Season 2 of HBO’s “The Last of Us” started off with a bang in the ratings — 938,000 linear viewers.
We thought the only place to go from there was up. We were wrong.
Episode 2 told the story. Over 300,000 viewers were bored or busy, putting the total at 643,000.
By the end of that episode, Pedro Pascal, the show’s star was out. His character, Joel, had a violent exit.
Since then, “The Last of Us” has found its groove at around 770,000 viewers. That’s good for cable and HBO, but it’s not the breakout we expected.
Without Pascal, the show is rudderless. It would be like Don Draper getting killed off before “Mad Men” second season, or Noah Wyle getting it now in “The Pitt.”
The producers say they’re staying true to a video game, which is ridiculous. They should have kept Joel alive until the end.
There are only three more episodes in this mini season. This past Sunday, the show looked like an episode of “The Walking Dead,” and it was dull. It’s always good to see Jeffrey Wright, but that’s not what we bought in the first season. Also, I’m waiting for Catherine O’Hara to tilt her head and get back in comedy form.
