kingseanjohn Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Best episode so far imo. I knew what was coming and it still hit. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) On 2/11/2023 at 12:58 AM, Xenos said: Hide contents I was fooled. I actually thought Ellie knew what she was doing. 😭😭😭 13 hours ago, Xenos said: Actually appreciating what happened in episode 3 more and more with Frank and Bill. 11 hours ago, BlaqOptic said: The Last of Us just keeps getting better. Tonight's episode added a bunch of improvements to one of the two best/saddest parts of the game and still made it resonate! Easily the best thing on TV right now! 5 hours ago, kingseanjohn said: Best episode so far imo. I knew what was coming and it still hit. IMO I think the TV series has struck the perfect balance so far between keeping the best parts of the show, but also expanding on the areas that a game simply can't. What it's kept: 1. The characters' complexity and ability for the audience to attach, and the core relationships that the game develops along the way. Pedro Pascal has just nailed Joel to a T. Bella Ramsey is actually taking a slightly different tack than Ashley Johnson, but she's captured the feisty spirit and vulnerability that made Ellie so likeable from the start. I loved Annie Wershing's Tess, but Anna Torv really made Tess as likeable as in the game. Sarah, same deal. 2. The scenery and atmosphere are just spot-on. I know they did Kansas City instead of Pittsburgh, but the underground, the beauty of nature, and the Boston scenery just captures the bleakness & raw beauty of the game so much. 3. The scenes that have been kept verbatim were just so crucial for either character development (puns & the men's mag scene) or for the hit-hard moments (Tess' sacrifice, Henry/Sam's scene). They've also shown VG players so much love with the Easter eggs like the Daycare, the comics, etc. Another *chef's kiss* there. 4. Whether or not they choose to stick to the events, or change it up - the writers have only reinforced the duality of the character writing. Joel, Tess & Henry have done VERY evil things in their past. Yet they're the protagonists. We saw Kathleen given very sympathetic moments this ep - and that's what defined the VG's, IMO - it wasn't caricature, black and white. We still rooted for Joel & Ellie, but there were some awful things done by them. I loved that the series has already shown this from Joel's past and made Henry even more of a nuanced grey character. That was amazing. 5. Finally, while I would always love more of the memorable action moments we saw in the game - they've just nailed the feel of the VG insanity in the action scenes so far. The first multi-Clicker scene, and the horde / sniper battle was SO INTENSE in-game - they really captured the chaotic nature of this in Ep5. Bad*ss work. As for the differences that have only added to the show: 1. The character expansion for Bill & Henry have just been aces. There's just no way you could expand on either's past as much as the show did - and while I think Bill & Ep3 will take home the awards come Emmy time, I think Lamar Johnson deserves an Emmy nomination for his work as Henry. I think Offerman runs away with it, but this is one case where 2 ppl deserve nods. 2. While they've changed the story events, every character twist added has been in-line with the duality of the show. Kathleen as a Black hat fueled by a thirst for vengeance, but also with very good cause. Henry now having more darkness in his past. Bill dying, but in the name of a love that he obviously was affected by in-game as well. I loved that they made Sam mute, so it added another layer of complexity to Henry's need to protect him (and how Ellie & Sam really bonded quickly). My only beef with the show is that I do think they could have done the game in 2 seasons, included at least 3-4 other key moments in the VG they skipped over - and been close to this point by the end of S1, with an obvious cliff-hanger. But I also get that they might have had filler in a 16-ep 2-season run, and weren't sure this was going to be a run-away hit, either. Either way, though, other than the decision to go Ep1 into 1 season, I really just have to tip my cap to the writers, Druckmann & Mazin. It's been a helluva ride the first 5 eps. They have more than enough material to get to S1's end and make it even more gripping. Buckle up, ppl. Edited February 12, 2023 by Broncofan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Final comment - having a kid clicker was another great moment. And having it be the one that got Kathleen after nearly getting Ellie darker was a nice touch. Edited February 12, 2023 by Broncofan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 10 hours ago, Broncofan said: IMO I think the TV series has struck the perfect balance so far between keeping the best parts of the show, but also expanding on the areas that a game simply can't. What it's kept: 1. The characters' complexity and ability for the audience to attach, and the core relationships that the game develops along the way. Pedro Pascal has just nailed Joel to a T. Bella Ramsey is actually taking a slightly different tack than Ashley Johnson, but she's captured the feisty spirit and vulnerability that made Ellie so likeable from the start. I loved Annie Wershing's Tess, but Anna Torv really made Tess as likeable as in the game. Sarah, same deal. 2. The scenery and atmosphere are just spot-on. I know they did Kansas City instead of Pittsburgh, but the underground, the beauty of nature, and the Boston scenery just captures the bleakness & raw beauty of the game so much. 3. The scenes that have been kept verbatim were just so crucial for either character development (puns & the men's mag scene) or for the hit-hard moments (Tess' sacrifice, Henry/Sam's scene). They've also shown VG players so much love with the Easter eggs like the Daycare, the comics, etc. Another *chef's kiss* there. 4. Whether or not they choose to stick to the events, or change it up - the writers have only reinforced the duality of the character writing. Joel, Tess & Henry have done VERY evil things in their past. Yet they're the protagonists. We saw Kathleen given very sympathetic moments this ep - and that's what defined the VG's, IMO - it wasn't caricature, black and white. We still rooted for Joel & Ellie, but there were some awful things done by them. I loved that the series has already shown this from Joel's past and made Henry even more of a nuanced grey character. That was amazing. 5. Finally, while I would always love more of the memorable action moments we saw in the game - they've just nailed the feel of the VG insanity in the action scenes so far. The first multi-Clicker scene, and the horde / sniper battle was SO INTENSE in-game - they really captured the chaotic nature of this in Ep5. Bad*ss work. As for the differences that have only added to the show: 1. The character expansion for Bill & Henry have just been aces. There's just no way you could expand on either's past as much as the show did - and while I think Bill & Ep3 will take home the awards come Emmy time, I think Lamar Johnson deserves an Emmy nomination for his work as Henry. I think Offerman runs away with it, but this is one case where 2 ppl deserve nods. 2. While they've changed the story events, every character twist added has been in-line with the duality of the show. Kathleen as a Black hat fueled by a thirst for vengeance, but also with very good cause. Henry now having more darkness in his past. Bill dying, but in the name of a love that he obviously was affected by in-game as well. I loved that they made Sam mute, so it added another layer of complexity to Henry's need to protect him (and how Ellie & Sam really bonded quickly). My only beef with the show is that I do think they could have done the game in 2 seasons, included at least 3-4 other key moments in the VG they skipped over - and been close to this point by the end of S1, with an obvious cliff-hanger. But I also get that they might have had filler in a 16-ep 2-season run, and weren't sure this was going to be a run-away hit, either. This is my only gripe about the series as a whole. I think they're moving through everything so quickly. I would've liked the brakes pumped a little bit. 12-14 episodes would've been great! Give us another episode with Sam and Henry traversing the challenges of KC. Give more development to Kathleen's character. Many more as you alluded to. It's a minor gripe and honestly, mainly bc I'm enjoying it so much and we only have a handful of episodes left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywindO2 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 The child clicker was truly frightening. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 29 minutes ago, skywindO2 said: The child clicker was truly frightening. They went all out to make it terrifying too. That wasn’t CG. Amazing work. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 38 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said: This is my only gripe about the series as a whole. I think they're moving through everything so quickly. I would've liked the brakes pumped a little bit. 12-14 episodes would've been great! Give us another episode with Sam and Henry traversing the challenges of KC. Give more development to Kathleen's character. Many more as you alluded to. It's a minor gripe and honestly, mainly bc I'm enjoying it so much and we only have a handful of episodes left HBO has a certain amount of episodes for each show. Nothing goes further than 10 (100 hours?). It’s probably because of the budget. I’m sure Craig and Neil wished they knew S1 was going to be so big so they could have planned two seasons instead. But it is what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Broncofan said: They went all out to make it terrifying too. That wasn’t CG. Amazing work. Just realized that the KC QZ is effed because of Kathleen’s stupidity. Edited February 12, 2023 by Xenos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 The other part the writers & producers have nailed - the terrible cost of love and revenge. At first a lot of terrible acts were done to survive. But the worst acts so far have been out of love. Henry’s need to get Sam a cure led to his betrayal; Kathleen’s grief for her brother and thirst for revenge likely has doomed the city. Great stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Xenos said: Just realized that the KC QZ is effed because of Kathleen’s stupidity. Yup - it reinforces the fragility of the world they live in - one mistake is all it takes. And how decisions based on pure emotion can have devastating consequences. It’s also pretty cool how they revealed that KC FEDRA were monsters / savages for 20 years and Henry’s betrayal is the final spark that lit the flame to rebellion. But that same rebellion led to no one addressing the underground horde below - even when they had clear evidence it was coming. And that FEDRA had been keeping the tunnels clear until recently. Again the complexity of the post-apocalyptic world they live in. Kathleen's statement that "this is what you get for f*cking with fate" had even greater meaning - since it led to KC's downfall. Edited February 12, 2023 by Broncofan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 28 minutes ago, Xenos said: HBO has a certain amount of episodes for each show. Nothing goes further than 10 (100 hours?). It’s probably because of the budget. I’m sure Craig and Neil wished they knew S1 was going to be so big so they could have planned two seasons instead. But it is what it is. I wasn't aware there were thresholds that couldn't be crossed. Also feel like they could've known this would be a success (maybe not a massive success like it is) solely based on how well the game was received but what do I know? Just glad we got it and it's as good as it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broncofan Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) 12 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said: I wasn't aware there were thresholds that couldn't be crossed. Also feel like they could've known this would be a success (maybe not a massive success like it is) solely based on how well the game was received but what do I know? Just glad we got it and it's as good as it is The failures of book properties like Wheel of Time (OMG awful S1) and LOTR (ROP S1 underwhelmed) along with video game adaptation failures like Halo, Prince of Persia & Unchartered (although those 2 were made while it was in production IIRC), combined with the saturation of the zombie / apocalypse series market, likely gave execs extreme pause not to go all out for S1. Edited February 12, 2023 by Broncofan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenos Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 34 minutes ago, Broncofan said: The failures of book properties like Wheel of Time (OMG awful S1) and LOTR (ROP S1 underwhelmed) along with video game adaptation failures like Halo, Prince of Persia & Unchartered (although those 2 were made while it was in production IIRC), combined with the saturation of the zombie / apocalypse series market, likely gave execs extreme pause not to go all out for S1. HBO and the WB also doesn’t have the money to take risks compared to Apple or Amazon. WOT, for example, is already greenlit for S3, while ROP is getting all 5 seasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyPhil1781 Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Broncofan said: The failures of book properties like Wheel of Time (OMG awful S1) and LOTR (ROP S1 underwhelmed) along with video game adaptation failures like Halo, Prince of Persia & Unchartered (although those 2 were made while it was in production IIRC), combined with the saturation of the zombie / apocalypse series market, likely gave execs extreme pause not to go all out for S1. Very valid points but TLoU has a proven story that has been highly acclaimed by everyone in the video game market. That accompanied with the fact that they have two excellent actors as the leads suggests it was going to be a hit. That's how I look at it at least. It's all moot though. The second game is still a fantastic story so I'm sure that they won't fly through it unless this was something they wanted to do in S1. Just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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