Last of Us (HBO Max)

[Chaplin]

Another great character episode. Suspense is way up there.

This is coming from a non gamer.

 

[Covert Rain]

Another great character episode. Suspense is way up there.

This is coming from a non gamer.

They nailed the mall episode.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

You are entitled to your opinion. It's all good.

I have watched every alien body snatcher and zombie show there is. This one blows them all away. So much so, my wife who HATES all of the zombie type shows is watching every episode with me. I am shocked. My kids are shocked. I think she is even shocked she likes it so much. I never thought I would see the day she watches one of these shows with me. Here we are.

Because of it, I keep checking to see if a real apocalypse is upon us and side-eying the mushrooms in my fridge.

I’m presently watching this, mid-season 4 in The Walking Dead, and watching Resident. So TV thy name is zombie apocalypse in mi casa. I’m enjoying them all. But The Last of Us is the best of em.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Another great character episode. Suspense is way up there.

This is coming from a non gamer.

I am also not a gamer. So much so, in fact, that I never recall even hearing about The Last of Us before this came out.

 

[Stout]

First kind of meh episode from me. Really lost the sense of immediacy and kind of made me upset at the predictable ending/"it's going to be okay" moment. Really felt like they burned their allotment of whole episode backstory already this season. The backstory was good, but had a whole "oh, this again" feeling.

Oh well. All series have episodes you don't necessarily care for. Bring on next week.

 

[Zalixar]

Pacing is a bit off from the game. I believe you switch back and forth between the mall (past) and the present day that increases the sense of urgency, rather than just a full backstory right after a huge event (Joel getting injured). But I can see how it wouldn't work for TV. Games are unique in their storytelling.

 

[Stout]

Pacing is a bit off from the game. I believe you switch back and forth between the mall (past) and the present day that increases the sense of urgency, rather than just a full backstory right after a huge event (Joel getting injured). But I can see how it wouldn't work for TV. Games are unique in their storytelling.

Yeah, like, the content was good, but man, the writers already used up the full episode flashback cache with episode 3. Another one--especially a really dumb false cliffhanger one--was a bad idea.

 

[UncleChris]

Both the wife and I nearly fell asleep on this episode, especially the whole, dragged out mall sequence. It simply felt like filler as it was: It could have been cut by 50%.

We also felt it was a crappy way to end the season.

 

[SpokaneCardfan]

Both the wife and I nearly fell asleep on this episode, especially the whole, dragged out mall sequence. It simply felt like filler as it was: It could have been cut by 50%.

We also felt it was a crappy way to end the season.

There are 9 episodes this season. We have 2 more episodes!

 

[UncleChris]

There are 9 episodes this season. We have 2 more episodes!

Whoops!!!! I stand correctd. Thanks, partner!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

First kind of meh episode from me. Really lost the sense of immediacy and kind of made me upset at the predictable ending/"it's going to be okay" moment. Really felt like they burned their allotment of whole episode backstory already this season. The backstory was good, but had a whole "oh, this again" feeling.

Oh well. All series have episodes you don't necessarily care for. Bring on next week.

I agree. This was the first episode that I thought didn’t move the story. We kinda already knew her backstory (she was an orphan, part of the bad guys, she got bit, Fireflies found her), so it neither moved the story forward nor more fully fleshed out anything needed to know about her in order to set up more of the story or have value as world setting. I wasn’t turned off by it, but neither did I find it of value.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Pacing is a bit off from the game. I believe you switch back and forth between the mall (past) and the present day that increases the sense of urgency, rather than just a full backstory right after a huge event (Joel getting injured). But I can see how it wouldn't work for TV. Games are unique in their storytelling.

Every time I am reminded this is a video game I struggle with understanding how the storytelling worked with it. I’m surprised when the knowledgeable posters make comments like “the mall scene was spot on.” But for y’all, that’s pretty cool.

 

[Chaplin]

I agree. This was the first episode that I thought didn’t move the story. We kinda already knew her backstory (she was an orphan, part of the bad guys, she got bit, Fireflies found her), so it neither moved the story forward nor more fully fleshed out anything needed to know about her in order to set up more of the story or have value as world setting. I wasn’t turned off by it, but neither did I find it of value.

It was more than just a flashback though. It basically explained her motivation to ignore Joel and try to save him. She had to power to do so, when previously she did not, so she made the decision to try.

 

[Covert Rain]

So this episode in the video game was an Expansion to the original game but serves a specific purpose. It relates to the present. That's all I am going to say. The timing of this is slightly different than the game but similar concept.

 

[Zalixar]

Every time I am reminded this is a video game I struggle with understanding how the storytelling worked with it. I’m surprised when the knowledgeable posters make comments like “the mall scene was spot on.” But for y’all, that’s pretty cool.

It's been awhile since I've played it, but a lot of things are pretty close to the game overall. Story is much more in depth in the game of course. Episode 3 is really the only thing that's "not in the game," as that's more of just a snippet you kind of read rather than a full story you see. Surprised they went with 2/9 episodes like this.

 

[Devilmaycare]

Every time I am reminded this is a video game I struggle with understanding how the storytelling worked with it. I’m surprised when the knowledgeable posters make comments like “the mall scene was spot on.” But for y’all, that’s pretty cool.

Since you're not a gamer you haven't seen it but there's some great story telling in games now. It gets weaved into the game play by different game mechanics. They're almost like an interactive movie at times.

For this show "game player" is having the same feel to me as "book reader" when it comes to something like GoT, LotR, etc. I'm sitting back with a bucket of popcorn waiting for some the big events to unfold to see the non-gamer reactions to them.

 

[Finito]

Every time I am reminded this is a video game I struggle with understanding how the storytelling worked with it. I’m surprised when the knowledgeable posters make comments like “the mall scene was spot on.” But for y’all, that’s pretty cool.

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Video games have gotten insane. I don’t play them anymore because I don’t have the time to finish a game these days

 

[carrrnuttt]

This episode is sort of a bridge episode where we get to see how Ellie got her bite and why she will never give up on her friends and why she will always fight (foreshadowing).

The next episode is going to be a bit bonkers, I can already tell.

 

[Shane]

Wife and I just finished episode 3 and we're both, "meh.... it's okay and it wont be work to finish the series, but simply don't agree with the raves virtually everyone here has posted.

I'll start off by saying that we know absolutely nothing about the game. While based upon the game, it shouldn't be a requirement to fully "get" what is happening and why. We both noted that the show seems to be a hybrid among, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Donald Southerland version)," "Walking Dead," with a dash of "Outbreak" thrown in. We've got the ever present "The Federal Government, as always, are the big bad guys having screwed everything up," and the collection of militant super-folks who rise to the occasion and will save us all. We have gasoline that still burns after sitting in the tank for 10 years, scary people popping up in the dark and exploding heads.

Now all that doesn't mean it's bad, but it all seems rather common. We like the actor who plays Joel, but find Ellie singularly unlikeable, and a stereotype for a mouthy young teen. What we really found weird was the extended love story between Frank and Bill. We both thought that I had bumped the channel changer and we were watching a different show. Now, that being said, we really liked the Frank/Bill love story, better than any other part of the series so far. It was sweet and told a beautiful story of its own. But it felt awkward and misplaced in the series.

Production values are good, but the writing, so far anyway, is simply not original or even much of a deviation from much of what has gone before in cinema. 3.5 out of 5 stars for us both.

Just our humble opinions.

Im actually with you. I just finished episode 6 and still wondering what the HUGE rave is about.

This show is the epitome of just mehhh…. It’s good enough to keep watching but just barely. The acting is ok. The story is nothing spectacular or new. It’s certainly not a fresh approach to anything imo.

This is an entirely been there done that. I mean cool they followed the story line for the game. But all in all it’s just barely above mediocre TV.

I also think Nico Parker should have flipped with Bella Ramsey as Ellie. She fits the bill much better imo. Bella Ramsey is just hard for me to buy as Ellie who was a bad ass in the game. She was great in her GOT role but here is very very blahhhhh……

 

[Ronin]

That episode.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

It was more than just a flashback though. It basically explained her motivation to ignore Joel and try to save him. She had to power to do so, when previously she did not, so she made the decision to try.

I guess I figured being lost in nowhereville with your only friend dying would’ve been motivation enough that the other friend dying wouldnt have been necessary to drive that narrative.

 

[Chaplin]

I guess I figured being lost in nowhereville with your only friend dying would’ve been motivation enough that the other friend dying wouldnt have been necessary to drive that narrative.

She's still a kid. A kid that has been through major trauma. He even told her to go back to Tommy. She figured out she did have the power to help him, but only after remembering her past experience helped her realize it.

 

[Stout]

She's still a kid. A kid that has been through major trauma. He even told her to go back to Tommy. She figured out she did have the power to help him, but only after remembering her past experience helped her realize it.

Yet we didn't need an entire info dump backstory episode to hold our hand through this process. I maintain this would have been better trickled out in smaller bits throughout the whole story. Also led to a really bad schmuck bait moment. "Ooh, will she leave him to die?" False drama.

 

[Chaplin]

Yet we didn't need an entire info dump backstory episode to hold our hand through this process. I maintain this would have been better trickled out in smaller bits throughout the whole story. Also led to a really bad schmuck bait moment. "Ooh, will she leave him to die?" False drama.

This reeks of you trying to find something wrong (as you are wont to do). Congrats, you’ve done it again!

That said, this episode was a direct translation of a DLC in the game I believe.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

On a sidenote... just saw the graphics for LoU on ps5, and my goodness...that game looks absolutely incredible.