HBO's The Last Of Us

[Ian Jane]

A bit of an update on S2 amidst the writers/actors strikes going on right now.

https://www.gamesradar.com/the-last-...riters-strike/

[Ian Jane]

The Last of Us "Should Be Around for A While": Co-Creator Craig Mazin

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/the-last...or-craig-mazin

[Ian Jane]

I've never played the game and thoroughly enjoyed the show all the way through. And I'm not sure I agree with Dom that the characters shift gears as quickly, I think there were plenty of hints all along the way that Joel was warming to Ellie and as he was, using her as a sort of surrogate daughter and as a path to redemption for his daughter's death, which he obviously blames himself for. I dunno. It worked for me. I thought the ending was pretty strong and, having no idea where the story goes from here, am looking forward to S2.

That said, yeah, I can't see them killing Joel off and the show carrying on without him.

[Mark Tolch]

That was an odd season of tv. I generally enjoyed it but I feel I was frequently enjoying it despite itself. There's a repetition to the show where you keep watching the same kind of bleak, morbid death scenes over and over. Then there's a strange episodicness to it where
SPOILERS

I stayed out of this thread until I'd had a chance to see it haha. The spoiler is somewhat true of the game, though I haven't played it in awhile and forget how early that happens. I think that it would be a bad idea to do that same thing in season 2, I agree, I don't think it would survive.

I was one of the people who didn't like the second game (no, not because it was woke or whatever people were bitching about) but because I was SO invested in the characters from the first game, it didn't make sense to suddenly switch perspectives. It was poorly executed in the game, IMO, but I think it'd be suicide for the show to even try.

[Ian Jane]

Coming in July...

[Randy G]

I liked it but it didn't have the punch of the game, one of those reasons no doubt being that it was a game. But my wife who is less familiar with the game (watched me play sections of it) liked it more, no doubt due to the lack of familiarity with the game.

I loved the ending of the first game so much I wasn't interested in playing the sequel. That may now be an advantage for the second season, although I know the broad strokes it may be more effective for me.

[Dom D]

That was an odd season of tv. I generally enjoyed it but I feel I was frequently enjoying it despite itself. There's a repetition to the show where you keep watching the same kind of bleak, morbid death scenes over and over. Then there's a strange episodicness to it where characters suddenly change to fit what that episode needs them to do. In the finale I was finding it really strange that all of a sudden Joel was a doting, besotted father figure. I knew we were headed that way but it's such a sudden snap. Then it turns out that that's required to justify his actions in the finale. It's like the panic attacks and a few other things. The characters now this because that's what the writers need them to be. I don't know anything about the behind the scenes but maybe they were farming out the individual episodes to different writers and there wasnt enough oversight to tie it together.

SPOILERS

I hear the second game kills off Joel early on. Curious to see if they go that route. I feel like Ramsey and Pascall are carrying this thing. I can't imagine the show would survive. They would definitely lose me. Of course they probably want more than two seasons so they'll have to diverge at some point.

[Mark Tolch]

Maybe I'm getting old but that least episode was grim. I kinda saw the twist coming but still, grim. Haha. Bella Ramsey is a really good actress though. That last five minutes, she really brought it.

Curious to see where the finale leaves us next week.

They definitely upped the creep factor considerably, while keeping the setting from the end of the first game intact. I was actually really impressed by it, and it was that episode that made me buy all in to Bella Ramsey. She hadn't quite won me over yet.

[Ian Jane]

Maybe I'm getting old but that least episode was grim. I kinda saw the twist coming but still, grim. Haha. Bella Ramsey is a really good actress though. That last five minutes, she really brought it.

Curious to see where the finale leaves us next week.

[Ian Jane]

[Ian Jane]

Another article on the differences between the show and the game.

https://www.denofgeek.com/games/the-...y-in-the-game/

[Dom D]

I don't think it's "the best show ever made" as some people outside of this board are claiming, but it is pretty decent, compelling TV.

I'd agree with that. Particularly as I'm told that the settlement they reached last episode is going to be a hub for the show. Settling in one spot should allow the show to grow beyond the arcs it's currently doing. Looking forward to tonights episode though I fear from a few stills I've seen it's going to be entirely a flashback episode to draw out the Joel cliffhanger.

[Mark Tolch]

I don't remember panic attacks from the game, but I'm hazy on part 2. I assume that they're mentioned because they're going to come up again.

I don't think it's "the best show ever made" as some people outside of this board are claiming, but it is pretty decent, compelling TV.

[Ian Jane]

It is a weirdly episodic show. All of a sudden Joel is having panic attacks in episode 6 because that's relevant to that episodes mission. I don't recall them being mentioned before and I'm guessing they won't be mentioned again. I'm not really up on video game story telling but is the structure the result of following a video game structure? The idea of self contained 'levels?

I've never played the game so have no idea where it's going or not. I figured what happened to Joel might have been panic attacks, which under the circumstances, would be understandable I think. But you're right, I don't think they were mentioned before at all and they did kind of come out of left field.

[Dom D]

Without going into spoiler territory, the most recent episode didn't follow that pattern, mostly. I guess you could say the ending did, but that's got to be just a cliffhanger, right?

Gotta be cliff hanger. It'd be one of the biggest rug pulls in tv history if they did that. At the same time kind of in keeping with the structure I was talking about above if not.

It is a weirdly episodic show. All of a sudden Joel is having panic attacks in episode 6 because that's relevant to that episodes mission. I don't recall them being mentioned before and I'm guessing they won't be mentioned again. I'm not really up on video game story telling but is the structure the result of following a video game structure? The idea of self contained 'levels?