Pedro Pascal still hasn’t watched ‘The Last of Us’ finale, but wait, he might have a valid point

HBO’s The Last of Us finale is arguably one of the best hours of television in recent memory, but despite this monumental achievement, Pedro Pascal has yet to see the result of his hard work on the live-action adaptation that should’ve failed but exceeded all expectations — against all odds.

In many ways, The Last of Us as a whole was building up to that climax from the first moment it introduced us to Joel. That arduous journey through the wasteland of the United States would have amounted to nothing if the finale didn’t deliver that emotional punch.

While “Look for the Light” did all that and then some, it seems Pedro Pascal hasn’t sat down to watch it yet. The reason doesn’t have anything to do with Joel’s rampage or the fact that you can’t get through the one-hour spectacle without ugly crying. In a chat with Variety, Pascal has explained that The Last of Us still feels too real for him, and it’d “hurt too much” to simply sit down and watch it to the end.

“I saw it all up until then. I haven’t done anything for that amount of time before, so my attachment to the experience is strange. As a guy who’s pushing 50, to feel this very innocent, semi-angry, emotional attachment to an experience that’s over. It continues, but there will never be another meeting Bella for the first time, working with Craig, with the entire crew, with my friend Coco, who did my hair, and the whole family experience of it. I think it was like falling in love, and at the point where you’re like, ‘I don’t fall in love.’ You know? Because it hurts too much.”

“It hurts too much” actually perfectly encapsulates our feelings about The Last of Us. This should be the story’s motto from now on, whether in television or video game form. At the same time, we totally understand why Pedro would feel so attached to the role, given what he has to endure throughout the rest of this story. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves and, worse — getting into spoiler territory for The Last of Us Part II.

All you need to know for now is that The Last of Us will continue to come out with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey heading it as the two lead protagonists and that the second season is expected to arrive sometime in 2025.