I’d agree with this. Good episode and a bit of a world builder. But I didn’t come away thinking anything remotely close to best tv episode ever. I thought it was weird they jumped from the raiders attacking to 10(?) years later. Would have liked to see that play out a bit more.
But we've seen that played out it TV, movies and comics, etc a bunch of times.
The change they made was risky, but incredible storytelling.
I agree it's not the best episode of TV ever but I can't think of another in recent memory (5ish years) that comes close.
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But we've seen that played out it TV, movies and comics, etc a bunch of times.
The change they made was risky, but incredible storytelling.
I agree it's not the best episode of TV ever but I can't think of another in recent memory (5ish years) that comes close.
I don’t even know if it was risky (but I agree with your sentiment overall). This episode better captured the essence of what makes the game so great and the heart behind it. A lot of the action exists to make the game a game instead of a visual novel. Having some pointless generic raider scene would be fine in a video game, but it would have added nothing to this episode.
It was a beautiful love story. It’s fine if people want more than that, but people expecting some extended pointless action set piece every episode are probably going to leave disappointed.
I think a big part of it was expectations - a zombie apocalypse show pulling off something with such emotional resonance and beautiful cinematography is pretty rare.
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Bill would have likely been happy living alone in the Apocalypse and you can tell that life has thrown Offerman more than a few lemons and he's made his peace with that and then his whole world gets turned upside down.
But, oddly, I find it also really helps expose the future motivations of Joel.
You're living in a Fascist and frightening post-apocalyptic world and you just walked into Paradise.
A home. With power, food, defenses, supplies, running water and where two of your friends lived a long and happy life for 20 years.
Thats a tough ask to give up.
Especially because Joel has never been 100% on board with the whole 'Deliver Ellie' plan. He only went along with it because it would give him the opportunity to get a battery and a vehicle to go and save his brother and because Tess pushed him.
It gives a lot more gravity to Tess' death.
Imagine what it takes to not just up and say: "F### it. I'm staying here where everything is awesome. I've given up everything, I've lost everything, I'm keeping this."
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RE: Zombie vs world show - that was the type of episode that The Walking Dead wished they could pull off but couldn't put together. I can just imagine it now with how super cheesy it would have come out with what's his face shouting COAAARL
The Last of Us - HBO Series [Spoilers after episodes have aired -- no game spoilers]
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RE: Zombie vs world show - that was the type of episode that The Walking Dead wished they could pull off but couldn't put together. I can just imagine it now with how super cheesy it would have come out with what's his face shouting COAAARL
While Walking Dead could be garbage 96% of the time, they could hit a home run once in a while, thinking about that one John C Carroll episode, and the one Governor episode that was reminiscent of The Road.
And people would inevitably bitch about “not enough zombies”.
This was better than any lame ass zombie #### they could have stuffed in there. How are people still entertained by zombies? lol
That's where my fascination still lies. I am most interested in how humanity finds a cure, so of course that includes a lot of zombie stuff. I think this was one of the main reasons I lost interest in TWD, as there was no progression in that aspect, and maybe I'll be left disappointed in this one too...maybe not.
if there's any nitpick at all with this episode I'd say it rode the cliche line on defiant, mouthy, precocious kid that makes dumb decisions in the face of constant danger. maybe it's been too soon since we last saw it on Obi Wan. but so far they've generally done a good job of reeling Ellie back in just as she's about to get too silly or annoying.
I had a feeling of dread watching that episode, waiting for Bill to #### everything up and for Frank to storm off like in the game. But instead they subvert expectations again and make some changes that are better than the source material. In the game Joel finds Bill alone, bitter and angry after Frank left and he became a warning to Joel of what not to become after losing Tess. The show flips that same lesson and instead Bill tells Joel what he needs to do from a positive perspective. In a world as dark and depressing as TLOU, I really enjoy that the writers can make some minor changes to inject a little more brightness into the story
Also Nick Offerman needs a goddamn Emmy after that performance
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Hot take - this episode was better than the ladder moving simulator that was the last of us videogame, and most of the series
I'm glad that they adapted it into an HBO quality series. I legitimately despised the mechanics of the game and gave up around what would be the end of episode 1 in the series, story-wise.
Always felt I missed out on a special story. Now I can enjoy it without all the tedious frustration.
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There are spoilers in the article here but they talk a little about here and in the podcast. Only if you don't resist/are already infected. You'll get bitten/torn to pieces otherwise like the guy on the first floor.
But man, those clickers were awesome. Totally nailed the soundscape for them too.
I was very curious about the kiss. My interpretation was that she was so overwhelmed by what was happening around her that she froze in the terror of the situation and knowing she is going to die immediately. Someone else I talked with thought she was already getting controlled by the fungus. I didn't see that but I can understand that interpretation.
Interesting to see the reactions here. I mean, I thought it was quite a good episode, but I didn't finish it thinking "that was one of the best shows I've ever seen".
I need time to process whether something was the best I have ever seen but in terms of a one off, one episode beginning to end story telling it was really fantastic in my opinion. So many shows rely on the compounding effect of getting to know characters over many many episodes and the story telling of multiple episodes or seasons. But to tell the beginning, middle and end of this story it was really well done.
To introduce a character at the beginning of an episode and have them die by the end is hard to pull off well. The walking dead tried to do this and in my opinion almost always fumbled these episode and made them feel like filler episodes. I don't know if these characters will appear in the show again (through flashbacks I assume) but I feel satisfied not seeing them again knowing their story is told.
I honestly didn't think this show with it's limited number of episodes would have an episode largely dedicated to a character that isn't Joel or Ellie. But it was worth it.
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The story was fantastic, the acting was subtle and realistic, the cinematography was great. It had tension and emotion that felt earned. It was a satisfying arc and essentially a wholly self contained story which informed the remainder of the show universe. It's definitely right up there for me as a one off episode. To develop that much emotional investment for a pair of characters in one episode is incredible storytelling and acting.
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I need time to process whether something was the best I have ever seen but in terms of a one off, one episode beginning to end story telling it was really fantastic in my opinion. So many shows rely on the compounding effect of getting to know characters over many many episodes and the story telling of multiple episodes or seasons. But to tell the beginning, middle and end of this story it was really well done.
To introduce a character at the beginning of an episode and have them die by the end is hard to pull off well. The walking dead tried to do this and in my opinion almost always fumbled these episode and made them feel like filler episodes. I don't know if these characters will appear in the show again (through flashbacks I assume) but I feel satisfied not seeing them again knowing their story is told.
I honestly didn't think this show with it's limited number of episodes would have an episode largely dedicated to a character that isn't Joel or Ellie. But it was worth it.
I see it as a quality episode of prestige TV and a great short story. I see the qualities of film making and the acting was phenomenal. Nick Offerman could well win an emmy for this episode. For TV and movies to be "best I've ever seen", they have to connect emotionally to people.
For myself, I am one of the minority that didn't like the game and Part II is just a storyline of seeing two-sides of hate and vengeance that was even worse for connecting with me in any way. I can still admire it though for understanding it's attempt to convey a message in an interesting narrative structure.
All these, combined with a general aversion/dislike to post-apoc/zombie genres, this show does not connect with me emotionally at all. I'm not satisfied by this show or the game to have it stick in my mind like it does with others. That's why I've said I am mostly watching this show for the film-making because they literally filmed on my street and inside my actual office for a month. My phone is full of overhead views of Episode 4 and photos of the cast and crew in my boardroom. I'm not sure I'd be interested in this show if they filmed it in BC or California.
I do appreciate the divergences they are making from the game. I kind of wish I had never played the games to begin with and I could enjoy this show for the mystery of where they are going out west and what is going to happen to Joel and Ellie.
Last edited by Hack&Lube; 01-30-2023 at 01:04 PM.
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A home. With power, food, defenses, supplies, running water and where two of your friends lived a long and happy life for 20 years.
Thats a tough ask to give up.
I don't think it is based on what we've seen of Joel in this show. He doesn't seem to have much fear or regard for his own life and didn't really think twice about going after Tommy when he had relative safety in the Boston QZ. I don't think he would even have considered staying and giving up on Tommy to be an option.
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The voice of Tess from the game, Annie Wershing, has died-
Really sad. Here's a video of Troy Baker (original voice of Joel) and Nolan North (original voice of Drake from the Uncharted series) playing the game with her and talking about their experience filming it - all gameplay is from the portion of the game shown in Episode 2 of the series.
Spoiler!
I was surprised that they didn't do a little tribute at the start, especially given that Tess was in this episode (albeit in scenes that didn't happen in the game). Maybe they just didn't have time and will do it next week.
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Someone else I talked with thought she was already getting controlled by the fungus. I didn't see that but I can understand that interpretation.
She was clearly already losing motor function, you can see her shaking even before the infected show up. If you recall the first episode, they have Ellie hold her hand steady in front of her because loss of that fine motor control is a symptom of infection. I think at the end, Tess was just focusing all her energy into trying to keep her hand in control enough to get that zippo to light.
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