The second season first episode of “The Last of Us” was a huge hit for HBO. Linear viewers on the cable channel came in at 983,000.
HBO was so happy it trumpeted 5 million with streaming. Big stuff.
This past Sunday was a different story. Star Pedro Pascal was killed off, beaten mercilessly to death. It was an unexpected move for viewers — like me — unfamiliar with the video game on which it was based.
Fans were not pleased. Linear viewers dropped by almost 300,000 for episode 2, to 643,000. Boom! Joel’s death was brutal. The producers could have easily saved Joel’s death, and gone their own way. It’s not like the video game was Shakespeare.
It’s hard to say what will happen now to the ratings. In weeks to come, Jeffrey Wright joins the show. There are some exciting things planned. And surprises. But “The Last of Us” may not survive the loss of Pascal. It’s as if the powers that be skipped to a fifth season when the show would be in retreat.
I guess the big question will come this Sunday: will fans settle for wrapping up a dead Joel’s story, and look to focus on other characters? I don’t get it. Joel was the central character. Couldn’t he have had a secret twin?
Stay tuned…
