#the same episode there was the bloater

[random-fandoms-stuff]

I got crave and now catching up on tlou and

What

The

Ever

Loving

Heck!!

Is this??!?!?!

[eugeniedanglars]

not people on reddit saying episode 5 of tlou was better than episode 3 because episode 3 was too “sentimental” while episode 5 captured the brutality of the game as though a huge part of what made episode 3 great wasn’t the fact that it was an unexpected spot of beauty and tenderness and love in the middle of an otherwise bleak story the same way bill and frank’s town was an oasis of peace and comfort in a harsh world

[lockdown-bard]

My thoughts on The Last of Us HBO:

The opening credits are fucking amazing and good thing they kept most of Santaolalla's work or hands would have been thrown.

Pedro fucking slaps as Joel Miller - Construction worker

I have seen Sarah die in game like ten times in my reruns at this point but god did I want to cry when I saw the scene in the series

I like that they showed us the first third of the episode from Sarah's POV, whoever has played the game or seen gameplays knows what's coming, but you need that extra info for the people who don't know anything, and what better way to make you feel attached to the character than to show everything through their eyes?

Some scenes are shot in the exact angle you get in the game, like the truck scene and Sarah's death. I look forward to seeing more of those details

Quarantine zone looking a lot like I'd imagine a real life one would look. Abandoned run-down buildings? Neat.

Tresspassers are now hung in public in the show, not executed in line on the streets like in the game, but it does drive the point across. We don't see how they execute infected people so far in the show.

I only wish we'd get to see more of the transport/sneaking/puzzle solving involved in the game. I know it's not practical, but I feel like Joel and Tess's chat with Marlene could have happened on the move like it did on the game.

Tess my beloved, I feel like at this rhythm next episode will be your last, but I love you

Marlene is the Marlene from the game, Merle Dandridge. Amazing detail.

Wish Tess and Joel would have killed Robert like in the game, they had beef with him and it showed.

Bella as Ellie fucking slaps, they are killing it so far and I'm really looking forward to seeing her Ellie grow as a character. Also, their Ellie snarkiness and sarcasm? On point.

Give me more moving terrain scenes please, sneaking through the guards when trying to escape the quarantine zone was one of my favourite parts in the game.

They kept the exact same music and sound effects from the games where it counted, like in the Sarah scene, the part where Joel and Ellie get back to Joel's place and wait until night to leave, etc. They kept some dialogue the same as well.

Neat thing, with the radio codes. I love the music as well, it'll be cool to see how that progresses later on! Looking forward to crying if I hear True Faith or Take on Me.

The effects look amazing, Clickers will probably make an appearance as enemies in the next episode and they are looking very good. Very much looking forward to the runners and the Bloater as well!!!

We'll now get more backstory for Bill, so I'm expecting that will be... Fun and sad at the same time. I liked him in the game, and now that we're getting more context... Well, I'll feel more for him.

Apparently this season will be 9 episodes long, so they'll either cover the whole first game in this one (which seems likely considering the pace so far) or maybe they'll split summer and autumn and then winter and spring in season 2? Who knows

The teaser for the whole season shows scenes from the winter chapter and also a shot that seems to be from the end of the game, when Joel is trying to rescue Ellie from the Fireflies' hospital, so perhaps they will adapt the whole game in a season.

[et-cant-phone-home-no-signal]

The Last of Us HBO - Episode 2 thoughts

Warning: Pure yapping ahead! More thoughts and things I've noticed watching the show, it's not serious and I don't invite arguments (fellow yappers are more than welcome though)

(continuing with my episode by episode analysis of the tlou show, it's a long one folks! all chronologically written as i was watching the episode. spoilers under the cut)

Fantastic opening - love that we get to see the initial discovery in Jakarta and that they speak Indonesian only! It removes the show from a purely American pov and makes it international, which is something I personally missed a little from the game so it's a welcome addition

The little detail that the military men walk so fast, she has to jog a little to keep up

I like the fact that they didn't even try to cover the dead body at all - why would they?

Same girl I'd have that exact same reaction too 💀💀 visceral as shit

The following visual of the cordyceps reaching out of the corpse's mouth.... Eugh

Ibu Ratna's reaction after hearing 14 workers are missing - her shaking so badly she has to put her cup of tea down, her face reads of pure undiluted horror 🙌👌 - worth mentioning that the casting of Christine Hakim is absolutely top tier (she's basically the Dame Judi Dench of Indonesia fr) and she really brings a gravitas to the role

I find it fascinating and refreshing that the first thing the military man does is to ask about a vaccine or medicine to fix this situation, but the scientist/professor, instead says with absolutely certainty that there is nothing, and then proceeds to say with an eerily calm and assertive tone and face that they must bomb the city. Terrifying yet wonderful that they've finally used a different format to this conversation

Ibu Ratna stifling her sobs and asking to go be with her family, because she knows there is no other solution - Brava

That soft, gentle opening shot of Ellie curled up in the sun on a lush bed of green, a single butterfly crossing over *chef's kiss*

Her turning to see Joel and Tess, sat in the shadows on chairs, Joel with his gun drawn lmaooooo that's comedy right there

Ellie's sass at the interrogation 🤌

"There's not gonna be anything bad in here?" "Just you." "Oh, funny." 💀😂

The fact that Joel broke his hand beating that guy to death - the way Tess looks at Joel, all knowing and vaguely soft

Tess defending Ellie indirectly by wanting to continue with bringing her to the state house - Joel wanting to return to the QZ and saying it would be better for FEDRA do shoot her than them 💀

"You need to stop talking about this kid like she's got some kind of life in front of her." Damn Joel, Tess' face says it all

Joel: struggling to break of a piece of EXTREMELY dry and chewy jerky, Ellie: sammich

Ellie in the warm light, Joel in the cold dark, and Tess in the middle of the two?? Gorg

It's so funny how terribly Joel and Ellie get on at this point, like, they basically hate each other my god

"If she so much as twitches.." *Ellie immediately starts twitching* and then Tess's "Don't." She is so done with these two already lmao

The iconic scenery 🙌 the two massive skyscrapers with one leaning on the other? Oooohhh yeah

The fact that Tess stops and answers Ellie's questions :')

I can't stop looking at Ellie's bag it's just so accurate I love it

"Well, I mean, you got some balls on you, sister." SLAY girls support girls ✨

The specific way Ellie says "no" at the boyfriend question 💅

It's interesting that Tess' reaction to hearing the description of what we know to be a bloater, is "shit, I hope not", insinuating perhaps that she and Joel haven't dealt with those before, but then the way that she looks at Joel after Ellie asks about clickers tells me they know exactly what she's talking about with that one

Immediately after we hear a loud ass creepy scream in the distance, okay!

The set designers got this shit so extremely right goddamn, the hotel gotta be one of my favourite locations fr - I love that they still included this location even if it's at a completely different place in the original story, it works so well here and with Tess added on, the humour is great and the way the characters interact is fun and interesting (Joel's little hop into the water especially gets me, he's such a shit lmao)

Ellie is genuinely so fucking funny I love this kid

Joel offering his hand, immediately snatching it back once she's mostly up cause it's his broken one (but you can see it's more than that)

"Fuck, holy shit." "Come on, it wasn't that bad." "You try climbing ten fuckin floors with our knees. See how you feel." 😭😭

Joel's face at being left alone with Ellie lmao

"Nice knife." great conversation starter Joel, but also, reference to his pocket knife Sarah held in the previous episode? He doesn't have it, when did he have time to grab it after all, but yeah. Maybe I'm overthinking this lmao

"Where'd you learn to do that?" "The circus." *Joel rolls his eyes with such exasperation taht I can feel it through my screen*

"How long do infected live?" "Oh, I thought you went to school." "It's a really shitty one."

Joel avoiding answering the question about the FEDRA dude he killed due to Tess returning is peak writing

I really enjoy how the infected are portrayed in the show - they're not just individuals, they're part of a hive mind in a way, the mycelium connects them all one way or another, and they act like it (the way they all react to sunlight and extra so because they all react to each others pain as well, wow)

Added onto that, this extra lore about the way the cordyceps works is fantastic, it makes it even scarier that, according to Tess, you can accidentally wake up and attract infected from somewhere totally different - this means you're never actually safe 💀

Really love how Tess is so damn nice to Ellie all things considered. Still answering her questions, telling her she has to be careful, that just because she's immune doesn't mean there's no danger

"I have a spare hand." "Congratulations." 😭

I do love how quick Joel is to run over to Ellie whenever something happens (her swearing, falling over, gasping loudly)

The look that Joel and Tess share - they think they know and they're probably right

Dad mode™ activated

That building is anxiety central for me

Joel is so jumpy and twitchy it's a little funny tbh, I like it

Ellie's "oh shit whoops" face

Joel helping Ellie up :')

The sound effects 😭💀😭 they got the same team that did the game clicker sounds to do the show ones and I can TELL

The anxiety is palpable!! My stomach is in knots!! The entrance of the first clicker is terrifying!!

Joel's silent, almost sign language like, explanation for Ellie 😌

The clicker actors are fucking amazing jesus christ. And the special effects and makeup? So GOOD wow absolutely grotesque <3

Not me gasping with Ellie

If I were there I'd probably just hide under a table and hold my breathe 😭

I find the clickers to be quite bird-like, in game and in show

The silence as Joel reloads his gun, the sudden much closer clicking, the flashlight shining directly in its face 🤌

Joel now being the one to step on something crunchy 😩 THE WAY THE CLICKER LAUNCHES ITSELF AT HIM AND ELLIE ACROSS THE DISPLAY

Ellie crying out with pure fear and Joel holding the clicker back more so it's on him not her - HIM PUSHING HER BEHIND HIM!

BIG TESS SLAY

Impressed by how calm their reactions all are to seeing Ellie get bit (?) again (I thought it was more of a scratch at first but I assume it to be a bite due to their reactions to it)

"That was scary, this is wood." HA

The way Tess looks at Joel when he's busy wrapping her foot with diligence and care

I think this is the first sign that Tess had been bit, Joel seems to be looking at her like "what the hell is your problem" but listens and goes to watch Ellie anyway

The view line 😭🤌 love how we basically get this exactly from the game, including Joel looking at his watch :'(

The music 🙌

Second time you can really notice that Tess is differently - she handles Ellie harshly for basically the first time ever and totally ignores Joel

Joel moving Ellie away from the dead body

The squelching of the blood EUgH

Go makeup team go!

Oeiii screaming match :( mom and dad are fighting

The step back speaks volumes

"Oops, right?" just stab me it would hurt less, Anna's delivery of that line is heartbreaking

In fact little quick note of love to Anna Torv, she's such a fucking amazing actor and I love her portrayal of Tess so so much, she brought warmth, strength and balls of steel to the character fr!!

The fact that Tess basically confesses her feelings here, proclaims the knowledge that she feels something for Joel that he was never entirely able to reciprocate back, my god - her BEGGING him to take her because she knows nothing about the future but she believes that Ellie can change it in some capacity

Pedro's eye acting here is so potent, he says nothing but his eyes and face say it all

The mycelium!!!!!! Terrifying that in show canon, infected can basically call for backup!!! Brilliant addition and makes them so much more intimidating (also I HATED seeing the mycelium creep under that infected person's nails that really got a shudder out of me)

God bless the extras

Tess my beloved you make me cry so much you're amazing and you deserved better 😭 she's brave as fuck for this

Joel shaking, his lips quivering because fuck, she's going to die, and now he has to be fully responsible of this kid and he can't do this without her but he's gotta - the anxiety and fear in his eyes, his firm resolution after she says "save who you can save", the way he SNATCHES Ellie and walks away, Ellie fighting him tooth and nail but he knew she would, thats why he grabbed her like that.... I'm honestly just in so much awe and pain from this scene

The fear is Tess' face is so 😭😭

FUCK NO THAT ALMOST MADE ME THROW UP I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT JESUS FUCK. That was disgusting what the fuck 😭😭 don't know how to feel about watching the fucked up kiss of death like, eugh

The feeling when after failing to light the damn thing, she finally gets it, feels almost like a relief after all of that

Joel "big sad brown eyes" and Ellie "big traumatised brown eyes" will be the death of me

This is such a fucking sad ending to Tess' character but also, satisfying since she didn't die in vain

That final shot of Ellie alone with the burning state house in the background, sun beating down and a soft breeze in her hair, damn

If you make it to the end, thanks for reading! It's literally just my running thought process whilst watching!! Do you agree with some of my notes, was there anything you noticed that i didn't? Comments and reblogs welcome <3

Episode 1 thoughts:

Episode 3 thoughts:

[thundergrace]

March 3, 2023

While they were in production on The Last of Us, Ramsey was also writing their own screenplay, a take on mental health based on their time with an eating disorder. They finished a new draft during night shoots on the cul-de-sac where Ellie and Joel are attacked by a giant creature called the Bloater. “I was so productive overnight,” they say. “It feels like time doesn’t exist at night.”

[...]

At the same time, Ramsey is working on an Open University degree in environmental science. They impulsively decided to enroll in October after being inspired by watching Storm Reid studying on the set of The Last of Us episode seven (Reid, in a flashback, plays Riley, Ellie’s former best friend). Ramsey was floored not just by Reid’s acting prowess—Reid can weep on cue; Ramsey uses a tear stick—but by her ability to juggle school and show business.

As for their own academic pursuits, Ramsey considered a variety of subjects before settling on environmental science. “I just felt like none of the things I’m interested in are going to matter if the world is going to shrivel up,” they say. It figures, when you’re on a hit drama about the end of the world.

[thelastwalkingsoul]

My Last of Us Episode 4 reactions are here!

Ep 1 | Ep 2 | Ep 3

- oh my god I’d forgotten she had the gun. Not her smelling it haha

- OH MY GOD THE PUN BOOK!!!! AHHHHHHHH

- It’s the car scene!!!! I’m literally silently screaming I’m so excited lol

- ‘Alone and Forsaken’! still stupidly proud that I picked it was in the trailer

- THE MAG IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT SCENE

- Jesus Ellie slow down your gonna choke

- “They’ll have way more in mind than that.” Oh honeyyyyy

- God I’d rather sleep in the car that outside fuck that

- awww Joel I think you’re warming up to Ellie a bit there. Replying to her pin and slurping the coffee to annoy her.

- Oh shit Tommy backstory ooooh

- Yessss the “pfft I’m not even tired” transition. I love itttt

- Ooooh OOOOH “put your seatbelt on” I said it at the exact same time hehe

- Oh shit OH SHIT ELLIE AHHHH OMG

- oh honey ohhhh that’s traumatising baby nooo let yourself have a little cry

- Ooh this Kathleen is condescending as hell. I love it

- I JUST REALISED WHAT HENRY THEYRE TALKING ABOUT IM AN ACTUAL DUMBASS

- oh heyyyy I recognise that voice! it’s Tommy’s actor from the game :)

- awwww Joel you really are bad at words. AWW HE APOLOGISED AND ELLIES CRYING NOPE

- “It wasn’t my first time.” THAT DOESNT MEAN THAT I THINK IT DOES, DOES IT?

- if they give us confirmation about her first kill and it’s who I think it was I’m gonna die

- yesss Joel trust her ahhhh

- I hope we get to meet people this ep

- Yeah Kathleen get reminded of the fact that you’re hunting a *child*

- What is that. IS THAT A BLOATER?! ITS GOTTA BE

- “as far as I can make it” Joel you old man lmao

- “I’ve been on both sides” Joellllllll

- Joel that silence is an answer

- AWWW THEYRE SO SWEET I’m crying

- THEYRE HERE AHHHH I KNEW THEYD END IT LIKE THAT

- ‘True Faith’? Yeahhh now I’m gonna go listen to the cover they did of that for tlou2 byeee

[the-other-bird]

My random episode 5 thoughts

(- I'm glad Henry and Sam are alive and happy in Jackson)

- I loved that Henry got Sam the crayons to draw

- Henry being this huge Joel mirror in every way. Like Bill's letter and now Henry telling Joel what he did to keep Sam safe even if it means condemning everyone else, getting Joel where he will be at the end

- ISH!!! I'm glad we don't find out about their fate

- Cathleen was ab amazing villain. With her soft voice, her kind face you kind of expected her to have more empathy and they completely turned that around in making her the person being successful with the revolution and being absolutely ruthless. Also the fact that she's willing to just kill the kids and then gets taken down by that super creepy child clicker was kind of satisfying

- all the interactions with Sam and Henry and Sam and Ellie and how quickly Joel was ready to protect them all

- Joel ending up with Henry's backpack while wearing Frank's shirt

- that Bloater was amazing. I'm so impressed with the work the prosthetic artists did in this show because it makes such a huge difference that the Infected aren't CGI. Also the Bloater getting rid of Perry with the same finisher Joel has to ensure in the game when that thing gets him

[tloubraininfection]

Ever since we got those mixed messages from Neil and Craig about what the second season is going to be I was thinking about all the changes theyve already made to the story in the show and how they actually make the second game make less sense not more? And how it’s gonna be so much harder to adapt it now. Like:

1.Tommy is about to become a father (or he already is one, not sure how much time has passed). I can`t imagine him abandoning his wife and child do go on a suicide revenge quest. Especially not the way he`s characterized in the series. He was super reluctant to go with Ellie to deliver her the Fireflies and that was a far less dangerous mission and his baby was still not there yet so imagine him in few years’ time.

2.The world of tlou in the series is a far more dangerous place than it was in the game. The infected are so much stronger and they have the hivemind thing and on top of that it has been established that if you run into a bloater you are as good as dead. The same goes for people, they are all ruthless and will try to kill you and they are really good at it. So I just cant imagine Ellie and Dina just waltzing into Seattle and murdering WLF soldiers left and right. The whole thing requires game logic and game suspension of disbelief that is just impossible in the tv show.

3. Again, Ellie alone taking out the whole of Santa Barbara? Is she getting Iron Man suit for that part?

4. In spite of the fact that the creators go on and on about how Ellie likes violence they`ve shown exactly the opposite in the show. The violence she`s experienced is deeply traumatizing to her, she takes no pleasure from killing, she has no secret penchant for torture. How are they going to jump from this to all the f-ed up things Ellie does in tlou2? I mean, sure they can, but like make it make sense.

5. The fact that we got it confirmed in the last episode that Joel had attempted suicide and that Ellie is struggling with suicidal ideation is just all kinds of wrong in the context of the second game. I cant even begin to explain how much it bothers me and why. Luckily I don’t have to, there are people who`ve done it already and far better than I ever could so I`ll just refer you to them:

6. Also just for science, if the world of tlou was every bit as hateful and revenge driven as Neil seems to think how fast would they run out of people, do you think? Like, there`s no way there are still any people alive after 20 years, right? Everyone is someone`s something. The whole thing is just… eh.

All this is my way to convince myself that it cant be that bad, right? Right? I just so want to watch the next season and so not want to relive the trauma of tlou2. But Neil is still holding the steering wheel so all this is useless anyways. But then again, why are they making things harder for themselves? I just want the second season to not be the second game, ok? Just make it anything else, just not that!

[skoulsons]

TLOU Ep5

Shorter bc my computer cut out and I had to hand write notes

This is horrifically dark

MY BOYS

that man is full of knives

“Stay with me” AND HOLDS HIS HAND. this is unfair

I love the way Perry stands

Jeffrey pierce looks so good in this role. The slicked back mullet??

it sounds like she’s talking to little kids

“You’re all guilty, so that’s how that’ll go” 😭

Okay but why be like “no one has to die” and then say “kill them”?? YOU WANT THEM DEAD OR NOT?

and jeffreys voice.

oh man

OKAY great I figured we went back in time a smidge but I wasn’t for sure. So the doctor was with them

poor Sam :(

WAIT IS IT AN ETCH A SKETCH?? are those THAT old? They can’t be. no that’s not one it’s something different

“He’s scared bc you’re scared” 🙃🙃

THE SCORE?? ITS THE SAME ONE WHEN JOEL AND ELLIE EMBRACE IN THE RESTAURANT HELLOOOOOO? ALL GONE (REUNION) RIGHT?? not the score evening out when he signs “super sam” im gonna throw myself down stairs head first

The same fear and reassurance between Joel and Ellie last episode. “No one’s gonna find us” “are you sure? “100%”

Henry pulling out the bag of crayons and then drawing together. why.

HE HAD PAINT AND EVERYTHING

their hug :( and Henry gently rubbing his fingers back and forth on Sam’s shoulder???;?/!;?

“He has an asshole voice. Joel, tell him he’s okay” “everything’s g r e a t” 😭😭

Joel giving Sam his food :(

The look joel gives Ellie when she tells them her name <3 so game-esque

HER SLAPPING HIS LEG TO GET HIM TO SHARE HIS NAME

Joel jogging and then leaning over to catch his breath 😭 me, always

“Get your gun out” AND HER SMILE AND HIS HEAD SHAKE

Ellie’s arm slung over Sam’s shoulder :(

SAVAGE STARLIGHT !

you’re kidding. soccer. SOCCER? IN FRONT OF JOEL?

*write on this L*

“But you get it. You might not be her father, but you were someone’s. I can tell” is his protectiveness that obvious

did Perry just make a “your mom” joke.

Joel criticizing Henry for talking too much and ellie smiling 😭

LISTENNNNN A SHOT AND JOEL TAKING HIS SWEET TIME TO TURN, FIND ELLIE, PUT HIS ARM OVER HER BACK AND SHIELD HER? make a whole ass dinner too why don’t you

Henry holding Sam’s hand :(

“If you don’t move, he’s not gonna hit you.” This reassurance 🫶🏻🫶🏻 “But if you go out there, he’s gonna kill you.” “it’s dark and he’s got shit aim, nobody’s gonna kill me.” “then he’s gonna kill us.” “Do you trust me?” And her nod 🕳👩‍🦯

Joel asking him to not do it bc he doesn’t want to kill him :/

EXPLOSION ! And as @ellie-licious and I were talking about, Ellie’s frolicking in the middle of the street 😭

the focusing shots of Joel’s face realizing that that body is Ellie on the ground.,.,..

WHERES OUR BLOATER

she’d really kill the kids. damn. you’re fucked up kathleen

BLOATER BLOATEF BLOATER

THATS SO MUCH INFECTED HOLY PISS OHMY

THERES SO MANY

THE SAME KILL ANIMATION. MWAH I LOVE ART

listen I know Joel’s skilled and he loves Ellie, but firing so close to her is SO ballsy 😭 AND HIM SHAKING DURING IT?? kill me. *WRITE ON THIS L*

im scared of scorpions :/

im scared of ending up alone :/

he showed her it oh fuck. oh wow was not expecting that.

NOT ELLIE TRYING TO FIX IT WITH HER BLOOD WAAAAAAA

“Stay awake with me” :(((((((

“I promise” :((((((

NOT A HUG.

shit. shit man shit. shit. why. why was I hoping for a different outcome.

Wow I was talking earlier if they’d play it the same way as in game. and they did almost 1:1. Wow.

Ellie calling out for Joel :/

JOEL BURIED THEM. wow different from game for sure, but I’m happy with it

[sortasirius]

I knew it was going to be painful, but this episode just gutted me all over again.

Spoilers for TLOU Episode 5

Making Sam deaf was such a powerful choice. It makes him simultaneously more reliant on Henry and makes Henry more fiercely protective of Sam.

The added background was perfect in my opinion, it was just enough to help us learn more about them, while still giving us plenty of opportunity to learn things about them through Joel and Ellie.

"He's scared because you're scared" and then Henry pretending not to be scared for Sam. Yeah. I'm crying again.

And then the "this place is ugly" and Henry pulling out a huge bag of crayons and coloring on the walls with him? This Henry is a lot softer than the Henry in the game (similar to Joel) and I think it works so well, especially because Sam's younger than Sam in the game.

The Super Sam paint

"He always sounds like that, he has an asshole voice" Ellie reading him to filth with a gun to her head LMFAO

Joel giving Sam the piece of paper GOODBYE

Really masterful job teaching the audience the term "collaborator" through Joel, especially since it's world-specific language that isn't in the game.

Sam's laugh <3

The whole thing with Kathleen and refusing to forgive...hmmmmmmmmmm much to think about (cough cough Part 2)

Joel's little head shake when Ellie pulls the gun out of her pocket instead of her backpack...I am obsessed with them.

The entire scene in the tunnels, the way it was straight out of the game was everything to me. The paint on the walls, the goal paint, Savage Starlight, and, of course, the Danny and Ish drawing, and it being an exact replica of the drawing you find in the game.

It is unbelievable to me that they made Henry and Sam's story even sadder. Henry's put in an impossible situation, backed into a corner to either let his brother die of cancer or become a FEDRA informant against the resistance. And he chooses his brother. I can't say I would have done any different.

I also live how they basically told the audience point blank "Every single character in this story is morally grey. Everyone is a villain in someone's story." Hmmmmm excellent setup for a certain Part 2.

I also love how much more vulnerable Henry is in the show than in the game. He's not a hardened survivor, he's a kid who made an impossible choice to save his brother, and he will happily rely on Joel if Joel lets him.

The neighborhood is such a setpiece, my stomach literally dropped when I saw those houses because I knew what was coming.

"Do you trust me?" BYE I LOVE THEM

Combining the bridge and the neighborhood was a great idea.

"Maybe he was supposed to die." Bitch. Maybe your brother was supposed to die. Consider that.

The infected are so much more intense, the way the runners swarm, the way clickers can hear every tiny sound, and then there's the fucking bloater. It's much more frightening than the infected in the game, probably because the game actually had to be beatable lmao.

Ellie is so important to me, I love her so much.

I'm really glad Sam showed her, even though I knew that the blood medicine wouldn't work, I'm glad he didn't have to be alone.

I think that Henry and Sam's death scene in particular was one of the only things in the entire game that I wanted to remain almost exactly the same in the show, and would have been disappointed if there were huge changes. It, to me, remains a triumph in the first game. Their deaths are jarring, completely unexpected, and with no closure, and I think that it had to remain the same.

Neil has said that they would take a look at what they could change and if it felt better, they would change it, and if it didn't, they would leave it alone, and I'm glad they left it alone.

"I'm sorry" on his grave. This adds a really interesting layer to Ellie's journey. She already feels guilty for Tess and (unbeknownst to the tv audience as of now, Riley) but now she feels guilty for Sam too, and that her immunity couldn't save Sam.

There's so much that I love about this episode, but in particular I love how much more richness Lamar and Keivonn brought to already beloved characters. I loved their relationship, and how much softer Henry in particular was, and I loved how Sam looked up to Ellie, how he trusted her with that secret and his fears.

It looks to me like we're going all the way through fall in the next episode, it's going to be painful to wait nine days.

Another absolute triumph of a tv episode, Craig and Neil once again owe me for therapy.

[sorta-responsible-lesbian]

New TLOU episode dropped so here we go:

"That's just how he sounds. He has an asshole voice." Ellie taking me the fuck out immediately

Fuck I forgot they made Sam so much younger than before

"He's not my dad." "I'm not her dad." You two are gonna look like real clowns soon

Ohhh time for the tunnel commune infected

Fuck yea Endure and Survive

This is really would you steal bread to feed your family with Henry

These bitches thought they could outrun a sniper

"Do you trust me?" Joel I swear to God I will fight you for these lines

Joel really doesn't want to just kill someone for no reason

Ellie only chooses violence and I love that about her

Killing kids cause of who they are related to is just cruel. Like Kathleen clearly thinks her brother is worth everything cause who sends her whole army to kill 1 guy

HOLY FUCK ALL THE INFECTED CRAWLING OUT OF THAT HOLE

YES THE FUCKING BLOATER YES

IT KILLED PERRY THE SAME WAY IT KILLS JOEL IN THE GAME FUCK YES

That fucking child clicker is so fucking horrifying holy fuck

I'm gonna throw up, Sam turning is gonna fucking kill me I know it

"I'm scared of ending up alone." I'm gonna fight them for this I really am

"If you become a monster are you still you inside." I forgot this line from the game

[memes-saved-me]

People bitching about the bloater not being in episode 3 would be the same people bitching they used it too soon if it was there

[oodlyenough]

What did you think of TLOU ep5 and the changes to the game? I honestly thought they did things better in the show.

Honestly same, I really liked it. This segment of the game is fun to play but much of the story would be lacking on screen without that gameplay, and the action would've felt/looked too unrealistic on tv I think... like, Joel and co escaping a gazillion-strong army and infinite infected lol.

This got really long so it's under a cut. At the end I talk a bit about tlou2 spoilers although it's marked:

I thought Sam and Henry were great and I liked the changes that were made there, although I have to admit I'd actually forgotten the finer details of their story, eg I had forgotten there was more tension between Henry and Sam in the game. I don't mind them replacing it. I also thought Sam being Deaf and the use of ASL brought an interesting element to their story that wasn't in the game. I thought Sam and Ellie's bonding was adorable. Also... henry... 👀

In my ep 4 post I was worried maybe they'd make Henry somehow "deserving" of his fate, vs game Henry being an innocent. And I suppose they kind of did make him guilty... but it was an extremely sympathetic reason VS Kathleen being utterly unreasonable (more on that below) so I was fine with it in the end.

I gotta say even though I knew it was likely Sam and Henry would have the same fate as their game counterparts, Ellie's "my blood is medicine" got me fhklghldfkg I was like well that makes no sense but I'll allow it" bc I wanted poor Sam to be ok :( Ellie sis I feel u.

My #unpopular opinion, I think, is that I don't really like the angle the show is taking of "the infected are still themselves inside". I guess it's meant to be part of the body horror and stuff. Maybe I'm just being a game purist. It just seems a bit goofy to me and I can't really embrace it lol. Reminds me of the James portions of TWDG s4 which I fucking hated.

The action sequence at the end was incredible imo, felt simultaneously very game-like (Leo pointing meme @ the sniper) while improving adapting the source material well. The infected surging out of the ground, the Bloater, etc, were all really well done I thought. Also the child clicker omg hats off to the baby gymnast bc her movements were creepy as shit.

Joel nailing every shot made me laugh a bit because I fucking suck as the sniper LOL I always get everyone killed sooo many times.

Probably the most contentious bit of the episode is Kathleen. I think she served her purpose well enough -- I've seen plenty of complaints that she wasn't compelling, or that she was too cartoonishly evil, and then I think about how in the game, Philly is just run by an-entirely-men-only military armed force who hunts down Joel+Ellie and every other "tourist" with completely unjustified determination because... uh.... because ? (I get they kill tourists for resources. Surely Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam are not worth the resources expended to track them down across the fuckin' city lmao. It only works because video game.) So obviously the show had to do SOMETHING else

Anyway, I think Kathleen mostly worked. I don't think she was sympathetic at all but I don't think she needed to be -- whatever sympathy you might briefly feel about her brother is pretty quickly extinguished by her saying she knows he'd want forgiveness but she doesn't give a shit, and then again later by her being like "lmao fuck them kids". I also thought casting Melanie Lynskey to use her softest soccer mom voice while saying heinous shit was great... I feel like the "well she's not threatening" stuff is totally off base lmao I don't know how anyone could draw that conclusion tbh. Are entitled """""nice"""" white women leading a lynch mob not terrifying...??

TLOU2 discussion/spoilers:

Obviously the natural comparison here is Kathleen and Ellie and/or Abby. I think her story hits a lot of those similar notes -- she's blinded by her revenge to her own destruction and the destruction of those around her, etc. So I understand where people are drawing those connections. I don't think it's really, like, fair/accurate to Ellie or Abby to say that Kathleen is exactly the same. I don't even think it's a case of "well if we spent time in Kathleen's shoes we'd understand", a la what TLOU2 did/wanted to do with Abby. Neither Abby nor Ellie mobilize and jeopardize their entire community to exact their revenge -- the former Fireflies come by choice, and so do Dina/Tommy/Jesse. Clearly the collateral damage of their revenge is a huge part of the game, but Ellie and Abby also don't have any "Fuck them kids" scenes where they expressly want to murder children as a punishment for their guardian's sins, lmao. The closest you get is Ellie threatening Lev, which is the bottom of the barrel low point for her character and then she turns it around in the end.

So... I don't know. I mean yes obviously Kathleen serves as a bit of foreshadowing or a "parallel" or whatever, but I do think it's inaccurate to pretend it's hypocritical to judge Kathleen but like Abby or Ellie lol.

My final general thought/slight criticism is that the show isn't especially subtle. I've become a bit more sympathetic to television's lack of subtlety over the years as it has uhhh become clearer to me how much an audience will just straight up miss stuff, lmao, and I think part of the stuff that feels un-subtle feels that way to me as someone who already knows the story intimately and perhaps doesn't read that way to a first time viewer.

[silentsockfeet]

tlou hbo s1 ep3 thoughts (spoilers)

honestly i don’t have much, this episode changed so much from the game that i don’t really have any thoughts to share in terms of their relation

don’t attack me for this but a small part of me is a little disappointed by how much this ep deviated from the game. there were so many iconic moments from bill’s town (the snare trap scene, bill and ellie’s banter, the bloater) that i would’ve loved to see translated to the screen, so a part of me is sad to have missed out on it

that being said, this episode really was beautiful. i’m so glad that of all the couples they could’ve shown, they chose a gay couple to get to grow old and live a life together as happily and peacefully as they could’ve. i knew going in that they were going to expand more on bill and frank’s relationship so my main worry was that they would still have frank turn on bill in some way, so i’m glad that’s not the route they went with. we very rarely get to see older gays in media, and in general practically never get to see them be happy in love, and growing older with each other, so it was beautiful to finally get that sort of story, especially in a show that’s otherwise so dark and grim.

in a weird way, i’m also glad they specifically chose to have bill and frank choose to end their lives rather than have one of them die violently or something. tlou (both the game and the show) doesn’t shy away from the more ugly or taboo parts of humanity so it’s cool to get to explore this kind of decision and why some people might come to it.

it reminds me of the scene in the game where joel and ellie find a dead body in a bathtub with someone clearly having killed themself, and ellie asked why some people would do that, and joel responded “for some people it wasn’t a choice.” in the same sort of sense, there wasn’t really much of a choice for bill and frank either. it was either watch someone you’ve grown old with choose to die (and also be the one to have to kill them, in a way) or choose to go with them and embrace death together. all in all a really beautiful way to bring up that kind of dark and difficult conversation

the strawberry scene is what really got me, what always drew me to tlou was its ability to show the beauty of the simple moments in life, ones that we often overlook. i can’t imagine how emotional i would be getting to taste strawberries again after living ten years in an apocalypse, and bill getting to share that moment with frank was so goddamn sweet

playing vanishing grace during the dinner scene 😭😭 like i said, i think the best moments in tlou are the ones that show how beautiful life can be when we stop and let ourselves experience the smaller, simpler moments, and imo vanishing grace has always been the motif for that. it plays in the giraffe scene in the game, so to play it during the dinner scene was heart wrenching. it really hammered home the point of appreciating the time we get with the world and our loved ones, and also starts setting up the running motif of ‘you keep finding something to fight for’

which brings me to bill’s note, i love that bill wrote it to joel specifically and not tess, they were the two that understood each other the most because they were of similar mindsets. i also liked how much it really highlights the fact that joel did love tess back but just in his own way, and bill knew that more than anyone else could’ve

i’m so excited by the way the note is setting up the relationship between joel and ellie too. right now joel is still on this mission because it’s what tess would’ve wanted but it’s fun to know that bill’s words in the note are going to shift into ellie being the person that joel seeks to protect. i also sort of love the juxtaposition of bill using the verb “protect your loved ones” versus joel saying “fight for your loved ones” by the end of the game, it’s the same concept with different connotations. i like the idea that bill starts off as a fight person but by the end becomes a protect person, and joel is now on roughly the same kind of journey.

one thing i kind of wish we’d seen is a scene were we explicitly see ellie realize the kind of relationship bill and frank had. it would have been nice to see her have that sort of Gay Recognition moment in them, the realization that there were people like her in this world. i think it also would’ve been helpful to set up the themes for pt2 down the line, ellie could have this sort of life to look up to where her and dina could grow old and live a life together.

i also find it really intriguing the subtle changes they’re making to ellie’s character. both the game and tv versions have their moments of innocence but i feel like in the game ellie’s moments centered around her naivety about the world, the fact that she hasn’t really been exposed to certain levels of violence before. meanwhile i feel like in the show her moments are more about not understanding how the world used to be, and she’s much more accepting of violence because that’s what the world she lives in now is founded on. she’s so much more comfortable and even open and intrigued by it now, as shown by that scene with the infected and with how keen she is to get a gun. i still feel like it’s in a bit of an aggrandizing way, like she wants to be the sort of gunfire cowboy type character, and that once the proper reality of violence hits her she’ll reach a sort of breaking point. but it also really helping fill in the gaps of how she becomes who she is in the second game, so i’m glad we’re seeing these moments.

also like. is it just me or are the parallels between bill/frank and ellie/dina kind of strong here? there’s the garden, the little homestead all on their own land, the fact that frank takes up painting, the serenading your lover scene,, it feels so stark to me. and ellie has always had slight parallels to bill (and by extension joel), she has the same sort of mindset of “i’d rather isolate than have to face losing the people i love” and dina has the more brighter outlook of life that frank has, the idea that by surrounding ourselves with people we love we become our best, strongest self. and don’t even get me started on the final shot with the window,, looking at joel and ellie leaving through the window was so reminiscent of the final shot in pt2 i can’t even put into words what exactly it means to me

in summary: sad to be missing some scenes from the game but the changes they made are so beautiful i really can’t be mad. glad we got to see a happy ending for bill and frank and i’m excited for all the ways they’re setting up the next steps

[rye-views]

The Last of Us. Season 1. 7.7/10

I would recommend this show to my friends. I wouldn't rewatch this season.

Great acting from Sarah when she's in pain. This Bill and Frank plotline is beautiful. Nick Offerman appearing is a lovely addition. What a perfect character. I do like how we made Sam an ASL signer, Bill and Frank a happy couple, Sarah a black character, and added a native couple. Sam's writing pad thing is cool. Marlon and Florence are amusing. I like them a lot.

Wow Storm is Riley. The clickers have too human-like bodies still for me to be afraid. The bloater was good though. I can't envision public hangings becoming a thing again. Yeah, the diva cup will truly be invincible during the apocalypse. The Walking Dead walked so that the Last of Us could run.

Watching this is like reliving the game except I'm no longer an active player. But, what took me so long to accomplish, got done in such few episodes. It's amazing how the same the settings are to the game. It really takes me back. The angles seem the same too. I'm like I threw a molotov in this room, I hid behind the cars here.

Ew the mouth to mouth that Tess experiences before death, I would hate that. I'd vomit.

Memorable Quotes: "Love me the way I want you to."

[legion1227]

The Last of Us: TV show Review. (Mild spoilers).

This has to be up there as one of the best video game-to-live-action adaptations, correct? 

When the first few episodes dropped, some critics and journalists praised it as the first ever good video game adaptation. However, in the last few years alone, animated shows like Cuphead, Arcane, and Castlevania already broke the "video game curse," as some might describe it. The Last of Us cements itself as a show up there as one of the greats and on par with the equally superb game. 

Years after a zombie outbreak, Joel and Ellie trek across America and endure hardship after hardship that the undead and fellow survivors throw their way. 

As far as an adaptation goes, The Last of Us tv show follows the game closely but also has its own identity. There's a blend and demonstration of respect as the creative team, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who also crafted the beloved game, follow the blueprint the game left, yet also add different and new elements that don't take away from the game, adding depth to the story instead. 

The third episode of the Last of Us focuses on Joel and Ellie shortly before shifting hard to tell the love ballad between characters Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Bill (Nick Offerman) for the majority of the hour. Bill's contribution to the story in the game is vastly different as Frank is already dead, and we get a glimpse into his depressing lifestyle without his partner that's coincided with a boss fight in a school against a bloater. As much as I would have loved to see a throwdown between Joel, Ellie, Bill, and a jacked zombie, the beautiful love story told instead was acceptable. It's one of the first instances the show displays that I always wanted to see with a game adaptation to film or tv. 

When adapting a book, game, or otherwise to a small or large screen, I believe you need to find a sense of balance. You have the original material before you, plenty to adapt with your vision, but also implementing original ideas that fit the story adds to the medium and makes it a more unique experience as opposed to the original material. 

The Last of Us show is what I want from an adaptation. The game is already near-perfect, and the show follows the game close enough while interjecting new ideas that differentiate it from the game while also putting it on par in terms of quality. 

Bill and Frank's love story is not the only story and dynamic that works. Episode 8, titled Left Behind, adapts the DLC from the game where you play as Ellie. A significant portion of the DLC tells another love story between Ellie and her best friend, Riley (Storm Reid), as they explore a mall. The bond these two children share comes off as authentic as they marvel at the sights before them with genuine delight. If there's something the show succeeds at, it's portraying duo dynamics. 

Bill and Frank and Ellie and Riley are two relationships fueled by love and end with tragedies, resulting in breaking the viewer's heart. Episode 5 is the same as Joel and Ellie come across two brothers, Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard). Of all the stories, how theirs ends broke my heart the most, even though I knew how it would end since I played the game before. I suppose I forgot how depressing the story of Last of Us could be. And if the show is going to continue following the route of the games, then when season 2 drops and follows the events of the second game, everyone is going to shit themselves with grief. 

Among the multiple duos and different dynamics, Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie is the driving force. Pascal and Ramsey deliver performances that put the two on par with the game's voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. ( Sidenote: I love how they got the voice of Ellie to play her mother in the show. A genius choice. However, having Baker play 2nd fiddle to a cannibal as opposed to his counterpart in Johnson was odd and comedic in juxtaposition, but he made the role work.) Pascal's portrayal of Joel has him put up a much stronger stoic front that Ramsey's Ellie slowly breaks down as the two forms a bond by the last episode. Joel may have lost a daughter in the first episode, but he found a new one in the end. 

There are not many complaints I have about the show. It's well-acted and smartly written, the action scenes are shot well, and the story feels grounded for a zombie apocalypse tale. It's literally just as good as the game. 

I do find two gripes. One, I think the show could've used one more episode to help with the pacing. The whole section with Joel and Ellie with Bill in the school was omitted in place of Bill and Frank's love story. While I respect the choice, it would've been nice to find a way to incorporate Joel and Ellie having to traverse a school and watch out for the undead. Ideally, you could have the duo strengthen their bond more in an episode like this while also avoiding and/or murdering more zombies. (which brings us to my second point.) Two, there weren't enough zombies. The huge concern in the apocalypse for survivors appears to be other survivors. Realistically, zombies, clickers, and undead in any form should be just as worrying as other groups of survivors. But across several episodes, the lack of presence of zombies is felt. I hope season 2 rectifies the issue by displaying more zombies as a terrifying threat. 

As amazing as this show was, it was equally depressing. 4.5/5. I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading the events to follow in the next season.