I'll still watch the season, but I was also surprised by how sloooow this episode was, especially how it chooses to end itself. Good premiere, but kinda weak at times.
With Part 1/Part 2, the one game ending on a tense note, the other starting addressing that tense note (Joel/Tommy opening scene) and then giving us a final cutscene of "normalcy" between Joel and Ellie before the time skip where things feel more isolating and drastically changed, there's purpose to the unease it throws you, and fits the game's depressing tone very well. (You only hear vague details about the Dance night, off-screen plans with Joel to look forward to, a clear "rugged survivor" tone to Ellie to show her evolution in being independent and more mature)
The game's opening scene with Joel explaining his secret to Tommy, up until the Title Card for the game, is absolutely 10/10 peak, "Oh no consequences are gonna happen!" regarding Part 1. The TV show doesn't hold a candle especially since it offers too little characterization of Abby's group for it to have that same oomph before the time skip.
With the show, in terms of Joel and Ellie, the tone feels all over the place and way too casual or normal for most of the runtime, and only finally gets interesting by the end when it starts to reveal its cards regarding the pair's strained relationship. Then it just ends.
I like how it incorporates Joel's construction background in showing how he supports Jackson day-to-day (something the game barely touches), but it could have benefitted from showing him still stuck in his ruthless, dark survivor ways, either in a brief excursion, or conflict with a character.
Ellie's scenes are all over the place. Her behaving incredibly recklessly while on patrol with Tommy, then acting incredibly immature with Dina when tracking Infected later... even doing a whole 'charades' bit with a knife while sneaking/hiding from incredibly dangerous clickers around a corner...!! It feels hokey. The pair had a silly dynamic in the game for levity, but not to a life-threatening degree in a clearly dangerous situation.
Apart from that, Bella Ramsey is great at being more distant and angsty to Joel, clearly holding something back behind those eyes the show will reveal later.
I don't mind shifting some of the end-game scenes of Jackson to early on here... It makes sense chronologically, and establishes the new norms of character relationships, while still being vague as to the root of their issue.
Speaking of Root, the reveal of mushroom tendrils in the construction pipe was a freaky reveal, and I think is HBO setting up both a cool way to explain a massive herd of infected finding their way to Jackson, and a way for Joel and Ellie to be pushed out of Jackson, confronted with the Horde, and bump into Abby without it feeling like 3 coincidences happening at the same time on a random tuesday afternoon...
Honestly I found the premiere great at expanding on and featuring scenes that either the game didn't or couldn't show, because it's a stealth-action game and it could have disrupted the pacing. (I still believe we needed more Jackson scenes in-game before the Big Moment, really flesh out the world and "new normal")
And the show does that! It really remixes when certain Jackson scenes take place, putting a lot of the late-game flashbacks to That Fateful Day by the end of the episode, and takes its time with letting us soak in these beloved characters. (Also it has a TENSE AF Stalker infected scene, I didn't know they'd pull off their spookyness so well, and expands on characters like Eugene from the game with a new related character...)
Stalkers were a gimmick enemy added into the first game very late in development. The sequel fleshes out their AI and behaviour. But overall compared to Clickers and Bloaters, they don't serve much of a distinct threat on their own... But the Series having held back on them until now lets them function as a nice "infected are still evolving" subplot/tease
But Episode 1 could definitely have been 30 minutes longer. Give the audience a bit of a bigger cliffhanger. Reveal more about Abby's group showing up at the end for a darker impact. Or something more interesting as a hook than just "hey the guys from the opening scene showed up".
Season 1 had a packed 90 minute premiere, and took its time establishing the world, but also some character mysteries, the main inciting incident, and a neat bow tying together the depressing opening with Sarah to Joel's trauma coming back to haunt him with Ellie suddenly under his protection.
I'm not sure how else Episode 1 could have ended, other than Golf being a very clear hard-cut major moment, but I know why they might not want to play that hand in the very first episode -- especially with Pedro Pascal on the payroll...)
6 Episodes after this. Wow. Really.
From what I can gather from trailers, I bet we're getting one more Jackson episode, a full Flashback episode on the WLF/Seraphite conflict like the Bill Episode in S1, then the rest for Ellie's Seattle Quest and a sprinkle of Abby's Motivation Reveal somwhere in there..
For some reason I have a hard time believing it'll have enough time to get to The Theater Confrontation as the final scene, but Craig and Neil have mentioned they'll be playing around with and adapting parts of the Game script in entirely new ways if it serves the TV format better.
New episode of The Last of Us is out and hot damn I thought it was great lol. It felt more like a season finale than anything with all that goes on. Easily the most action packed and tense episode of series so far with a very emotional finale. Like the previous episode, they re-arranged and changed some things and for the most I do like them, such as mixing up the groups by having Joel partner up with Dina, while Ellie's with Jesse. Thank God they're giving Jesse more to do here. The biggest difference by far is the battle at Jackson and it's a fantastic addition. Incredibly tense and really had you rethinking who'd really make it out of the episode. This is the most terrifying the infected have been so far and has me really excited for how they'll handle a certain Rat King down the line.
I really like Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Yeah she doesn't have the same physique as her video game counterpart, but I think she does a good job carrying herself the same way while being a little more conflicted with what she's doing. Like she's putting on a bit of a facade and you can see it cracking during a very specific moment. I do find it funny how much she looks like Ellie from the game. I can see why she was one of the actresses in the running for Ellie during casting. And of course Bella Ramsay puts out an absolutely wonderful performance as per usual. She did a great job matching the emotion and intensity of Ashley Johnson. Gabriel Luna is also very good as Tommy, and he gets in on most of the action this episode, which feels like a tease of what's to come.
Great episode! Very excited for next week!
Spoilers
I really like how alive Jackson as a community feels. It really does seem like a small town where everybody knows everybody. Love the emergency talk Tommy gives everyone, and it was cool to see how prepped they were in case of an attack.
Interesting that they mixed up the character groups. Dina being with Joel, as well as their pre-established relationship definitely helps add context to why she'd want to help avenge Joel. Jesse having more to do by going with Ellie on lookout is also a fun addition.
The infected emerging out of the snow was horrifying. Really great scene!
Goddamn, Abby beat Joel so hard the golf club broke. Ngl I do prefer the game version a bit more cause I think the final swing to the head really emphasises the brutality of it all. Whereas, the stab feels more like Abby putting down an injured animal.
I like the scene overall, but I do wish the room it took place in wasn't so brightly lit, and in a basement as it was in the game. Like Ellie was descending into hell as she finds Joel being tortured.
Ellie crawling to hug Joel is absolutely devastating. Love that little addition.
Having Ashley Johnson's cover of Through the Valley is a GREAT touch. Love that they're continuing paying tribute to the games cast. I wonder if Laura Bailey's character from the previous season might pop up at the WLF base.
Episode 3 is out and it's a much needed breather episode for the audience following last weeks events. After an emotional opening and a slightly different title sequence, the episode mainly focuses on Ellie preparing for and hoping to convince the town of Jackson to form a hunting party to go after Abby and her gang. It very much deals with the fallout of Abby's PGA Tour and the attack on Jackson, while introducing the WLF and the Seraphites. A lot more time passes here than in the game and the episode does a good job of showing the effects of everything that's happened not only to Ellie, Dina, and Tommy, but the rest of the town as well.
We get to see more of Ellie and Dina's relationship which is always a good time, though interestingly enough they're not actually a couple yet, though it's only a matter of time. It seems like their relationship will build over the course of the season rather than having them immediately start out as a couple. The biggest surprise of the episode would be Seth, who gets to do way more here than in the game and is one of Ellie's most vocal supporters during the episode.
I really liked this episode, though I can imagine people some people calling this filler despite pushing things towards the real meat of the story. It's a big change, but an important one to really help pace things out.
The fourth episode of the season is out, and it's tense and gripping, though surprisingly hopeful. Isaac gets his introduction to the series, played by the wonderful Jeffrey Wright, who reprises his role from the game. He does a great job playing a tired, but imposing character and we already know more about him here than we do in the entirety of the original game. Isabela Merced delivers her strongest performance as Dina yet, especially towards the end as certain revelations come to light.
I also really want to highlight the incredible set design this week. The crew did an excellent job brining these locations to life. The subway in particular was my favourite parts of the episode. This season continues to excel in making the infected scary as hell, which once again has me especially excited about a certain king.
I do have some criticisms. For one thing everyone looks too clean, especially Ellie and Dina who after the events of the episode should have looked absolutely filthy, but end up looking flawless by the end. No ones clothes look weathered, which is a stark contrast from the immaculate set design. I can see Ellie's temperament being a little controversial here since she appears much more mellow than in the game. She doesn't feel like she's on the warpath as of yet, though I expect that to change once she confronts one of Abby's crew.
Overall great episode that follows similar beats to the original game, while expanding on one of the antagonists.
Spoilers
Josh Peck jumpscare
That's a penis
I like the choice to have Isaac be someone who fought against an oppressive regime, only to become the very thing he hated.
Nice touch to have him clearly be frustrated with the term Voter in the flashback, then later on having him calling the Seraphites, Scars.
The TV station with the hanging corpses was super gnarly. Apparently they're played by stunt people with the intestines prosthesis attached to them which is pretty cool.
Very much like the change of having Dina absolutely freaking out at Ellie being bit and watching over her for hours for any signs of infection. Incredibly acting by Isabela Merced here. Love the bit with the light from her torch cover her face, then when she turns it off she looks absolutely miserable.
The pregnancy test bit was very funny. Bella Ramsey's expressions here were great!
I guess Shimmer's just trapped forever in that music store lol. At least she didn't explode.
Comments
I'll still watch the season, but I was also surprised by how sloooow this episode was, especially how it chooses to end itself. Good premiere, but kinda weak at times.
With Part 1/Part 2, the one game ending on a tense note, the other starting addressing that tense note (Joel/Tommy opening scene) and then giving us a final cutscene of "normalcy" between Joel and Ellie before the time skip where things feel more isolating and drastically changed, there's purpose to the unease it throws you, and fits the game's depressing tone very well. (You only hear vague details about the Dance night, off-screen plans with Joel to look forward to, a clear "rugged survivor" tone to Ellie to show her evolution in being independent and more mature)
The game's opening scene with Joel explaining his secret to Tommy, up until the Title Card for the game, is absolutely 10/10 peak, "Oh no consequences are gonna happen!" regarding Part 1. The TV show doesn't hold a candle especially since it offers too little characterization of Abby's group for it to have that same oomph before the time skip.
With the show, in terms of Joel and Ellie, the tone feels all over the place and way too casual or normal for most of the runtime, and only finally gets interesting by the end when it starts to reveal its cards regarding the pair's strained relationship. Then it just ends.
Ellie's scenes are all over the place. Her behaving incredibly recklessly while on patrol with Tommy, then acting incredibly immature with Dina when tracking Infected later... even doing a whole 'charades' bit with a knife while sneaking/hiding from incredibly dangerous clickers around a corner...!! It feels hokey. The pair had a silly dynamic in the game for levity, but not to a life-threatening degree in a clearly dangerous situation.
Apart from that, Bella Ramsey is great at being more distant and angsty to Joel, clearly holding something back behind those eyes the show will reveal later.
I don't mind shifting some of the end-game scenes of Jackson to early on here... It makes sense chronologically, and establishes the new norms of character relationships, while still being vague as to the root of their issue.
Honestly I found the premiere great at expanding on and featuring scenes that either the game didn't or couldn't show, because it's a stealth-action game and it could have disrupted the pacing. (I still believe we needed more Jackson scenes in-game before the Big Moment, really flesh out the world and "new normal")
And the show does that! It really remixes when certain Jackson scenes take place, putting a lot of the late-game flashbacks to That Fateful Day by the end of the episode, and takes its time with letting us soak in these beloved characters. (Also it has a TENSE AF Stalker infected scene, I didn't know they'd pull off their spookyness so well, and expands on characters like Eugene from the game with a new related character...)
Stalkers were a gimmick enemy added into the first game very late in development. The sequel fleshes out their AI and behaviour. But overall compared to Clickers and Bloaters, they don't serve much of a distinct threat on their own... But the Series having held back on them until now lets them function as a nice "infected are still evolving" subplot/tease
But Episode 1 could definitely have been 30 minutes longer. Give the audience a bit of a bigger cliffhanger. Reveal more about Abby's group showing up at the end for a darker impact. Or something more interesting as a hook than just "hey the guys from the opening scene showed up".
Season 1 had a packed 90 minute premiere, and took its time establishing the world, but also some character mysteries, the main inciting incident, and a neat bow tying together the depressing opening with Sarah to Joel's trauma coming back to haunt him with Ellie suddenly under his protection.
I'm not sure how else Episode 1 could have ended, other than Golf being a very clear hard-cut major moment, but I know why they might not want to play that hand in the very first episode -- especially with Pedro Pascal on the payroll...)
6 Episodes after this. Wow. Really.
From what I can gather from trailers, I bet we're getting one more Jackson episode, a full Flashback episode on the WLF/Seraphite conflict like the Bill Episode in S1, then the rest for Ellie's Seattle Quest and a sprinkle of Abby's Motivation Reveal somwhere in there..
For some reason I have a hard time believing it'll have enough time to get to The Theater Confrontation as the final scene, but Craig and Neil have mentioned they'll be playing around with and adapting parts of the Game script in entirely new ways if it serves the TV format better.
New episode of The Last of Us is out and hot damn I thought it was great lol. It felt more like a season finale than anything with all that goes on. Easily the most action packed and tense episode of series so far with a very emotional finale. Like the previous episode, they re-arranged and changed some things and for the most I do like them, such as mixing up the groups by having Joel partner up with Dina, while Ellie's with Jesse. Thank God they're giving Jesse more to do here. The biggest difference by far is the battle at Jackson and it's a fantastic addition. Incredibly tense and really had you rethinking who'd really make it out of the episode. This is the most terrifying the infected have been so far and has me really excited for how they'll handle a certain Rat King down the line.
I really like Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Yeah she doesn't have the same physique as her video game counterpart, but I think she does a good job carrying herself the same way while being a little more conflicted with what she's doing. Like she's putting on a bit of a facade and you can see it cracking during a very specific moment. I do find it funny how much she looks like Ellie from the game. I can see why she was one of the actresses in the running for Ellie during casting. And of course Bella Ramsay puts out an absolutely wonderful performance as per usual. She did a great job matching the emotion and intensity of Ashley Johnson. Gabriel Luna is also very good as Tommy, and he gets in on most of the action this episode, which feels like a tease of what's to come.
Great episode! Very excited for next week!
Spoilers
Goddamn, Abby beat Joel so hard the golf club broke. Ngl I do prefer the game version a bit more cause I think the final swing to the head really emphasises the brutality of it all. Whereas, the stab feels more like Abby putting down an injured animal.
I like the scene overall, but I do wish the room it took place in wasn't so brightly lit, and in a basement as it was in the game. Like Ellie was descending into hell as she finds Joel being tortured.
Ellie crawling to hug Joel is absolutely devastating. Love that little addition.
Episode 3 is out and it's a much needed breather episode for the audience following last weeks events. After an emotional opening and a slightly different title sequence, the episode mainly focuses on Ellie preparing for and hoping to convince the town of Jackson to form a hunting party to go after Abby and her gang. It very much deals with the fallout of Abby's PGA Tour and the attack on Jackson, while introducing the WLF and the Seraphites. A lot more time passes here than in the game and the episode does a good job of showing the effects of everything that's happened not only to Ellie, Dina, and Tommy, but the rest of the town as well.
We get to see more of Ellie and Dina's relationship which is always a good time, though interestingly enough they're not actually a couple yet, though it's only a matter of time. It seems like their relationship will build over the course of the season rather than having them immediately start out as a couple. The biggest surprise of the episode would be Seth, who gets to do way more here than in the game and is one of Ellie's most vocal supporters during the episode.
I really liked this episode, though I can imagine people some people calling this filler despite pushing things towards the real meat of the story. It's a big change, but an important one to really help pace things out.
The fourth episode of the season is out, and it's tense and gripping, though surprisingly hopeful. Isaac gets his introduction to the series, played by the wonderful Jeffrey Wright, who reprises his role from the game. He does a great job playing a tired, but imposing character and we already know more about him here than we do in the entirety of the original game. Isabela Merced delivers her strongest performance as Dina yet, especially towards the end as certain revelations come to light.
I also really want to highlight the incredible set design this week. The crew did an excellent job brining these locations to life. The subway in particular was my favourite parts of the episode. This season continues to excel in making the infected scary as hell, which once again has me especially excited about a certain king.
I do have some criticisms. For one thing everyone looks too clean, especially Ellie and Dina who after the events of the episode should have looked absolutely filthy, but end up looking flawless by the end. No ones clothes look weathered, which is a stark contrast from the immaculate set design. I can see Ellie's temperament being a little controversial here since she appears much more mellow than in the game. She doesn't feel like she's on the warpath as of yet, though I expect that to change once she confronts one of Abby's crew.
Overall great episode that follows similar beats to the original game, while expanding on one of the antagonists.
Spoilers
"i'M gONnA bE a dAd"
Ha ha, fuck you too.