It’s been a painful journey full of raiders, cannibalistic pastors, and Clickers, but we’ve finally arrived. This week marks the Season 1 finale of The Last of Us. As much as we’re going to miss Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), it’s going to be nice to feel happiness again.
The Last of Us marks another impressive win for HBO in the wake of The White Lotus and House of the Dragon. The horror drama from Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann started strong with a premiere that was watched by 4.7 million viewers linearly. Its viewership has only grown from there with the penultimate episode hitting 8.1 million viewers. This is all to say The Last of Us has been knocking it out of the park all season long. Now it’s time to see if it can bring it home one last time. Here’s everything you need about how to watch.
Forget the Oscars. The only award we care about is Best Dad, and it’s going to Joel Miller. This Sunday, March 12, marks the season finale of The Last of Us on HBO and HBO Max.
You’re in for a late night. The finale premieres on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday, March 12 at 9/8c p.m. Titled “Look for the Light,” this last installment was directed by Ali Abbasi, who also directed Episode 8 as well as the films Holy Spider and Border. It was written by series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
If that episode title sounds familiar, good work. You’re paying attention. In Episode 1, Joel found some graffiti that read, “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.” Not only does this phrase bookend the series, but it’s also a sign of what’s to come. That phrase is associated with the Fireflies, and in Episode 10, we finally get to meet them.
If you’re subscribed to HBO through your cable provider, the simplest way to watch live is through your TV. Make sure it’s set to HBO on or before 9/8c p.m. on Sunday, March 12, and you’re good to go. You can even watch live if you’re going to be away from your TV thanks to the HBO Max or HBO Go apps. Enter your cable username and password into one of these apps, and you can start watching from just about anywhere.
What about all the cord cutters out there? Say hello to HBO Max. The ad-supported plan costs $9.99 a month, and the ad-free plan costs $15.99 a month. No matter which one you choose, you’ll be able to watch live.
The preview for the finale doesn’t tease much, but boy is it tense. As maddeningly vague clips from the episode flash by, Ellie’s voiceover says “There’s no halfway with this. We finish what we started.” Make sure your tissues and Ben and Jerry’s are ready because life is about to get bleak. And no, we’re not talking about a potential Michelle Yeoh loss.
Fun fact: Mazin and Druckmann originally intended for Episode 1 to be two episodes. But after getting some notes from HBO, the duo decided to combine the episodes. Long story short? The Last of Us was originally designed to have a 10 episode first season, but life had other plans. So there are 9 episodes in Season 1 of The Last of Us.