HBO: The Last of Us

[spike]

glad to see everyone catching on that this a mid af show

[spike]

Feels like this show hasn’t had clickers for several eps now. Leaning too hard into the people are the real threat trope.

[Jorge]

forcing the seemingly standard 10 limit on it.

This season will be 9 episodes. Sunday is the finale

[Bi_3]

forcing the seemingly standard 10 limit on it.

This season will be 9 episodes. Sunday is the finale

Never mind the point about rushing then.

[Coach]

If they do a crossover episode with Mandalorian that would be interesting.

Storm Troopers vs. zombies. In.

[Bi_3]

If they do a crossover episode with Mandalorian that would be interesting.

Storm Troopers vs. zombies. In.

No chance of a hit there

[Coach]

If they do a crossover episode with Mandalorian that would be interesting.

Storm Troopers vs. zombies. In.

No chance of a hit there

But they could save $$ because Pascal plays both Joel and Mando.

[Higgs]

I watched the first 30 minutes of Ep 1 a few weeks ago and couldn't handle it - had to stop as I was so over all the full on action and speed of the opening set up of the zombie apocalypse and military interactions etc.

I went back to it last week and it turns out I stopped Ep 1 just before they went "20 years later" and kind of slowed the pace of the show down. I finished Ep 1 and 2 and they were good, but Episode 3 with the gay prepper was just awesome tv imo. Loved everything about it.

Gonna catch up over the weekend I think.

[Peeps]

Jesus. I know it’s acting but the last 5 minutes was tough to watch

[wease]

Jesus. I know it’s acting but the last 5 minutes was tough to watch

Yeah. It also confirmed my suspicions about Preacher-man and that girl that lost her dad. The part where Joel finds their curing room was next level fucked up. I had actually just read up on the Donner Party last week so that was the first thing my mind went to. They probably all ate her dad. Or he was hanging there in the cute house.

[Monkey_Driven]

Loved the finale.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Malloy]

gregariousness as desperation really fucked me up. good ep.

[Monkey_Driven]

Loved the finale.

Same.

Spoiler: show

what did you think of the flashback intro?

It made me pretty emotional to have Ashley Johnson play that character. So many hours with that voice and energy. Gave context to the sacrifice Marlene was making as well.

[Ensign9]

Man, that felt incredibly rushed. They hit all the key moments from the game but they went through everything so fast that it doesn’t really give you time to digest the gravity of Joel’s choice and let some of the other character beats breathe. Moreover, this might’ve been one of the best times this season to insert another infected encounter (as happens in the game) to more slowly build tension as they head toward the hospital.

They also more clearly spell out a plot point that was left more vague in the game. I didn’t like that and it’s been a recurring thing all season. The game is a whole lotta grey morality-wise and they’ve taken some of that away from the show in the name of giving us more clear cut good and evil.

Ultimately, the best moments of the season were those not featured in the game, and that’s kept it from being truly great.

I think they’ve got the right crew doing the show but seasons 2 and 3, like Part II, are gonna be a high-wire act to pull off and I hope they give themselves room enough to deviate when necessary and not rush through the critical moments from the game.

Great to see Ashley Johnson as Anna. She was terrific. Kinda stunning how much she and Bella look alike.

Spoiler: show

Abby’s voice actor was apparently one of the nurses in the operating room.

[Jorge]

I've never played the game, but to me the finale (like much of the show) felt abridged and abrupt. I like both actors but Joel and Ellie do not feel like a developed pair at this point and I'm supposed to care about Joel making that stupid, stupid decision because he loves her so much. It did not register as poignant, as it was clearly supposed to, but as hollow. It was fun seeing Joel go on a berserker rage but the fact that I kept thinking of so many obvious ways this outcome could've been avoided made it all feel cheap.

[Ello Sailor]

I like both actors but Joel and Ellie do not feel like a developed pair at this point

Interesting. I feel like they've put a lot of work into illustrating that they're both deeply traumatized and (understandably) cagey. Progress is going to feel slow. Joel sees his daughter in Ellie (who could've seen that coming?) and is selfishly enacting an opportunity to succeed in his second chance at guardianship. He's basically an insane person at this point. What's hollow about that? What's missing?

[wease]

Was that the same way the game ended?

I thought it was a perfect finale.

Spoiler: show

Joel clutching this unexpected second chance at fatherhood and deciding it’s not going to be taken away from him like last time. Ellie needing someone (not necessarily a father, but someone) so badly she’s willing to go along with the lie he told her. Very emotional.

This season ultimately felt like a setup for something bigger that’s coming. Building bonds. Severing others. Don’t know what happened in Part 2 of the game but I’m excited to learn via this program.

[Bi_3]

Really good episode. The recurrent theme of coping with loss through attempting violent control of your world was very forward in the story and so the end was clear about 10 minutes in but still griping at many points. The time spent with Ellie and Joel walking through the city was well done and IMHO illustrated Joel's shift from protective to obsessive in a believable manner. The "It wasn't time that did it" line hit hard.

For me the birthing scene was the low point, it made it very confusing about how the characters got from that moment to the present and how they made the leap about Ellie's immunity. Or maybe:

(question about a plot point from last night, not a real spoiler)

Spoiler: show

Would they not attempt to recreate Ellie by infecting babies if they had evidence that was the answer?

Perhaps that was left for Season 2.

They also more clearly spell out a plot point that was left more vague in the game. I didn’t like that and it’s been a recurring thing all season. The game is a whole lotta grey morality-wise and they’ve taken some of that away from the show in the name of giving us more clear cut good and evil.

I feel like this is a pretty common issue in TV now but it's a reflection of society's ideological shift.

[McParadigm]

They also more clearly spell out a plot point that was left more vague in the game. I didn’t like that and it’s been a recurring thing all season. The game is a whole lotta grey morality-wise and they’ve taken some of that away from the show in the name of giving us more clear cut good and evil.

I am constantly struck during this show by how much more respect and confidence the game seemed to have for its audience. A lot of tiny decisions being made here that demonstrate a lack of faith in people’s ability to understand a subtlety or consider an ambiguity.

The game is a superior delivery of and a smarter version of the story. I don’t miss the sometimes-horrific violence of it, though.