The Last of Us: Final Episode Breaks Records Overseas

The highly acclaimed TV show about an apocalyptic future in which fungi have taken control of human bodies and turns them into zombies(a feat that for now only happens in other nature-born organisms) has skyrocketed audiences throughout its 9 episodes.

Most notably, however, the season finale, which contains a dramatic turn of events for characters Joel, the father figure to Ellie, a human immune to the fungi in question, called "cordyceps", has broken records overseas as the highest-viewed finale for a US show in the UK TV channel, Sky. Reports show 8.2 million viewers tuning in to the debut live on HBO and HBO Max as well.

The last episode on Sky gathered over 1.2 million people, and received over 3 million views overall. House of the Dragon, the previous record-holder, was subsequently surpassed.

With acting powerhouses Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who have been both praised for their performances on Game of Thrones and other works, the show quickly rose to the top of the TV show ratings. Episodes such as episode 3 have been acclaimed as groundbreaking for a "zombie apocalypse story".

The story focuses on the human aspects that are left after such a story unfolds, concentrating on individual stories as well as worldwide reactions to the cordyceps fungi. Its unique outlook into the character's point of view has been received as touching and reflexive by audiences. The season finale brings viewers to Joel's dilemma as he has to face the fate of the world against the attachment he feels towards Ellie.

A season 2 has already been confirmed to be in the works, following the game's "Part II". There is possibility for multiple seasons, as the story of this duo goes through a time jump and is relatively open for writers and producers to decide on. Though time jumps usually mean recasts for actors, The Last of Us producers have been pretty keen on keeping their main actors.

Several cameos have been spotted in the season finale. Did you catch them all?