The Last of Us: Every episode ranked worst to best
HBOWe have ranked every episode of The Last of Us, HBO’s acclaimed adaptation of the iconic video game and already one of the best TV shows of 2023.
People will cite the few successes of the genre (Detective Pikachu, Arcane, and those with really good taste will include Silent Hill), but The Last of Us feels like a turning point. It’s a big-budget, prestige adaptation of one of the most beloved games of the 21st century – and it’s incredible.
The show follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a cross-country trip across America, hoping to find a cure to the deadly fungal pandemic that’s reduced millions to mindless, monstrous killers.
Amazingly, there hasn’t been a single bad episode so far – nevertheless, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to rank them all from worst to best (aka, great to perfect).
Every episode of The Last of Us ranked
The Last of Us Season 1 came to an end with Episode 9 – so, below you’ll find a ranking of all the episodes from worst to best.
The Last of Us Episode 2: ‘Infected’
HBOIn the second episode of The Last of Us, Joel and Tess try to comprehend how Ellie could be immune from Cordyceps. While continuing their journey to the old Capitol building in Boston, hoping to find Fireflies who’ll take Ellie wherever she needs to go, they encounter Clickers.
In our review, we wrote: “A giddy episode for the players, and a terrifying experience for all, The Last of Us Episode 2 proves its first chapter wasn’t a one-off. Nobody is safe in the Cordyceps apocalypse, and it’s best we all accept this before reaching the heaviest hits.”
The Last of Us Episode 5: ‘Endure and Survive’
HBOIn Episode 5, Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam work together to escape Kansas City, while Kathleen’s Hunters ramp up their efforts to find them. They end up in the suburbs, where a terrifying brawl unfolds with Clickers, Runners, and a Bloater.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 5 undercuts the threat of its horrors with spectacle, before delivering the crushing, cruel coda of Henry and Sam even more effectively than the game; a nightmare born anew and relived.”
The Last of Us Episode 7: ‘Left Behind’
HBOEpisode 7 is primarily set three weeks before Ellie met Joel, following her final night with her best friend Riley as they explore an abandoned mall. It’s a direct adaptation of the game’s Left Behind DLC.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 7 is a moving, faithful adaptation of Ellie’s devastating backstory; success can be found in deviation, but why change perfection?”
The Last of Us Episode 4: ‘Please Hold My Hand’
HBOEpisode 4 takes place after the heartbreak of Bill and Frank, with Joel and Ellie setting off to find his brother in Wyoming. They’re forced to take a detour through Kansas City, where they’re ambushed by Hunters and end up coming face-to-face with Henry and Sam – and their guns.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 4 is the best we’ve seen from Joel and Ellie; bickerers, partners, and soon enough, family. Their laughs together mean so much already, but the show is steadily mounting a plan to break our hearts in more ways than one. You will scream when the credits roll.”
The Last of Us Episode 6: ‘Kin’
HBOIn Episode 6, three months after the horror of Henry and Sam, Joel and Ellie finally make it to Wyoming. After reuniting with Tommy, they confront their anxieties about how much they care about each other, before riding off to find the Fireflies in Colorado.
In our review, we wrote: “Pascal and Ramsey finally take the spotlight as Joel and Ellie in an emotionally charged, pivotal chapter of The Last of Us story. The cliffhanger will have you screaming at the TV, but we’ll say this: be careful what you wish for.”
The Last of Us Episode 9: ‘Look For The Light’
HBOIn Episode 9, Joel and Ellie finally make it to Salt Lake City, where they reunite with Marlene at the Fireflies hospital. Plans to develop a vaccine from Ellie’s immunity quickly get underway – but it’ll come with a price.
In our review, we wrote: “Don’t expect an easy, heartwarming coda from The Last of Us finale, nor should you hold any venom for the story’s bleak turn: in a story all about love lost and found in a hopeless place, this was the only way. “
The Last of Us Episode 1: ‘When You’re Lost in the Darkness’
HBOThe first episode of The Last of Us begins in the ’60s, where we learn about Cordyceps, before flashing forward to 2003, where Joel and his daughter Sarah try to escape Texas on Outbreak Day. Twenty years later, Joel and his partner Tess agree to take Ellie to the Fireflies.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 1 achieves the impossible: adapting one of the greatest – if not the greatest – video games of all time with respect, flair, and reaching heartbreaking greatness.”
The Last of Us Episode 8: ‘When We Are In Need’
HBOEpisode 8 follows Ellie’s traumatic encounter with David, the preacher and leader of a nearby community that has been forced to take desperate measures when faced with starvation in a tough winter.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 8 is a total knockout, bringing the game’s scariest villain to life with a complex, brilliant performance by Scott Shepherd and Bella Ramsey at the peak of her powers.”
The Last of Us Episode 3: ‘Long Long Time’
HBOWhile picking up with Joel and Ellie, Episode 3 mostly revolves around the love story of Bill and Frank, a survivalist and survivor who find each other by chance and end up living out the rest of their life together.
In our review, we wrote: “The Last of Us Episode 3 belongs in the same untouchable echelon as Ozymandias and Pine Barrens; it’s one of the greatest episodes ever committed to television, and pop culture history will honor it as such.”
The Last of Us Season 1 is now available to stream in its entirety. You can check out the rest of our coverage here and find out more about Season 2 here.
