The Last of Us: The Show!

[Down by Law]

17 hours ago, LeighCb said:

Frank's letter in the game cracks me up with the new context we are given in the show

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I noticed on a replay of the game some years back, if you don't talk to Bill while he's finishing up the jeep, you don't have to give him the letter and can spare him Frank's 'final thoughts' 

 

Another part of the game that is ripe for fleshing out:

 

Spoiler

The little community that lived in the sewers following the Pittsburgh escape. You find the journals written by Ish, one of the survivors, and eventually find out what happens to them while exploring the sewers.

 

17 hours ago, Uncle Nasty said:

Man I could taste that wine and food. Very clever and unexpected how they developed Bill's character. Really classy writing and acting.

 

Feels like they're going to follow this episode with absolute savagery next week, though. After showing us how there are pockets of happiness, tenderness and connection even amongst post-pandemic obliteration, surely the hammer is going to come down and everything will go to hell next.

 

 

 

Spoiler

There's a 'on the next episode' bit that HBO have put on youtube, it's going to be dealing with Pittsburgh and the hunters. So yep.

 

 

[pledge]

1 hour ago, makkuwata said:

Spoiler

The show has now established that Joel and Tess have been together for 13+ years, I expect that means it isn’t the last we’ll see of Anna Torv.

 

They’re bound to do a flashback episode with Tommy to fill in how they got to Boston and cover their falling out. She’d have to be in the picture by then.

 

iMDB is pretty accurate about which characters are in which episodes, including future, and says

Spoiler

She's just in the first 3.

 

[Timmo]

Any chance we could have a system where game stuff is in spoiler tags? For people who haven’t played or have forgotten everything. Alternately I could start another thread but not sure if it would be good to dilute everything.

[pledge]

Edited what I quoted

[joemul]

Was the opening shot of epsidoe 3 a little nod to 

 

Spoiler

Days Gone? The bit where Joel was piling the stones up and leaving them? It's been a while since i played Days Gone but i'm sure these used to be dotted about the map and could be knocked over. They didn't do anything, they were just there.

 

[Uncle Nasty]

40 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Any chance we could have a system where game stuff is in spoiler tags? For people who haven’t played or have forgotten everything. Alternately I could start another thread but not sure if it would be good to dilute everything.

 

This thread should assume that you've played both games and watched the latest episode.

[sofasurfer]

2 hours ago, Down by Law said:

 

I noticed on a replay of the game some years back, if you don't talk to Bill while he's finishing up the jeep, you don't have to give him the letter and can spare him Frank's 'final thoughts' 

 

Another part of the game that is ripe for fleshing out:

 

  Hide contents

The little community that lived in the sewers following the Pittsburgh escape. You find the journals written by Ish, one of the survivors, and eventually find out what happens to them while exploring the sewers.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

There's a 'on the next episode' bit that HBO have put on youtube, it's going to be dealing with Pittsburgh and the hunters. So yep.

 

 

 

The 

Spoiler

little community

you talk of is shown briefly in the original trailer. Hopefully it's not just a passing mention as that part of the game is heartbreaking.

[jonathanhoey]

1 hour ago, joemul said:

Was the opening shot of epsidoe 3 a little nod to 

 

  Hide contents

Days Gone? The bit where Joel was piling the stones up and leaving them? It's been a while since i played Days Gone but i'm sure these used to be dotted about the map and could be knocked over. They didn't do anything, they were just there.

 

 

Possibly, I suppose, although I read it as being a bit more straightforward: 

 

Spoiler

He was building a cairn for Tess because he didn't have her body in order to lay her to rest.

 

I found it pretty powerful in its own right even without thinking it might be a reference to something else, especially 

 

Spoiler

as the episode goes on to establish that they'd been together for a long time. 

 

[Garibaldi]

While this season is going swimmingly so far, I was disappointed to hear that season 2 onwards will be, apparently, following the LOU part 2’s plot. Then again, with the tweaks to Bill, the show runners have already shown they’re not averse to putting a more hopeful spin on the original storyline. As they’ll need a shitload of said spin to counter the coal black nihilism of part 2. 

[Popo]

2 hours ago, Uncle Nasty said:

 

This thread should assume that you've played both games and watched the latest episode.

I don’t think that’s right or fair. It’s a thread for the show, in the film and TV forum. Talking about game events is fine, but let’s put them in spoiler tags. There’s no reason to assume people participating in the thread for the show have played the game, and every reason to extend this simple courtesy to them. 

[makkuwata]

47 minutes ago, jonathanhoey said:

I found it pretty powerful in its own right even without thinking it might be a reference to something else, especially 

Especially as it’s the first thing we see a day after the announcement of the original actress passing away.

[Mogster]

2 hours ago, Uncle Nasty said:

 

This thread should assume that you've played both games and watched the latest episode.

Absolutely not, for the same reason that any other TV show thread doesn't assume you've read the book, comic or whatever it's based on. 

 

This show in particular has apparently reached far more people than have played the games, based on game sales and current viewing figures, so it would be very unfair to assume most people have played the games.

 

That doesn't mean you can't talk about the games, obviously, but keep it to clearly marked spoiler tags.

[DarhkFox]

I really enjoyed episode 3, i thought it was great TV.  However by the end, i was left thinking - what was the point of the episode? It is possible to just skip this episode for the most part and I expect a lot of people will likely do this in future reruns.

 

It actually reminded me of an episode of walking dead, there was an episode that felt like filler but was actually quite a good watch with a similar story (probably season 8 i can't remember!)

 

Are they really going to cover the entire game in one season? I can't see it happening with 6 episodes left. Mind, i'm not sure they have specifically mentioned that's the case.

 

 

[Popo]

5 minutes ago, DarhkFox said:

Are they really going to cover the entire game in one season?

I was wondering the same. Is that confirmed?

[jonamok]

3 hours ago, Uncle Nasty said:

 

This thread should assume that you've played both games and watched the latest episode.

It clearly shouldn’t assume that and nor should posters.

 

Unless the thread owner changes the terms of the thread so that everything is out in the open, it should continue to be spoiler tags for game related stuff.

[DarhkFox]

1 minute ago, Popo said:

I was wondering the same. Is that confirmed?

 

Quote

Will The Last of Us show cover the whole game?

Yes, according to the co writers of the series Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann that Season 1 of The Last of Us will cover the entire events of the first game. The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us will be a television series that will cover the entire events of the first game.20 Jan 2023

 

 

[pledge]

12 minutes ago, DarhkFox said:

I really enjoyed episode 3, i thought it was great TV.  However by the end, i was left thinking - what was the point of the episode? It is possible to just skip this episode for the most part and I expect a lot of people will likely do this in future reruns.

 

It actually reminded me of an episode of walking dead, there was an episode that felt like filler but was actually quite a good watch with a similar story (probably season 8 i can't remember!)

 

Are they really going to cover the entire game in one season? I can't see it happening with 6 episodes left. Mind, i'm not sure they have specifically mentioned that's the case.

 

 

What's the point of any episode? Does it matter as long as it is enjoyable?

[Fry Crayola]

22 minutes ago, DarhkFox said:

It is possible to just skip this episode for the most part and I expect a lot of people will likely do this in future reruns.

 

People with fungus in their brains, perhaps.

[BossSaru]

23 minutes ago, DarhkFox said:

Are they really going to cover the entire game in one season? I can't see it happening with 6 episodes left. Mind, i'm not sure they have specifically mentioned that's the case.

 

Apparently they are going to strip out several hours' worth of

Spoiler

opening drawers, pushing boxes, sellotaping scissors to baseball bats, and ferrying Ellie on wooden pallets

from the game to get the show down to 9 episodes.

 

I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Spoiler

Going from Bill and Frank's happy post-collapse life to the brutal savagery of the Pittsburgh ambush within a few scenes is going to really drive home how fucked up the world has become, and what Joel has needed to do to survive in it.

[Arn X Treme]

Loved that episode!

 

Don't know how many other people noticed, but It was 

Spoiler

Frank that came up with using the songs for the radio codes?

 

Subtle, but I liked the little connection to the previous episodes, and I'm not if it will factor going forward as I've not played the games. 

[makkuwata]

The first game took me around 14 hours and for a 9 hour adaptation I’d say they’ve got a good pace.

 

They’d have to be considering splitting Part 2 over a couple of seasons tho. Whatever format they choose to follow in telling that story it’s over twice as long as the first.

[Stig]

2 hours ago, makkuwata said:

The first game took me around 14 hours and for a 9 hour adaptation I’d say they’ve got a good pace.

 

They’d have to be considering splitting Part 2 over a couple of seasons tho. Whatever format they choose to follow in telling that story it’s over twice as long as the first.

 

I'd like them to take the same format the games did rather than  intertwine both stories.

[Fry Crayola]

Mazin has stated he thinks the sequel will take more than a season.

 

I dunno if it'll take the same format, but (Part II spoilers)

Spoiler

I felt that the structure really, really helped you come to see Abby's perspective, compared to if they'd chopped and changed. By the midpoint you're ready to beat Abby into a pulp because the game has done nothing but set her up as the enemy, and I didn't really want to be put in her shoes, but another 10-15 hours later, she's been humanised and made understandable, and Ellie swings partly the other way.

 

I wonder if the same could be achieved by intertwining the stories. You'd lose the single-mindedness of revenge that the story's going for, but you also avoid the jolt that was the midpoint. On the other hand, the game is one large piece, not two separate titles with a delay between stories that'd come if you left Abby to Season 3. Would it really work if you've waited a year for the next season and it's a case of same story, separate perspective?

 

[FishyFish]

8 hours ago, Timmo said:

Any chance we could have a system where game stuff is in spoiler tags? For people who haven’t played or have forgotten everything. Alternately I could start another thread but not sure if it would be good to dilute everything.

 

And tag them with "Game spoilers" or "Game discussion" or something so you know what might be inside.

 

I don't mind game discussion being in this thread if it's spoilered and identifiable. I've played the first game and DLC, but it was a while back now so the story has faded in my rubbish memory and I'd rather just let the show play out as its own thing without wondering when <insert game thing> that I'd forgotten about will happen.

[Majora]

52 minutes ago, Fry Crayola said:

Mazin has stated he thinks the sequel will take more than a season.

 

I dunno if it'll take the same format, but (Part II spoilers)

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I felt that the structure really, really helped you come to see Abby's perspective, compared to if they'd chopped and changed. By the midpoint you're ready to beat Abby into a pulp because the game has done nothing but set her up as the enemy, and I didn't really want to be put in her shoes, but another 10-15 hours later, she's been humanised and made understandable, and Ellie swings partly the other way.

 

I wonder if the same could be achieved by intertwining the stories. You'd lose the single-mindedness of revenge that the story's going for, but you also avoid the jolt that was the midpoint. On the other hand, the game is one large piece, not two separate titles with a delay between stories that'd come if you left Abby to Season 3. Would it really work if you've waited a year for the next season and it's a case of same story, separate perspective?

 

 

Part 2 Spoilers 

 

Spoiler

I totally agree how important the structure was to the story but there's no way it would work in the context of a TV show. It was really jarring for many people in the game but I think they ended up getting away with it for two reasons:

 

1) You could just carry on playing through Abby's story straight away, there was no wait or gap for a new season. I think you're much more likely to stick with it if you've just invested 10-15 hours and can carry on ploughing through it.

 

2) Even if you don't like Abby at that point and don't really want to play as her, it's a game which means you still get to enjoy top-tier graphics, combat and set-pieces while you warm up to her. In a passive medium like TV your enjoyment hinges so much more on how you feel about the chartacters.

 

If they tried to do a split where season 2 was Ellie's story and season 3 was Abby's, I think ratings would drop off a cliff a few episodes into season 3. Imagine waiting a year for a new season only to find it's a brand new cast of characters and you have to wait a week after every episode for several weeks before you even start warming up to them and there's no Ellie in sight. I think it would be a commercial disaster. Ballsy but they'd hemmorhage viewers. 

 

You could start alternating between Ellie and Abby early on in season 2 instead but that means you humanise Abby very early which means that you wouldn't get the feeling of rooting for Ellie and hating Abby all the way through Ellie's story. But I can't help but feel it will be necessary when adapting it for a serialised format.

 

I'm fascinated to see what they do with it anyway. It's a much more complex and ambitious story to adapt than Part 1 is. 

 

[Fry Crayola]

Yep, total agreement with you there.

[sofasurfer]

I vowed I would never play Part 2 ever again as it was so grim and depressing but something last week made me replay it and I'm glad I did. It really is a fantastic game, not as good as Part 1 for me, but still head and shoulders above other games.

Spoiler

When I originally played it I hated playing as Abby as I felt I had an emotional attachment to Joel and having him killed off so early initially took me out of the game. Part of the great writing is that as a player you understand that people's motivations and actions are not black or white and everyone in the game has done terrible things to survive. If the TV series follows the game then Ellie is effectively an innocent who doesn't really do anything that could be abhorrent and her actions are simply to survive. Whether that is saving Joel by shooting the raider who tries to drown him or killing cannibals, we can understand her actions. If they try and follow Part 2's storyline too faithfully I'm not sure viewers would be willing to see their hero-like Ellie commit atrocious acts in the name of revenge. The killing of a pregnant woman is brutal beyond words and whilst it is in self-defence could be a bit too much for some.

 

I really hope they don't 

Spoiler

kill off Joel so early in the show's lifespan. One season really isn't enough of the Joel and Ellie show

 

[makkuwata]

Warning: As a ‘bit’ it’s awful. But the costume looks promising.

 

 

[cubik]

Just watched ep3 - Not much to add to what's already been said but fuck me, that was some seriously good telly.

 

Spoiler

The scenes of their last hours, in the streets, getting married etc just choked me right up. Absolutely beautiful work.

Only mild criticism is the episode should have ended on Bill & Frank going to bed,  the final Joel & Ellie scenes should have opened the next episode.

 

[Stig]

10 minutes ago, cubik said:

Just watched ep3 - Not much to add to what's already been said but fuck me, that was some seriously good telly.

 

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The scenes of their last hours, in the streets, getting married etc just choked me right up. Absolutely beautiful work.

Only mild criticism is the episode should have ended on Bill & Frank going to bed,  the final Joel & Ellie scenes should have opened the next episode.

 

 

I can see that, but I also thought the music and final shot closed it out beautifully too.