Fans of HBO's latest series The Last of Us are calling Sunday night's episode the best hour of TV they've ever seen.
The post-apocalyptic show - which is based on a video game of the same name - has captured the attention of audiences around the globe for its portrayal of characters' lives following a global pandemic that wiped out much of the population.
Obviously, the fantastic casting has been praised by viewers - especially the casting of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who both appeared in Game of Thrones.
In the series, Ramsey portrays Ellie, a teenager who is believed to have immunity from the fungal virus responsible for the decline in the human population, and Pascal depicts Joel, a smuggler who is trying to get her across America.
Check out the trailer for The Last of Us:So far, The Last of Us has been commended for its portrayal of a gay relationship in episode three - with viewers calling the episode one of the most "heartbreaking" hours of TV in recent years.
Spoilers ahead!In that episode, Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Bill (Nick Offerman) meet in the usual way during the apocalypse, with a gun being pointed and an incredible amount of suspicion. Deviating from the game storyline, the two men fall in love with each other, and we watch as they grow old, fight, paint, and drink wine in a world that has collapsed around them.
Life goes on and the episode concludes in a gut-wrenching way yet is oddly heartwarming as it shows that true love conquers all. It struck a chord with many who watched it, with one person tweeting: "The last of us writers were like 'hey joel needs a car. what if we write the most touching and heartbreaking hour of television in the world'."
If that wasn't enough, last weekend's episode has had an equally as enthusiastic reaction. It focused on the struggles survivors face as winter approaches, as well as a run-in with a preacher who's the head of a cannibal cult. In the final few moments of the episode, Joel takes on a fatherly role and comforts Ellie following some brutal slayings and traumatizing events.
Of course, fans jumped on to Twitter to voice their opinions, with one person writing: "The Last of Us episode 8 is straight up one of the best pieces of television I've ever watched. Bella Ramsey's performance is incredible."
"episode 8 of the last of us broke me. I can't breathe in the last ten minutes, are you f**king kidding me?! this is the best performance of bella ramsey so far. Idk what to say anymore aksbhssjah I need a minute [sic]," a further comment read.
Someone else chimed in: "This Last of Us episode is the best one and you know why."
"This episode of The Last of Us was probably the best by far, so f**king insane," another user tweeted.
With only a few more episodes to go, we don't think The Last of Us can get any better than this! I guess we will have to stay tuned...