ReginaldXIV

It's Pronounced "Aerith"
Member
Nov 4, 2017
7,996
Minnesota
That was the Emmy award winning episode of The Last of Us on HBO with Emmy award winning actors Murray Bartlett and/or Nick Offerman.
 
Oct 28, 2019
74
Absolutely fantastic episode. It was essentially a short story within the large story. When Ellie read the letter to Joel and the camera was on him the entire time, it seriously got to me.

Anyone who has played the game and thinks that this episode now has no bearing on the larger plot is kinda effectively missing the point I think.

In any adaptation, necessary changes need to be made in accordance with the medium it is adapted for as long as those changes stay true to the original theme of the source. I think this did that.

In a game you need action set pieces. Bill's town in the game is fantastic from a game perspective, but you can't have just 9 episodes of set pieces in a television show. That's just poor pacing for the medium.
 

AgeEighty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,808
God damn that episode was beautiful. I'm sure game purists will hate the deviations but screw that, that was amazing television. You can't do a prestige TV series that's just all action sequences.

As a Massachusetts native I laughed when they were in the middle of a thick, deep forest a mere 10 miles west of Boston. It's suburban sprawl at least 30 miles outside the city in reality, only broken up by small wooded areas here and there. And since Bill's Town was Lincoln that they were on their way to, that would have put them right around Waltham, which is definitely very far from being a wilderness area.

I did yelp with surprise at not only an appearance but also a vocal nod to Cumberland Farms.
 

Skade

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,944
Well, if some players didn't get the hint that Bill and Frank were a couple in the game, this episode should have made it crystal clear now.
 

Gamer @ Heart

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,840
Didn't Offerman come in to the role super last minute? What a hell of a role for an actor to land and pull off so perfectly. Bills town in the game was the most videogamey set piece possible so it's fantastic they choose to spotlight what successfully living through the apocalypse can look like and deviated from it.
 

wafflebrain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,524
But seriously that was the biggest double take when I realized Frank was Murray, had only seen him in White Lotus before. Talk about a different role lol. For some reason I thought of Bill Mosely first (eyebrows?) but then it finally clicked.
 

Nightwing123

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,424
Like truly an Emmy worthy episode. I liked Bill in the game but hi and Frank's story on the show was spectacular especially as a Queer person watching it. This is the first episode we're I truly believe the show surpasses what happens in the game.
 
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poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
28,616
the Netherlands
Didn't Offerman come in to the role super last minute? What a hell of a role for an actor to land and pull off so perfectly. Bills town in the game was the most videogamey set piece possible so it's fantastic they choose to spotlight what successfully living through the apocalypse can look like and deviated from it.
Yup, they got another actor first but he had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict.
 

Lotus

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
107,187
I said goddamn, the episode truly did live up to the hype. I just absolutely love how they take a major deviation in having Bill die, and yet it ends being infinitely better and more memorable than what the game did. They truly do understand how to adapt this story.

But yea, I was in sheer disbelief at the gradual realization that Bill would never meet Ellie, that there'll be no school section, etc. But again, this is just so much better, especially with the letter that will help inform Joel's actions later on, so good
 

Gotdatmoney

Member
Oct 28, 2017
14,580
Episode 4 - Kansas City (formerly Pittsburgh) and they meet Sam and Henry.
Episode 5 - Maybe the sewers and the sniper section I'd they keep them. Ending with Sam and Henry's death.
Episode 6 - Jackson and Tommy. The university. Joel gets injured if it still happens.
Episode 7 - Left Behind interspersed with Ellie meeting David.
Episode 8 - The end of the winter arc.
Episode 9 - The hospital and ending.

There's not as much as you're imagining.

Don't know why you're framing it as imagining like I have neither played the games extensively nor could not have assigned episodes based on what Iiterally laid out.

I more or less already know how they will lay the rest of the episodes out based on where they are currently. My thoughts are how they will pace all that content given that I "personally" still feel like for where they are in the show, the Joel and Ellie relationship is behind where I would peg it was in the game.

You're free to disagree but you don't need to be condescending. I've played the game a million times. I'm not unaware of what happens.
 

IIFloodyII

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,471
I actually think this is a really good adaptation of that section of the game, it is a heavy gameplay section, that is largely unusable with the much better Bill and Frank story, but they did actually get the important bits for Joel and Ellie from it, mainly just that speech Joel gives Ellie on how it's going to go, whilst laying the early blocks of their relationship and as a nice bonus settings up stuff for later.
 

Gotchaforce

Member
Oct 31, 2017
5,734
I only played the game once so maybe it's the same but my nitpick is the note saying "Joel go protect who you love" same way last episode ended with Tess. Just too on the nose and repetitive for me. Rest of the episode was very lovely.
 

brandog

Member
Nov 19, 2017
238
I never want to see this episode again because of how devastating it was but it was truly amazing. Amazing way to rewrite this part of the story.
 

Soi-Fong

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,493
Illinois
It still astounds me how we have this banger of an adaptation and then… Halo…? Lol

It just goes to show how much these creators and writers understand this story.
 

Joeku

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23,482
The most moving part of the episode? The HBO budget allowed them to get actual Mortal Kombat (well, 2). This is making me excited to see how they adapt that bit from Left Behind.
 

carlsojo

Shinra Employee
Member
Oct 28, 2017
34,209
San Francisco
Episode is a massive swerve from what I expected based off the trailer. I thought the raiders was gonna be a huge battle. NOPE. The real battle was finding love along the way
 

SecondNature

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,217
I was looking forward to the Ellie/Bill scenes, but they really did a wonderful job diverting from the game here

Bill's loneliness was gut wrenching, and as much as it hurt to see that final shot at the window, I love that they gave the characters like 20 solid years together
 

WizdogC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
535
Loved the episode. Only thing is, what was the purpose of killing them both off? Couldn't we have seen them continue to live happily in the apocalypse?
 

Nimby

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,233
The way their relationship/story is handled in the show is a million times better than what transpired in the game. Unabashedly an improvement, huge props.
 

doof_warrior

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,446
NJ
after being pretty down on the first episode (it was good but it just didnt do much for me. felt like i was watching a show i'd already seen), ep2 definitely hooked me
but man, i was blown away by this week's episode
 

ghostemoji

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,834
They're really hinting at Ellie's deranged side early. She seemed almost fascinated by Joel beating the Fedra guard to death and now she's slicing up infect to see what they look like inside.

I get the feeling they're easing audiences into what Ellie becomes in Part 2.

She asks Joel if it's hard to kill one knowing it used to be a person. I think she's just proving to herself that she can do if she has to, and she's showing herself it's not human.
 

wafflebrain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,524
I actually think this is a really good adaptation of that section of the game, it is a heavy gameplay section, that is largely unusable with the much better Bill and Frank story, but they did actually get the important bits for Joel and Ellie from it, mainly just that speech Joel gives Ellie on how it's going to go, whilst laying the early blocks of their relationship and as a nice bonus settings up stuff for later.

Agreed, not sure what that would have looked like other than them navigating around a shit ton of traps and infected. This was much better. Although I was disappointed in no "reunion" banter between Joel and Bill, I think the scenes between them in flashback at the dinner party established their dynamic well enough.
 

Lotus

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
107,187
I love how the show is both simultaneously revealing and coy af regarding Tess and Joel's relationship.
 

Leeness

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,032
Just starting the episode, and I love that they just made Bill this gourmet cook who loves to plate fancy meals and pours his wine like a fine dining server lol.
 

jroc74

Member
Oct 27, 2017
29,525
As someone who played the game....it literally made me want to go and see if there were any hints towards Frank & Bill.

Now I need to read all in game lore when I get to that section in the game.

I was looking forward to the Ellie/Bill scenes, but they really did a wonderful job diverting from the game here

Bill's loneliness was gut wrenching, and as much as it hurt to see that final shot at the window, I love that they gave the characters like 20 solid years together
Ok, this confirms something else because I knew Bill was alive when they got there in the game. I distinctly knew Frank wasn't.

I think the biggest moment was realizing Bill was gonna be gone too. That made me sit up and yell WHAT!!
 

Gamer @ Heart

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,840
The way their relationship/story is handled in the show is a million times better than what transpired in the game. Unabashedly an improvement, huge props.

It basically didnt exist in the game outside of like one pained expression/line no? They basically turned a set piece in a game into a character motivation which was beautiful. You choose what to live for. It also so refreshing to see post apocalypse not be a miserable hellscape for once.
 

MadLaughter

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
13,206


Yeah man it's a real "Jesus, what the fuck" moment to go back to this letter after seeing the episode

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