Last of Us on HBO

[Shimbo]

The DLC episode happens in the same point in the game. The show is still following the games template. I don't think the flashback is badly timed as the show is finally showing us Ellie's background and paying off the few things she mentioned in the series. In the wider context she see just how much Joel means to her now.

I agree that the episode is well placed in the overall season's plot structure. We have Ellie and Joel embrace their strong personal connection after their earlier confrontation. We see them more relaxed with themselves and each other and settling into a Father-Daughter/mentor-mentee dynamic instead of the more adversarial one they had earlier. Pushing the other away to mitigate the pain of loss or failure in the mission, more so on Joel's part, but still. The Mentor, Protector, and Father is on the verge of being snatched away from her, so soon after Joel embraced this role, which resonates strongly with the unfortunate timing of Ellie's first kiss: elation at her romantic feelings being reciprocated, then devastation as the realities of the world they live in snatch that happiness and potential romance away from her. She's having literal deja vu, seeing the only person she cares for in this world dying in front of her, feeling powerless (she literally says something like I can't do this without you)...until she says eff that, I'm going to save you, or at least try. This is different than her relying on Joel for protection and guidance, which was a role previously held by Riley; Ellie is embracing her agency and trying to "save" that which she loves, instead of relying on their protection. But it's also different from the aggression and darkness that percolates out of her in the academy when she savagely beats the bully, which both hints that Ellie does not need a Protector and highlights the darkness that exists in her and Joel both.

Next episode will be interesting to see how savage Ellie becomes to protect her newfound Father. She's never been particularly innocent, having been trained for violence by FEDRA, but now she has someone to protect and I'm here for it.

[Immortal Weapon]

This was Ellie encounter with spoilers:

the cannibals

end of spoilers. I'm disappointed that the stealth sequence got cut. I wanted to see how Ellie in the show would have taken out a couple of those guys before being captured. Good that the show didn't shy away for what he really wanted Ellie for.

[ChrisIII]

Also original Joel Troy Baker as James. Interesting thing is that David was originally played by Nolan North, better known as "thief with a heart of gold" and Naughty Dog's other main action hero (Unless you count Crash Bandicoot), Uncharted's Nathan Drake. Kind of against type for him, as what is essential the Anti-Joel. (North and Baker would later work together in Uncharted 4, with Troy as Nate's long lost brother Sam).

Guessing Ashlee Johnson's (Video game Ellie) appearance as Ellie's mother? will be next episode. Also what relationship she had with Marlene and the Fireflies, implied in the first episode. The video game series briefly considered having material with Ellie's mother but it was cut at some point.

I don't think we got as much of a look at David's community in the game. Unlike say, Walking Dead's Terminus where they seemed to be all in on it it seems that only a bit of the community knew the truth, and Joel and Ellie pretty much killed all of those. Makes you wander what will become of them, horrified by what they've done if they discover the truth or Joel and Ellie tell them? Starve? etc.

[Maestro 216]

Tainted meat! You've been eating tainted meat!!!

[Nathaniel Gray]

This was Ellie encounter with spoilers:

the cannibals

end of spoilers. I'm disappointed that the stealth sequence got cut. I wanted to see how Ellie in the show would have taken out a couple of those guys before being captured. Good that the show didn't shy away for what he really wanted Ellie for.

He would really try what he tried with the whole building on fire? That made no sense.

[Immortal Weapon]

He would really try what he tried with the whole building on fire? That made no sense.

I think he would. He let that fire happen and he was done trying to gaslight.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Some thoughts...

- Ellie has become more resourceful in this episode. Showing she can hunt and take care of his father figure Joel. The scenes with empty houses and snow was a nice touch here. Pedro and actress who plays Ellie detailed how cold it was when they filmed these and how Pedro comically almost got blowed over by the huge fans they used in it.


- David was perfect in this. As Druckmann pointed out , when you 1st meet him...he seems like a kinda sweet man. A man who is a preacher leading a community. I do kinda wish we'd have gotten an episode or 2 to expand on David more really. The ways he was using some of the women there in his "cult" and his being a f'n cannibal.



- Joel recovering as best he could and still deadly was a good touch. He knows he can't leave people alive , as they were gonna kill him. Joel had some HARDCORE Rick Grimes vibes in this one.


- The ending worked. Druckmann wanted to swerve people and what they expected. I liked that one.


Now some negatives ....


- This was a big group of people as we saw. Men and women who aren't going off to hunt or kill someone. So WTF happened to them all as a building gets set on fire ? Where did the young girl go who wants to kill Ellie and Joel go ? Getting smacked once isn't gonna make her change her mind.

We don't see them after the fire or anything. Then we get a plug for next weeks show. No one decided to go see why a fire had started ? No one noticed 2 strangers , man and girl outside either ?


In all its a good episode but the speeding through season #1 has been...a bit much. Here the episode literally does a great ending fight. Then we see...no effects of it from people David led.


- From reports next weeks episode will be the shortest episode. I have to think HBO and Sony after the renewal came in and re-did some things to leave it off with a suspenseful ending. My prediction ...is we get right to the middle or near the end of the 1st game and ....TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SEASON.


To lure fans into watching the fates of the characters.

[Immortal Weapon]

I also wondered what happened to the other townspeople when the building got set on fire. In the game Ellie and Joel left bodies in their wake so the town being empty was somewhat plausible.

Don't worry super, the only thing left to cover is now is the ending at salt lake city. If its still one hour they have enough time to cover it.

[j9ac9k]

I also wondered what happened to the other townspeople when the building got set on fire.

That bothered me too, but there could be any number of reasons. I'm sure time and money were a factor, but even a quick shot of people distracted by trying to deal with the fire in the front of the building while Ellie snuck out the back would've been enough - being a resort, that's presumably a pretty large building with many exits.

[ChrisIII]

Kind of wonder if the Giraffe scene will still be in the finale.

[Immortal Weapon]

The giraffe scene made it in!

The finale used the same ending as the game. A nitpick

spoilers:

I'm disappointed the story Joel told Ellie about the fireflies finding other immune people becoming a lie. In the game in was actually true. When you explore the hospital during Joel's rampage the player can find audio tapes and files of the fireflies finding other immune people and their methods with all of them have failed. It sucks the show removed this. I guess it was so the final scene can hit harder

end of spoilers

[SUPERECWFAN1]

The episode followed the games ending with some tweaks....

-

-


- We get why Ellie is special. Where her mom was bitten at her birth. Gifting her with the antidote.

- Joel reveals his suicide attempt then over losing Sarah. How he found a reason to keep going as he knows she needs to hear this after her brutally killing David so he tells her his story so she can...get past it.


- Joel makes the decision we all knew he would as he saw her as his daughter. The ending just is abrupt.

- Druckmann has a logical 2nd season here he could write really. You can flash ahead a couple months and reveal that there was Fire Flies who survived Joel's wraith in the hospital. The hunt for both can begin as you can introduce a 2nd in command who is looking for them.

You also can have the truth be revealed that Ellie knows. Joel can tell her how they planned to kill her for this cure.

(No I haven't played the 2nd game. Heard it wasn't good due to Druckmann's decisions and its a game series that we may never get a Parr 3)

[ChrisIII]

Think they still plan on following the second game. There was some backlash when it came out but I think it's largely cooled since.


There's rumors that a part III might be in development, especially since ND pretty much dropped Uncharted.

[Immortal Weapon]

The episode followed the games ending with some tweaks....

-

-


- We get why Ellie is special. Where her mom was bitten at her birth. Gifting her with the antidote.

- Joel reveals his suicide attempt then over losing Sarah. How he found a reason to keep going as he knows she needs to hear this after her brutally killing David so he tells her his story so she can...get past it.


- Joel makes the decision we all knew he would as he saw her as his daughter. The ending just is abrupt.

- Druckmann has a logical 2nd season here he could write really. You can flash ahead a couple months and reveal that there was Fire Flies who survived Joel's wraith in the hospital. The hunt for both can begin as you can introduce a 2nd in command who is looking for them.

You also can have the truth be revealed that Ellie knows. Joel can tell her how they planned to kill her for this cure.

(No I haven't played the 2nd game. Heard it wasn't good due to Druckmann's decisions and its a game series that we may never get a Parr 3)

Some of your ideas do happen in the second game but not in that way.

[Anthony W]

Think they still plan on following the second game. There was some backlash when it came out

"Some" backlash? It consumed everything. Part two is mentioned in the same breath as The Last Jedi and the ending to Game Of Thrones. It remains the most devisive thing in videogames.

but I think it's largely cooled since.

BWA-HAHAHA! It has not! Hoped you enjoyed the first season, because unlike the audience for the videogame the normies who watch this show are 100% Team Joel. Good Luck getting them to sympathize with the LPGA rep

There's rumors that a part III might be in development, especially since ND pretty much dropped Uncharted.

I'm curious to see who it focuses on.