#save me bella playing ellie

[that-homoerotic-blouse]

So did Bella's insane performance as Ellie rewire any more brains or just mine?

[f-athr]

have some of the best duo in any media ever

[tightjeansjavi]

I think there is something so fuckin admirable about how much heart and soul Pedro puts into the characters he plays no matter the size of the role?? This dude can literally play any role and he makes it look so fuckin easy. I’m especially enjoying his role as Joel because the father daughter connection that is being built between him and Ellie is STUNNING. I still am thinking about those sniper scenes and how him and Ellie were silent communicating. The fear in his eyes when he sees the kid clicker climb in the car?? The subtle nod when Ellie goes to save Sam and Henry and she knows Joel has her back?? Bro, this show is fucking RUINING me. It has been such a long fucking time since I have seen two characters on the same wave length as this. Hats off to Pedro and Bella because holy shit, they’re fuckin badasses man.

[rinndjarin]

A Shot Breakdown of the new TLOU S2 first look!

*Cue Little Sadie* Ellie at the dance. Looks like it’s ripped directly from the game. No notes. Though this does make me wonder if we’ll be getting this scene sooner rather than later. In the game, we don’t see this scene until the Farmhouse. I think I read somewhere that Craig Mazin isn’t a big fan of flashbacks, so we might be seeing some stuff in chronological order. 

The tattoo! And the chemical burn. No idea where this shot is, but it looks like Ellie is either drawing or at a workbench. Either way, it looks great. 

The great Catherine O’Hara! I’m so excited to see her here. When her casting was first announced, many people, myself included, believed that she would be playing the Seraphite prophet, but then in an interview she mentioned that she was doing scenes with Pedro, so that wouldn’t make sense. I’ve seen others say that she’s might be playing a therapist-type character in Jackson. The editing in the trailer definitely makes it seem like that! But I think this is a misdirect. Joel’s dialogue in this trailer is definitely him talking to Tommy like at the beginning of the game. I don’t think he’s talking to Catherine there. So who is she talking to? It could be Joel in a different scene. It could also be Ellie. It could also be someone completely different. What a mystery! I’m so excited to learn more about her character. 

Oh Joel. My sad old man. He looks so broken here. Pedro, your Emmy is coming! Like I said before, the editing makes it look like he’s talking to Catherine, but I believe this scene is with Tommy. 

This shot is going to keep me up at night. What is this?? When is this?? Why is my daughter screaming? She has a bandage around her chest, she’s on a gurney, and someone is holding her shoulder. Could be Maria? My prediction is that this is Ellie right after being brought back to Jackson after Golfing, and she’s having a freak out. It seems like she’s looking at something (someone?) What if Joel’s body is in whatever room that is? I’m not sure. I’ve seen some other people suggest that this could be some kind of nightmare sequence which could also be very possible. I saw another suggestion that this could be Ellie getting the chemical burn to cover her bite mark but I’m skeptical of that. That scream is way too emotionally charged in my opinion. Whatever the case may be, Bella is showing their acting chops here and I see awards in their future. 

Another shot that has me stumped. This must be Jackson right? Let’s say for now that it is. Is Jackson under attack? By who? Raiders? Infected? This looks like way too many people to be Abby’s crew. Maybe this is a flashback. I saw someone suggest that this could be a a flashback to Tommy defending Jackson so that we can see his sharpshooter skills. That’s definitely possible. If it’s not Jackson, then could it be a flashback to a Seraphite conflict? Those wooden walls could suggest a Seraphite village. I’m not sure. This one is a doozy.

Tommy!! He looks so good. I cannot wait to see more Gabriel Luna in this role. He’s gonna kill it. So this shot comes right after the one with the people running towards that wooden gate (possibly Jackson) and with the editing, it looks like Tommy is on top of that gate. It could very well be the same scene or it’s two different scenes spliced together. I think it’s very possible that this shot is from the scene where Tommy and Joel save Abby. I doubt this is Tommy in Seattle since this is very clearly winter. 

The Seraphites! They look awesome. I’m thinking this must be the scene with Ellie in the park on her way to the Hospital on Day 2. It could also be Abby’s Day 1 when she meets Yara and Lev, but I’m starting to think we won’t be seeing Abby’s Seattle days until Season 3. There have been no casting announcements for Yara and Lev.

Dina! My lovely Dina. Okay so I’m not really sure where this shot would be, but I’m thinking it’s somewhere in Seattle because of the coat she’s wearing. Isabela Merced was wearing it while shooting with Bella in Vancouver for Seattle scenes. In the tunnels maybe? The theater? Not sure, but she looks great! I love Dina, and I think Isabela is gonna be great. After seeing her in the Alien: Romulus trailers, I’m confident that she’s going to knock it out of the park. 

Ellie unleashing Hell? Amazing. You go girl. 

If you look closely, you can see a person standing on the ridge in this shot. My guess is that it’s Abby or Owen scouting out the Jackson area. 

Jeffrey Wright is back as Isaac! Let’s go! One of my few complaints about Part 2 is not seeing enough of Isaac. He’s such an intimidating character and I need more. Jeffrey Wright is going to DELIVER. 

First look at Kaitlyn Dever as Abby! Another shot that could’ve be ripped right out of the game. I think Kaitlyn is going to be an amazing Abby, and I hope for her sake that she doesn’t go on any social media when Season 2 premiers. IYKYK.

Nothing much to say here except that this is most likely Jackson/early game. It’s hard to tell who the riders are. It could be any combination of Ellie, Dina, Jesse, Joel, or Tommy. Or maybe they’re random patrollers from Jackson; who knows?!

This has to be the subway scene in Seattle Day 1! I love that level; the introduction of the Shamblers, the red flares, clickers and WLF everywhere. It’s gonna be good.

Clicker in the subway! Makeup looks amazing, but of course I’m not surprised. This show cannot and will not miss. 

“I saved her.” Yes you did, Joel. You saved your babygirl. Like the first shot of Joel, I think he’s talking to Tommy here. Most likely not Catherine O’Hara (but I’m open to being surprised!) Pedro just brings so much vulnerability and softness to Joel. He’s the same character from the games, but he’s also not. It’s not better or worse, just a little different, and I applaud Pedro for his performance. 

[elliespuns]

I know I talk a lot about the show and what TLOU HBO did wrong (I still love it and appreciate it; it's just that I need to vent and see if anyone feels the same way).

I think the main reason why I still feel like something is missing between Ellie and Joel in the adaptation is that, due to their decision not to film anything in the water, so many of the valuable scenes that were so important for Ellie and Joel's relationship development were pushed aside.

They cut out the original way of Ellie saving Joel, where he was held underwater, drowning. They cut out the bridge scene where Joel jumps after Ellie in the raging waters, to save her. And then also the sinking bus scene in the tunnels where Ellie tries to get Joel out, almost drowning herself, and him trying to save her afterwards in return.

And I know a lot of people are going to say that HBO replaced the scenes with other moments that were as valuable as those in the game. But I still felt like there were no such dangerous situations that would lead to Ellie and Joel proving their dedication to each other that wouldn't also be in the game. Meaning they just cut out the best scenes without adding any new original ones.

And that sucks because the people who never played the game and don't even bother to check it out (and there are many) won't ever know those moments, and it's such a shame. Honestly, imagine those scenes in the show. I think all of us would lose our shit to see Pedro and Bella portray those touching moments.

And those who never played the game will probably disagree (or maybe even get defensive), but no matter how much I love the show or how much I'm always trying to make everyone watch it; I still couldn't feel the connection between Ellie and Joel as strongly as I did in the game. It was not as palpable. And that kind of makes me sad.

[xanadufoyerwaterwheeljr]

BTW my roman empire is the last of part 2 specifically the relationship between both the main girls and revenge plots and how The Last Of Us does such an insane job showing real people and how fucked up people do fucked up things. My roman empire is Abby.

I think about her every day. I think about how she was willing to let Ellie go every time. Because Abby got what she needed to try and heal and had Lev to take care of. But in doing so took the only thing Ellie had. In Ellies. Mind. But ellie had her whole family *that wasn't even hers really? Like dina and the baby wasn't even hers but Dina chose Ellie to be her family and Ellie threw that away*

Abby is such a good and interesting complex character that people hate because she Killed a man who KILLED SO MANY FUCKING PEOPLE !!!! And possibly is the reason there is no cure for humanity. But Ellie (and like every other person who played last of us) saw Joel as a hero and was the /only/ person there for her. But that's so fucked up for her to leave everyone she was faithful to to go and hunt Abby down. At the beginning I was with Ellie going after Abby but once they both go through so much in this already complicated screwed up world I don't understand how that didn't weigh on Ellie enough to make her calm down. She's also a very interesting character in how strong she is in her will to do whatever it takes to finish this off. But killing Abby wouldn't even do anything and would probably fuck her up even more? I dont but I think I could write an essay about them and still never get it out of my system.

Also I finally watched the last episode of the hbo last of us and let me just say I think the creator of the show UNDERSTANDS the point of making Joel look like the bad guy even more so than the game. When you're playing as Joel you want to save Ellie. I wanted to save Ellie. But watching Joel take down that whole hospital and kill the dr barely even looking at him was INSANE. the show made it so clear that Joel is not in the right lying to Ellie. He knows what he did was wrong. I was in AWE and so excited to see those complex character choices played out in the next season I think its going to be wild.

My last point is that I love Bella Ramsey they're perfect hes my son and I want great things for him.

[hatosaur]

ep. 8 thoughts here we go. tw for sexual assault obv.

so i liked the episode, but not really as much as the others. compared to the others, i’m closer to lukewarm. the episode felt a bit rushed in the second half, because the first half spent an adequate amount of time setting up david.

i’m gonna talk about david first to get him outta the way.

i liked most of the details they added for him:

the christian thing -- as i was watching, i thought it was a good way to subtly imply the pedo thing without being overt about it. we also never got to see how much power david had in the game, so those beginning moments of the ep where his unequivocable leadership over the group is shown were really good at silently highlighting that. i’ve also seen it pointed out this being the “traditional” and “correct” way to maintain society and yet immediately turning to eating their own kind because of their one leader, versus jackson being communist and thriving because everyone holds the exact same amount of power, is really, really funny.

the subtle emphasis on traditional gender roles -- i don’t really recall him having this in the game but that moment where he insists he’s that one girl’s father because of his role in the town is a really scary prelude to what role he thinks ellie should take up alongside him.

the teacher thing -- much like the christian thing, but something that doesn’t quite hit till later. creeps me out just thinkin about it.

the detail that i didn’t like, which i feel crumples up all this good subtextual writing and throws in it the bin is david’s attempt to rape ellie. in my post about ep. 7, i was HOPING that they wouldn’t be more explicit about david’s...intentions than they already had been; and they did exactly that, but in the smallest way. in the penultimate moment, in the burning diner, david admits he likes “the part where they fight” the most and reaches for his belt. like...i get it. you want it to be clear-clear that he’s a pedophile, that had ellie gotten to the machete a bit later in the game, maybe he would’ve made that intention clear as well, but why go that far narratively? you already have the building blocks for the audience assuming he’s a creep, you even strengthened it in the subtext, so why make him attempt to sexually assault her, in a burning building i might add????

the only saving grace was bella’s acting chops and, of course, when she kills the mf.

i’m not a fan of craig mazin’s reasoning for his changes nor his understanding of the characters, especially in the bts for this ep. his point about david being right about ellie having a “violent heart” is gross, because no, she doesn’t?? she doesn’t have a violent heart anymore than joel does, or maria, or tommy, because they all live in the post-apocalypse. she’s a literal kid trying to survive and maintain the good that she has, why describe her in such a weird way? when she’s quite literally the embodiment of good and hope in the series??? i know more than you, craig. >:///

a change that i did like was the separation between what happened in the burning building and joel finding ellie. because yes, i agree, the whole point of ellie’s section was for her to come out victorious through her own making. that moment where they find each other again, with all the fucked up additions, did feel all the more relieving, i’ll give it that.

that other change where it’s not joel pulling her close, but ellie going in for a much-needed hug, was really good. to me, it works with the build-up of ellie’s reliance on his protection. “if you die, i’m fuckin’ dead out here” & “i can’t fucking do this without you” were building up to this point where she can (non-verbally) say that she needs him.

in the game, it’s more so “she’s finally safe, thank god she’s safe,” which is still good, clearly because it’s one of the best scenes in the game and because we’re in joel’s shoes, but i like that the show’s depiction of them plays into the dynamic of ellie loving joel’s protection and him just being there for her. shit, i like seeing how much ellie loves joel in the show!!! her cuddling up with joel REALLY felt to me like for a moment, she could pretend for a second that he’s more than some guy transporting her across the country, but like maybe a dad? something like a dad? something precious that she wants in her life for a long time??

the game being from joel’s perspective, we don’t get as much on ellie’s feelings, how she comes to love joel, and i really dig that the show is giving us that. like hey, i know she’s a kid and of course, that means she’ll latch on to him faster but maybe it’s a bit more complex than that, who knows.

HEY, SPEAKING OF JOEL: poor guy’s parts of the ep were way too short :( not just in an “i wanna see joel do more sick shit because this is a gameplay section” kinda way, but also in a “hey, you’re rushing the episode” kinda way. i wanted more of him tearing the place apart in search of ellie. the game had it that way to match the chaotic energies that both parties were going through just to get back with each other! but joel’s portions of the ep were lacking and it seemed like the episode needed that boost. in trying to remember what joel was doing in the episode, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t really his torture scene but him ambling about in the snow. not a great thing. give the man more to do, please. i now see what people mean when they say the action has been neutered a bit.

anyway, back to ellie again lol. 

bella was AMAZING in this. they’re so good at acting and acting like ellie that it’s like??? where they born to play ellie???? she killed all the feral moments, the vulnerable moments, the moments where ellie fucks up. the “ellie is the little girl that broke your fucking finger” moment was PHENOMENAL. 

last episode next week. it’s 44 min apparently?? i’m not liking how that looks. if it were up to me, it’d be a two-parter. a bigass slow burn. one episode dedicated to ellie and joel only, expands their growing relationship after winter, lets them be soft, has the giraffe moment, makes things seem okay, then at the end they get found by the fireflies. second starts with the anna flashback and really digs into what’s about to happen, rounding off the theme of getting into the scientific side of the cordyceps in a neat way, then kicks off the end segment of the game.

here’s hoping they nail it.

[avastrasposts]

Hello!

So I just realised about 300+ people decided to follow me and, I suppose, read my stories? And 300 is such a small number but to me it's surreal that so many of you want to read what I write!

So I thought I'd introduce myself a little, just to be polite you know, and be like those author blurbs they put on the inside flap of books. So read on if you want to know more about me and my writing, or just keep scrolling if you'd rather I remain a redheaded mystery with a thing for Frankie Morales.

Also, chapter 16 of The Pilot and his Girl will be posted tomorrow, it just needs another round of editing.

Also, again, this got long, so if you can't be bothered reading all my ramblings below the cut, I totally understand. I have a habit of getting wordy....

So, I'm in my 40's and I've been writing for most of my life, starting with embarrassing little short stories in adorable misspelled fashion when I was just wee. I aspired to be a journalist and then went on a completely different tangent career wise, ending up with a PhD in an area I no longer work in (fifteen years of higher education never to be touched again but you definitely want me on your team in a pub quiz!). I have vague memories of writing fan fiction in my early 20, I think? (I'm old, give me a break). But I only got back to it late last year as a way to kick start my imagination and discipline around writing again. I needed a creative outlet and writing is something I always enjoyed and found easy to do.

I live in England, in the amazing but fucking expensive city of London. I look pretty much like my profile picture, only more wrinkles and maybe a bit of silver in all that gingerness. I'm a very good cook and baker (Pedro, I'll teach you how to cook any day!) and I'm married to my very own sweet Latino man. He's not called Frankie but he does call me cariño. I have big chunk of family in Sweden and I speak a little bit of Swedish (it's actually where I am right now, we're over here celebrating midsummer).

I started writing fanfics for The Boys fandom and Karl Urban as I was binging the whole show after finishing season 4. Then I stumbled into the Pedro Pascal fandom as I watched The Last of Us.

TLoU has a very special place in my heart. I've been gaming since my early teens and bought a Playstation 3 after saving for months, my first console after playing on PC for years. When TLoU came out in 2013 I bought and played it straight away and I, like so many others, had an experience playing it. It's the only story, in any medium, that's made me cry after just 10-15 minutes of game play. The scene were Sarah dies, still gets me every time. And the rest of the game...I turned up at work the next week in a daze, just needing to tell people about this incredible story and experience I'd had. It was like no other game I'd ever played, before or since. And I've replayed the game about once a year since 2013. Back then, that kind of game was totally unique, there was nothing like it. Some games had explored stronger story telling elements, but not on this level, nothing came even close to creating such a bond between gamer and characters. Now days we're spoiled by powerful storytelling in video games, in 2013, The Last of Us was totally unique (sorry, I'm blabbering, but I could go on at length about TLoU and the impact it had).

So when I heard there was talks about turning into a tv-series, I was scared. Really worried. The gaming community have seen so many horrendous adaptations of video games, my beloved Assassin's Creed was butchered in 2016. But then I heard Pedro Pascal had been cast as Joel and I was carefully hopeful, and then Bella Ramsey as Ellie and I got really excited. I'd seen them both in Game of Thrones, both of their performances sticking in my mind. I even remember reading about Pedro being cast in GoT and looking him up and being disappointed because he looked nothing like I'd pictured the Red Viper when I read the books. But then he just swanned in and crushed it, he was so damn good, he won me over straight away. I can't imagine anyone else playing Oberyn.

And then of course, the first few trailers of TLoU dropped and we got glimpses of the show and I remember texting my equally TLoU obsessed friend and we squealed in delight at how good it looked! And the first time I heard the clicker sound....I shuddered, it was a very real physical reaction. If I'd been on the actual set and heard it, I think I would've run a mile.

And then, as I was still writing The British Connection, a fic set in The Boys fandom, I watched Triple Frontier, and, like so many others, fell hard for sweet Frankie Morales. So jumping the gun a bit, I decided to write something with him, just a drabble, to get used to writing him and to write in the Reader insert format. But it kind a grew in scope and when I had the idea of sticking him and the rest of the Triple Frontier boys into TLoU universe I knew I had to create something bigger.

Looking back I would've made the story tighter, less lengthy, had I known from the start that's where it was going to go. But part of the fun of fan fiction is posting as you go, I think. I get feedback from you guys and it makes me think of other elements to add to the story. There isn't always a set road map for how a fic is going to develop.

If you've made it this far, congratulations and thank you, I'm impressed you read all that rambling from some stranger on Tumblr! The Pilot and his Girl has a set plan now, I have chapters drawn up and although I'm not sure how many chapters I'm going to end up with, I know where the story is going. You'll find out what's happened to Pope, Will and Benny. And Joel and Tommy will of course come back to the story later on. There will be more trauma and angst as the story continues but there will be a happy ending, of sorts, in the end.

And again, thank you all for reading, commenting and reblogging! I love you all!

[dream-to-be-frog]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but while I don't really think Pedro's a bad actor overall, so far I've been underwhelmed by HBO's version of Joel. They're trying so hard to play into the whole soft daddy aspect of Pedro's previous roles all because they want to make Joel more "likable". The way I knew this was going to happen when he was cast 🙄

so far it’s very interesting for me because there are some scenes where i’m like wow that was good others where i’m like. what was that.

i am enjoying the show, and i think pedro is doing pretty well but… i do agree? i’m trying to keep an open mind still but it’s like—

the crying last episode pissed me off a little. the joel in the game does not know how to identify a single emotion besides like, i dunno. protectiveness and rage?? i love that man but he is not emotionally intelligent. (the only man i love who i’d allow to be this way.)

by cutting out ALL the action i think they aren’t able to demonstrate how brutal joel can be. nothing about him in this show so far indicates to me that this man can single-handedly slaughter a whole hospital of fireflies like. it just doesn’t make sense

this version of joel is not only softer but he also can’t hold his own as well?? i like that they wanted to make him a middle aged man and not a tank and that comes with some limitations but ellie has probably saved him as many times as he’s saved her. my biggest complaint is that it seems like they’re companions because ellie doesn’t know how to travel west and has less experience. part of his considering himself a father comes with protecting her and getting protective of her. we literally don’t see that. i know they can’t have hella action scenes but i’d like at least a little bit of joel being brutal and a little unhinged bc that’s the whole point of his character—to show the lengths he’ll go to to protect her.

i’m not sure or not if the softness could be owed to pedro as a person in terms of casting, but i do agree they’ve taken away some of his gray morality. we keep hearing he killed people with tommy, killed innocents but nothing we see ever backs that up. part of what makes joel so compelling is that he’s objectively not really a good person, but he IS fundamentally human in a way that’s so relatable and logical that we forgive the literal atrocities lol

i started drafting this last week before the left behind episode but going into david next week, i think what’s going to make or break the joel thing for me is if he tortures those people trying to find where ellie is. without the torture scene i have no clue how the end will possibly make sense given what we know about him. and i really do think it’s more a thing of the script and the tv format (and only nine episodes!) not giving enough time to focus on everything much more than it is about the actors themselves (i think they’re doing pretty good, acting-wise—especially bella)

in some ways, i feel like the underwhelming feeling can some from the less drama. i get again why they can’t have too many fight scenes or whatever, but in some cases this really lowers the stakes and so it just feels less dramatic. even him getting rebar’d was so dramatic, and while i get that a normal person (not video game dads) can’t live through getting stabbed clean through, i feel like they could have still made him fall on something sharp but it’s much smaller and doesn’t go through his whole stomach? like i feel like there could have been some happy medium where it was realistic but also more dramatic and high stakes

i feel like i repeated myself a lot and i’m never good at drafting these things bc i just spit out words and don’t think about it but. i DO think it’s very enjoyable to watch, even if i think some things weren’t done quite as effectively. the way i’m thinking about it is that more than anything, this show is just a supplement to the game, as a little bonus feature. the game will still be there, as perfect and glorious as it always is.

[low-budget-korra]

Comments on Love Lies Bleeding

-Katy O'Brian smile is the sweetest thing ever, and her 80's hair (or wig, Idk) is such a look man, I'm in love

-Lou waking up in the morning to make breakfast for Jackie after their first night together is honestly the gayest shit 😭

-Katy and Kristen's spouses are the strongest soldiers

-Ed Harris knows how to play a bad guy, his presence on scene is so powerful, he doesn't need to say anything to be noticed

-Kristen would rock as the Ellie Williams from tlou part 2. I'm sorry , but Lou is so Ellie coded, I mean, Kristen appearance alone as she looks just like her and she is so damn good on screen. I know Ellie already has an actress and Kristen is too old for the role but let a girl dream ok? Lol

Also, they didn't pick Katy as Abby cuz it would be so weird to see her big muscle ass beating the shit outta Bella's Ellie. Def wasn't about acting skills cuz Katy is also a powerful and captivating actress

-"Im wanna stretch you. I wanna see how far you can go" OMG and Kristen delivery too?🥵

In Brazil we have this expression "quero ser marmita de casal" that basically says "I want this couple to eat the shit outta me" and boy I want to be Lou and Jackie's marmita so bad

-Jackie's murdering JJ was so damn satisfying.

-Its enough of me being a gay mess, let's talk about movie shit.

It's so well done, everything. From writing, to directing, soundtrack, cinematography and the acting. The acting was 10/10

The way the tension is well built and the plot and the characters reveals itself, without rush or expository dialogue.

It also has a message on drug use like, don't do drugs y'all. Jackie high on steroids was terrifying to watch and that's the thing. It doesn't matter how good it makes you feel, it still fucks you up in the end. It ain't worth it. Yeah is an already well known stuff but they did execute this pretty well in the movie, mostly with visual storytelling

And Lou family drama is so real and painful, like, how many women suffer as Beth?

Katy is already fit but for sure she did some prep for Jackie and for women it is twice as hard to look strong and ripped as she did in the film so yeah, great work.

Ive saw some comments about giant Jackie and like bruh it's a metaphor for her to stand up for Lou and herself. She became a monster after saw Lou heartbroken after seeing Beth all beat up and now to save her , she became a giant, a hero. That's love, it makes you bigger

And they got a happy ending.

[ninebluehearts]

Warning: The Last of Us episode 9 spoilers

-

What I loved about episode 9:

I loved finally seeing why/how Ellie's immune. Seeing her and her mom together was amazing, and I think it was the perfect way to start the episode.

Throughout all eight episodes Ellie is the funny, rambunctious child we all love. And after the trauma she went through in episode eight, it sadly shows in episode nine. She's so quiet all of the sudden, and even if she is running around like her normal self, it's obvious that it's just not the same anymore.

It was very strange seeing Joel all talkative and kinda happyish. I'm glad he's not as stoic anymore, but it's gonna take some getting used to.

I'm so glad the giraffe made it in!! I was disappointed that the dinosaurs didn't, but I'm so glad this one did!!

Over all, the first twenty-five minutes was beautiful and very well written. Pedro and Bella were amazing!!

What I didn't love about episode nine

I might've went into this episode with high expectations after episode eight, but even so, there just wasn't enough tension for me. Everything was so serene?? Like, soft, quiet music as Joel murders 20+ people to save Ellie? Not the best detail, honestly.

There wasn't enough energy. In the game the doctor jumps over and grabs the scalpel to defend himself, and in the show he just calmly reaches over and grabs it???

Joel also didn't call Ellie babygirl again!! I was really looking forward to this part, honestly.

Everything felt very rushed. I haven't played the full game, but I just have a feeling they missed a couple of things.

And I know this isn't supposed to be an episode nine thing, but we never even got the dinosaur episode?!

Overall, I feel like they had the potential to make this episode insane and really show just how protective Joel can be, but they just didn't.

As I've said, I may have gone into this with high expectations, but nevertheless I feel as though they could've done a better job with this one.

I think every episode of a show is supposed to make you go "this one's my favorite!" And then you say the same thing when the next one comes out, but that didn't happen for me here.

Lemme know what you think :)

(Respectfully, please.)

[rubberchickeny]

Daryl Dixon and Last of Us

I don't want to be negative, but I can't help it. As a fan of both The Walking Dead and Last of Us (games and show) this lack of humility, respect and common sense baffles me.

Last of Us is about the connection of the two main characters, like I said in my previous post.

I almost want to call Joel broken, and some of him is, but mainly he has been frozen. He has a couple of people in his life that he cares about, but even with them he has put up a thick, cold wall. He can't ever let himself care again, not like he did for his daughter. (Sound like someone we know?)

Then he meets Ellie.

Ellie is a teenage girl, both a bit bubbly and edgy. She won't take anyone's shit, and she isn't a wallflower, satisfied to keep silent while grown ups make decisions for her. In the show Bella Ramsey takes it even a bit further, doing an amazing job. Pedro Pascal plays Joel as emo, and it's breathtaking (and heartbreaking). All these years Joel hadn't been able to let himself feel, and now he is drowning in his love for Ellie.

(This clip of Last of Us shows as much.)

The very height of AMC's stupidity is that if they really wanted to use LOU and it's success spirit as inspiration, they were already more than half way there, without stealing the LOU plot! TWD was always at its best when it was a show about people, and how they deal with horrible circumstances (both as individuals and as groups), how some of them welded into a family and how others... didn't. Like LOU, there are people resorting to cannibalism, different factions fighting for power and resources, and people trying to keep at least some of their humanity intact.

As for TWD, we have Carol and Daryl, both of whom have been through Hell, both before and after the apocalypse. Their connection has been strained at times (lots of angsty plot), but there is nothing they wouldn't do for each other (like Joel *cough*). Why didn't AMC use that? The depth of their feelings and their connection was already there, as was their capability for levity to ease the hard subject matter.

Truly, there are not enough words to express how disappointed I am at the mere stupidity of this whole thing. You didn't need to bring a group of nuns (!) and put Daryl in a bath (which in itself feels like it's taking this "whole new Daryl" approach a tad too literally; just saying) before taking The Chosen one in hand.

I truly don't know which would be worse; DD show copying LOU's ending too or trying to do it differently.

Will this (imposter) Daryl save the world, instead of conquering his own saviour complex?

That's not a story I'm signing up for. Nor is this blatant plagiarism, AMC.

[me1-atonin]

my thoughts while watching tlou episode 9:

holy shit so the reason ellie is immune is bc her mom was infected while giving birth to her

her mom’s actress looks so much like bella

joel is actually acting like her dad now :(

i know she learns how to play guitar later on

awww i saw the game giraffe scene this is so cute

this is too good rn… smth bad is gonna happen that’s gonna make me sob

ILL FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE YOU GO

I WAS THE GUY WHO SHOT AND MISSED

IM IN THE MOOD FOR SHITTY PUNS

MARLENE?!?!?!

NO WAY THEY WERE GONNA REMOVE ELLIES BRAIN (i know she lives… duh)

GO JOEL KILL EVERY ONE OF THOSE BITCHES

holy shit joel’s killing spree scene is so good. the music, the cinematography, the acting… just amazing

honestly i get why joel did that. he can’t lose another daughter. him saving ellie’s life was him saving his own life. it’s selfish, but honestly would the cure have worked anyway? if it didn’t then ellie would’ve died in vain and all of that would’ve been for nothing.

i’m not gonna say that joel lying was right but it’ll at least give ellie a peace of mind

he went from not being able to speak at all about sarah to saying “oh yeah we used to hike like this all the time” is peak character development

oh fuck he swore to her that he was telling the truth… i see some potential season 2 angst

she literally just lost all hope for the world to be saved…

[call-me-maggie13]

The new episode of The Last of Us makes me wanna scream holy shit bro

I played the game so I know the storyline but this is

Beautiful

Like people didn’t think Bella Ramsey was the right choice for Ellie but I honestly don’t think anyone alive could’ve done a better job than Bella.

This kid deserves a raise and I love her.

Bella captures the little things about Ellie that I fell in love with when I first played the game almost ten years ago. The easiness with which Ellie can go from goofy to serious and back again, how she knows she’s the key to humanity’s survival but she’s also just a child. She doesn’t understand football or how smearing immune blood over an infected wound won’t save the person or why the world is so cold and unforgiving. She makes stupid jokes and she mimics sheep and she teases Joel about anything and everything.

I could talk about this for hours bro

[theelastofthem]

So I've got some thoughts on who's 'good' vs. who's 'bad' in tlou...

I feel this could all be applied to the game as well, especially tlou 2.

The thing about The Last of Us when compared to other post-apocalyptic shows, is that the characters are so well developed and interesting and juicy and exciting to watch. In most shows that revolve around death and civilization crumbling, the main characters always feel nothing but shame when it comes to the act of killing, be it zombies/infected or other people, but in The Last of Us, that’s completely not the case.

The main characters are equally as flawed as the ‘bad guys’. Joel is the perfect example of this. In the last episode that came out (episode 8), he liked hurting those men when he was trying to find out where they’d taken Ellie. There's a bit in the scene where Joel smirks that really demonstrates how complex these characters are. This post is what made me really understand how layered of a character Joel is. As @swol-bear pointed out, Joel has been holding back his violent tendencies because he doesn’t want Ellie to see him like that. This is exactly where you can begin to see that he’s not a completely 'good' guy. These men took his daughter away from him, and he’s hurting them for it, and he fucking likes it. He’s enjoying it. It satisfies him to see the fear and pain in their eyes because he’d do anything for Ellie and he’s going to put everything he has into finding her, even the ugly bits of himself because those parts of him get. the job. done. And to a certain degree, Ellie is the same. She liked it when Joel beat the shit out of that soldier in episode 1 to protect her. She didn’t cower away from it, she enjoyed the feeling it gave her. Of having someone protect her with such violent passion. Sure, that passion came from Joel reliving his trauma, but Ellie doesn’t know that. In those moments, Joel is just a guy who’s killed someone with his bare hands and she doesn’t flinch away from it in the slightest; in fact, she physically leans into it when we see her in the shot set over Joel’s shoulder. 

Now, these aren’t exactly qualities of 'good' people, are they? Because, in a way, Joel and Ellie are enjoying something as violent as killing a person. But then, there’s a twist because, on some occasions, we also see the regret of what they’ve done after the fact. But that regret doesn’t always stem from innocents either. Like Bella Ramsey said in creator on creator pt. 2, in a previous episode when she shoots the young man to save Joel, the regret she had isn’t because she played a hand in killing someone. The regret is this idea that she failed at it. But in contrast to that, we see a real, deeply rooted regret in Joel when Ellie asked if he’s ever killed innocent people. In large, we see that in these moments of violence, Ellie and Joel might feel one way in the face of it, but afterward, they often feel differently, be it better or worse. And they give this exact same complexity to their 'villains' as well, and that’s what’s so fucking fantastic about the show. 

In The Last of Us, there really are no 'good guys' and 'bad guys' (aside from David, he just fuckin sucked and deserved what he got). The lines are so blurred that we’re rooting for these main characters who perform the same terrible acts that the 'villains' often do. Acts filled with revenge and anger, and hatred. And we’re rooting for these acts that, if they were to be inflicted on Joel or Ellie, we’d be calling terrible and horrific and the acts of 'bad' people. Yet we don’t see Ellie and Joel the same way. And it’s just so interesting. 

The show really leans on perspective. We’re seeing this journey from (mostly) Ellie and Joel’s experiences. We’re rooting for them because we love these characters. We’re willing to look past these horrible traits and accept them as 'good' people anyway. We make excuses for them, and we choose to look deeper into the person in order to justify their behaviour. And if that isn’t a fantastic example of how The Last of Us is a show about love and all the warped ways love can manifest itself in a person and their thoughts and actions, I don’t know what is. 

[freya-howlett]

I loved the show more than I thought. I never played the game since it's not really something I'm truly interested in, gaming style-wise, but I indeed knew how the story went and all.

However, as much as I liked it, I won't be watching season 2 or anything further. I know very well what happens next and... NOPE. I'm not into that. Didn't even like it when the game's story came out. I simply... noped.

And I've seen SO MANY reviews and opinions justifying what the authors did for the sake of character development, storytelling, etc. And fine, I get it, I'm a writer too, I don't criticize them. But I still DO NOT AGREE with the decisions taken for the story. Simply as that.

I'm a big The Walking Dead fan. I know how it's like to have a beloved character get killed off out of nowhere or bad writing decisions taken. However, I think I stuck around because I still had some characters that saved the show for me (y'know, the cast was a freaking multitude). However, here, for me there's no much besides Joel and his relationship with Ellie. Once Joel is gone, so does the whole thing for me.

It was nice, I love Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey was amazing and y'all seem like really good people and an overall good fandom. I'll just stick to your gifs to enjoy the remainder of what this season presented to us.