The Last of Us Season 2: Finale, Joel Death, Season 3 News

The Last of Us Season 2 delivered its seventh and final episode “Convergence” on May 25, 2025, but the celebratory mood was tempered by a stark viewership collapse—from 8.2 million for the Season 1 finale down to 3.7 million. The season also witnessed Joel’s shocking death in Episode 2, a move that mirrored the game’s controversial narrative and triggered widespread audience backlash even as critics rewarded the series with a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Broadcast Period: April–May 2025 · Episodes: 7 · Viewership Drop: −18% hours watched · Runtime: 16% shorter for first 5 episodes vs Season 1 · Critic Consensus: Challenging expansion with superb performances

The viewership figures below show a dramatic decline from Season 1 to Season 2, with the final numbers representing a 55% drop from the Season 1 finale.

Is episode 7 the season finale of The Last of Us?

Yes, Episode 7, titled “Convergence,” serves as the seventh and final episode of The Last of Us Season 2. The episode was written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, and Craig Mazin, with direction by Nina Lopez-Corrado, and aired on HBO on May 25, 2025. It marks the conclusion of Ellie’s third day in Seattle as she, alongside Dina, attempts to kill Abby—a mission that becomes far more complicated when Jesse arrives seeking to regroup with Tommy.

Convergence episode summary

The episode delivers one of the season’s most devastating moments when Jesse opens a door after hearing Tommy struggling—and is killed by Abby. Jesse’s death carries particular weight given his earlier assertion that he cannot die, sensing his approaching fatherhood with Dina. The episode culminates in a confrontation where Ellie reveals to Abby that she killed Owen, Mel, and Nora, delivering the pointed line: “I let you live and you wasted it.” The ending crystallizes Ellie’s awareness of the revenge cycle that mirrors Joel’s own actions against the Fireflies.

The finale aired on Memorial Day weekend, which analysts noted represents a traditionally weak window for live television viewership—though the underlying audience erosion suggests structural factors beyond scheduling. According to coverage by Pajiba, the 3.7 million first-night viewers represented a 55% decline from the Season 1 finale’s 8.2 million.

Is season 3 of The Last of Us coming?

Season 3 of The Last of Us is in development, with casting announcements beginning in 2025. Reports indicate that Li Jun Li has been cast for the upcoming season, adding to the ensemble. The creative direction for Season 3 reportedly shifts toward Abby as a more central figure, a move that carries inherent risk given the audience’s documented resistance to the character following Joel’s death.

Li Jun Li casting news

Coverage from That Park Place documented the 2025 casting announcements, which represent the first concrete public confirmation of Season 3 progress beyond initial greenlighting. However, official HBO announcements regarding premiere dates and complete cast rosters have not yet been released.

Is season 2 of The Last of Us finished?

Yes, Season 2 of The Last of Us completed its full seven-episode run on HBO in May 2025. All episodes are available for streaming on the platform, allowing viewers to watch the complete season at their own pace. The broadcast period spanned April through May 2025, with the finale airing on May 25, 2025.

Broadcast completion

The season ran its complete course without interruption, delivering all planned episodes according to HBO’s schedule. For audiences joining mid-run or catching up, the entire season remains accessible—a factor that complicates the viewership decline narrative, since streaming viewership is not fully captured in the linear numbers reported.

The pattern of declining linear viewership—from the 5.3 million premiere to 3.7 million for the finale—reflects a broader trend in appointment television, though the steepness of the drop remains notable.

Why did Last of Us season 2 fail?

The phrase “failed” requires context: critically, Season 2 earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes critic score—essentially matching the game it adapts. Commercially and with audiences, the picture differs sharply. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 39%, down dramatically from Season 1’s 86%. Viewership declined roughly 55% between the Season 1 finale (8.2 million) and the Season 2 premiere (5.3 million), then fell further to 3.7 million for the Season 2 finale.

Ratings decline

The data from Pajiba shows a 21.2% decline in viewed minutes between Episode 2 and Episode 4 alone, with the finale drawing less than half the audience of the Season 1 closer. Episode 7 itself drew 701,000 linear viewers with a 0.16 rating in the 18-49 demographic—down from 652,000 the previous week.

Script criticisms

The divergence between critic and audience scores points to a specific tension: the creative team made choices that respected the game’s source material and challenged viewers narratively, but those same choices triggered backlash. The decision to kill Joel in Episode 2 rather than later in the season, the expanded focus on Abby, and alterations to Ellie’s characterization all drew criticism from audiences who felt the show betrayed characters they’d grown attached to during Season 1.

Why was Joel killed off?

Joel was killed off in The Last of Us Season 2 because his death is the central catalyst for the entire narrative of The Last of Us Part II, the Naughty Dog game that Season 2 adapts. The showrunners faced the same impossible choice the game’s creators did: to tell a story that subverts audience expectations, you must remove the character audiences most identify with. Joel dies at Abby’s hands in Episode 2, beaten with a golf club in front of Ellie, setting both women on collision courses that define the season.

Joel’s death in show

The show depicts Joel rescuing Abby from infected during a horde breach in Jackson—a decision that directly leads to his death. The scene differs from the game in execution: the show features a neck pierce moment, while the game shows a golf club striking his skull. Esquire documented how this divergence reflects the show’s willingness to adapt, not merely replicate, the source material.

Abby and her group are revealed to be ex-Fireflies, now operating as the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). The narrative justification for Joel’s death mirrors the game’s: Abby’s father was the surgeon the Fireflies intended to kill for Ellie’s immunity cure, and Joel’s intervention denied them that choice. The show maintains this core motivation while adapting the specific execution.

Impact on Last of Us 3

Joel’s death in Season 2 creates the structural foundation for whatever Season 3 builds. Without Joel alive, Ellie must navigate the consequences of his choices without him—psychologically, narratively, and thematically. The reported shift toward Abby as a central figure in Season 3 suggests the show will continue exploring the moral territory Joel’s death opens, even without his presence on screen.

Fan reaction to Joel’s death in the show mirrors the original game’s backlash: audiences who grew to love Joel during Season 1 or the first game felt betrayed by his killing. The creative decision to kill him early in Season 2 rather than later intensified that response, as viewers had to endure episodes watching Ellie process her grief before the show could move forward.

“I let you live and you wasted it.”

— Ellie, to Abby, in Convergence (YouTube Ending Explained)

“I can’t die.”

— Jesse, sensing his approaching fatherhood with Dina (YouTube Ending Explained)

The implications extend beyond any single viewer’s enjoyment. HBO invested substantially in The Last of Us as a prestige franchise, and Season 2’s audience erosion raises legitimate questions about the platform’s willingness to commit resources to a property whose most acclaimed creative decisions generate the strongest backlash. The divergence between the 92% critic score and 39% audience score tells a story about institutional versus viewer priorities that the showrunners will need to reconcile—or accept—if Season 3 moves forward as planned.

For HBO, the calculus is clear: either find a way to rebuild audience investment without backtracking on the game’s essential narrative, or accept a smaller but intensely engaged fanbase that rewards the creative ambition. The reported shift toward Abby suggests the platform is betting that the audience will eventually follow—but Season 2’s numbers offer no guarantees.

Related reading: Wolf Hall Season 2

The finale’s portrayal of Joel’s death divided fans, much as detailed in the Season 2 wrap and Season 3 updates amid declining ratings and HBO’s Season 3 announcements.

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