The first season of HBO’s adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us aired its penultimate episode this past Sunday titled When We Are in Need. The entire episode encapsulated everything fans have come to love about the show – the value of love, tenderness, and security in having one who would, no matter the cost, stand by you. It is no surprise that the show’s eighth episode has now delivered the series’ highest viewership so far this season with 8.1 million viewers on Sunday night.
For the early episodes of its run-on air, The Last of Us consistently pulled off improving viewership numbers. Before the arrival of the latest episode, the crown for the most viewed episode went to Episode 4, Please Hold My Hand, with its release seeing a 17% increase in viewership from the previous episode as 7.5 million viewed the episode, despite airing the same night as the 65th Grammys. Ahead of the season finale next week, Episode 8 has now delivered a 74% increase from the show’s premiere in mid-January which drew an audience of 4.7 million people and went on to become HBO’s second-most watched debut in over a decade. Nielsen and first-party data are the basis for viewing.
A series that many have described as the benchmark of how to make an adaptation, The Last of Us has continued to rule the charts at HBO Max remaining the top title overall for eight consecutive weeks. Could it make it nine in a row come Sunday? Across all platforms, the series boasts viewership numbers approaching 30 million over its first five episodes.
Episode 8 Also Set the Benchmark for Storytelling
"When We Are in Need" showed some of the best acting we have seen from Bella Ramsey who portrays Ellie. In a performance that showed resilience and discipline that created intense suspense and connection for everyone watching, the actress simply excelled. The episode also revealed perhaps, the moment when Joel (Pedro Pascal) finally accepts the emotional bond that he has cultivated with our female protagonist as her adoptive father. It simply is an outpouring of a cumulation of previously suppressed and ignored feelings coming out under the pressure of living in an apocalyptic world. With the season finale airing this Sunday, we get to see how this journey ends. At least for now.
The Last of Us season finale airs on Sunday, March 12 on HBO. Watch the finale preview below: