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[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I liked the episode but considering it was 75 minutes long, I just thought too much of it, if not 95% was dedicated to Bill and Franks story. Theres only 6 episodes left and so much stuff left to happen, Id rather wish if they had only half the episode dedicated to the couple so we can actually move on with the story. Especially since in the show they killed off Bill so its not like this was some deep build up of a character that will later help us.

 

[Benniewise de Clown]

I don’t understand how people are shocked that changes were made for the tv show. HBO knows it has to appeal to a much wider audience than just gamers.

I’ll respect anyone’s opinion if they didn’t enjoy the episode (gay love story isn’t for everyone), but to completely shit on the episode is bonkers. So what if HBO went woke, they diverse the originally casting from the beginning.

It was a wonderful episode. The best episode so far in the series.

Trust the process, there is 2/3 a season left. They will stay true to the game.

It's more about ep 3 having no place in the story.
The story is about Joel and Ellie, this ep felt like a spin-off short shoehorned into the main story arch.

Completely taking away from Joel and Ellie's adventure.

 

[elcapitano]

Never thought I'd get to hear On the Nature of Daylight in TLOU.

Only wish they played it longer....

 

[Slothbeing1209]

Implying somebody didn't watch the episode or isn't familiar with the topic is an attack on a speaker's credibility rather than what they have said. I am fully aware that nobody literally attacked me. Thank you for your concern.

??

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

It was a wonderful episode. The best episode so far in the series.

Are people forgetting that this is the Joel and Ellie show? How can a side character with who you spend at most 2 hours with in the game be considered the best part of the building of the shows story? The episode was ok but to call it best yet....did you even play the games? I don't mind the episode but Im pretty sure most people are here for Ellie and Joel relationship and survival. Even Tess who dies fast is more important character than Bill.

 

[Toons]

I miss when telly wasnt about relationships 24/7.

Gay, straight, Bi, I dont care! If I want the raw emotions of couples every five seconds I'd tell the missus it's her turn to something.

Pretty shit episode. Just gimme my fucking spores, clickers and raiders. Stop fucking around.

The last of us is all about relationships. Thats the very core of the story and narrative. Not all of them romantic but some of them. If you dont want relationships why would you even watch a show like this

 

[Lasha]

??

nfc man...that was weird. It showed as the correct reply when i posted it.

 

[Meicyn]

Side stories happen in shows all the time. Quite frankly, it’s more interesting to see what they do with the source material that goes beyond doing one-for-one shots of the game replicated into TV format. I mean, I can just go play the game for the core story. I’d actually like more exploration of other characters.

I mean, Mythic Quest on Apple TV+ had a stand-alone story mid-season that was one of the finest 30-minute episodes of television I’d seen in a long time. And it had nothing to do with the main plot. You know what? No one complained, because it was a compelling watch.

 

[Dutchy]

I feel pity for those who think everything outside the norm is immediately meant to be woke. People can have geniune gay relationships you know. Not to mention that they bring forth entirely different dynamics, something that could have been a specific creative decision/direction.

Some people need to lay off 4chan and twitter for a while and go outside to get a reminder of how the real world an actual people function.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

The last of us is all about relationships. Thats the very core of the story and narrative. Not all of them romantic but some of them. If you dont want relationships why would you even watch a show like this

Yep, but I didnt want episodes of days of our lives

 

[Hugare]

I enjoyed the episode. I really liked it.
But it has no place in the bigger picture, this is TLOU, not The Life of Bill and Frank. We didnt have backstory for Tess, Ellie or Marlene, but hey when we have characters happens to be gay, then LETS. MAKE. IT. BIG!!

Or maybe Bill's character was the most useless in the game for Joel's motivation and character arch and now its one of the best?

We will have a Ellie backstory with the Left Behind dedicated episode. Tess and Marlene backstory would deviate even more than what was there in the game, breaking the pacing.

Bill makes sense because Joel and Ellie have to go through his town, so why not improve his backstory? While making it much more important for the overrall narrative than the one in the game.

Really good episode but not without issues.

My biggest issue was being completely dragged out the world and episode with the stupid 'government is nazi's' bullshit.

It was just so out of place and felt super shoehorned in there just to make a nod to pop/internet culture.

The other was Bill kind of wandering round the street trying to pick off people with a rifle like an AWP in CS1.6 - he had the perfect angle and height from the rooms in the house with cover.

Anyway, aside from that the episode was really strong as a deviation. It will have its fans and detractors. I thought both actors did an amazing job for such an intimate ask. Bit disappointed we didn't see the bloater are are unlikely to now until a big set piece.

Interested in how Pittsburgh is directed now.

Frank says "the government is nazi now, but not then", correcting Bill.

So it's not like its calling today's government nazi. Quite the contraty.

This is exactly what happened on resetera.

The fans of TLOU are not homophobic. The LEAD character in that franchise is lesbian. The entire DLC of the first game was about a gay teen romance. No one gave a shit. The second game had a lesbian makeout scene that leads to a sex scene much like this episode. no one cared then.

We found out that Ellie was gay with the Left Behind DLC. No one knew during the first game.

And when that DLC released, we saw a lot of cringy posts and criticism about her sexuality on the internet.

And you really going to say that no one cared about Ellie and Dina's relationship? lol, wake up

"Im not homophobic, BUT" is what most say. They dont outright admit it, it's much more veiled so they dont get shit thrown at them for it.

 

[Tomi]

Best episode for now
This will be masterpiece till the end for sure

 

[Whitecrow]

Or maybe Bill's character was the most useless in the game for Joel's motivation and character arch and now its one of the best?

In what world does any that drama usefull for Joels arch when he doesnt know barely any of it? In any fkn way. If Bill was going to die this way, the story could just make joel raid a deserted gun store.
But no, THEY HAD TO SHOW.

 

[Fools idol]

On the Nature of daylight by Max Richter is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created. It fit this episode's final scenes perfectly. Not gonna lie it really resonated with me on a level I haven't experienced since... probably the first time I watched the finale of breaking bad. Just perfection.

I rewatched the episode last night and yeah, I changed my mind, this is the best episode thus far. I dont know why everyone's so mad that they put this in when it's so good quality. This series continues to be a GOAT in the making.

 

[Meicyn]

In what world does any that drama usefull for Joels arch when he doesnt know barely any of it? In any fkn way. If Bill was going to die this way, the story could just make joel raid a deserted gun store.
But no, THEY HAD TO SHOW.

So what.

No, seriously. You yourself said that you enjoyed the episode.

I genuinely don’t understand what you’re getting at.

Were you not entertained?

 

[Robb]

Didn’t care much for the recent episode, just felt like filler that dragged on for way too long imo. Still decent though.

 

[Whitecrow]

So what.

No, seriously. You yourself said that you enjoyed the episode.

I genuinely don’t understand what you’re getting at.

Were you not entertained?

I can still appreciate when something is done good. The episode is great in isolation if you want to make a Brokeback Mountain 2.

But this is TLOU, which plot have nothing to do with anything we saw in this episode. In any moment the story needed this kind development.
Good or not, is filler made because agenda, propaganda and virtue signaling.

 

[Fools idol]

I can still appreciate when something is done good. The episode is great in isolation if you want to make a Brokeback Mountain 2.

But this is TLOU, which plot have nothing to do with anything we saw in this episode. In any moment the story needed this kind development.
Good or not, is filler made because agenda, propaganda and virtue signaling.

lmao

It's called world building, and it was done very well. A lot of the Bill sections of the game are way too game-y, they needed to show how Joel got a car, and set the scene for his choice made at the end of the series. Bill was gay in the game, it was strongly hinted. I'm sorry if your maturity is not there yet.

Bill's comitment to Frank being 'one worth saving' is clearly building in Joel's character. The show doesn't have the luxury the games have of the journal entries and a way to look back at previous events and chapters on a menu screen, again, it's an adaption, not a 1/1 clone.

If they copied the thing verbatim there would be 3 seasons of just running around hiding behind boxes, reloading, shooting clickers and runners. It just wouldn't work in a show like it does in a game.

Methinks you are just another one with ruffled jimmies that two dudes kissed on screen and you reachin for them straws hard.

 

[Meicyn]

Good or not, is filler made because agenda, propaganda and virtue signaling.

Jesus dude. You’re so caught up in the online culture war insanity that you can’t even enjoy what you yourself consider a good piece of entertainment and have to hyper analyze it for politics. Seriously, who cares.

Mass Effect 2 when broken down, arguably did almost nothing to move the trilogy forward regarding the core story. And yet it was for many, the best game in the trilogy for exploring and expanding that game’s universe. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Lighten up, man.

 

[DForce]

It's more about ep 3 having no place in the story.
The story is about Joel and Ellie, this ep felt like a spin-off short shoehorned into the main story arch.

Completely taking away from Joel and Ellie's adventure.

Are people forgetting that this is the Joel and Ellie show?

The show is about Joel and Ellie, but that doesn't mean they're not going to take time to explore other characters. This happens all the time on TV shows.

How can a side character with who you spend at most 2 hours with in the game be considered the best part of the building of the shows story? The episode was ok but to call it best yet....did you even play the games? I don't mind the episode but Im pretty sure most people are here for Ellie and Joel relationship and survival. Even Tess who dies fast is more important character than Bill.

I watched Episode 3 reaction videos and people on my Facebook timeline (who are new to the series) said they cried during this episode.

This is not the same reaction you got from Bill's character in the game. People are more likely to be emotionally invested in Bill's character on the TV show in comparison to the game.

How does this episode build the story?

Listen to Bill's words in episode 3.

So I'm going to tell you something because you're probably the only person who will understand. I use to hate the world and I was happy when everyone died. But I was wrong. Because there was one person worth saving. That's what I did. I saved him and then I protected him. That's why men like you and me are here. We have a job to do, and God help any mother fucker who stands in our way.

Joel refused to love anyone else after losing Sarah and Bill refused to let anyone into his life before meeting Frank. There's a parallel here and that's why Joel is "the only person who will understand."

Spoiler

Bill changed after letting Frank into his life, and Joel will change after letting Ellie into his.
Bill had a job to do and that was to protect Frank.
Joel will have a job to do and that's to protect Ellie and any mother fucker who stands in their way.

This is how you explore other characters in the universe that directly ties to the main character's story.

The words from Bill have so much more meaning after seeing his story.

 

[kyussman]

Oh well I gave it a shot....2 episodes and another 10mins of the third but I'm out,lol.It's just like the game but everything is worse.....kind of a pointless watch.

 

[RJMacready73]

Oh well I gave it a shot....2 episodes and another 10mins of the third but I'm out,lol.It's just like the game but everything is worse.....kind of a pointless watch.

stellar ground breaking tv ain't for everyone

 

[kyussman]

stellar ground breaking tv ain't for everyone

I guess,I'll just crawl back into my cave,lol.

 

[Whitecrow]

Jesus dude. You’re so caught up in the online culture war insanity that you can’t even enjoy what you yourself consider a good piece of entertainment and have to hyper analyze it for politics. Seriously, who cares.

Mass Effect 2 when broken down, arguably did almost nothing to move the trilogy forward regarding the core story. And yet it was for many, the best game in the trilogy for exploring and expanding that game’s universe. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Lighten up, man.

Sorry for being smart enough to know what it's being thrown at me and decide for myself if I want to take it or not.

I dont like THE REASON why this episode exists. Not its existence per sé. And I already told you the why. And I dont want it.
I, and everyone and their mother, was here for TLOU, not for the most brillinat gay drama ever filmed.

The fact that writers are allowed get away with this nonsense proves how easily people let themselves be manipulated for giving 0 fucks about the big picture.

Anyways, that's your problem. Surely it's not mine.

 

[jm89]

Damn was looking forward to seeing grouchy bill from the games. But then again it keeps things a bit more interesting for those who played the games, not knowing everything that is going to happen.

 

[Hitchyhero]

Boring episode. But of course it'll be praised to high heavens because gay. They should have shown Frank pounding Bill's hairy ass. Cowards.

Ahh... Your one of those people that thinks anything LGBT related in shows isn't allowed to be rated low. LOL!

Let me say I've watched plenty of LGBT stuff on TV that I think it's very generic or cringe. This was an excellent episode.... Though I know it's not everyone ... Particularly snowflakes.

This forum rips on ResetEra alot but looking at the comments on anything TLOU related, many on this forum are exactly the same but on the opposite side.


And before anyone attacks, your allowed to dislike this episode. There were many things wrong with it and I understand that. Little light on action, some stuff a little unbelievable, a little long etc. But there's obviously people that are covering their real criticism, which I wish some people would admit.... Be brave of what you think instead of covering it up.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

People saying this show is about Joel and Ellie are right...but why are we pretending that we didn't spend at least half an hour of the episode with them?
And why is no one mentioning that the episode did flesh out Joel and Tess's relationship a little more and their relationship with Bill and Frank?

You'd think Joel and Ellie were gone from the episode or something.

If anything, this episode just made the end of episode 1 much more sad with the 80's song playing in the background tbh.

 

[GooseMan69]

deleted

 

[FunkMiller]

Jesus Christ. What an amazing 75 minutes of television. Phenomenal stuff.

If you’re pissed that it was about a heartbreaking love story between two men, then that’s your problem, not the show’s.

I was prepared for some Ellie vs Bill banter, but got something so much better and completely unexpected.

And it adds so much to Joel’s motivations, and charge of heart towards Ellie as the story plays out.

 

[Meicyn]

Sorry for being smart enough to know what it's being thrown at me and decide for myself if I want to take it or not.

I dont like THE REASON why this episode exists. Not its existence per sé. And I already told you the why. And I dont want it.
I, and everyone and their mother, was here for TLOU, not for the most brillinat gay drama ever filmed.

The fact that writers are allowed get away with this nonsense proves how easily people let themselves be manipulated for giving 0 fucks about the big picture.

Anyways, that's your problem. Surely it's not mine.

You used the word propaganda, earlier. What did you mean by that? Be very specific if you don’t mind. We’re not as smart as you, so dumb it down for us!

 

[Heisenberg007]

Jesus Christ. What an amazing 75 minutes of television. Phenomenal stuff.

If you’re pissed that it was about a heartbreaking love story between two men, then that’s your problem, not the show’s.

I was prepared for some Ellie vs Bill banter, but got something so much better and completely unexpected.

And it adds so much to Joel’s motivations, and charge of heart towards Ellie as the story plays out.

Exactly this. It was a brilliant episode, but its true genius unfolded on me when Ellie read that letter.

The entire episode was one giant setup to explain Joel's motivation and fuel that we'll see in the last few episodes.

Bill in the game was someone who Joel would become if he didn't open himself to love again. And Bill in the show is a person who has accepted love and what Joel should be and could be.

In each episode, Joel has lost someone: (1) daughter, (2) girlfriend, (3) friends. Now he truly has no one but a life lesson given by a dying man who embraced death happily, satisfied, and in love.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Ep.3 in short:

 

[Ulysses 31]

Exactly this. It was a brilliant episode, but its true genius unfolded on me when Ellie read that letter.

The entire episode was one giant setup to explain Joel's motivation and fuel that we'll see in the last few episodes.

Bill in the game was someone who Joel would become if he didn't open himself to love again. And Bill in the show is a person who has accepted love and what Joel should be and could be.

In each episode, Joel has lost someone: (1) daughter, (2) girlfriend, (3) friends. Now he truly has no one but a life lesson given by a dying man who embraced death happily, satisfied, and in love.

I find this a bit of a weird take, game Joel opens up to Ellie eventually and he didn't need to see a couple living out their lives. The dangers and obstacles they get through together was bonding enough.

Your explanation makes more sense if they're cutting out a lot of the stuff Ellie did to make Joel care about her.

 

[Big Baller]

That was one dreadful episode

 

[Signal Rockets]

I must say, I'd have preferred to see Joel, Ellie and Bill going through the houses and encountering the Bloater out by the bus inside the school. But meh. It was still a splendid enough episode.

Maybe it is best to look at it like that going forward. What you want to see playing out likely won't happen the way it was ordered in the two games. It's gonna be random and more altered, I guess.

 

[MagnesD3]

Sorry for being smart enough to know what it's being thrown at me and decide for myself if I want to take it or not.

I dont like THE REASON why this episode exists. Not its existence per sé. And I already told you the why. And I dont want it.
I, and everyone and their mother, was here for TLOU, not for the most brillinat gay drama ever filmed.

The fact that writers are allowed get away with this nonsense proves how easily people let themselves be manipulated for giving 0 fucks about the big picture.

Anyways, that's your problem. Surely it's not mine.

Exactly I'm there to enjoy a specific peice of fiction stuff like this pulls me out if the story because I'm not a fool and instantly know why this is here, makes art way less meaningful when they throw stuff in there for Social Currency instead of for the actual sake of the plot/entertainment/artform, I've seen it happen so much its insanely annoying. If I was a demographic being pandered to I would be intelligent/self aware enough to feel insulted at what was going on.

 

[killatopak]

I enjoyed the episode but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want Ellie, Joel and Bill interacting with each other. I wanted a bit more levity and comedic moments that aren’t insults.

 

[DForce]

I find this a bit of a weird take, game Joel opens up to Ellie eventually and he didn't need to see a couple living out their lives. The dangers and obstacles they get through together was bonding enough.

Your explanation makes more sense if they're cutting out a lot of the stuff Ellie did to make Joel care about her.

That's like saying Sam, Henry, and Tess didn't need to die for Joel to open up to Ellie because he was eventually going to do it. lol

After losing Sarah, Joel has become scared of losing someone he loved, and we wouldn't know this UNLESS we saw Tess, Henry, and Sam die first.

Let's say for a second that Tess, Henry, and Sam didn't die - Do you really think we would believe Joel would be scared of losing Ellie when he wanted to hand her off to Tommy? Probably so. But do you know how believable it is after losing those three people? Way more.

This is how you build moments in storytelling. Everything you're seeing and the moments being made is what people are going to remember in the end. People are going to look back and say, "Oh, this is why he's doing this" or "This is why he did that."

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Are people forgetting that this is the Joel and Ellie show? How can a side character with who you spend at most 2 hours with in the game be considered the best part of the building of the shows story? The episode was ok but to call it best yet....did you even play the games? I don't mind the episode but Im pretty sure most people are here for Ellie and Joel relationship and survival. Even Tess who dies fast is more important character than Bill.

The same NPC's who got enraged at Days Gone when Deacon was starring at his girlfriend's ass and wanted to ride his wife like riding his bikes.

Fucking straightphobes.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Oh well I gave it a shot....2 episodes and another 10mins of the third but I'm out,lol.It's just like the game but everything is worse.....kind of a pointless watch.

I would watch the whole episode. Not much happened during the first 10 minutes. You might be suprised.

 

[ecentre]

Excellent episode!

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

I liked some parts of the episode. Bill's character as a badass was entertaining. However, I found the romance cheesy and the Romeo and Juliet ending was overused. Bill's pristine living conditions, with new clothes, plenty of resources, electricity, heat, and hot water, strained my suspension of disbelief in the post-apocalyptic world. It's unrealistic for one person to have so many resources in a city, where the government would eventually come back to reclaim gasoline, natural gas, and medicine. In the game world, many people live like pirates, raiding cities, and fighting, so a fence and booby traps wouldn't be enough to protect Bill as just one person.

 

[Swift_Star]

Episode was one of the best I've ever watched on TV. Sublimely written and it completely taught Joel what his priorities should be. He's a completely different man by the end of the episode.

 

[Swift_Star]

Damn was looking forward to seeing grouchy bill from the games. But then again it keeps things a bit more interesting for those who played the games, not knowing everything that is going to happen.

This is the best part of this adaptation. It's faithful but it'll have twists new to those that played the game. Masterful.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

So waited for a week to watch this atrocity like a nasty pill that I had to swallow in two sessions. Now I need to cleanse my eyes with some comedy shows and hopefully the next episode would be worthwhile.

 

[Ulysses 31]

That's like saying Sam, Henry, and Tess didn't need to die for Joel to open up to Ellie because he was eventually going to do it. lol

No since that was how it played out in the game so I see that as the baseline of the adaptation, if the show makes all kinds of additions and replacements for them too I'd probably have the same criticism.

After losing Sarah, Joel has become scared of losing someone he loved, and we wouldn't know this UNLESS we saw Tess, Henry, and Sam die first.

He seemed willing to go down fighting with Tess(with Ellie too?) but he honors her dying wish so there goes your theory at that point in the story.

Let's say for a second that Tess, Henry, and Sam didn't die - Do you really think we would believe Joel would be scared of losing Ellie when he wanted to hand her off to Tommy? Probably so. But do you know how believable it is after losing those three people? Way more.

This is how you build moments in storytelling. Everything you're seeing and the moments being made is what people are going to remember in the end. People are going to look back and say, "Oh, this is why he's doing this" or "This is why he did that."

All that hinges on if he sees Ellie as a daughter already or as a means to get his merchandise back(and honor Tess) which in the game seems to happen past that point. He still talks to Tommy about charging him with delivering Ellie to the Fireflies and collecting the payment. He was more concerned about getting enough gear back to set him on his own way again than Ellie's future.

So the show is already very different that I'm not expecting them to follow a lot of the game story beats, but that won't stop me from commenting on it knowing how it played out in the game. Like I said before, doesn't have to mean the show is bad if it makes some big changes but I'm not seeing it surpassing the game at this point.

The worst thing this show's making me do is to recommend someone who's new to TLOU the game over the show and perhaps afterwards the show for a somewhat alternate take on the story.

 

[Punished Miku]

Are people forgetting that this is the Joel and Ellie show? How can a side character with who you spend at most 2 hours with in the game be considered the best part of the building of the shows story?

Because Joel and Ellie suck, storywise and acting wise. And there's not good action either. This was the only part of the whole show with some story content and decent acting.

 

[StueyDuck]

My take away from the ep and this thread is that more people need to watch more TV .

Severance was leaps and bounds ahead of anything we've seen so far. Again I like the show and the game is a top 5 for me but there are some weird ass statements being made about this ep that aren't so subtle. It was a good/great episode with some good acting...

It's definitely not the best episode of TV ever made (neither has any episode been thus far) and it definitely wasn't this extremely emotional gut wrenching jab like others are saying. It also isn't gay propaganda or the alphabet mafia coming for your kids ...it was basically a cheesy ripoff of the start of UP... Pixar already did this and did it better and more depressing

Can't we just review and critique things normally. This show has the games media shit taint all over it where you cant have a regular conversation about it without some extreme ideology (from both sides)

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

The show is about Joel and Ellie, but that doesn't mean they're not going to take time to explore other characters. This happens all the time on TV shows.



I watched Episode 3 reaction videos and people on my Facebook timeline (who are new to the series) said they cried during this episode.

This is not the same reaction you got from Bill's character in the game. People are more likely to be emotionally invested in Bill's character on the TV show in comparison to the game.

How does this episode build the story?

Listen to Bill's words in episode 3.



Joel refused to love anyone else after losing Sarah and Bill refused to let anyone into his life before meeting Frank. There's a parallel here and that's why Joel is "the only person who will understand."

Spoiler

Bill changed after letting Frank into his life, and Joel will change after letting Ellie into his.
Bill had a job to do and that was to protect Frank.
Joel will have a job to do and that's to protect Ellie and any mother fucker who stands in their way.

This is how you explore other characters in the universe that directly ties to the main character's story.

The words from Bill have so much more meaning after seeing his story.

Fair enough. For me as I said in the previous post, considering the run time of episode 3 compared to episode 2 and upcoming episode 4, I just wish theyd give the shorter run time to Bills character and leave the over an hour long episodes for Joel and Ellie.

 

[hinch7]

Can see why its getting rave reviews but really boring episode. 70+min filler of Bill's story was way too much.

Good acting and cinematography but worst episode so far for me.