The Last of Us Megathread - Spoilers

Jordan 199

Well well well, I played both The Last of Us Games but had no interesting watching the TV show. That's going to change now.

Zero-Cool

Incredible, just **** incredible. Last episode very similar to the game, nailed it. This episode, nothing like the game, NAILED IT!

The only thing. Ooooonly thing I'm not sure of... I kind of wanted Ellie to find the porno mag and toss it at the end before panning to the window shot but it probably would have sullied the character of Bill. It suited the game Bill but not TV Bill do probably the best choice.

And now I wish we had a Left Behind style dlc where you play Bill where you and Frank repair the town, grow strawberries, fight some raiders and grow old together :D

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185075#Comment_120185075

The truck was fairly well stocked with stuff from Bill & Franks. Porno mag scene could still be the opening of next week's episode. I'd actually be kind of surprised if they don't do it since it's such a well known scene and does a lot to show Ellie & Joel's relationship evolving, as well as Ellie's playful/joking side.

Though yeah, it might sully the character of Bill a bit.

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185623#Comment_120185623

I checked the teaser for Ep 4, something I never do with shows but was mad to see what's coming up. Next episode looks great already. And yeah, actually looks like a good time for her to find the mag as it would have let some time pass from ep 3 to be funny and not ruin any moods but I wouldn't be surprised if left out.

As for Ep 3, I was so happy when Ellie turned from the clock to show her game shirt, truly a "she said the thing" moment and then Joel with his shirt. This is what happens when you let people run an adaption who actually love the source and not try to make it completely their own thing.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120185788#Comment_120185788

Actually, I wonder if maybe they'll change the mag scene that instead of it being Bill's it's something they find in an abandoned camp/hideout while making their way through the next area or something. A way to keep the scene but remove it from being Bill's magazine.

Grumpypants

The game needed that mag scene as a vehicle to confirm that Bill was gay. As up to that point it had only been loosely implied.

Bill only refers to Frank as a "partner", he says something along the lines of "that he once had a partner he cared for. But caring for someone in this world is only good for getting you killed".

I don't think the TV show had that same problem 😃

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120186166#Comment_120186166

Yeah if I remember right I think Druckmann said recently that Bill being gay was actually a late addition to the game/motion capture. So it makes sense that they added that scene to confirm it. But I think it's such a great scene between Ellie & Joel that it'd be a shame if they don't include it in some way.

CastorTroy

No problem with it being Bill's since he was a gay man who hasn't been with another man until he met Frank so pretty believable that he would have some gay magazines. True they may have been dumped over the years since.

Listening to a podcast and they mention making Last of Us part 3 and how it would double as being a backbone for the TV show. Was thinking this isn't a good thing. I know the previous games were made in a format easily adaptable to TV but if they go into the third with the show in mind it might affect things.

I remember reading Order of the Phoenix, which was released after the Harry Potter films started and it felt at times that it was written with the film in mind.

Zero-Cool

Yeah, making a game, as big and established, as TLOU 3 with a tv show in mind would definitely affect development but you never know, it might mean that Mazin would be a writer/director to ensure the quality remains and crossover would be seamless.

I wonder what they are thinking though Abby to find the Firefly island and go about helping people like Lev while Ellie decides to look for Fireflies for the possibility there's another doctor who can finish the job on her. You could even get Ellie and Abby meeting up again but this time on the same side. That would close the circle of the trilogy imo but it could be very forced if handled wrong. Also, it would need some big story to accompany it as it might be predictable if the main story is that Ellie goes looking for a doctor. No way would they finish that on anything other than a happy ending (Ellie sacrificing herself and vaccine starts to roll out).

Retr0gamer

They really should just tell another story in the same universe. For me the original Last of Us ended perfectly and the Last of Us 2 not only added nothing but effectively damages the narrative of the first game when taken into context. Maybe do an Abby centric story. Her story was pretty much wrapped up on Part 2 so could be easy enough to take her character and put her in another situation. Ellie was just a boring terribly written character in part 2 and I'd have no interest in revisiting that Ellie.

Zero-Cool

Id' say the backlash for 2 will make a serious impact on 3. I'd be all for an Abby centric game but ND will probably think about hurt sales because of it. I also see them wanting to do right by Ellie with the backlash she got as well and finish her story in a positive light. I'd say a 3 will definitely happen anyway, as long as they give us some Left Behind / Bill & Frank style chapters or even optional side quests to break up the 'clear room of enemies' scenarios.

As for the show, I wonder will Joel still get impaled? I can't see it being very believable for Bella to hoist Pedro around and onto a horse. I can see her saving him while using Franks Gun and Joel will probably still get injured but not as bad maybe. Saying that, I'd still love to see that scene remade in the show.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187682#Comment_120187682

Joel will almost definitely still get impaled. Maybe they won't have him fall off the horse (or they might throw in a line after he recovers that he passed out for a minute but then was able to get back onto the horse), but such an integral part of the story that they'd have to keep it in in some form.

As for adapting TLOU2, they better give Joel his tee-off time. Forget about the reaction it got from some gamers, it's the absolute crux of the story that they might reshape it a little bit, but it still has to happen. It's why I thought they might do a season of show based on the 5 years between the games (and so the flashback scenes from the game would be in that season), just to get more out of Pedro Pascal, but if they're doing TLOU2, they just have to do it and get it over with.

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190548#Comment_120190548

I'm playing TLOU 2 again and I had said that maybe the show should introduce Abby at the very end so it's not a complete shock when the golf club scene comes around but I think it would ruin the moment. In the game, You're not supposed to be thinking about anyone except Ellie so I think it would dilute the ending a bit. If they were doing a season between games, then you'd have to tell the parallel story of Abby with the season ending with the golf club scene. That would make season 3 fairly grim watching then but maybe it would work. If they did that, we'd all know Abby is gearing up to look for Joel, would be an interesting build up.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190882#Comment_120190882

Yeah I think it's more likely that instead of doing a season showing the five years between TLOU1 & 2 (and manufacturing some big conflict in Jackson to justify it), they'll do TLOU2 over two seasons. I doubt they'll do it like the game where one season would be Ellie's POV and the next Abby's plus epilogue, but we'll probably see both Ellie & Abby's story in Detroit running alongside each other.

There'll definitely be complaints about Joel's death in the show, but it might be more palatable to a TV audience because gamers were expecting to play as Ellie but with Joel along side her for most or several parts of the game, and in fairness they were kinda sold that in the trailers. Having Joel die so early, and then having to play half the game as his killer without Ellie even being part of that side of the story until the end.... the TV show is unlikely to face such strong pushback from viewers even though they'll be sad Joel has been killed off.

But I just hope Mazin/Druckmann don't chicken out of it just because of the reception to the game's story. The main issue I had with TLOU2's story was just the pacing of it, and I think that's easily solved by being able to tell the story through a TV show.

CastorTroy

I'd say the only mention of Abby might come near the end with the doctor, similar to the flashback we got in the second game, so it doesn't feel like they retroactively gave him a daughter

Retr0gamer

It won't be the first time that a TV show has killed off a main character or someone hyped as a main character. I mean it's a trope as old as Psycho. It was just gamers being spoiled morons, TLOU2 has lots issues with it's storytelling but Joel definitely isn't one of them.

Honestly, TLOU2 might work better as a TV show. The narrative dissonance created from having to make a videogame won't be an issue with the show so Ellie might actually just come across as a sociopath rather than a ridiculous unrelatable post apocalyptic ninja mary sue. They could maybe have it that she is becoming more like Joel which Joel didn't want for Ellie but his lies and selfishness ended up making her that way.

Grumpypants

The part of TLOU2 where Tommy is sniping at you (as Abby) was well done, by the time I got to Tommy I hated him and took pleasure in smacking him into the water.

I always felt that they could have done that with the Joel death. You start the game as Abby and the whole time you are tracking "someone that killed your dad". There isn't much more explained about who they are. The Abby portion of the game was so much better and by the end of it I was invested in Abby.

They could have built the game in a way that by the time you got to catch "your father's killer" you as the player are on board with killing them. Then when you roll over the dead body you see it's Joel, and Ellie screams. Cut to black :)

It makes you the Joel Killer, not Abby.

The way it worked out you were just annoyed with the cut over and it took a few hours to come around to Abby. It was helped by Ellie being so unlikeable.

But the whole reason for falling out with Joel was daft, he did exactly what every parent would do 100% of the time. Who would leave a bunch of lunatics murder a child on the very unlikely chance it leads to some cure for a bunch of people you hate?

Penn

I just hope if they adapt TLOU2 for the show, they get the most important detail right.

Rope physics, and lots of scenes where Ellie/Abby have to plug in an incredibly long cable.

McFly85

Agree that 2 might suit TV much better. The first one brilliantly combined gameplay and story but the second one felt like they were trying to wrap a narrative around a game they wanted to be 25 hours long, and as a result I found I was just more aware of playing a game than being engrossed in what was going on.

I fully expect any Abby focused episodes to flow better than her saying she’s going to hide out in an aquarium for a few days but constantly leaving to do missions.

I have no problem with the big plot points that happened during the game and expect them to be replicated(although I suspect Joel’s death will be at the end on season 2 to get as much out of Pascal as they can), but I expect a significant departure in how that story is told now that they don’t have to worry about gameplay.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191161#Comment_120191161

No matter if you think he did the right thing. He did the right thing for the wrong reason then lied to Ellie about it. It's that inherent selfishness which is what destroyed that relationship. Hell it's what the whole first game is about. The lie at the end. The minute he lied to her that relationship was doomed. It's why I love that ending so much.

Retr0gamer

Finally got around to watching the first three episodes and well, it's fine. I think I'm reading too many videogame sites but it's certainly not the landmark piece of tv that it's being made out to be.it looks nice, the actors all have been a cut above and give great performances. I think the biggest problem is that there's just so much good tv these days and there's a lot of better stuff to choose from. My girlfriend who wants nothing to do with videogames said it reminded her of too many other zombie shows.

Episode 3 was the highlight, it was excellent with some of the strongest performances so far but again the way it was hyped up you would sweat it was on the level of Chrissy and Pauli lost in the forest in the Sopranos.

The weakest part of the series are the flashbacks to how it all got started. With all these zombie movies the how of the outbreak is unimportant and the game takes a show don't tell approach to this. It's practically spelled out here. And the worst thing is, it's unrealistic and boring. As a scientist it's even more aggravating.

I wont bore people with the science niggles but the whole tendril thing gets on my goat. I thought the spores thing work extremely well in the game as well as on it's setting. It's the most efficient way for an outbreak to spread as we just painfully witnessed in real life. But even more annoying is, if it doesn't spread by spores why the feck is everything that is infected sprouting fungal fruiting bodies. I think my mother said it best when she is describing my approach to housework when I was younger. It's literally like spare tits on a bull.

CastorTroy

More action this episode, along with bad jokes and the magazine.

Although I haven't played the game in years, there were multiple parts here where it almost felt like I was holding a controller.

Next episode airs Friday night on HBO Max due to Superbowl Sunday. Airs Sunday as usual on HBO though. Not sure when it'll air here.

Grumpypants

Yeah really building the Joel and Ellie bond with the bad jokes (on purpose bad not badly written).

It was a short episode compared to 1 and 3 that were 80 mins + but had a decent bit of action and again top notch TV.

Merged the important bits from the hotel into the ambush to move it along.

With episode 5 likely to take us through escaping the city and out towards the dam.

That leaves only 4 episodes 6-9 to finish it off. That seems a little bit like it could end up rushing especially with the last episode only being 43 mins.

Zero-Cool

Really enjoyed that, it absolutely flew! As for the remaining episodes, one of those is going to be Left Behind so it definitely seems like the 2nd half could be rushed.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200622#Comment_120200622

For me the flashbacks to how it started have all been top notch tv, I want more of them. When it comes to zombie movies I always find watching society collapse is the most interesting part and overall TLOU is far better than most zombie movies.

I think HBO are doing a brilliant job with staying faithful to the fanbase and at the same time making the right changes that are more suited to a tv show.

The one thing I like about the contaminated flour is that it gives a better reason for why the soldier was told to kill Joel and Sarah when they were not infected

McFly85

Don’t think it will be rushed, sounds about right:

1 ep for the Dam/University

1 ep for Left Behind

1 ep for David/the cannibals

1 ep for St Marys

We’ve seen already that episode lengths can differ significantly, so hopefully that continues and they can give each section the time it deserves.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120210322#Comment_120210322

Yeah, I think they've shown they're pretty adept at taking the key parts from some sections and rolling them into others to save time; such as the Hotel lobby scene being in episode 2 just before the Museum, and now the bit where Ellie shoots to save Joel being in this episode. So now they've skipped the Hotel section of the game but kept some of the key character parts.

El Gato De Negocios

Binged all 4 episodes yesterday. Really enjoyable. Season 3 was a brilliant piece of television, utterly heart breaking. Took me 15 minutes to realise I was looking at Ron Swanson. 🤣

The burgeoning relationship between Ellie and Joel is playing out really nicely, two great actors helps the cause. It's been a while since I played the game so once the show concludes I'm going to get stuck into the remake and will replay Pt 2 in advance of S2.

Zero-Cool

It was a weird choice of song in the credits as that was used to promote the 2nd game. Funnily enough, my mother-in-law watched that ad on telly and said she wished there was a tv show about it as it looks incredible. Must tell her about this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aanR55xFzP4

Jordan 199

I watched the first episode of the TV series a few hours ago and I loved it. Going to watch the rest of the episodes over the weekend.