Showrunner Neil Druckmann believes that The Last of Us video game couldn’t possibly fit within a two- to three-hour film, which is why show co-creator Craig Mazin’s involvement was a blessing in disguise as the two collaborated on making The Last of Us TV show possible on HBO. While early episodes seem to fall between 50 to 60 minutes of runtime, HBO has recently revealed that The Last of Us finale episode is surprisingly the shortest.
HBO, via @Cryptic4KQual, revealed the runtimes for the last five episodes of The Last of Us Season 1 on Twitter. The source outlet is believed to have come from screeners released by the network (via The Direct). Check out the runtimes below:
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If you checked out the image, The Last of Us Episode 3, which featured the heartbreaking love story between Bill and Frank, has the longest episode runtime, and for good reason, as it not only brought fans to tears but also garnered a 22% increase in viewership improvement as compared to The Last of Us Episode 1 premiere. This runtime, however, contradicts the runtime for the finale episode, The Last of Us Episode 9 titled Look For The Light, which will reportedly run for only 43 minutes.
This is quite daunting to look at, seeing as season finales are most commonly used to reveal the biggest plot twists of the series, and in this case, the reason why The Last of Us would procure a The Last of Us Season 2. Incidentally, the finale episode will also be determining the future relationship between Joel and Ellie, in which things go a bit downhill from there on.
Despite being the shortest runtime, though, it is safe to say that The Last of Us has proven to make every minute count, making the finale episode all the more terrifying to watch once it releases on the streaming platform.
For now, The Last of Us Episode 5 is premiering this Friday on HBO Max.
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