HBO: The Last of Us

[The Green Goblin]

I think that this added a bit more to Joel's story than the game version did. We get to see Joel meet Bill and Frank. We see Joel has spent more than a decade with Tess. It adds to her death in the previous episode. And like the game the time spent with Bill serves as a warning to Joel for what he can become depending on his choices.

As for the debate around wether it's the best episode of TV ever, who cares? I enjoyed it, and found it to be a worthwhile hour of tv and that's enough for me.

Had Bill and Frank been chasing a literal rat for an hour like a certain other show had their heroine doing... different story.

 

[choombaz]

As for the debate around wether it's the best episode of TV ever, who cares?

Maybe this sort of thing used to mean something back in the day when most tv was garbage but now I feel that when a whole show is just class all the way through, best episode of tv ever just feels like clickbait.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

So next week will be focused on Ellie and Joel I assume?
Although I question the point of all that time spent with Bill and Frank, I'd rather watch them than Ellie.
I gather from various posts here, she's much more likeable in the game?

 

[Wor-Gar]

Had Bill and Frank been chasing a literal rat for an hour like a certain other show had their heroine doing... different story.

Or a fly... in the best series ever on TV?

 

[Wor-Gar]

So next week will be focused on Ellie and Joel I assume?

Nope. Next week is the story of Sue and Marcy. She didn't want to let her in, but when she did, her whole world changed.

#emmyfishing

 

[darth dennis]

Or a fly... in the best series ever on TV?

Oh man...the ONE episode my wife and I skip EVERYTIME!!!

 

[The Green Goblin]

Or a fly... in the best series ever on TV?

Hey now, that was actually good! TWD's Carol and the rat episode had nothing to add besides ad revenue into AMC's pockets.

 

[Mandible]

I have zero interest in this property. I don't play video games and I hate zombie stuff, so it's a double strike for me. Triple strike if you account ol' Derpy Mormont being the star.

BUT....I watched a Drinker video the other day praising this episode, so I decided to check it out. I skipped the beginning so I could just watch the bottle episode about Ron Swanson and White Lotus fellow and see what all the fuss was about.

It was nice. It was a sweet story. I get it. I get why people that demand "representation" are losing their minds over it. Of course it reminded me a bit of Brokeback Mountain, which people similarly lost their minds over almost 20 years ago. I that that was a fantastic movie, but this was nicer and sweeter.

But then I looked at wikipedia and saw this:

In 2023, Bartlett appeared in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, portraying Frank in the episode "Long, Long Time". The episode received universal acclaim and was widely considered to be the best of the show's first season, as well as one of the best episodes of television overall.

Whoa there, Nellie....rein it in a bit. It was a nice, touching hour of television, but in no way, shape, or form was it "the best episode of television overall." Good lord, people are so prone to hyperbole these days.

Maybe it'll get a writing Emmy or a best guest star Emmy, but it'll be forgotten soon after. I don't know what planet people are living on if they've somehow managed to never see a gay love story on TV.

Anyway, it's nice to see the Freaks here having more tempered reactions. It was a decent hour of TV, but it wasn't life-changing. Whoever wrote that exaggeration on wikipedia really needs to get a grip.

The world needs to get a grip... on reality, on respect, on civility, on acceptance... and too many other things to mention.

Too much vapid noise.

 

[R_R_X]

For the show it wouldn't have been all that great if they had just done what the game did. It's funny that some people are saying the episode of the show was a waste of time without any purpose but that the game version would have been better?

I didn't say that but I think they could've striked a balance between the game and the show stories, have Bill meet Joel and Ellie at the end and have him basically tell Joel what he wrote in the letter and have some banter with Ellie, in the game Bill acts as a foil for Joel to show how close Joel is to becoming that person but it's not all black and white either, Bill may be unlikeable man who even drove his only partner to abandon him but he was absolutely right about the world.

What I found beautiful about the game version is that he predicts and tells Joel what awaits him should he go down this path of protecting Ellie but Joel chooses to love again anyway, in the show it's as beautiful but obviously something else entirely, Bill is a better version of Joel here and the letter at the end is the complete opposite thing Bill tells him in the game to me both versions work but the show should've had Bill meet Ellie, this could've been before him and Frank decided to go out together or after where Bill is still alive and keeping Franks memory alive by fixing up the town like he always wanted to but that's just my opinion.

 

[R_R_X]

I think that this added a bit more to Joel's story than the game version did. We get to see Joel meet Bill and Frank. We see Joel has spent more than a decade with Tess. It adds to her death in the previous episode. And like the game the time spent with Bill serves as a warning to Joel for what he can become depending on his choices.

As for the debate around wether it's the best episode of TV ever, who cares? I enjoyed it, and found it to be a worthwhile hour of tv and that's enough for me.

Had Bill and Frank been chasing a literal rat for an hour like a certain other show had their heroine doing... different story.

At least this was good filler even if a little boring, I can't even begin to count the ammount of absolutely garbage filler episodes The Walking Dead had over the years that are legitimately a complete waste of time.

Or a fly... in the best series ever on TV?

At least it was about the leads.

 

[R_R_X]

So next week will be focused on Ellie and Joel I assume?
Although I question the point of all that time spent with Bill and Frank, I'd rather watch them than Ellie.
I gather from various posts here, she's much more likeable in the game?

Yeah it seems like from now on it will be mostly focused on Joel and Ellie, next week should be more action packed and introduce Sam and Henry.

She is waaaay more likeable in the game and honestly aside from her quips and some moments taken directly from the game she is completely different in the show, they're building this darker side to her and have completely skipped over the meek and more innocent person she starts out as.

 

[Mandible]

Yeah it seems like from now on it will be mostly focused on Joel and Ellie, next week should be more action packed and introduce Sam and Henry.

She is waaaay more likeable in the game and honestly aside from her quips and some moments taken directly from the game she is completely different in the show, they're building this darker side to her and have completely skipped over the meek and more innocent person she starts out as.

That's because Straley isn't around to pull Druckmann into line, so they're lining her up to be more Part II Ellie (and in the process completely missing the entire point of the original story).

 

[ArtDamage]

That's because Straley isn't around to pull Druckmann into line, so they're lining her up to be more Part II Ellie (and in the process completely missing the entire point of the original story).

Interesting point

Spoiler

that would be more in line with making Joel and Ellie our villains and Abby more the hero protagonist next season.

 

[Prime Clone]

The episode received universal acclaim and was widely considered to be the best of the show's first season, as well as one of the best episodes of television overall.

Was there a proper citation for that? Or "citation needed"?

 

[Jman101010]

That's because Straley isn't around to pull Druckmann into line, so they're lining her up to be more Part II Ellie (and in the process completely missing the entire point of the original story).

Bingo! I have a feeling they're going to change the ending of the first game, so Joel is obviously in the wrong and "the bad guy", whereas in the game it's more up to us whether or not he's wrong.

And a point on Straley. He isn't even being paid for this or credited for writing/creating the game in the show's credits. Just Druckmann. They're screwing him over. Not surprised.

 

[choombaz]

https://www.polygon.com/platform/am...ce-straley-neil-druckmann-credit-unionization

 

[Otomofan]

Was there a proper citation for that? Or "citation needed"?

Here's the screenshot from Murray Bartlett's wiki page:

I like how the author proclaims it "the best episode of the season" even though only three episodes have aired so far.

 

[Wor-Gar]

So... Murray wrote that himself.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

Yeah it seems like from now on it will be mostly focused on Joel and Ellie, next week should be more action packed and introduce Sam and Henry.

She is waaaay more likeable in the game and honestly aside from her quips and some moments taken directly from the game she is completely different in the show, they're building this darker side to her and have completely skipped over the meek and more innocent person she starts out as.

She comes across as a bit of a psycho in the show. That and her horrible obnoxious attitude, I thought they were building her up to have a villain turn. I could totally see her becoming a psycho killer in the show.

 

[RavenAsh]

Ellie is incredibly likeable in the first game there’s so much depth to her. Loss of innocence, fears of losing those she loves eating away at her and, of course, the fact that the cure lies within her blood. Yet in so many sections we’re still reminded that she’s a kid. She still has joy, she still has wonder, she still loves so much. It’s a beautiful arc she goes on throughout that game. Making something ‘darker’ and ‘edgier’ doesn’t automatically lead to something being deeper.