This Monday, fans of The Last of Us began discovering episode 7 of season 2 of the series, the last that this salvo will see. We would have liked to say "and not the least" but it seems that viewers are rather disappointed with this finale. Official figures report not only a drop in overall audience, but also a decline in interest in the universe. This could spell disaster for the upcoming season 3.
The HBO channel, on which the episode was broadcast live, recorded more than 3.7 million simultaneous viewers in the United States. While this is remarkable, it is much less impressive than the first episode of season 2 which had gathered more than 5.3 million viewers. For comparison, the final episode of season 1 reached a record 8.2 million viewers on the same day.
The gap, which seems rather enormous, is partly explained by Memorial Day weekend. This is a national holiday that involves commemorations and therefore a drop in television audiences. HBO is therefore not letting these initial figures get the better of it and is anticipating a sharp increase in viewing figures in the following days. Indeed, the success of the series is also reflected in the figures from streaming platforms.
A disappointing episode?
But aside from the viewing figures, it's the reviews of episode 7 that are worrying. Indeed, fans seem less inclined to recommend this season finale, despite a huge cliffhanger. While players generally feel a lack of adaptation in this second season, it is the last episode that garners the worst impressions.
On Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 receives a critical rating of 89%, compared to 96% for the first season. Viewers are more divided: the audience score drops to around 71% for this second season, compared to 89% for the first. On iMDB, episode 7 receives the second lowest rating, with a low 6.7. Two points less than the previous chapter.
Viewers have no reason to worry, however. Already renewed for a third season – and even planned for a fourth season – The Last of Us is part of a long-term narrative ambition, assumed by showrunner Craig Mazin. The second game hasn't said its last word, and we're already expecting a huge twist in the third season of the series. Let's hope the audience is there even after this slight disappointment.
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