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HBO Original | The Last of Us | Part 1 OT | Endure & Survive

analog_future

Resident Crybaby
Anybody else find it validating to have a video game adaptation that follows the source material this closely, only for it to be a huge hit?

Can't think of another adaptation that sticks this close. And certainly no adaptation as popular

They're also adapting arguably the best story in videogames and one of the most cinematic games of all time.

This approach wouldn't have worked with Resident Evil or Mortal Kombat or Assassin's Creed or Prince of Persia or Final Fantasy or 95% of other games out there.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
Each episode is hyping me up more for the inevitable TLOU 3.

GOD DAMN masterpiece in the making. You know that budget is gonna be ridiculous.

They could have large scale infected encounters where they all link and chase you like in this episode
Sony had a zombie game that did that…
Playstation GIF by Bend Studio
 

DForce

NaughtyDog Defense Force
It was a good episode, but I thought the "kiss" scene was just....eh... lame.

I thought Bella's performance as Ellie in episode 1 was slightly off, but she did a great job in episode 2.

I prefer Tess' death scene in the game, but there were some moments in this show that thought were better.

Rooftop

Joel - "What about the kid? I mean, maybe the first bite didn't take, but what about the second?"
Tess - "How 'bout you just take the good news? Can you do that? Like to think, for once, maybe we could actually win?"

The way Tess looked at Joel while he taping her foot just shows how much she loves him. The amount of stress she was going through was obvious in how she responded to Joel.


Capital
Joel - "Show me"
Tess - "Joel"

Joel's hand is at his waist. He was ready to shoot her.

Tess - "They will cause you'll convince them. Yes, you will. I never ask you for anything. Not to feel the way I felt. Shut the fuck up 'cause I don't have time. This is your chance. You get her there, you keep her alive, and you set everything right. All this shit we did. Please say yes, Joel, please."

It was in the game, but they really put a bigger emphasis on Joel and Tess' past of not being good people.

What's also interesting is that they're really touching on the "no cure for fungal infection" topic that has been debated for years.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Ok, as someone who didnt care much for the first episode, this was downright amazing. I just wish they had kept more of the dialogue from the game's Tess Death scene, but the way it plays out is frankly way better than the game and the first time where I said ok this is better than the game.

The clicker scene was perfect. Amazing direction by Neil. All the Neil haters can suck a dick. This guy has proven he can direct movie quality cutscenes in video games and now he's doing that in a tv show.

The episode looked really good too. So much CG I was getting triggered for HBO execs who had to pay out of their ass for all those shots. What's more impressive are the set details. A lot of scenes look like they were shot on location instead of the green screen shit we've been getting lately in movies. It's very impressive for a show. This explains why the show cost more than House of Dragon. The CG is there to complement the sets, not the other way around.

Ellie twitching got a real chuckle out of me. She's looking more and more like Ellie, but in some shots the real Bella Ramsey comes out and it takes me out lol.

Pedro is ok. Still dont see Joel in him, but he's a good leading man. 'It is over Tess' and 'Show IT. TO. ME.' delivery of Troy Baker just shows how ND artists are way better actors than real life actors. lol. Even Tess who goes there is enough here for me to ask you a favor is such a well delivered line that im surprised wasnt included in the show.

The only real issue I have with the episode is the Jakarta scene. They are leaning into the backstory of the virus, and unfortunately falling into the same zombie tropes the game so cleverly avoided. TLOU succeeded because its not your generic zombie story. It's a story about Joel and Ellie's relationship, and humans being completely irredeemable pieces of shit in the post apocalyptic America. There is really no need to explore the zombie origins.
 
Saw this one star review on RT asking how were fighter jets going to stop an infection implying it was dumb to have them in the first episode... how much do we want to bet this guy doesn't fix his review?
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
"Joel and I aren't good people"

Spelling shit out for TV only viewers
well, they wouldnt have had to do that if they had them kill Robert's crew like they did in the game. All over some stolen guns lol. They tried to humanize both of them for some reason. I dont know why because here they come out and say we are bad people.

Tendrils >>>> Spores

Like, way better. I fucking love how all the infected are all connected. Definitely needs to be implemented in Part III.

Also love the added filler
Definitely.

Just imagine the possibilities. You think are done with the area and boom, Ewya from Avatar grows roots and sends more infected your way. You are constantly on the run. There is more tension and you never know if clearing out an area will clear it out forever.

It could also open up backtracking. Especially now that there is no need for them to stop you from backtracing since a lot of it was done to mask loading times. Just have one big interconnected world that feels dynamic and unpredictable.
 
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Ok, as someone who didnt care much for the first episode, this was downright amazing. I just wish they had kept more of the dialogue from the game's Tess Death scene, but the way it plays out is frankly way better than the game and the first time where I said ok this is better than the game.

The clicker scene was perfect. Amazing direction by Neil. All the Neil haters can suck a dick. This guy has proven he can direct movie quality cutscenes in video games and now he's doing that in a tv show.

The episode looked really good too. So much CG I was getting triggered for HBO execs who had to pay out of their ass for all those shots. What's more impressive are the set details. A lot of scenes look like they were shot on location instead of the green screen shit we've been getting lately in movies. It's very impressive for a show. This explains why the show cost more than House of Dragon. The CG is there to complement the sets, not the other way around.

Ellie twitching got a real chuckle out of me. She's looking more and more like Ellie, but in some shots the real Bella Ramsey comes out and it takes me out lol.

Pedro is ok. Still dont see Joel in him, but he's a good leading man. 'It is over Tess' and 'Show IT. TO. ME.' delivery of Troy Baker just shows how ND artists are way better actors than real life actors. lol. Even Tess who goes there is enough here for me to ask you a favor is such a well delivered line that im surprised wasnt included in the show.

The only real issue I have with the episode is the Jakarta scene. They are leaning into the backstory of the virus, and unfortunately falling into the same zombie tropes the game so cleverly avoided. TLOU succeeded because its not your generic zombie story. It's a story about Joel and Ellie's relationship, and humans being completely irredeemable pieces of shit in the post apocalyptic America. There is really no need to explore the zombie origins.

I don't blame the actors, I think the direction and writing is the problem so far in the show. They're rushing through parts of the game while dragging on other parts. As a result I don't think we spend enough time with Sarah or Tess to actually feel anything for either of them. The lines are delivered way too fast and the script seems to be purposefully condensed. Leaving out some of the best lines or changing where they are said, ultimately hasn't been done for the better.

The line where Tess says they aren't good people isn't nearly as impactful as when she says we're terrible people joel, it's been that way for a long time. They seem to really diminish the Tess character altogether, which kind of goes back to the whole battery situation. There are a few scenes and decisions like this that are going to probably hurt the show in the long run.

Ellie kicking the tray back to the firefly
Joel and Tess looking for a battery to get out of town
Joel looking to pawn Ellie off to Bill and Frank
 

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
Going through the second episode and WTF is with the camera shake. It's unwatchable and headache inducing, and that's coming from someone who doesn't mind it most of the time.

Just shoot it normally man. Stop with this shit. I don't want to be 'another person' with them. I want to be able to watch and notice the details. All scenes with characters walking have this, and there is a lot of walking in this episode.
 
well, they wouldnt have had to do that if they had them kill Robert's crew like they did in the game. All over some stolen guns lol. They tried to humanize both of them for some reason. I dont know why because here they come out and say we are bad people.

The line is from the game, though not worded the same. They just kept it in in a different scene.

I don't think they were really trying to humanize them. They show Joel dealing drugs in this version, which they didn't show in the game. They show him beat a guy who had done business with him and warned him to be safe to death. They actively have him wanting to kill Ellie or leave her to die.

I think they might humanize Tess a bit, but they really gave her significantly less time than she had in the game.

I think they wanted to avoid the shootout with Robert because it would have taken a lot of time and some of the audience will zone out with boring generic gun fights.

From what we understand about Frank, that kind of explains why they have used the battery story line earlier too.
 
Going through the second episode and WTF is with the camera shake. It's unwatchable and headache inducing, and that's coming from someone who doesn't mind it most of the time.

Just shoot it normally man. Stop with this shit. I don't want to be 'another person' with them. I want to be able to watch and notice the details. All scenes with characters walking have this, and there is a lot of walking in this episode.

I agree. It didn't bother me much, but for someone who really hopes this show does well, I'm disappointed that they are using so much handicam, because I know it's going to bother people and I don't think it adds anything to the show. I'm actually not super impressed with the cinematography which is crazy because they've nailed Boston aesthetically.

Ultimately the show is hovering at 5.5/10 for me.
 
Just imagine the possibilities. You think are done with the area and boom, Ewya from Avatar grows roots and sends more infected your way. You are constantly on the run. There is more tension and you never know if clearing out an area will clear it out forever.

It could also open up backtracking. Especially now that there is no need for them to stop you from backtracing since a lot of it was done to mask loading times. Just have one big interconnected world that feels dynamic and unpredictable.

Difficult gameplay mechanic to incorporate into the game without breaking it.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Going through the second episode and WTF is with the camera shake. It's unwatchable and headache inducing, and that's coming from someone who doesn't mind it most of the time.

Just shoot it normally man. Stop with this shit. I don't want to be 'another person' with them. I want to be able to watch and notice the details. All scenes with characters walking have this, and there is a lot of walking in this episode.
It was way worse in the first episode but very distracting here in some shots. thankfully, the clicker fight and the final scene were very well shot. if they were shot with a handheld camera, i didnt notice.
 

Represent.

Banned
well, they wouldnt have had to do that if they had them kill Robert's crew like they did in the game. All over some stolen guns lol. They tried to humanize both of them for some reason. I dont know why because here they come out and say we are bad people.


Definitely.

Just imagine the possibilities. You think are done with the area and boom, Ewya from Avatar grows roots and sends more infected your way. You are constantly on the run. There is more tension and you never know if clearing out an area will clear it out forever.

It could also open up backtracking. Especially now that there is no need for them to stop you from backtracing since a lot of it was done to mask loading times. Just have one big interconnected world that feels dynamic and unpredictable.
So much potential. Listening to the podcast now and Neil says the connected infected would make for some awesome gameplay. Definitely sounds like they’ll be implementing it 👀
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Here is the scene from the first game. Aside from the awesome ending of the tv show, the acting and dialogue here is way better.



And no, im not linking the remake version because it also loses some of the impact despite having the same exact dialogue and more detailed facial animations.
 

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
I agree. It didn't bother me much, but for someone who really hopes this show does well, I'm disappointed that they are using so much handicam, because I know it's going to bother people and I don't think it adds anything to the show. I'm actually not super impressed with the cinematography which is crazy because they've nailed Boston aesthetically.

Ultimately the show is hovering at 5.5/10 for me.

I think the handheld distracts from the aesthetics. I cant focus on the anything (especially the background) and everything seems blurry because of it. In shots where the camera is steady, the aesthetics stand out.

It was way worse in the first episode but very distracting here in some shots. thankfully, the clicker fight and the final scene were very well shot. if they were shot with a handheld camera, i didnt notice.

Yeah it was much worse in the first half, improved later on.

Just finished the second episode. I feel first episode was better (surprising, because I thought second would be better) and am not sure if I would have liked this as much if I didnt love the game. It would have been another (albeit a bit better) zombie TV show with great production values and mature theme. My bias has carried me till now and for sure I will keep watching but a 10/10 it aint.

Also, did someone else feel that the Tess scene was more impactful and better acted in the game?
 
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I think the handheld distracts from the aesthetics. I cant focus on the anything (especially the background) and everything seems blurry because of it. In shots where the camera is steady, the aesthetics stand out.



Yeah it was much worse in the first half, improved later on.

Just finished the second episode. I feel first episode was better (surprising, because I thought second would be better) and am not sure if I would have liked this as much if I didnt love the game. It would have been another (albeit a bit better) zombie TV show with great production values and mature theme. My bias has carried me till now and for sure I will keep watching but a 10/10 it aint.

Also, did someone feel that the Tess scene was more impactful and better acted in the game?

Anna Torv is a really good actress and she and the actress who play Marlene have been pretty awful in this.

I expect the show will pick up with the focus now being on Ellie and Joel.
 
it makes more sense for Tess to go out how she did in the show.

It was a worthy sacrifice in the game but it kind of just felt like needless suicide as she didn’t really do enough to stop FEDRA, she took out like two guys out of over a dozen.

This felt like her contribution was much greater

Well, it comes down to them wanting to avoid the "gameplay" scene of Joel having a shootout with FEDRA soldiers. Followed by another gameplay scene of him in the underground iirc.

I think that was kind of the point in the game. It wasn't needless because she was dead already.
 

tmlDan

Member
Well, it comes down to them wanting to avoid the "gameplay" scene of Joel having a shootout with FEDRA soldiers. Followed by another gameplay scene of him in the underground iirc.

I think that was kind of the point in the game. It wasn't needless because she was dead already.
It wasn't...watch the podcast - they said its because having Fedra soldiers there made no sense. There would be n o reason for them to be that far out of the QZ when they only patrol the perimeter.

And Craig is right, it made no sense, the game made less sense and they wanted you to have a shootout cause it's a game.
 
It wasn't...watch the podcast - they said its because having Fedra soldiers there made no sense. There would be n o reason for them to be that far out of the QZ when they only patrol the perimeter.

And Craig is right, it made no sense, the game made less sense and they wanted you to have a shootout cause it's a game.

We're going to see Fedra all over the place.

Joel specifically says that the fireflies vehicles are repurposed fedra vehicles, so it would be easier to get cross country. Fedra is searching across the area for fireflies which is exactly how they find them in the game. I listened to Craig here and he was wrong/lying. They definitely want to avoid long gameplay loops.
 

tmlDan

Member
We're going to see Fedra all over the place.

Joel specifically says that the fireflies vehicles are repurposed fedra vehicles, so it would be easier to get cross country. Fedra is searching across the area for fireflies which is exactly how they find them in the game. I listened to Craig here and he was wrong/lying. They definitely want to avoid long gameplay loops.
not true:

RTdeYsF.png


FEDRA still had a strong presence, but even then they wouldn't risk getting a FEDRA officer infected and bringing it back chasing a couple of outcasts of which they have no idea who they are and why they left.

You can say he is wrong but Neil was also in the podcast so....you're wrong then. The fight with the fireflies was inside the QZ, not outside and they show this on the map in the show.
 
not true:

RTdeYsF.png


FEDRA still had a strong presence, but even then they wouldn't risk getting a FEDRA officer infected and bringing it back chasing a couple of outcasts of which they have no idea who they are and why they left.

You can say he is wrong but Neil was also in the podcast so....you're wrong then. The fight with the fireflies was inside the QZ, not outside and they show this on the map in the show.

That's not the cannon they establish with what they say in the show.

Marlene asks Kim if the fireflies are winning against fedra anywhere not just losing in boston and as I said they specifically have joel say the vehicle will help them avoid trouble from fedra outside of boston.
 

Hoppa

Member
Great episode, a lot more engaging than the first I thought. I like the change with Tess’ death, the ‘kiss’ was weird but it being infected rather than brutes was a change that made more sense. In the game I was like OK so she’s going to hold off a troop of sentient trained men for how long? And just like that she’s dead before you even hit the top of the stairs lol.

What’s holding it back a little for me is the writing, particularly Tess and Ellie. Both can barely get a sentence out without a f bomb it’s weird I noticed it in the first episode and it carried into this one. It comes across a bit juvenile to me.. I get the goal is for them to come across as badass women(!) but they could’ve given them more cool visual moments instead. The bit with Tess explaining to Ellie how the infected were connected was really great though
 

Lasha

Member
I would watch the show first if given a choice. The narrative flows so much better without mandatory "gameplay" segments. The museum scene in particular better evoked the horror of those segments than the game ever did. My only gripe remains a lack of surprise due to a close adherence to the source material. I'm happy with the deviations so far. I am optimistic that the same care will be applied to the rest of the show
 

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
Bomb. Bomb the city and everyone in it. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Bruh... how about a lockdown first.

Haha yeah thought the same.

I mean I get why they kept it like that in the show and I also get that it might not work, but anyone would think of and suggest 100 things before suggesting bombing the whole city. And she suggested that like within 5mns after seeing the infection.
 

Lasha

Member
wouldn't work

if the infection came from flour then it could be all over rapidly. people can't simply wait it out at home to avoid catching/spreading. the show's fungal infection is not like a flu. and the potentially infected workers were missing as well

The lack of spores makes the spread slightly less plausible. Indonesia is an archipelago so vast that the edges sometimes import basic supplies from abroad because the cost of domestic shipping is prohibitive. Even the Jakarta region itself is functionally a mini country. Many parts of Indonesia would not be affected.

Without spores there would have to be significant amounts of active fungus on the grain itself. Contamination like that would be pretty easily noticed by customs officials. Infected travelers would also be noticed since nearly every airport in Asia has had temperature checks and containment protocols since SARS. I understand the reason to ditch spores but I do miss the tension and plausibility they provided.
 

Lasha

Member
Haha yeah thought the same.

I mean I get why they kept it like that in the show and I also get that it might not work, but anyone would think of and suggest 100 things before suggesting bombing the whole city. And she suggested that like within 5mns after seeing the infection.

You underestimate the disregard for life in Indonesia.
 

Atrus

Gold Member
The Clicker intro was really well done and was just as intense as the Subway/Museum sections from the game. I also like the expanded lore into fungus networks that can alert runners and it just makes more sense than having them just standing still for no reason in various places.
 

Represent.

Banned
After reading this

L6NQwHK.png


And then going back to this scene.
SNcG6Rb.gif


The kiss makes even more sense now.

The infected isn't eating the victim. It's not being violent, because the victim isn' fighting back. Its just attaching itself to more fungi. The fungus wants to grow. It was attaching through her ear.


Its brilliant. They really are only violent if you fight back, run away or resist.

Disgusting.
 
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GooseMan69

Member
Great episode. It looks like ep 3 will expand on Joel and Bill and how they interacted with each other. Maybe it will even show why Bill owed Joel “a favor”.
 
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