Look for the Light

They really needed just a couple more episodes to flesh things out a bit more for this series before the finale.

I feel as if some further time spent with Joel and Ellie's relationship could have been very beneficial. The opportunity was right there after episode 8 but instead the finale is set after a timeskip! With two of the nine episodes this series essentially being filler, I don't really feel as if Joel and Ellie have really spent that much time together. In retrospect there is also a severe lack of infected in this series; episode 2 is the obligatory Clicker episode, and they never really come back afterwards save for one more scene, and the Bloater shows up for one measly scene.

I think 12 episodes would have been perfect, heck, 10 even just to make that finale really hit hard. I was shocked at how short the finale episode was, and it felt kind of rushed as a whole. Still a good series, overall, but why so short? We get about 6 episodes to develop our main character's relationship, and a lot of the dialogue is just from the game, but less of it. Personally, I don't think that's enough.

It's a great show and I loved it but the ending was way too short, I paused 15min before the end and said « no way they are going to end is in 15 minutes ! »...well, they did...all in all it's great but it lacks a lot of infected and clickers ! I mean we've seen only 2 clickers in the whole season...

Of course it makes me wanna buy the remaster for ps5 and do the game again but I'm afraid I will consider this 9 episodes show even shorter than I feel it is now.

Season 2, if it's based only on the second game got to be at least 18 episodes, there is so much to show I cannot believe they'll make it so short again, would be very disappointing.

This is my only big gripe with the show. Why was this episode the shortest out of all of them if I recall correctly?

It felt like they just wanted to get to the point quickly and be done with it. There's only one other major scene that happens in this episode other than the big finale thing that happens. I actually thought I missed an episode while watching it.

Rushing also hurts the storytelling and characterization which this show overall is rushed heavily.

Nevertheless, this finale was great and everything worked out really well to deliver a really well-made episode.

The thing that happens in this finale changes Joel as a character (to an extent since we already know what he's capable of), and it definitely changes the dynamic of his relationship with Ellie, and there will be consequences. I just hope it's not really the same as what they did in the second game. Or at least change the way they're gonna tell that story.

The music and the decisions of the showrunners and the director on how to shoot some scenes, especially the most important one, and how to use music and editing is really great and makes this finale a lot better.

Overall it was a really good finale and I enjoyed it for what it was, but unfortunately, the rushed storytelling hurts this show and especially this finale and it's way better to binge the whole show than to have watched it weekly.

An incredible ending to a fantastic series, but why is it so short? In the very basics of Filmmaking, we're taught to have a rising action, climax, and falling action. But as a result of the tiny 43 minute runtime, this very basic framework feels rushed over. The climax of the episode isn't fully developed. And what should have been the payoff for the full series felt insignificant to what the previous episode did better. The choice to gloss over the action sequence was a poor choice as it would've shown the passion, significance, and tension. The dialogues are never given full time to marinate and we never see the emotions that the actors seemingly gave during production. Overall, the writing and acting are still incredible and what you expect. But it seems like a lot of the episode's problems stem from the editing and their decision to make this episode, the FINALE, to be the shortest episode of the series.

Brace yourselves, dear viewers, for this episode will undoubtedly spark heated debates among fans. Some will love it, while others will loathe it-much like the game itself.

The Last of Us ends with a masterful coup de grâce, cementing this adaptation's place in the pantheon of prestige television.

It is sombre and dark yet replete with emotions that run deep. Joel, at long last, becomes a man of action. Whether his actions are morally defensible, however, is a subject of endless debate.

Staying true to the game, this episode does not falter in its execution, boasting a master-stroke opening that sets the stage for a gripping narrative to unfold. The strategic use of a flashback adds layers of complexity to already richly-wrought characters, serving as a catalyst for some of the most poignant dialogue between Joel and Ellie to date-dialogue sure to leave the audience teary-eyed.

The action is far from glorified, leaving viewers in a state of visceral shock and awe. The last couple of episodes have served to do some fantastic work for Joel, and this episode is the proverbial cherry on top, truly a beautiful and profound culmination of his character arc. Indeed, the show is a thing of beauty, but beauty that is shrouded in darkness.

Were a flaw to be ascribed, it would be that of brevity. At a mere 40 minutes, the finale feels curtailed. The absence of the Cordyceps is understandable, given the laser-focused narrative, though it marks a deviation from the source material.

By turns harrowing and humane, towering and intimate, this finale buries its hooks deeply in the viewer, capping off a brilliant maiden season. Love it or loathe it, impassioned discourse will assuredly abound in the wake of this uncompromising conclusion to the first chapter of The Last of Us.

Rating: 8.5/10 (Great)