Spoilers The Last of Us (HBO 2023-)

[TheIntruder]

It’s fascinating from reading people’s comments online and reflecting on the TV series there is for sure more connection to Joel. I mean Pascal is great so how couldn’t you. But I played the games first and there the connection was stronger with Ellie, which I felt we didn’t quite get in season one of the series. She is such a cool character to play with in the game and a lot of action revolved with her.

I love this show though. They do a great job with the zombies. Can’t wait till episode 3.

I don't know how the game goes, but on TV, Joel, his daughter, and brother are the first characters we meet, and they suffer through an eventful first episode.

We don't meet Ellie until later, and she mostly acts like an unlikable brat, and you know what they say about first impressions…

Joel's also far from perfect, but at least he displays some more positive qualities.

 

[TheIntruder]

Ok, the second season is complete, and the third probably another two years away.

Video game adaptations are difficult to do well, and this is one of the more successful efforts, but the source material provides the guidance, and that includes both strengths and weaknesses.

I enjoyed the second season, but…

losing Joel/Pascal (though part of the game), also took away a lot from the show, and the characters that had to fill that void didn't have enough gravitas to pull it off. Ellie has to carry part of the burden.

They tried, and the acting was very good overall; however, the material they were given wasn't quite at the same level.

On the flip side, the brief appearances of Lalo Salamanca Tony Dalton and Joey Pants served as a reminder of what a veteran actor can do with very little material, and more of that would be great.

The second season finale also follows the shift in the viewpoint of the game, with the third season evidently repeating the Seattle story, but from Abby's perspective. TBH, other than brutally murdering someone, which is far from a rare occurrence in that world, I'm actually starting to root for her instead.

The danger, with so many dystopian zombie/vampire/etc. end-of-the world shows being made in even not so recent history, is that it can become rote, and uninteresting, once the initial novelty wears off.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Yeah once Joel ate it, I lost interest in it. Bill and Frank were a really neat side story line but they both bit the big one too, so Im left with characters that dont carry much interest for me. I watched a couple recent scenes but it was just Ellie bouncing between scenes of an animalistic society eating itself which was not interesting or fun to watch. I've always like dystopain half life-esque story lines and Season 1 was great in that regard though. Even though I know my favorite chaarcters all die, I think S1 is worth a rewatch.

 

[Huntn]

Sad to say I’m done with this show. S2E2 and then Seattle is a mess. I got the same feeling I had at the end of The Walking Dead, but here it was revenge, more revenge, I grew not to care. Season One had a good angle. It’s lost that, becoming repetative. imo. 😕

 

[TheIntruder]

Sad to say I’m done with this show. S2E2 and then Seattle is a mess. I got the same feeling I had at the end of The Walking Dead, but here it was revenge, more revenge, I grew not to care. Season One had a good angle. It’s lost that, becoming repetative. imo. 😕

You did hear that Druckmann has stepped away, "to spend more time" on his new game or "pursue new challenges" as often put in that kind of corporate double talk, no?

But it seems that whatever problems some have with the show are due to its faithfulness to the game, which was polarizing as well. Unless that changes, it won't make much of a difference.

But perhaps Mazin now has the green light to deviate, without any elephants in the room.