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

[Jay 32,087]

Well they invented the "Tommy is missing" bit to explain it I guess (though I don't think Game Joel would be THAT worried about Tommy)

[Koray Savas 2,218]

Yep, completely different motivation for the character. 

[Jay 32,087]

For now!

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

6 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

We finally get a faithful video game adaptation, and some are saying it resembles the game too closely? 

 

In my experience faithful doesn't automatically mean good. Slavishly faithful adaptations can be a chore to get through - look at the first two Potter films as an example. A good adaptation offers something that original doesn't or can't, whether thats through visual storytelling or some other means. If an adaptation is scene-for-scene and word-for-word, what new insights can fans of the original encounter? But yeah, most video game adaptations go so far away from the original premise/story that they become ridiculous and often incredibly clichéd, and this is probably the most faithful I've seen.

 

I'll say that opening on the talk show interview at the start of the pilot was a genius move and did a lot to alleviate my concerns - it was a great way to explain the nature of the infection to the audience without insulting their intelligence, while also providing a fun, off-kilter scene. It had Craig Mazin written all over it, and I'm excited to see what else he brings to the series. Now that I think of it there was another great variation from the original during the escape sequence; when they're driving along and a car nearly ploughs into them (which does hit them in the game, leading to Sarah's broken leg), they narrowly escape only for a goddamn aeroplane to fall out of the sky instead.

[MaxMovieMan 75]

On 15/1/2023 at 10:39 PM, Jay said:

And that it would feature freaking Big Head from Silicon Valley and that dude from the Mummy movies!

I too was very happy that Big Head had moved on to better things than being president of Stanford University. And the Mummy guy is in Spartacus as well he’s super good in that. That opening gave me chills man. Very similar to the tone of I Am Legend’s opening.

 

21 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

The scene with the neighbour in the background was very creepy and than later with the dog already knowing what was going was very well done.

This was my favorite part. The out-of-focus shot of the old lady tweaking was freaky as hell. The whole build-up to the apocalypse was great it reminded me of A Quiet Place Part 2. As a fan of the game I am very very happy right now. All of the characters are spot on (Especially Tommy and Tess), the show is extremely accurate to the game (Even shot-for-shot and line-for-line at some points), and most importantly the atmosphere of the show is great. It’s just like the game and you can really see the budget the show looks insane. Oh and the title sequence with the OG score? Cherry on top.

 

The only thing I wish they didn’t change was the music for Sarah’s death (It was similar but not the same) and the pacing of the Ellie being immune reveal. The game had it drawn out longer with Joel and Tess finding out. Besides this though I am extremely impressed. Pedro and Bella so far have knocked it out of the park and I’m excited to see them adapt some of the crazy things that happen down the line.

 

20 hours ago, Docteur Qui said:

Strong first episode, though it got a bit slow in the second half. I haven’t played the game in around 6 years but I was surprised at how faithful it was…. Almost to the point where I was a little disengaged. I hope there’s a bit more to differentiate the series because at certain points it was like watching a movie-length cutscene.

The pacing definitely dips after the time-jump it was a slight slog. They removed some of the action in this section from the game which slows it down a lot. On the show being too accurate what I always try to remember is that this is not meant for the gamers it’s meant for a mass audience that’s never played the games. If the dialogue and shots are perfect already then why change them? Personally I think it’s cool to finally watch this story with my family who doesn’t play video games and to see it so accurately portrayed. If it wasn’t accurate then I’d be upset that they weren’t experiencing the true story from the game.

[Jay 32,087]

The game's early warehouse action scene is a nice way to teach the player all the mechanics of combat and stuff.  I can see why they cut it from the show.  They are trying to sell a zombie show and really want to get to the zombie and ensuing creatures as quick as possible I think

[JNHFan2000 1,575]

‘The Last Of Us’ Becomes HBO’s Second-Largest Debut After ‘House Of The Dragon’ Since 2010 With 4.7M Viewers'

 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadline.com/2023/01/the-last-of-us-premiere-draws-4-7m-viewers-1235224124/amp/

 

And this is just the numbers on HBO. This could be a lot more with the HBOMax numbers

[Anthony 562]

On 16/01/2023 at 5:48 PM, Koray Savas said:

I didn’t like how it ended with the sounds of clickers in the distance, since the audience has no reference to them yet if you haven’t played the game. 

 

I guess that was just a tease for those who do know what to expect. You could see one on one of the rooftops when there was a flash of thunder.

[Jay 32,087]

You mean a flash of lightning? 

[Koray Savas 2,218]

I definitely missed that in the zoom out. Makes more sense then!

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

One other funny reference: when Joel and Tess are climb down into the subway system they take their backpacks off and squat down to rummage through them, just like in the game when you open your inventory. I had a little chuckle.

[Jay 32,087]

I mean that's just a standard way to look in a backpack

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

I mean that's just a standard way to look in a backpack

 

Nah, the way they've shot it makes me think it was intentional. It's hard to describe. My partner who has also played the games said the same.

[rolltide1017 43]

On 15/1/2023 at 11:39 PM, Jay said:

Then, wow, I was pretty shocked they changed the start of the outbreak to 2003!  In the game, the Joel/Sara prologue takes place the same year that the game came out (2013), which nicely let them make any pop culture references they wanted to in the rest of the game.  It was only Part II that they had to be careful not to reference things that came out in our world after 2013.  Changing it to 2003 seems so bizarre, since now wherever they film they have to make sure doesn't have any modern stuff, and they're stuck referencing music and movies and stuff from 2003 or earlier.  Why did they do this?  Just to have the main story take place in 2023 when the show airs?  I'll be curious to learn their reason for this change

 

Craig Mazin spoke to Insider about this:

Quote

 

"I just had this thing where if I'm watching a show and it takes place 20 years in the future from my time now, it just seems less real," Mazin told Insider with a laugh. "I'm just less connected."

 

"I suggested this change because it would allow the show's main timeline to be now, in 2023," Mazin continued, adding, "There's just something about saying this is happening now in this parallel universe."

 

He added: "It also weirdly did give us an opportunity to explore this interesting period of early 2000s. It has its own aesthetic. It's got its own technology. It was an interesting place to freeze the world. It kind of helped give us a little bit more of a period feeling to the world."

 

https://www.insider.com/why-the-last-of-us-show-starts-2003-decade-earlier-2023-1

 

I loved the first episode, finally a good adaptation by people that truly care about the source material, unlike The Witcher and Halo.  Like others here, this game is my favorite game of all time, with Part II not quite as high on my list but still a great game.  I love this franchise and was very nervous when this adaptation was announced.  But they did it, they got me hooked again and I can’t wait to see the rest of the season.

 

For those that are interested and listen to podcast, there are 3 podcasts about the show that I recommend.  Especially if you are like me and just can’t get enough of The Last of Us.

 

“HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast” is hosted by Troy Baker and will feature Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann talking about each weeks episode.  I really enjoyed the first episode and the behind the scenes discussion.

 

”The Official The Last of Us Podcast” was originally done in 2020 all about the first 2 games but, they have a new episode interviewing Neil.  I’m not sure if they are doing weekly episodes for the show or if this is just a one time special.

 

”The Last of Pods: A ComicBook & ET Lost of Us Podcast”. I’m not done with the first episode but it is enjoyable and they talk with Gabriel Luna.  They are going to be doing weekly shows.

 

I’m obsessed all over again.  I can’t wait for Sundays!

 

Has there been any word about a soundtrack release?  Probably at the end of the season like most shows these days?  I guess I was holding out hope that it would be a weekly release like season 1 of Mando.

[Jay 32,087]

23 minutes ago, rolltide1017 said:

 

Craig Mazin spoke to Insider about this:

https://www.insider.com/why-the-last-of-us-show-starts-2003-decade-earlier-2023-1

 

Thanks, that's interesting to finally get some insight into why they made this change.  I think I like his reasoning.

 

But to me, I think it would have been more fun to have the prologue be in 2023 and the main show in 2043.  I feel like any casual viewer who gave the show a chance without knowing anything about the games would probably be able to guess something bad was going to happen when it said "2003" in screen for the prologue.

if, on the other hand, after the 1968 prologue and main titles, it said "TODAY" on the screen, and the whole Joel/Sara prologue happened, and then it said 20 years later, I think that'd be more powerful. 

 

Essentially, it makes it a show about something that "could" happen, instead of a show immediately set in an timeline that is completely alternate to ours.  I hope that makes sense.

 

But, I'm just a guy and Mazin knows what he's doing, so I have faith in the change!

 

23 minutes ago, rolltide1017 said:

For those that are interested and listen to podcast, there are 3 podcasts about the show that I recommend.  Especially if you are like me and just can’t get enough of The Last of Us.

 

I really like Bald Move's TV podcasts (I've listened to their podcasts for Mr. Robot, Better Call Saul, Westworld, House of the Dragon, Watchmen, Stranger Things, The Boys, The Mandalorian, His Dark Materials and The Rings of Power), and their Last of Us one is off to a good start

 

https://baldmove.com/the-last-of-us/s01e01-when-youre-lost-in-the-darkness-2/

 

23 minutes ago, rolltide1017 said:

Has there been any word about a soundtrack release?  Probably at the end of the season like most shows these days?  I guess I was holding out hope that it would be a weekly release like season 1 of Mando.

 

I've never seen an HBO show get episodic albums, and the season albums always come out when the season is over

[rolltide1017 43]

I will defifnintley check out that podcast, thanks for the link!

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

What's interesting about it being set in a parallel 2023 is that all of the real-world, pre-pandemic references will have to be confined to before 2003. Not the biggest issue in a post-apocalyptic setting, but might present a bit of a headache for set dressers and continuity people making sure that props, diegetic music etc from later than that show don't up anywhere.

[Jay 32,087]

Right, exactly!  Just what I brought up in my earlier post about it.

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

40 minutes ago, Jay said:

Right, exactly!  Just what I brought up in my earlier post about it.

 

Oh that's where I'd read it! I thought it was in a review or a comment elsewhere, hahah. 

[Jay 32,087]

The official podcast had an interesting revelation: The original episode 1 ended with Joel tossing the boy's body into the fire!

 

Can you imagine if that's all we got this week, and had to wait until next week for everything we saw after that?  We'd have no Ellie, no Tess, no real setup for what was to come, just a portrait of a man who lost his daughter and is now emotionally dead 20 years later.

 

They didn't say anything about other editing, but I have to imagine those original episode 1 and 2 cuts were longer.  The combined runtime of the new episode 1 is only 85 minutes, and I can't believe they'd have two 45 minute episodes to start things.  They probably trimmed a lot of little scenes to get the new episode 1 runtime down.  I wonder if we'll ever see that footage

[Jay 32,087]

So the recap podcast I listened to posited a pretty strong theory about how the infection spread in the show world.

This is not a spoiler because it's different in the game, and the hosts of the podcasts have only seen the first episode

 

Their theory is that is is spreading through contaminated flour.  The reason is that on Outbreak Day, Joel & Ellie didn't have pancakes, then they didn't have the neighbor's biscuits, then Ellie didn't have any of her neighbors cookies, then Joel forgot to bring home the cake.  So they got lucky basically

[Jay 32,087]

No on one JWFan has any thoughts on the flour theory?

[Koray Savas 2,218]

I didn’t notice any of those details while watching, but put into that context it would make sense.

 

Not sure why they decided to change it from being airborne. Too similar to COVID?

[Jay 32,087]

I think there are a variety of reasons they changed the way the infection spreads from being spores to tendrils

 

1) If they kept thee spore system, our actors would be behind gas masks a lot

 

2) It would be expensive to have to create all those spores in the air for the scenes that would require it

 

3) In real life the spores thing doesn't actually make a lot of sense, because it'd be impossible to stop the spread - it'd just be everywhere, and EVERYONE would have to wear gas masks ALL THE TIME to stay uninfected

 

Plus maybe they thought having tendrils would be scarier, and also more unique, especially now that we're all very aware of how viral infections can spread through the air.

 

 

 

There's one interesting side effect to this change to ponder, though:

 

MASSIVE GAME 1 SPOILER INSIDE

 

Spoiler

In the game, the idea was that they could use Ellie to make a vaccine, meaning anyone who got it would be safe to breathe in spore-filled air, just like she is.  So essentially, with everyone vaccinated all they'd have to do is kill the infected everywhere and the apocalypse is over.

 

In the show, the air is already safe to breathe everywhere.  All a vaccine would do is cause contact with a tendril to not get you infected, like what happened to Ellie.  I guess that helps a little, but it's way less of a help than being able to breath all everywhere like the game vaccine.

 

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

On 20/1/2023 at 3:33 AM, Jay said:

So the recap podcast I listened to posited a pretty strong theory about how the infection spread in the show world.

Is that the Ringer podcast with Jo and Mal? I really love their deep-dives.

 

I really like the flour theory. It definitely explains how it spread so quickly around the world without being airborne. I’m completely fine with removing the spores, from a visual point of view the whole gas mask thing is a totally valid reason. And as Jay mentions, in reality they’d have to be wearing them at all times if they followed their own logic. Although I suppose one way of doing it would be making the spores only a threat when they’re “fresh” from a host, which is essentially what the tendrils do anyway.

[Thor 5,970]

Nice first episode!

 

I mean, there isn't that much new here in terms of genre tropes, but I dig the atmosphere, the tempo, the characters.

[Jay 32,087]

7 hours ago, Docteur Qui said:

Is that the Ringer podcast with Jo and Mal? I really love their deep-dives.

 

No, this one:

 

On 18/01/2023 at 12:01 PM, Jay said:

I really like Bald Move's TV podcasts (I've listened to their podcasts for Mr. Robot, Better Call Saul, Westworld, House of the Dragon, Watchmen, Stranger Things, The Boys, The Mandalorian, His Dark Materials and The Rings of Power), and their Last of Us one is off to a good start

 

https://baldmove.com/the-last-of-us/s01e01-when-youre-lost-in-the-darkness-2/

 

[Jay 32,087]

Not sure I'll be able to see episode 2 until tomorrow night, enjoy watching tonight those who can!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing how they render dilapidated Boston for the show.  In the game, it didn't actually look like actual Boston much.

[Anthony 562]

I wonder how many in-game chapters will be covered by the second episode. I'm guessing it may end with

 

Spoiler

the death of Tess, and Joel and Ellie powering on

 

[Jay 32,087]

Yea

 

Spoiler

I can see the whole episode taking place in Boston (maybe with some flashbacks), and then episode 3 will be Bill and Frank's story, with Joel and Ellie arriving in Bill's Town as the third act of the episode

 

[Koray Savas 2,218]

Great episode!

 

The clickers were perfectly realized and I loved how they were able to recapture the tension of trying to sneak around them.

 

Not a fan of them completely cutting out the militia from the show, but it makes sense in the interest of time and pacing.

 

The loss of humanity amongst those that survived is a huge thematic arc across the games, so seeing that excised is a bummer.

[MaxMovieMan 75]

I loved the episode overall but not a fan of that weird zombie make-out moment. Took all of the emotion away from the scene and didn’t really make any sense. Besides that though I’m continuing to be a massive fan.

[JohnTheBaptist 52]

Kind of a disappointing follow up after such a plot heavy debut. This could have been literally any episode of the Walking Dead.

[Koray Savas 2,218]

You want more plot and less character?

[Edmilson 4,973]

How many episodes is season 1 going to have? I think I'm going to wait for them all to be released so that I may binge them. 

[JNHFan2000 1,575]

I loved this!!!

 

I love Tess so I'm pretty angry! But at least she went out in a very memorable way. I felt it was truly uncomfortable and scary with how it happened.

 

The whole sequence in the museum was incredible. It's one of the most tense moments in a show I can remember from recent years. I was on the edge of my seat and actually quite scared. The clickers (I think they're called) where incredibly realized and truly disgusting. I don't know if they were practical with make-up or a mix of CGI and practical, but it was great!!

 

What I also thought was great was how Boston looked. All the nature thriving, which happened in Chernobyl after the accident, amd what many people speak of today with climate change. That nature will survive, even if humanity won't is always something that really hits me during shows etc. So I thought it was great to see hear.

And the opening in Jakarta was also very well done and really reminded me of Chernobyl. I like the whole thing where it seems like they are saying that the fungus comes from grain and flower. That is really creepy.

And the actress who played the scientist really made a big impression in a short time.

 

Can't wait for next episode. And I've decided to not look at the 'next time' videos anymore, because I want to know as little as possible.

[crumbs 12,972]

6 hours ago, MaxMovieMan said:

I loved the episode overall but not a fan of that weird zombie make-out moment. Took all of the emotion away from the scene and didn’t really make any sense.

 

I thought that was great!! Visually disturbing and very memorable. If you're an active fungus looking to infect new hosts, mouth transmission is logical. Not only does it have a perfect temperature for cordyceps to thrive, but it's an easily accessible entrance point for new hosts.

 

I'm loving how the clickers look, move and sound like the video game versions, but the infected have unexpected new behaviors that elevate them from conventional brain-dead zombies we've seen a thousand times before. It deepens the lore and also the threat of existing in this post-apocalyptic world. And it's exactly what good adaptations should do.

 

Shout out to whoever raised the flour theory, looks like they were spot on.

[Koray Savas 2,218]

Variety put out a great interview with Mazin and Druckmann that details the show so far.

 

WARNING: There are slight game spoilers and what I think is a major spoiler for the show, even to those who have played the game.

 

‘The Last of Us’ Creators on THAT Clicker Moment, Flour Theories, and Changes From the Game

[Toillion 105]

10 hours ago, Edmilson said:

How many episodes is season 1 going to have? I think I'm going to wait for them all to be released so that I may binge them. 

9 episodes. The last episode comes out on March 12th.

 

6 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Can't wait for next episode. And I've decided to not look at the 'next time' videos anymore, because I want to know as little as possible.

I wish I didn't watch the preview for the next episode. I played the game but I feel like they are showing way too much in the previews. 

[MaxMovieMan 75]

11 hours ago, crumbs said:

I thought that was great!! Visually disturbing and very memorable. If you're an active fungus looking to infect new hosts, mouth transmission is logical.

Eh. It still looked weird. Took me out of the moment and made me go from sad about Tess dying to “Ew gross what the fuck.” I genuinely think that was the dumbest thing I’ve seen in a long time.

 

I hate to be that guy but the game did that scene so much better. Hits way harder and didn’t make the scene about being gross. It was about losing Tess and the shock of it happening so fast. I watched both scenes right after I finished the episode to compare and it’s night and day. I even showed my friend who hadn’t played the game but watched the show and he agreed the game did better. I didn’t understand why they’d change a scene that was already so impactful in the game and didn’t need to be changed. It was the main part of the episode I was looking forward to and they messed it up badly. I respect adaptations and the choices that can be made to differentiate the game and show but why make something worse than it already is.

 

They could’ve kept the infected horde rushing and have Tess get attacked but they didn’t need a zombie-erotica moment.

[enderdrag64 374]

Yeah I think that the mouth thing was necessary for the transmission. The only two ways it has spread so far are either ingestion of infected wheat or through biting, and since the thing didn't bite her it makes sense it could spread orally instead. Sort of a forced ingestion. Just having the thing stand in front of her wouldn't do anything since they wanted to emphasize that it doesn't transmit through the air

 

What else could the showrunners have done to build tension? Bite her again? She already had one. And they needed something to sell the time running out aspect of flicking the lighter.

 

I think it worked really well

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

I haven't read or heard from the creators about this, but for me the "kiss" with Tess worked on a few levels. Firstly as others have pointed out, Tess was already bitten and it's likely that the infected that came up to her was aware of this. So what next? Speed up the infection of course, via tendrils. The whole episode is littered with moments highlighting the nature of cordyceps as being a vast network with a hive mind and a singular goal. So not only is the infected trying to speed up Tess' infection, it's also literally reaching out to connect with the tendrils already growing inside her. The fact that it did so with a "kiss" was to emphasise both the horror and beauty in that idea. It's even more messed up when you think about the fact that there's possibly some kind of human instinct still operating inside the infected's mind, implying that the kiss was a twisted take on a very human way of connecting.

 

On top of all that was Tess' longing for a real connection to Joel, which she alludes to before dying. In a bit of dramatic irony Tess is offered a form of connection that she's so desperate to feel, but it's so alien and horrifying to her and us at the same time. It's also why she is frozen in that moment - the show is asking: does part of her actually want to submit and connect?

 

I really, really appreciate what the creators are doing with this show. They're emphasising how beautiful this fungus is in addition to the sheer horror of it, which is being used to explore and contrast with what it means to be human; what it means to be connected; and who the "us" is in the show's title (hint, it's got multiple meanings). This is the kind of thing I was hoping they'd do to differentiate from the game and I couldn't be more impressed. 

 

Not only that but it's becoming clear that each episode has a thematic statement to explore (in this episode it's "connection"), which gives structure to the series so it doesn't feel like a 10-hour movie split into chunks like so many contemporary shows do. At its best Game of Thrones did this incredibly well, see also House of the Dragon. That's how you tell a serialised story in the age of streaming.

 

One last thing (MAJOR game spoilers here)

Spoiler

The emphasis on the beauty of the fungus also serves as a great counterpoint to the monstrous acts committed by the humans in the show culminating in Joel's shocking massacre at the end. There's echoes of Matheson's novel I Am Legend here, giving us the "humans are the real monster" trope in a fresh and interesting way.

 

[MaxMovieMan 75]

24 minutes ago, Docteur Qui said:

I haven't read or heard from the creators about this, but for me the "kiss" with Tess worked on a few levels. Firstly as others have pointed out, Tess was already bitten and it's likely that the infected that came up to her was aware of this. So what next? Speed up the infection of course, via tendrils. The whole episode is littered with moments highlighting the nature of cordyceps as being a vast network with a hive mind and a singular goal. So not only is the infected trying to speed up Tess' infection, it's also literally reaching out to connect with the tendrils already growing inside her. The fact that it did so with a "kiss" was to emphasise both the horror and beauty in that idea. It's even more messed up when you think about the fact that there's possibly some kind of human instinct still operating inside the infected's mind, implying that the kiss was a twisted take on a very human way of connecting.
 

Heavily disagree. Sure it makes scientific sense or whatever but it was way too odd and was not the right tone for the scene. It looked dumb and didn’t fit with everything else happening.

 

1 hour ago, enderdrag64 said:

Yeah I think that the mouth thing was necessary for the transmission. The only two ways it has spread so far are either ingestion of infected wheat or through biting, and since the thing didn't bite her it makes sense it could spread orally instead. Sort of a forced ingestion. Just having the thing stand in front of her wouldn't do anything since they wanted to emphasize that it doesn't transmit through the air

 

What else could the showrunners have done to build tension? Bite her again? She already had one. And they needed something to sell the time running out aspect of flicking the lighter.

 

I think it worked really well

Her getting tackled to the ground out of frame and then we get a close up on the lighter flying out of her hand as it’s finally lit. Then it hits the ground and blows up. That would’ve been much better IMO. Or they could’ve just done what the game did.

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

19 minutes ago, MaxMovieMan said:

Heavily disagree. Sure it makes scientific sense or whatever but it was way too odd and was not the right tone for the scene. It looked dumb and didn’t fit with everything else happening.

 

It's not about making scientific sense, it's a moment of thematic importance. It's like saying Romeo and Juliet sucked because Romeo should've made sure Juliet was dead before killing himself, it's missing the point of what the show's trying to tell us. Fair enough if you don't like how it was executed or even its inclusion, but personally I think it was a stunning and disturbing sequence.

 

19 minutes ago, MaxMovieMan said:

Her getting tackled to the ground out of frame and then we get a close up on the lighter flying out of her hand as it’s finally lit. Then it hits the ground and blows up. That would’ve been much better IMO. Or they could’ve just done what the game did.

 

That sounds like a million other action movie scenes we've already watched, and adds no insights about Tess or the fungal virus.

[MaxMovieMan 75]

21 minutes ago, Docteur Qui said:

 

It's not about making scientific sense, it's a moment of thematic importance.

 

That sounds like a million other action movie scenes we've already watched, and adds no insights about Tess or the fungal virus.

Thematic importance is not Tess being smothered by a zombie’s lips. That was over-the-top. Look at how the game did it if you want to see a good moment of thematic importance. The world is cruel and Joel and Ellie are forced to lace her. You don’t see what happens to her and that’s what more powerful. What is thematically important about a zombie doing THAT to her. If the show was trying to make the audience feel like Tess has no connection to anybody and was longing for that spark they did a horrendous job. She shows a working relationship the whole time with Joel and besides one or two hints they never say that she wanted anything more with him. So I don’t think having a zombie face fuck her relates to her wanting to be with Joel.

 

And also yeah I think doing what is expected at that moment is millions of times better than showing Tess get violated. I felt zero emotion during that only a feeling of, “What the fuck did I just watch?”

[Docteur Qui 1,459]

2 minutes ago, MaxMovieMan said:

Thematic importance is not Tess being smothered by a zombie’s lips. That was over-the-top. Look at how the game did it if you want to see a good moment of thematic importance. The world is cruel and Joel and Ellie are forced to lace her. You don’t see what happens to her and that’s what more powerful. What is thematically important about 

 

I'm happy to agree to disagree, but I don't really feel the need to explain what's thematically important about the scene again when I clearly laid out my thoughts on it in my original post.

[MaxMovieMan 75]

1 minute ago, Docteur Qui said:

 

I'm happy to agree to disagree, but I don't really feel the need to explain what's thematically important about the scene again when I clearly laid out my thoughts on it in my original post.

My page crashed so I had to go and edit the post after. I wasn’t done with it. I genuinely can’t understand how that is thematic in any way tho. I think that scene takes away from the episode so so much.

[Koray Savas 2,218]

I didn’t expect it, but it works with the changes they’ve made within the show.

 

I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. 

[Jay 32,087]

Anyone else notice that in episode one's main titles, both Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming were given "Music By" credits, but is this episode only Gustavo Santaolalla was? 

 

I was expecting to only hear guitar stuff in the episode after I saw that, but then there was synth suspense stuff, so does he do that too? If so what does Fleming do? 

[MaxMovieMan 75]

4 hours ago, Jay said:

Anyone else notice that in episode one's main titles, both Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming were given "Music By" credits, but is this episode only Gustavo Santaolalla was? 

 

I was expecting to only hear guitar stuff in the episode after I saw that, but then there was synth suspense stuff, so does he do that too? If so what does Fleming do? 

I’m slightly confused on this as well. I swear I’ve only heard tracks from the game in the series so far besides some of the electronic action stuff. I think the end credits track at the end of episode 2 is new but I’m not sure.