THE LAST OF US (HBO TV) - spoilers allowed for aired episodes (game spoilers masked)

[Jay 37,374]

On 21/02/2023 at 6:20 PM, Koray Savas said:

The rebar punctured the same spot where he got stabbed in the show. I understand the change, because

  Reveal hidden contents

there’s absolutely no way he would have survived his injuries in the game.

 

Woops, I misremembered something from the game once again.  I don't know why I thought it was the leg, must have been something else I watched with a leg rebar puncture.

 

On the official podcast they talk about how in the game you can get shot or stabbed all the time and heal yourself and keep playing, so having the cutscene injury be the rebar made more sense because it felt different from the kind of wound you can just fix right away when you're playing.  The show doesn't have that issue, so the stab is fine in that context.  Made a lot of sense to me.

 

 

On 21/02/2023 at 6:20 PM, Koray Savas said:

Now that we’re back with Tommy and Jackson, the change to make Joel’s motivation to go out west to “save Tommy” makes even less sense to me.

 

 

Oh man, I couldn't disagree more, it makes perfect sense.  Show Joel is defined by a savior complex.  He lives for his family and that's basically it.  Even before Sara's death, he felt like he always had to save Tommy from one thing or another, including jail the night of the outbreak.  Since Sarah he's just doubled down on that, deciding to leave the safety of Boston QZ to "rescue" Tommy when he doesn't reply on the radio, and taking Ellie to the Fireflies out of devotion to Tess's last wish.  Everything tracks really well I think.

 

 

On 21/02/2023 at 6:20 PM, Koray Savas said:

HBO Joel is a much nicer person than Game Joel, and I think that kinda betrays his character a bit. I’m confident both endings will be the same beat-for-beat, but ultimately the show isn’t as strong as the game, for me. 

 

Oh man, I dunno about that.  He was as cruel as can be to Ellie in the bedroom confrontation last episode, so much so that it was kind of amazing how quickly she still wanted to go with him the next morning.  And he was super mean to Tommy as well.  He's not really a nice guy.  He's built up a huge wall around his heart as a result of Sarah dying, and will do whatever is necessary including being cruel to people he loves to not risk getting that heart broken again.

 

[Jay 37,374]

On 22/02/2023 at 1:50 PM, Yavar Moradi said:

I agree; the Kathleen stuff was the only part of the show which didn’t quite gel for me.

 

Yea!  I really have no issues with anything else.  Even when I am momentarily miffed they skipped past something cool from the game, that feeling subsides because its always replaced by something really cool that wasn't in the game.

 

 

On 22/02/2023 at 1:50 PM, Yavar Moradi said:

Before I even got to Jay’s post, I was thinking that what that character needed to work was an actual flashback for HER, showing her both before and after her brother’s death (*showing* their final meeting rather than just having her *tell* us about it, maybe we even see her watching his execution). That would have made us connect with her emotionally rather than just hating her.

 

Oh man, I totally agree.  I still like my idea posted above somewhere of the first KC episode sticking with Joel and Ellie the whole time, but then the second KC episode should have told us both Sam/Henry and Kathleen/Michael's stories at the same time, with flashbacks, to parallel them better.  Oh well.

 

On 22/02/2023 at 5:12 PM, Docteur Qui said:

I feel like the scene is telling us a few deeper things about Tommy and Joel. It's implied that Tommy was encouraged not to contact Joel because it would put Jackson at risk of exposure over the radio. But it's also pretty clear that if Tommy really wanted to contact Joel he would have - he's a headstrong guy. The subtext is that Tommy is ashamed of Joel, of the things they did together, and of the things that Joel forced Tommy to do so they could "survive", and is cutting off contact. We're being invited to see Joel in a new, unflattering light, as a manipulator of Tommy. Whether or not we agree with that is up to us, but it's how Maria and Tommy feel about Joel (supported by Maria's sharp questioning to Ellie about Joel), and it's not entirely untrue based on what we know. All these layers are operating under the surface of this episode and adds a lot of richness to the performances. Great stuff.

 

Excellent analysis.  I think Tommy is more like Joel than he wants to admit.  They are both very stubborn.

 

 

On 22/02/2023 at 5:12 PM, Docteur Qui said:

I thought for a second that they might've been going down a different path. Then I remembered what show I was watching. You'll forgive me; 99% of adaptations make even dumber changes on a regular basis, I've been conditioned to expect the worst.  

 

Massive game spoiler, show-only peeps do not open!

 

Spoiler

In the game, it's explained that Ellie isn't actually immune, technically: She's infected, but the fungus in her has mutated, so doesn't control her brain or grow things outside of her, it's dormant basically.  Not sure exactly why breathing in spores from the non-mutated fungus don't do anything, but there you go.  So anyway, that's why they have to kill her in order to study her mutation and try to make a cure, they have to open up her skull and scrape the mutated fungus out of her.

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Did anyone else read deeper into the dog not sniffing out Ellie’s cordyceps? I think it insinuates it’s not a fool proof method, and that this group has potentially killed innocent people in the past due to their dog’s reaction. Hence the River of Death mentioned earlier. 

[Crimson Nagus 43]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Massive game spoiler, show-only peeps do not open!

 

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In the game, it's explained that Ellie isn't actually immune, technically: She's infected, but the fungus in her has mutated, so doesn't control her brain or grow things outside of her, it's dormant basically.  Not sure exactly why breathing in spores from the non-mutated fungus don't do anything, but there you go.  So anyway, that's why they have to kill her in order to study her mutation and try to make a cure, they have to open up her skull and scrape the mutated fungus out of her.

 

Replying directly to your spoiler:

 

Spoiler

I always took it that she is immune and it was her immunity that mutated the fungus in her body to stop it from spreading and taking her over.

 

I haven’t been commenting much but I am loving this show.  I love the games and had my doubts that they could pull this off but man, all they emotional beats are landing just as hard as they did while playing the game.

 

I wonder if there will even be a soundtrack release though because it sounds like they are just lifting tracks from the game and dropping them into the show.  I was a little disappointed to hear the game’s final scene/end credits music used in episode 6, while Joel and Ellie are on horseback after leaving Jackson.  I was hoping they would use that for the final scene and credits in the last episode but, I’m not sure they would reuse it again.

 

11 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Did anyone else read deeper into the dog not sniffing out Ellie’s cordyceps? I think it insinuates it’s not a fool proof method, and that this group has potentially killed innocent people in the past due to their dog’s reaction. Hence the River of Death mentioned earlier. 

 

I didn’t think of that, maybe.  I simply took it as the dog couldn’t detect it in Ellie but the FEDRA device still can detect it in the blood.  Also, the dog kinda of got it right though.  Is Ellie technically infected, yes but, she is immune from turning.  Maybe dogs only sense it once you have started to turn.  Or, like you said, the dogs just get it wrong sometimes and they have killed in innocent people.

[Jay 37,374]

On 22/02/2023 at 5:31 PM, Docteur Qui said:

To me it feels pretty consistent with how the show is illustrating Joel. He has narcissistic tendencies and a protector complex, even before the apocalypse his main purpose in life was bailing out Tommy from whatever shit he got himself into. Joel tells us as much in episode 4, and the events of the pilot lay it all out for us. Tommy goes off and gets in trouble, calls Joel, then Joel "reluctantly" goes off to help his little brother. But what kicks things off this time is that Tommy hasn't called Joel. And that's ringing alarm bells in Joel's head, so he goes off with Tess to try and figure out where he's gone. The reason being that Tommy never really needed Joel to bail him out, but Joel absolutely needed Tommy in his life to "save", or give his life purpose. You can see it in Pedro's eyes during the latest ep; Joel's so hurt that Tommy never called him.

 

Yup!  Good analysis

 

On 23/02/2023 at 11:43 AM, Koray Savas said:

Yeah it makes sense when you put it that way. I just prefer the characterization of Joel in the game. He’s supposed to be a selfish survivor, hardened over 20 years, whose humanity returns thanks to Ellie. 

 

Dude, there's still 3 episodes to go - give it time!

 

 

4 hours ago, rolltide1017 said:

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I always took it that she is immune and it was her immunity that mutated the fungus in her body to stop it from spreading and taking her over.

 

Spoiler

Ahhh ok, that makes sense.  So her body was able to mutate the fungus, and by cutting it out her and studying it, they hope to learn how to put something in other people's bodies (a vaccine) that will mutate it in the same way.  That makes sense.

 

I'm pretty sure the game implies that the reason Ellie's body is safe from the fungus is because her mother got infected shortly before giving birth to her.... something I am positive the show will explore in the final episode of the season.

 

 

[Jay 37,374]

4 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Did anyone else read deeper into the dog not sniffing out Ellie’s cordyceps? I think it insinuates it’s not a fool proof method, and that this group has potentially killed innocent people in the past due to their dog’s reaction. Hence the River of Death mentioned earlier. 

 

4 hours ago, rolltide1017 said:

I didn’t think of that, maybe.  I simply took it as the dog couldn’t detect it in Ellie but the FEDRA device still can detect it in the blood.  Also, the dog kinda of got it right though.  Is Ellie technically infected, yes but, she is immune from turning.  Maybe dogs only sense it once you have started to turn.  Or, like you said, the dogs just get it wrong sometimes and they have killed in innocent people.

 

Well, I think that there are several possibilities about the dog scene, and I like that it's deliberately ambiguous and we can believe what we want.

 

The option I like the most is that there is not such thing as a dog that can sense cordyceps infection (or at least, this dog couldn't); The dog is simply trained to growl at strangers, approach them, then be friendly if they are friendly to them.  Essentially, it's a morality test to see what a new person does if they think they are in trouble.

 

Another option is that it would have sensed it on her, but Ellie had jerky in her pocket and become its friend instead :p 

 

Another option is that however the infection works, the FEDRA scanner can see it but a dog cannot.  She doesn't have fungus spreading throughout her after all, so that's just logical anyway.

 

But yes, the largest implication, as Koray hinted as, is that this tribe may indeed be looking for excuses to kill outsiders rather than having to take them in.  it's easy to gloss over, because the story large folllows Joel and Ellie's journey, but it's actually pretty dark what's happening in Jackson (in the show).  Tommy has hinted that they stay safe by keeping the community small and not letting "bad people" in.  Who judges who is bad, and with what criteria?  Marie mentioned having a jail but not needing it.. implying they just kill whoever they don't like.  If you think about it, we only saw Joel and Ellie let in because Marie happened to be out there and knew who Joel was.  We didn't see what they do to any other random strangers next after the dog check.

 

So much interesting morality stuff to discuss and debate in this world!

[MaxMovieMan 273]

Spoilers for the games:

 

Spoiler

I am almost positive that Abby will now show up in the finale as will her dad in a more fleshed out way. The way they inserted Dina and Shimmer into Jackson shows that they’re willing to change the story slightly to have it line up with Part II more. Maybe we’ll see more of a dilemma before Joel shoots the doctor and we’ll see a little Abby and Owen running around the hospital.

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Well, I think that there are several possibilities about the dog scene, and I like that it's deliberately ambiguous and we can believe what we want.

 

The option I like the most is that there is not such thing as a dog that can sense cordyceps infection (or at least, this dog couldn't); The dog is simply trained to growl at strangers, approach them, then be friendly if they are friendly to them.  Essentially, it's a morality test to see what a new person does if they think they are in trouble.

 

Another option is that it would have sensed it on her, but Ellie had jerky in her pocket and become its friend instead :p 

 

Another option is that however the infection works, the FEDRA scanner can see it but a dog cannot.  She doesn't have fungus spreading throughout her after all, so that's just logical anyway.

 

But yes, the largest implication, as Koray hinted as, is that this tribe may indeed be looking for excuses to kill outsiders rather than having to take them in.  it's easy to gloss over, because the story large folllows Joel and Ellie's journey, but it's actually pretty dark what's happening in Jackson (in the show).  Tommy has hinted that they stay safe by keeping the community small and not letting "bad people" in.  Who judges who is bad, and with what criteria?  Marie mentioned having a jail but not needing it.. implying they just kill whoever they don't like.  If you think about it, we only saw Joel and Ellie let in because Marie happened to be out there and knew who Joel was.  We didn't see what they do to any other random strangers next after the dog check.

 

So much interesting morality stuff to discuss and debate in this world!

I wasn’t thinking that nefariously but that’s possible! I was thinking along the lines of they think they’ve trained this drug sniffing dog or whatever to sniff out cordyceps and they actually trust that it works, when it doesn’t.

 

It would make sense to me that the dog would sniff it out, if it actually could, since the infected already sense that Ellie has the virus and don’t attack her. 

[JNHFan2000 2,969]

On the New Zealand itunes the score is already available. It's released tomorrow. 

 

66 cues. Almost 2 hours. Lot's of different credits.

 

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/the-last-of-us-season-1-soundtrack-from-the/1673140222

[Jay 37,374]

1 hour ago, JNHFan2000 said:

songs

 

[JNHFan2000 2,969]

Oh dear. What have I said. I changed it

[Jay 37,374]

Technically its 66 tracks, because often tracks on a film score album are comprised of multiple cues joined together 

[Jay 37,374]

On 24/02/2023 at 6:53 PM, MaxMovieMan said:

Spoilers for the games:

 

  Hide contents

I am almost positive that Abby will now show up in the finale as will her dad in a more fleshed out way. The way they inserted Dina and Shimmer into Jackson shows that they’re willing to change the story slightly to have it line up with Part II more. Maybe we’ll see more of a dilemma before Joel shoots the doctor and we’ll see a little Abby and Owen running around the hospital.

 

 

Yea, it seems inevitable for sure.  Originally I was against the first season making any game 2 references, but they've handled all kinds of game 2 stuff great so far - showing Jackson, Ellie's astronaut dreams, Dina, Shimmer - so I think I'd be cool with something like what you described happening.

 

Speaking of game 2 stuff, 

 

Spoiler

Do you guys think Shannon Berry has already been cast as Abby?

 

 

Source: https://twitter.com/TheLastofUsNews/status/1616414262091730950

 

She really looks the part:

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS1016US1016&sxsrf=AJOqlzXMpflmZg-SHRGlJSzUVwj6ePCUcw:1677425333219&q=shannon+berry&tbm=isch&source=univ&fir=1yeu88UjFzGqxM%2CqRFr1JqC4Le58M%2C_%3BlkywqCbW2YDYsM%2CNeghW61EnQIl9M%2C_%3B91ACzzU3silzgM%2C0IJwARt3BIy-eM%2C_%3BbWEEZxkEJhBXEM%2Co5NKYTzcJNvw9M%2C_%3BiwfGRtRsOZehuM%2CO7DwF1HSfgblcM%2C_%3BjCavOHOplETF8M%2CmFxudn0dPzu1DM%2C_%3Bg9tWfT_LSLGj3M%2ClnpilMmkzK7w5M%2C_%3B99Fn2CA7zNV95M%2Cy0zC9tLZsctrqM%2C_%3BchIypbclBqHwMM%2CpOci54aBbIRtBM%2C_%3BpmqHhq2tsGM9IM%2CmFxudn0dPzu1DM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kTRdsUzlKx6vN3HhJg6W4Xay_ac5Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgs_6owLP9AhXuADQIHcveDCUQ7Al6BAgOEEU&biw=1920&bih=1049&dpr=1#imgrc=mxuyKu9JDlfJLM

 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7318700

 

[MaxMovieMan 273]

If anyone has been cast it’s probably her. Resemblance is striking.

[Jay 37,374]

Seems impossible that Pedro, Bella, Neil, and the official show account would all be following her if she had no involvement with the show

[Exar Xan 1]

On 26/02/2023 at 12:50 PM, JNHFan2000 said:

On the New Zealand itunes the score is already available. It's released tomorrow. 

 

66 cues. Almost 2 hours. Lot's of different credits.

 

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/the-last-of-us-season-1-soundtrack-from-the/1673140222

I would be very thankful and interested to see if somebody could make an episode breakdown of these tracks

[MaxMovieMan 273]

2 hours ago, Exar Xan said:

I would be very thankful and interested to see if somebody could make an episode breakdown of these tracks

I didn’t even see that the album was out. Hooray! I’ll go through it and see which tracks are new and which aren’t.

[MaxMovieMan 273]

EPISODE 1

• The Last of Us - Intro that appears in front of every episode so I’ll just put it in the first to represent them all
  • Rerecording and shortening of the OG "The Last of Us"
• Get Out (DF) - Initial outbreak
• All Gone - Sarah death
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (The Promise)" from the second game
• The Quarantine Zone - Little boy stumbles upon the Boston QZ
• Forsaken - Joel walks around the QZ
  • Rerecording of "The Last of Us (You and Me)" from the first game
• Breaching the Wall (DF) - FEDRA arrests Tess
• Radio Silence - Joel pops pills and drinks
  • Rerecording of "Home" from the first game
• Reflections - Joel looking at himself in the mirror
  • Rerecording of "Forgotten Memories" from the first game
• Hope - Marlene tells her Firefly comrade about Ellie
• Greater Purpose - Marlene talks to Ellie
• Haven - Ellie looks around Joel’s apartment

EPISODE 2

• Cargo - Joel and Tess interrogate Ellie
• The Swarm - Tess tells Ellie about how the infected work
• Shortcut (DF) - Joel, Tess, and Ellie go through the museum
• Set Everything Right - Tess asks Joel to take Ellie
  • New "Collateral" variation
• Hive Mind - Infected come after Joel, Ellie, and Tess after entering the Boston Statehouse
• Resolve - Joel and Ellie leave Boston after Tess dies
  • Rerecording of "Allowed to be Happy" from the second game

EPISODE 3

• Surveillance - Bill waits for FEDRA to leave his town
• Invited - Frank looks around Bill’s house
• There Is No Girl - Bill and Frank get together
• It Can’t Last (Sunset) - Bill and Frank eat strawberries
  • New "It Can’t Last" variation
• Raiders (DF) - Raiders attack Bill and Frank’s
• All Gone (Affliction) - Bill pushes Frank inside on his wheelchair
  • New "All Gone" variation
• Vanishing Grace - Bill and Frank go to bed one last time
  • Rerecording of "Vanishing Grace (Childhood)" from the first game
• All Gone (Purpose) - Joel and Ellie see Bill and Frank’s abandoned
  • New "All Gone" variation
• Stockpile - Joel and Ellie take what they need from Bill’s

EPISODE 4

• Warning Signs (DF) - Joel and Ellie enter Kansas City
• Don’t Look (DF) - Joel takes out the Hunters
• The Last of Us (Protection) - Joel teaches Ellie how to use a pistol
  • Rerecording of "The Last of Us (Astray)" from the first game

EPISODE 5

• Bravery - Henry comforts Sam
• Subterranean (DF) - Henry tells Joel and Ellie their plan to escape Kansas City
• Murals - Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam stumble across and abandoned daycare center in underground Kansas City
• A Great Man - Henry talks about how he ratted out Kathleen’s brother to save Sam
  • New "Allowed to be Happy" variation
• Salvation - Kathleen talks about her brother in their childhood bedroom
• Endure (DF) - The Hunters show up to kill Henry and Sam
• Survive (DF) - The infected pop up above ground and go on a rampage

EPISODE 6

• All Gone (Promise) - Ellie tells Joel how she tried to save Sam
  • New "All Gone" variation
• The Last of Us (Prevail) - Joel and Ellie travel through Wyoming
  • Rerecording of "The Last of Us (Goodnight)" from the first game
• The Settlement - Joel and Tommy reunite
• Wounds - Joel and Tommy argue in Jackson
• All Gone (Flashbacks) - Joel has a vision of Sarah in Jackson
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (Seasons)" from the first game
• All Gone (Embrace) - Joel and Ellie argue in Jackson
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (Reunion)" from the first game
• The Last of Us (Protection) - Joel and Ellie leave Jackson
  • Rerecording of "The Last of Us (Astray)" from the first game
• The Path - Ellie and Joel travel montage/I’m pretty sure this will be the track that closes off the season
  • Track from the first game

EPISODE 7

• Left Behind (Together) - Ellie and Riley talk on the rooftops
  • Rerecording of "Left Behind (Together)" from the first game
• Fleeting - Ellie sees the mall for the first time
  • Rerecording of "Fleeting" from the first game
• Vanishing Grace (Radiant) - Ellie sees the arcade for the first time
  • Rerecording of "Vanishing Grace (Childhood)" from the first game
• Refuge - Ellie and Riley vibe in the mall
• The Choice - Ellie decides to help Joel
  • Rerecording of "The Choice" from the first game
• Left Behind - Ellie helps Joel and embraces Riley
  • Rerecording of "Left Behind" from the first game

EPISODE 8

• Collateral - Ellie takes care of Joel
  • Rerecording of "Collateral" from the second game
• Breathless - David threatens Ellie
• The Last of Us (You and Me) - Ellie snuggles up with Joel
  • Track from the first game
• Resolve (Isolation) - Ellie goes outside
  • New "Allowed to be Happy" variation
• Complications (DF) - David’s men chase Ellie/David chases Ellie
• Collateral - Ellie and Joel embrace
  • Rerecording of "Collateral" from the second game

EPISODE 9

• Unbroken - Ellie’s mom begs Marlene to kill her
  • Rerecording of "Unbroken" from the second game
• Vanishing Grace (Devotion) - Joel and Ellie see the giraffes
  • New "Vanishing Grace" variation
• The Choice - Ellie tells Joel that she wants to commit to going to the Fireflies
  • Rerecording of "The Choice" from the first game
• The Last of Us (You and Me) - Joel and Ellie walk around the abandoned army camp
  • Track from the first game
• Wounds - Joel tells Ellie about his scar
• Safe Surrender (DF) - Marlene threatens Joel
• The Last of Us (Vengeance) - Joel takes out the Fireflies
  • New "The Last of Us" variation and also a rerecording of "All Gone (No Escape)" from the first game
• All Gone (Elegy) - Joel walks into the surgery room
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (Alone)" from the first game
• Collateral - Joel takes Ellie out of the surgery room
  • Rerecording of "Collateral" from the second game
• All Gone (In Vain) - Joel rescues Ellie
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (The Promise)" from the second game
• All Gone (Ephemeral) - Joel drives Ellie home
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (The Promise)" from the second game
• Unbroken - Joel and Ellie begin their hike to Jackson
  • Rerecording of "Unbroken" from the second game
• The Settlement - Joel and Ellie see Jackson from above
• The Path - Ellie asks Joel if he is telling the truth/End credits
  • Rerecording of "The Path" from the first game

I’ll update this list as I get more info and accuracy. For now these are the tracks that I don’t know when they play.

• Longing
  • Rerecording of "Longing" from the second game
• All Gone (Isolation)
  • Rerecording of "All Gone" from the first game
• All Gone (Reunion)
  • Rerecording of "All Gone (Reunion)" from the first game
• Uncertain Course

Obviously not all of this is probably 100% right but I feel it’s close enough. Also if you guys see a track that’s in a different scene or notice something I messed up on let me know.

[Jay 37,374]

I had to spoilerblock two things in your post. Always keep non-game-players in mind! 

[MaxMovieMan 273]

Ok I fixed it.

[Thor 7,521]

Latest episode was okay -- I suppose flashback episodes are needed for both of the two main characters. I just hope it doesn't get bogged down in flashback episodes all the time. It's a plague in modern television (in an effort to "flesh out the characters", it just ends up halting narrative momentum). THE WALKING DEAD fell into that trap eventually. And I was just about to say how refreshingly "non-WALKING DEAD" THE LAST OF US was in the earlier episode, when the community in the city wasn't explored throughout multiple episodes, but rather ended quickly to allow the central journey of the two main characters to continue.

 

So let me just say that I'm both worried and hopeful at the time.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I mean there’s only 2 episodes left. I don’t think either will be fully dedicated to a flashback.

 

[Jay 37,374]

The Last Of Us 1x07 Left Behind

 

This was probably the weakest episode of the season, which doesn't mean it's a bad episode of television or anything, but one of these has to have that distinction!

 

My main problem was that it ended too soon; The entire Ellie/Riley story was done really well, and man, is it devastating when they are sitting there, knowing they will die within hours, 2 days at max.  BUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!?!?!

 

I don't actually remember if the game goes further or not, but that doesn't matter; I'd loved to have seen the remaining conversations they had as they waited to turn.  What happened when Riley turned.  Did Ellie shoot her in the head, is that what she referenced earlier?  How easy or hard was that for her to do?  What did she do immediately after?  How long did it take for Ellie to realize she wasn't going to turn?  How did she end up getting from there to captured by Marlene?

 

Likewise, I wanted a bit more of the main timeline Ellie and Joel.  I was shocked when the episode ended as she was stitching him!

 

So maybe my biggest problems will get completely nullified next week, we'll see!

 

Any other commentary I have is just stuff I loved from the DLC that wasn't here.

 

Spoiler

The squirt gun fight.  Trying on a bunch of different masks.  The glorious moment where the camera holds on a close-up of Ellie's face for minutes as she experiences the video game for the first time - I can't believe they didn't do that one!! (they kind of did a short version when Riley first turns the mall lights on).  In the modern day, the supply run Ellie has to go on, ending up in a mall with both hunters and infected, and being able to get them to fight each other.

 

 

Other than that, not a lot to say this week, I don't think!  It was nicely done that Riley's decision about not killing themselves immediately, instead enjoying every moment they have together while they can, is paralleled with present day Ellie decides not to abandon Joel but to do what she can to have more time with it.  But that's really about all there is in the big picture here!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It’s pretty much spot on in comparison to the game, even down to the song they dance to. This episode was written by Neil, after all.

 

I enjoyed it a lot. I thought both of the performances and the set design were excellent. 

[Jay 37,374]

Oh yea, the acting was great and the mall was nicely realized  

[Yavar Moradi 2,604]

I thought it was a very good, not great, episode. Yes I wanted to see more, both in the flashback and in the present day. But it was enough, IMO, all done incredibly well. And there was nothing in it that was remotely annoying or disappointing like the Kathleen stuff, so that puts it ahead of Episode 4 in my book (which didn’t have the benefit of Henry and Sam’s presence).

 

Yavar

[Jay 37,374]

I thought it was strange that the pun book was a gift from Riley, since it's a collectible you find in the game, but at least it explains why she randomly had it suddenly in an earlier episode

[Crimson Nagus 43]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

The Last Of Us 1x07 Left Behind

 

I don't actually remember if the game goes further or not, but that doesn't matter; I'd loved to have seen the remaining conversations they had as they waited to turn.  What happened when Riley turned.  Did Ellie shoot her in the head, is that what she referenced earlier?  How easy or hard was that for her to do?  What did she do immediately after?  How long did it take for Ellie to realize she wasn't going to turn?  How did she end up getting from there to captured by Marlene?

 

Likewise, I wanted a bit more of the main timeline Ellie and Joel.  I was shocked when the episode ended as she was stitching him!

 

 

That’s almost exactly where the DLC ends although a little reversed.

 

Ellie gets back to Joel and starts to stitch him up then it cuts back to Ellie and Riley for the last little bit of their conversation and ends on a close up of Ellie wiping her tears away.  

Spoiler

Of course, the DLC had Ellie hiding Joel in an abandoned mall which is the trigger for all the flashbacks.  I was a little disappointed when the show already had them in the house basement and not a mall as well.

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

I thought it was strange that the pun book was a gift from Riley, since it's a collectible you find in the game, but at least it explains why she randomly had it suddenly in an earlier episode

 

It was also a gift from Riley in the DLC.  While you can find a copy of the book in the game near the end, Ellie actually already has it in her possession.  The first time she pulls it out at reads some jokes in not long after the start of the Pittsburg chapter.

[Jay 37,374]

15 minutes ago, rolltide1017 said:

That’s almost exactly where the DLC ends although a little reversed.

 

Ellie gets back to Joel and starts to stitch him up then it cuts back to Ellie and Riley for the last little bit of their conversation and ends on a close up of Ellie wiping her tears away.  

  Reveal hidden contents

Of course, the DLC had Ellie hiding Joel in an abandoned mall which is the trigger for all the flashbacks.  I was a little disappointed when the show already had them in the house basement and not a mall as well.

 

 

Yea, I was trying to figure out in my brain how it worked with the house and the mall

 

So is it like this?

 

Spoiler

In the main game, after Joel collapses from the rebar injury, it fades to black, says WINTER, and starts with the scene of her hunting rabbits, she eventually returns to Joel in the house, and leaves to get antibiotics causing her to run into David's crew, etc.

 

Then the DLC is like "actually, before they got to the house, they recovered in a mall, and had a big adventure with hunters and infected, and flashbacks to the night she got bit

 

Shame they cut the mall bit...

 

 

15 minutes ago, rolltide1017 said:

It was also a gift from Riley in the DLC.  While you can find a copy of the book in the game near the end, Ellie actually already has it in her possession.  The first time she pulls it out at reads some jokes in not long after the start of the Pittsburg chapter.

 

Wait, what?

My memory is that the pun book was a collectible you had to find, and if you never found it, those bits where she reads from it while walking around never happen.  

 

Am I just remembering completely wrong?  The pun bits happen no matter what?

[Crimson Nagus 43]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

Yea, I was trying to figure out in my brain how it worked with the house and the mall

 

So is it like this?

 

  Hide contents

In the main game, after Joel collapses from the rebar injury, it fades to black, says WINTER, and starts with the scene of her hunting rabbits, she eventually returns to Joel in the house, and leaves to get antibiotics causing her to run into David's crew, etc.

 

Then the DLC is like "actually, before they got to the house, they recovered in a mall, and had a big adventure with hunters and infected, and flashbacks to the night she got bit

Yep, for the most part.  I just played the game in October so it is all pretty fresh.  

Spoiler

You meet David and another guy while hunting the rabbit.  He sends the guy back to camp to get the medicine.  You fight some infected.  Then David reveals that a man and a young girl killed some of their men, other guy returns with medicine and David lets you go while they other guy protest.  You return to the house and the next morning is when David’s men are search outside the house.

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

My memory is that the pun book was a collectible you had to find, and if you never found it, those bits where she reads from it while walking around never happen.  

 

Am I just remembering completely wrong?  The pun bits happen no matter what?

 

There are a few just happen through out the game. Others you have to stand in a location and await awhile for a conversation prompt from Ellie.  There are something like 7 or 8 hidden jokes like that, mostly in the Pittsburg and Suburb chapters.  Near the end of the game you find a copy of the book, maybe it was vol 1, as a collectible.  I can’t remember if it was a different volume or the same on Ellie already had.  But, yes, she already has it and suddenly pulls it out of her pack early in the Pittsburgh chapter.

[Jay 37,374]

Right, I remembered that you triggered some by standing in certain spots, I just would have sworn that you had to find it first or you never get a chance for any of them to happen.

But I guess I was just wrong!  Damn my memory!

[Jay 37,374]

New interview with Santaolalla 

 

https://consequence.net/2023/02/last-of-us-music-gustavo-santaolalla-interview/

 

He says the season has 185 cues!

[Jay 37,374]

One thing I thought was strange about the episode was that halfway through the arcade scene, the camera slowly pans out and shows a nearby infected, who wakes up from the noise.

 

One issue is that it then takes him an absurdly long time before attacking them in the Halloween store. Why the delay?

 

Another issue is that Riley had been living in the mall for a week or so, right?  The way the camera revealed this guy, he wasn't really tucked away much.  How would she not have found it?

 

Another issue is that I thought those "stuck to the wall" type of infected were just that: stuck to the wall, and could never get up.  I'm pretty sure that's the case in the game, right?  I thought it was strange that this one not only got up, but was essentially just a run of the mill runner once he did.

 

It would have made a lot more sense if instead of showing this wall guy, the camera showed a random outside runner entering through the same hole they did, and eventually making its way to them.  Then Riley doesn't look like an idiot for missing this one, and there's no confusion about how this one survived on a wall with no daylight for years then became a normal fast runner after hearing noise

[Steffromuk 387]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Another issue is that I thought those "stuck to the wall" type of infected were just that: stuck to the wall, and could never get up.  I'm pretty sure that's the case in the game, right?  I thought it was strange that this one not only got up, but was essentially just a run of the mill runner once he did.

They can actually get out of the mushroom mass in the second game. And they're not clickers either.

 

I listened to the show's soundtrack on Spotify and have to admit I feel a bit let down by the lack of new themes.

It's either recycled or edited themes from the game or very basic suspense functional tracks. 

I guess the new comers might enjoy it but when you know the games' scores this is pretty boring to listen to.

[Jay 37,374]

16 minutes ago, Steffromuk said:

And they're not clickers either.

 

I didn't say he was a clicker, I said he was a runner

[Steffromuk 387]

4 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

I didn't say he was a clicker, I said he was a runner

I heard you well 😉 I was just saying they were neither runners or clickers. At least to me.

[Jay 37,374]

Ohhhhhhhhh I see what you're saying now

 

Isn't a runner just a generic term for a base infected?  Or are they a step up from a base infected?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Another issue is that Riley had been living in the mall for a week or so, right?  The way the camera revealed this guy, he wasn't really tucked away much.  How would she not have found it?

I don’t really see this as an issue. She is a dumb kid that was just recruited to the Fireflies out of a necessity for bodies in their resistance.

 

It’s shown in the way she doesn’t care about all the noise or lights in the mall, and how she lets Ellie handle the gun.

 

I think that’s kinda the point. To show these two young girls growing up and having to adapt to a world that only knows how to be brutal and survive while they grapple with love. Harkening back to Ellie reading the kid’s diary and saying “Is this really all they had to worry about?”

[Jay 37,374]

Astute observations!

[Jay 37,374]

Sony Classical is releasing a physical CD in Europe on Friday, March 31st

 

https://www.swiatksiazki.pl/the-last-of-us-season-1-soundtrack-from-the-hbo-original-series-6971056-muzyka.html

 

That says 1-CD, but it could get updated to say 2-CD later

[Jay 37,374]

Two things I am kind of surprised by now that we are almost at the end of the season

 

1 - there's been no guitar stuff AT ALL.  This is CRAZY!  There's so many memorable moments in the game tied to Joel playing the guitar and Ellie trying to learn.  Granted a lot of that is in the second game, but I am pretty sure that didn't come out of nowhere and there was guitar playing in the fist game, right?  I know we saw that Joel had a guitar in his apartment, but I'm still SERIOUSLY surprised they haven't had ANY guitar playing scenes at all!!!!

 

2 - changing the spores to tendrils seems to have been pointless after all.  They've cut just about every infected encounter that the game has, and the ones they kept have all been outdoors except for the Left Behind mall attack, so their excuse about not having the budget to visualize spores seems misplaced now.  On top of that, the whole "touch one tendril and it can communicate to all the infected nearby!" thing was a really nifty new idea on paper, but it has been COMPLETELY abandoned since introducing it.  Even tendrils coming out of infected's mouths was only a thing twice and never seen since.

[Yavar Moradi 2,604]

I agree with you that #1 is a bit of a bummer. A casualty of abbreviating the storyline, I guess. But I hope we get something in the next couple episodes.

 

As for #2, I disagree. The point was to be more real world realistic regarding the rapid spread of the virus, but have it make sense with all your actors not wearing huge anti-spore masks (like Bill does for like two seconds in the show at one point). As for the tendril communication, I think we may still see more of that in the show. In fact, I thought possibly the latest episode had that wall-stuck infected guy sense Ellie and Riley, and maybe communicate through the tendrils to other infected, who actually bit them. I hadn't realize the same guy had definitely pulled himself off the wall he was stuck to, lol. Though I was surprised that only one infected showed up to attack them, rather than several like in the game's DLC.

 

Yavar

[Mr. Who 919]

After a few busy weeks I finally caught up with this show and I have to say that it keeps getting better and better. The character studies of people in the end of the world situation are so good and even if some characters only appear in one episode they make a big impact. Sam and Henry and Riley in episode 7.
 

I think episode 7 was almost the most difficult to watch because while you see Ellie and Riley having a good time in the mall, you know how the night will end. It’s like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off and this is properly great storytelling. I haven’t played the games but I’m completely invested in the story and the world building. The progression of Ellie’s relationship with Joel is really well done and with the flashback episode 7, you get to know more about Ellie’s side of things which was great.

 

I can’t wait to see the final 2 episodes and hopefully they’re about an hour or longer.

[Jay 37,374]

If you want to actually know how long each of them are, their lengths are:

 

Spoiler

Episode 8 - 51 minutes

Episode 9 - 43 minutes

 

[Mephariel 451]

On 02/03/2023 at 12:11 PM, Jay said:

Two things I am kind of surprised by now that we are almost at the end of the season

 

1 - there's been no guitar stuff AT ALL.  This is CRAZY!  There's so many memorable moments in the game tied to Joel playing the guitar and Ellie trying to learn.  Granted a lot of that is in the second game, but I am pretty sure that didn't come out of nowhere and there was guitar playing in the fist game, right?  I know we saw that Joel had a guitar in his apartment, but I'm still SERIOUSLY surprised they haven't had ANY guitar playing scenes at all!!!!

 

2 - changing the spores to tendrils seems to have been pointless after all.  They've cut just about every infected encounter that the game has, and the ones they kept have all been outdoors except for the Left Behind mall attack, so their excuse about not having the budget to visualize spores seems misplaced now.  On top of that, the whole "touch one tendril and it can communicate to all the infected nearby!" thing was a really nifty new idea on paper, but it has been COMPLETELY abandoned since introducing it.  Even tendrils coming out of infected's mouths was only a thing twice and never seen since.

 

As someone who works in the biomedical field, spores makes absolutely no practical storytelling sense. For one, gas masks require filters to operate. You have to replace them after certain number of uses. Who is manufacturing the filters in a post-civilized world? Another problem is, unlike the game, if spores are airborne, there wouldn't be zones. There would be no way for you to know exactly when you are walking into spores or not. By the time you put on your mask, you could be infected already. A gust of wind could ruin your day. Lastly, spores cling to clothing. So just because you put on a mask doesn't mean you are safe. At some point you have to take off your mask and if you have spores clinging to your clothes or equipment, you still have a chance to get infected. They would have to step into an air shower (which they don't have) before even think about returning to any group of people. 

[Jay 37,374]

All great, valid points.

 

I guess I was more lamenting that they didn't take their new tendrils idea to any new heights after introducing the concept, I shouldn't have muddied my thoughts with spore talk

[Crimson Nagus 43]

On 2/3/2023 at 2:11 PM, Jay said:

Two things I am kind of surprised by now that we are almost at the end of the season

 

1 - there's been no guitar stuff AT ALL.  This is CRAZY!  There's so many memorable moments in the game tied to Joel playing the guitar and Ellie trying to learn.  Granted a lot of that is in the second game, but I am pretty sure that didn't come out of nowhere and there was guitar playing in the fist game, right?  I know we saw that Joel had a guitar in his apartment, but I'm still SERIOUSLY surprised they haven't had ANY guitar playing scenes at all!!!! 

There were no guitar playing/singing moments in the first game. Those were all in the second game. The only time it is even really mentioned in the first game is when Joel admits to Ellie, at the University, about wanting to be a singer. Ellie ask him to sing, he says no but promises to teach her to play when they get back to Jackson. 

[Jay 37,374]

Oh wow ok! I totally misremembered that. 

 

Looking forward to guitar scenes in season 2!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I like how they laid the groundwork for Season 2 with the a-Ha references. 

[Crimson Nagus 43]

I like that as well. Lots of little hints, Easter eggs that they couldn’t do at the time of the first game for obvious reasons. I’m excited to see if they have any big hints in the final episode. I could see them going either way and I will not be disappointed if they don’t, especially with the known run time. It is an opportunity they didn’t have back in 2003 2013.