However, The Last of Us season 1 managed to impress, with consistently high approval ratings and viewership. It also managed to adapt things very well from the game, with some shots mirroring the source material and no major story points being altered. That led to widespread acclaim from longtime and new fans alike, which is likely to continue in The Last of Us season 2 and beyond. There's a lot to live up to, though, given how great the episodes from season 1 were.
9Infected
Episode 2
"Infected" was in the challenging position of providing a lot of exposition and coming off the heels of an explosive premiere episode. However, it's an important slowdown in the grand scheme of things. This is where Joel, Tess, and the viewers first learn the exact reason they were tasked with transporting Ellie. Joel and Tess also have to teach Ellie and the audience more about Infected as they encounter her first Clickers and a horde.
Anna Torv delivers a great performance as Tess, but "Infected" rushes her belief in Ellie's immunity, so she can urge Joel to carry on the mission after she dies.
8"Kin"
Episode 6
Episode 6, "Kin," brings back Gabriel Luna's Tommy and introduces his wife, Maria. "Kin" is a much-needed break for the season, slowing things down and giving Joel and Ellie a chance to rest in the civilized city of Jackson. However, the episode may be just a bit too slow, and Joel's decisions in the episode, while understandable, are somewhat frustrating.
Joel convinces Tommy to take Ellie on the rest of her journey because he doesn't think he's up to the job anymore. Pedro Pascal shines in emotional scenes with Luna and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. It's an important beat in Joel's character development, but the audience already knows this is the story of Joel and Ellie, so him going with her at the end is inevitable, taking away some of the episode's tension.
7"Look For The Light"
Episode 9
The finale of The Last of Us wraps up the character arcs of Joel and Ellie, but it falls a little flat compared to other episodes. The decision to make Joel's rampage through the hospital subdued and quiet reflects his emotional state better than a bombastic shoot-out, but it does mean the episode lacks real action and mostly just moves from one talking scene to the next.
The final clash between Joel and Marlene is also frustrating. Though Marlene is right that Ellie would probably decide to die for a cure, she is still taking away Ellie's consent and body autonomy just as much as Joel, making it harder to see her point of view. In the original video game, Ellie is unconscious from almost drowning when the Fireflies rescue her and Joel—meaning there is no chance to ask her permission before rushing her to surgery.
6"Please Hold To My Hand"
Episode 4
With most video games like The Last of Us, you'll come across "mini-bosses." These are antagonists who aren't the main conflict of the overarching story or even the infected seen throughout the show but someone or something who stands in the way of the protagonists for a short time. That was the case in the show with Kathleen, portrayed expertly by Melanie Lynskey. This marks her first of two episodes and her unhinged nature and leadership skills make her a dangerous foe.
It's the first full episode of just Joel and Ellie, as Tess died at the end of episode 2 and episode 3 mostly focuses on two other characters.
While the follow-up episode is a bit better, there's a lot to like about "Please Hold to My Hand." For starters, it's the first full episode of just Joel and Ellie, as Tess died at the end of episode 2 and episode 3 mostly focuses on two other characters. The growth of their relationship here is crucial, from Joel eventually laughing at one of Ellie's stupid jokes to Joel showing her the proper way to hold a gun.
5"When You're Lost In The Darkness"
Episode 1
The opening of The Last of Us game is iconic, so adapting it properly was important. If that scene didn't come across well, longtime fans might've turned away from the TV show. Thankfully, "When You're Lost in the Darkness" nailed it. Starting 20 years before the rest of the show takes place and following Joel's teen daughter, Sarah, the episode's first act is so well done. People who knew Sarah's fate from the game watched and waited for the big moment, while those who didn't know what to expect were heartbroken.
The outbreak slowly beginning in the background of an otherwise ordinary day made for tense viewing from the very beginning. Seeing the outbreak through a teen girl's eyes makes it appropriately scary and confusing, punctuated by her untimely death, which is one of the most harrowing scenes in the entire series. The second half of the episode can't quite live up to this but the opening scene is special enough to stand out.
The rest of "When You're Lost in the Darkness" is a little more plagued by less interesting exposition and set-up.
The rest of "When You're Lost in the Darkness" is a little more plagued by less interesting exposition and set-up. But the choice to show the initial outbreak and then jump to 20 years later creates a stark contrast between the life Joel knew and the life he now lives. It's a good way of showing his character and setting up his arc.
4"Left Behind"
Episode 7
"Left Behind" adapts a DLC addition to the original game, explaining more of Ellie's life before she met Joel. The TV adaptation gives Bella Ramsey room to show off their acting chops alongside guest star Storm Reid as Riley. The show provided foreshadowing to this episode when Ellie left a hint that she had to kill someone before she met Joel, with this episode depicting what happened.
It's aesthetically interesting, with the mall setting offering a different visual from the rest of the show's usual dilapidated buildings and forests.
Reid and Ramsey displayed stellar chemistry, with Reid being another incredible guest star. This episode tells a great standalone story but it also helps set the stage for the future. The events of "Left Behind" are the driving force behind why Ellie would've done what she could to help provide the world with a vaccine and why she's so upset with Joel for lying to her about the events of the finale.
3"Endure And Survive"
Episode 5
"Endure and Survive" is the superior of the two Kansas City episodes. It brings in Henry and Sam as the perfect allies to Joel and Ellie—paralleling their relationship in many ways. The opening sequence following them and how they eventually meet Joel and Ellie was masterfully done. The audience also learned how Henry and Sam parallel Kathleen and her late brother, who was killed by F.E.D.R.A. after Henry turned him in. The explanation makes Kathleen one of The Last of Us' most sympathetic but simultaneously horrifying villains.
The second half of this episode is spectacular, from the terrifying horde of infected to the lone appearance in the show of a Bloater to Joel trying to protect Ellie with a sniper rifle, the entire scene is intense. Once back to safety, though, the episode becomes tragic as an infected Sam attacks Ellie and Henry has to put him down before shooting himself out of grief. It's another mark of the harrowing things Ellie sees throughout this journey.
2"When We Are In Need"
Episode 8
Another episode highlighting Ellie, episode 8, "When We Are in Need," is the real climax of The Last of Us season 1. If Joel and Ellie's relationship wasn't already solidified at this point, this episode ensured they were bonded. Though Joel barely appears in the episode, he kills several men to get to Ellie, foreshadowing what he ultimately does in the finale. And calling her "baby girl" at the end brings him full circle from Sarah.
It's also important that Joel didn't rescue Ellie. She had to fend for herself and killed David, adding more trauma to her long list. Being able to do that though proved that she could survive without Joel in tough situations, which is pivotal for the future of the series. "When We Are in Need" shows that the true horror of the world in The Last of Us is not the cordyceps but the people.
1"Long, Long Time"
Episode 3
"Long, Long Time" diverged from usual post-apocalyptic media and set a precedent for the rest of the season. If "When We Are in Need" shows the horrors of humanity, "Long, Long Time" highlights the beauty. The episode is the biggest and most effective departure from The Last of Us video game, turning Frank into a fully-fledged character and giving him a romance with hardened survivalist Bill. "Long, Long Time" is almost a standalone movie in its story, and it's hard to believe it packs years of Bill and Frank's lives into only an hour of television.
Bill and Frank live a better life than they might have if the apocalypse hadn't happened.
The few detractors of the episode felt that this installment doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme because Bill and Frank die before Joel and Ellie reach them. However, it's pivotal because their love story shows Joel what matters most, pushing him forward on his quest with Ellie and fueling his character arc in The Last of Us season 1. On top of that, Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman both earned Emmy nominations for this episode, with Offerman winning.
