flexible with the source material, and more carefully considered some of the details (the logistics of Ellie's immunity, the threat of cordyseps) & their TV-only audience, it could have been perfection, like the other 8 episodes in the series have been.

Disappointingly, my review is basically the same as last week's episode. This episode felt rushed, and had potential for the show to end on a really good note.

My opinion after Episode 8 was that you cannot tell the story of TLOU in such short episodes, that was after a 50 min episode.

For the finale, it was unforgivably the shortest episode of the season?

While I enjoyed the hospital action scene, from Joel finding out what Marlene's plan was for Ellie to him saving her, it all just happened too quick. I liked how it was done a bit more artistically, but just felt it could have been drawn out a bit.

Overall, the show started off really really good. In the first few episodes I was recommending this to everyone I talked to, telling them that this was one of my favourite shows I'd ever watched. Unfortunately, that opinion changed after Episode 6.

From 7 onwards, I felt the show shifted from being too slow at times, to needlessly rushing through specific plots, character relationships and action sequences that happened in the game that enriched the story and gave depth to the relationships of characters.

In hindsight, I wish they had skipped certain things they added to the show that were not in the game, and stuck to the original storyline material.

I thought the giraffe scene in the game was a very touching moment, seeing Ellie react to them in her young innocence. In this, it almost seemed out of place and the editing within the story's timeframe just didn't feel natural, especially coming from the last episode.

I did think the backstory to Ellie's immunity was good, as this wasn't in the game. And it was a really nice touch having Ashley Johnson (Ellie's voice actor from the game) play Ellie's mother.

Also Pedro Pascal's acting for this episode was pretty solid.

But overall, this show left me wanting more, and not in good way.

I would have loved to have seen more infected, and seen the story of David and Ellie played out properly and not just skipping over their whole battle with infected.

I'll summarise this show with a quote from a friend:

"My wife hates zombies, but she doesn't mind watching TLOU because there is never really any of them in it".

Overall, I think that has been a huge downside to a show that started off so well, from Episode 1 showing how terrifying a day one outbreak can be, to Episode 5 showing a evolved swarm attacking a group of armed survivors.

While we didn't need "The Walking Dead" level of zombies in every episode, this show, in my opinion, just skipped too many scenes that should have featured them a bit more, and largely for that reason, it just doesn't live up to the real drama, suspense and terror of the game.

Never once written an IMDB review but credit where credit is due - absolutely phenomenal. Easter eggs galore for gamers - Ashley Johnson as Ellie's mum (she is the voice of Ellie in the game for non gamers), the house she flees to being identical to Ellie's house in part 2 (complete with tractor outside), the boost up to drop the ladder down - I felt like I needed to press triangle! On top of that the giraffe scene (we've all been waiting for it), the entire hospital scene - epic. I felt like I was back there playing it killing every firefly in sight with no Fs to give. It was absolutely beautiful. Well done everyone involved. Bella you slayyyy it.