The Last of Us - HBOMax

[Azure Kite]

Thinking about it I honestly think the issue with the pacing partly stems from having played the games. 

 

I wonder if it would still be an issue had I not played the games? 

 

Loved the most recent episode though. 

David lost a little bit of his creep factor without the accent imo. 

And I wish they had of included the fight Ellie and David had with the infected. 

But it was overall a great episode and did most of the key points well. 

[mega-tallica]

22 hours ago, djb5f said:

As for the Game of Thrones  reference, it’s pretty similar.  There were so many episodes where no immediate threat of white walkers, dragons, etc. but you knew what was out there.  Another fabulous series.  

 

You knew what was out there because the show did such a good job at maintaining their presence in the plot without neglecting it. Building the suspense slowly so when they finally were introduced into the plot as a major component, it was incredible. Game of Thrones, despite what people say about the last few seasons, is the best show ever made in my mind and it's not very close. Better than Sopranos, better than Breaking Bad, better than The Wire, better than all of them. 

 

The Last of Us, on the other hand, is like a mad rush to get to the next plot point and then that one gets rushed through to get to the next. There's no sense of building suspense and building up to these high climax moments. They just happen, they're there and then it's gone and forgotten about by the time the next episode comes around. There's too many aspects of the characters and plot that could've been fleshed out so much better. We didn't need a whole episode of Bill and Frank's backstory, that's not what this story needed, it needed more Joel and Ellie screen time that slowly builds up to moments like at the end of the David episode. Which makes Episode 3 all the more frustrating because that's the one of the few moments the show does slow down and takes the time to develop characters but it's for two completely insignificant characters in the overall story that ultimately don't matter to anything. 

 

To get through this whole story in just 9 episodes and do it justice, there's not enough time to dedicate a whole episode to Bill and Frank. As feelgood as an episode as it was I guess for some, it came at a cost because key moments of the main plot are now getting rushed through and could've definitely used those precious 60 minutes back to flesh out better. Same with the Left Behind episode, that didn't need to be a whole episode either. Maybe if they had 12 episodes to work with, but not 9. If you're going to blast through the story in 9 episodes, you got to put focus in the things that matter, what people are tuning in for mainly and the things that drive the plot forward without sacrificing so much quality in the process because of the time constraints. 

 

It's mind-boggling that HBO only gave this show 9 episodes despite the fact they're marketing it like it's they're next flagship show. It needed 12 episodes but I would've settled for 10 at least. 

 

[the1andonly654]

1 hour ago, Azure Kite said:

Thinking about it I honestly think the issue with the pacing partly stems from having played the games. 

 

I wonder if it would still be an issue had I not played the games? 

 

This is what I was thinking since pretty much the first episode, with all the changes, omissions and additions - if I didn't know the source material, would it feel better or worse to me. Knowing the original, I pretty much wait and anticipate stuff that I know is gonna be there and appreciate (or not) the new version of it.

 

I don't see pacing as an issue, the story feels like it's progressing faster but a lot of what they fast forwarded through is gameplay in the game, which would just be some action scenes in the show. In the game, the whole David sequence, with Joel's and Ellie's gameplay switching back and forth, it makes sense and also made quite an impression for its time - it feels like you're playing a movie. With the show, why even include it? They obviously focused on the character stories, prolonging this episode for the sake of people sneaking up on other people wouldn't make sense and would be one of those moments you just skip on your 2nd viewing. All the key moments with David are there and some of them are more powerful in the show. The cannibalistic aspect is shown as something less obvious, at first at least, with the thought that these guys don't know what they're eating and the definitive reveal, with the ear and then bodies hanging from the ceiling. And David himself, with all the grooming of Ellie and him reaching for his zipper right before the cleaver moment is, in contrast, much more obvious than in the game. The essence is there, the approach is a bit different, with pacing too. 

 

 

[Valyrious]

Good finale. Extremely loyal to the game, almost to a fault. I loved how they were able to inject Ashley Johnson into the show and as an iconic character. Though, since I never read American Dreams, seeing Ellie give birth to Ellie was quite the paradox.

Wasn't sure how they would make it work with only 43 minutes... but they crammed in the essentials just fine. While the hospital scene was EXCELLENTLY shot and rightfully menacing, it did lack a bit of the emotional impact that the game had. But they kept the controversial ending, which was absolutely vital, so that's all that matters I suppose.

The big downfall to this finale for me is that they didn't show Abby. There's been rumours that the actress has been cast, but it's possible that she was either cast after filming S1, or they just chose not to insert her. I'm assuming it's the former. I just think it was a missed opportunity. They could have ended the season with TLOUP2 spoilers:

Spoiler

Abby discovering her dead father,

and panned to see the look of absolute rage in her eyes before closing the season. A very fitting way to end the show and also illustrate the consequences that are to come in S2. They can still shoot this scene in S2E1 so it's not really much of a complaint.

All in all... a fantastic show. Outstanding it what it sought to achieve. A wonderful retelling that at times did things SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE GAME EVER COULD! Bill's episode, I'm looking at you.

Solid 9/10 overall for the season.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Valyrious

[PeachyJacobs]

Fantastic final episode. So many moments from the game they got just right. The giraffe scene was perfect, I was really waiting for that one.

 

I have really loved this series, it has become one of my favourite shows. They have done such a phenomenal job. Honestly just perfect television for the last two months. Incredible acting throughout and such a great story to tell. Can't wait to see what they do with season 2!

[kdogg_gamer_]

I just hope that isn't what makes Ellie immune. I feel that would be a creative cop out but my wife believes that the Fireflies would have tried that route before hand (Marlene had to be curious and she is smart I think she would've linked them) so she believes there is something else that makes her special to the virus. I did like how they explain how the fungus works in her and how it makes her immune though. I also loved Joel's attempted suicide backstory.

[Valyrious]

14 minutes ago, kdogg_gamer_ said:

I just hope that isn't what makes Ellie immune. I feel that would be a creative cop out but my wife believes that the Fireflies would have tried that route before hand (Marlene had to be curious and she is smart I think she would've linked them) so she believes there is something else that makes her special to the virus. I did like how they explain how the fungus works in her and how it makes her immune though. I also loved Joel's attempted suicide backstory.

What exactly is wrong with that reasoning? It actually makes a lot of sense. Like how vaccines usually contain a bit of a disease so antibodies can develop and fight it. I wouldn't call it a creative copout. I would call it the only realistic explanation. Especially since we witnessed how Ellie was born. It explained everything in a very satisfying manner.

[kdogg_gamer_]

3 minutes ago, Valyrious said:

What exactly is wrong with that reasoning? It actually makes a lot of sense. Like how vaccines usually contain a bit of a disease so antibodies can develop and fight it. I wouldn't call it a creative copout. I would call it the only realistic explanation. Especially since we witnessed how Ellie was born. It explained everything in a very satisfying manner.

But then that in my opinion eliminates the ending. If that makes sense then they would’ve figured that out (which is why my wife believes something else makes her immune). I would’ve rather not known as that makes it seem highly replicable.

[JungleCat20]

I never played The Last Of Us until part one on the PS5 and haven’t yet played The Last Of Us part 2. I have heard all the criticisms about part 2 and I know the fate of some of the characters. All I can say is that both the game and the show were awesome experiences. Count me in for next season. 

[zulqarmessi]

10/10 season finale

Can't believe it's over ?

I will miss you Ramsey-Pascal Duo ?

 

[Valyrious]

Hmm... maybe it's a 10/10 after all.
 

 

[Juzota]

Great ending for a great season! The wait for season 2 is going to be a long one.

[Solid-Fisch]

So this is it. Season one done. It's been a very fine series and they did many things right and not to many wrong. My only complaints would be the lack of fighting scenes against infected and of course the way-to-fast-pacing. Let's hope that thanks to bigger budget these points will be handled better in the next season. All in all i'd say the first season was very solid 8/10, maybe even 9/10.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Solid-Fisch

[sephiroth4424]

So, Ellie is Blade?

[Creasy007]

One of the best episodes of the season last night, loved it. First season was great, though it certainly felt a little rushed or hastened to me at times. All in all, though, great stuff all around. Bring on season two.

[wolvieware]

Really enjoyed this series - thought it was a great adaptation. Really got everything right, and the extra additions fitted really well. It’s hard to believe it was a game in the first place - game adaptations are never this good. 
 

It did seem a bit light on action, which I didn’t really mind as such, just that I remember killing a lot of infected in the game which doesn’t happen here. 
 

I’ve not played part 2 so might be tempted too now. Or should I just wait for season 2 and watch it as fresh? 

[ZZ383]

Incredibly boring, just like the game it's based on.

[kdogg_gamer_]

17 hours ago, Valyrious said:

What exactly is wrong with that reasoning? It actually makes a lot of sense. Like how vaccines usually contain a bit of a disease so antibodies can develop and fight it. I wouldn't call it a creative copout. I would call it the only realistic explanation. Especially since we witnessed how Ellie was born. It explained everything in a very satisfying manner.

Apparently this is also not necessarily how’s she’s immune according to Neil D. Although I read elsewhere if she had an infection at birth then how did she pass detection before hand?  And a significant amount of time passed between Anna bite and Marlene showing up so it’s possible she was immune too. So in the end not a cop out as it’s not 100% not decided. But this also goes with my wife’s theory something else makes her immune. It’s interesting he’s thought about this way before hand though lol

[heavyrockerfin]

I've certainly enjoyed the series. 

[Azure Kite]

1 hour ago, ZZ383 said:

Incredibly boring, just like the game it's based on.

If you disliked the games and found them boring then why would you watch the series? 

 

 

Also I've read in a few places now that the second games story will span over multiple seasons as the "story is too large to fit in to one season" 

That's great news as it would have been a very short lived series otherwise. 

But I wish they had of taken this approach with the first game and fleshed it out better. 

[audiopile]

Enjoyed it all.  Wish it was longer by about 3 episodes and wonder why it wasnt.  
 

I didnt like Pt II nearly as much so one season will do for me.  

[The Alchemist]

Wow what a season! It flew by too! Here are my favourite episodes in order and also my overall rating for each one: 

 

• Episode 5 - Endure and Survive (9.5/10)
• Episode 6 - Kin (9/10)
• Episode 2 - Infected (8.5/10)
• Episode 3 - Long, Long Time (9.5/10)
• Episode 9 - Look for the Light (9/10)
• Episode 7 - Left Behind (8.5/10)
• Episode 1 - When You're Lost in the Darkness (9/10)
• Episode 8 - When We Are In Need (8/10)
• Episode 4 - Please Hold to My Hand (7.5/10) 

 

Overall score for Season 1 - 8.7/10 

 

Season 1 Pros - 

• Incredibly faithful to the source material 
• Original scenes and elements were fantastic and added a lot to the world and the story
• Fantastic writing
• Fantastic acting by everyone involved. Bella is Ellie as much as Pedro is Joel
• Fantastic music. Not just the music from the game, but the new songs they included worked so well too
• Gorgeous cinematography
• Overall production quality was outstanding
• All of the important moments from the game made it in
• The inclusion of cast members from the game
• The emotional moments hit just as hard as they did in the game, if not more so 

 

Season 1 Cons - 

• Could be more infected and I say that as someone who is fine with the seeming lack of them. Just a few more scenes to spread out the pacing a little more 
• Kathleen. Straight up did not like her character or her portrayal. I liked the additional backstory for Henry and Sam though
• Show David wasn't as creepy as game David
• Really wish they had kept the arcade scene true to the game 

• Some moments worked better in the game 

 

Amazing season overall. Easily the greatest live adaptation of a video game ever. Far exceeded any expectations I had for it. They really nailed it and I'm so happy and cannot wait for season 2! 

 

I'm also happy that they've pretty much confirmed Part II will be spread over "multiple" seasons. I figured that would be the case considering how much more expansive the story is in Part II, and also for other reasons... It also gives them time for ND to put out a potential third game if they want to continue the series beyond Part II's story, because they won't adapt beyond the source material. I reckon it will go something like this; 

 

Season 1 - First game 

Season 2 - Part II 

Season 3 - Part II 

Either ends here or... 

Season 4 - Part III 

Season 5 - Part III 

Finished

[the1andonly654]

The finale might be my favorite episode yet. As someone who loves the game's story (but is very tired of the Naughty Dog game formula, as a side note), I am biased and half of the fun for me was seeing how they'd translated the little details, certain moments or lines to the TV format. The giraffe scene, with the music and being or at least feeling almost shot for shot in parts, the ending being, again, almost identical to the game. It was more than I hoped for, the show exceeded my expectations. 

 

The ending scene, with Joel and Ellie driving, then walking to Jackson was incredible. It's mostly due to it being a live action show, but it changed my perspective a bit. In the game, we don't really see Joel struggling with his choice all that much, we mostly see him trying to sell Ellie a certain story and her being doubtful. It's a bit two dimensional and whether you think it's right or wrong, we don't really see Joel's take on it - it seems like it's black or white for him. Pedro Pascal's acting clearly gives us his opinion and while it still ends up being white for him in the end, there's a lot more grey in there. In the show it's much more clear that he knows what he's sacrificing. 

 

[ZZ383]

1 hour ago, Azure Kite said:

If you disliked the games and found them boring then why would you watch the series? 

 

 

Also I've read in a few places now that the second games story will span over multiple seasons as the "story is too large to fit in to one season" 

That's great news as it would have been a very short lived series otherwise. 

But I wish they had of taken this approach with the first game and fleshed it out better. 

 

Because sometimes you do things with the people you love even if you dislike the thing you're doing. 

[mega-tallica]

I pretty much have said my piece about this show already but now that's it done I will say overall it was good. The running trend of the season is I enjoyed it most when it stuck with the games the closest. The finale was one of my favorite episodes because it stuck to the games almost identically. 

 

Don't fix what isn't broken and the show fixed a lot things that weren't broken in my mind with just frustrating and questionable results most of the time and very few deviations I liked more in the show than the games. If I had to put a rating to it, I'd give it like a 6.5/10. Could've and should've easily been a 9/10 considering the source material it's pulling from but alas, didn't turn out quite to my expectations overall. 

 

I still don't 100% like Bella as Ellie but I accept her in this role now because she did do a solid job in the end. I just can't get over the fact there's other actresses that could've done it even better in my opinion. Pedro was great from the start and really carried the show on his shoulders for me especially during the first half of the season. I didn't like the David portrayal at all. The creepy cannibal was so much better than the religious fanatic we got in the show. That was disappointing and then there's just the idiotic choices of adding a character like Kathleen who was a terribly written character and portrayed horribly on top of that. Did nothing but detract from what was otherwise a highlight of the season with the Henry and Sam portion. 

 

Pacing was rough to say the least and was rushed even at the end. It's a crime Part I only gets 9 episodes dedicated to it while Part II is going to get 2 seasons but I suppose that buys them more time to develop the Part III game. Part I could've easily have been 2 seasons as well, at least have been a few episodes longer. I would've liked to see more Joel and Ellie together and their banter and adventures, more infected on screen, and I would've especially liked a whole episode with Anna and get Ellie's mom's whole backstory considering how paramount it is to the whole plot and explaining Ellie's immunity. Instead of Bill and Frank, that would've been something more worthy of having a whole episode for it in my opinion. That's something that should've been expanded further for sure. Instead, like many other things, they just blasted through it with a quick and convenient explanation for Ellie's immunity that just introduces more questions than answers. 

 

I have little interest for Part II's portrayal but something that would intrigue me that if they were to deviate from Part II is to provide further expansion on Ellie's immunity and don't ignore it entirely like the games did and focus all on the misery with no hope thing that Part II had. That theme worked in the games okay because the gameplay broke up the depressing, emotionally draining themes of the plot but it's going to be hard to get people to accept that in a show, especially over 2 seasons, that's a lot of depressing misery you're expecting people to put up with. The game was so divisive for this reason and it's going to be even more divisive in a show context. You need some kind of element of hope and that there's a light at the end of the tunnel for these characters that you're investing all this time into. Joel literally kills one avenue of hope in murdering the doctor that could've made a cure but the show would do a good if they reestablish another avenue of hope for Part II while doing the whole revenge, misery porn thing over top. I feel like they're potentially setting this up by providing an open-ended explanation for Ellie's immunity at the end of season 1. It gives them the option to work this in with some further expansion and sets them up for an endgame for this whole story which I would imagine a Part III would be the conclusion. Part II gives you nothing for a conclusion, it just ends with a broken, sad, depressing Ellie but the timeline works out that Part II of the show would end right around the time Part III of the game would release hypothetically which is looking like 2026 which would be the same year the show would be starting Part III. That's what the plan looks like anyway. 

 

Just don't pull another Game of Thrones where the show surpasses the source material's timeline and runs out of source material because the author is too slow and lazy to finish his own story himself. Although since Neil pretty much controls the game and the show, I suppose it'll be okay. Game needs to come first though regardless, it wouldn't be right the other way around. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by mega-tallica