Other Game spoilers thread for The Last of Us TV Show - Enter at your own risk (Contains spoilers for Last of Us Parts 1 & 2)

Bosws87

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Gonna have to be some final episode for it to reach the heights of top tier TV.

second season is only going to be worse based on the material its coming from.
 

AaronRedDevil

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They better include the scene with a certain animal for a nice moment or I’m gonna be pissed. Loved eps 8. Though I wish Joel grabbed Ellie while she was chopping the man up. Would have made it better, the pause after that felt a little awkward.
 

Ted Lasso

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Inevitable really that one episode per game chapter (roughly) wouldn't be enough to make the things that happen in these episodes resonate in the same way.
Do you honestly think so? I think it’s only gotten better each week, with the exception of maybe the LeftBehind episode
Obviously I cant help but compare them with the game and how the relationships and characters got developed there, which then meant the big moments had a big impact.

The only part of the tv series thats really resonated was the one episode that was pretty much new material.
This all got me thinking about when I played TLOU for the first time. It's up there for the most emotional gaming moments I've had. Can a TV show, especially one that's somewhat abbreviated episodes split across weekly releases have that same impact?

I recall this being a big interest for Neil Druckman - the notion that by playing as particular characters , gaming as a whole, can create a vastly different impact on you than watching something unfold like with TV.

In that's sense, perhaps the difference is you remember the game as a hard hitting personal experience, whereas the show, regardless of how good it is, is just someone else's telling of your story. Except for the new parts and changed scenes which do seem to be resonating a particular way.
 

CloneMC16

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This all got me thinking about when I played TLOU for the first time. It's up there for the most emotional gaming moments I've had. Can a TV show, especially one that's somewhat abbreviated episodes split across weekly releases have that same impact?

I recall this being a big interest for Neil Druckman - the notion that by playing as particular characters , gaming as a whole, can create a vastly different impact on you than watching something unfold like with TV.

In that's sense, perhaps the difference is you remember the game as a hard hitting personal experience, whereas the show, regardless of how good it is, is just someone else's telling of your story. Except for the new parts and changed scenes which do seem to be resonating a particular way.
I don't think it has the same impact for three reasons. The first major reason is that we already know the story. We knew what was going to happen between Ellie and David in the last episode. We knew Sam was going to get bitten and be killed by Henry. We knew Tess was going to be bitten. Things like that are going to hit way harder when you don't know the story.

I also think leaving out certain parts of the game hurts the experience. It makes sense to leave some of the combat sequences out of a tv show, but those help to bring the characters together. The combat really helps to improve Joel's and Ellie's relationship. It looks rushed on the show. It's more subtle, but more believable in the game.

One part of the game that I really like is when they're trying to sneak out of the City with Henry and Sam. The enemies are bearing down on them. They're climbing up a ladder and it breaks before Joel gets a chance to go up it. Henry abandons Joel and leaves with Sam. Ellie jumps down and says we stick together. I bloody love that and it shows to Joel how much this girl cares for him. Parts like this that were part of combat sequences got skipped in the show.

Lastly, I'm sure quite a few of us have played the game more than once. We're used to Troy and Ashely's portrayal of Joel and Ellie. That is the standard. Regardless of how well Pedro and Bella have performed, I don't think they'd ever be able to hit the same heights that Troy and Ashley did. There are certain scenes I think are way better in the game, but maybe I wouldn't think that if I saw the tv show first. I'll never know.
 

crappycraperson

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I don't think it has the same impact for three reasons. The first major reason is that we already know the story. We knew what was going to happen between Ellie and David in the last episode. We knew Sam was going to get bitten and be killed by Henry. We knew Tess was going to be bitten. Things like that are going to hit way harder when you don't know the story.

I also think leaving out certain parts of the game hurts the experience. It makes sense to leave some of the combat sequences out of a tv show, but those help to bring the characters together. The combat really helps to improve Joel's and Ellie's relationship. It looks rushed on the show. It's more subtle, but more believable in the game.

One part of the game that I really like is when they're trying to sneak out of the City with Henry and Sam. The enemies are bearing down on them. They're climbing up a ladder and it breaks before Joel gets a chance to go up it. Henry abandons Joel and leaves with Sam. Ellie jumps down and says we stick together. I bloody love that and it shows to Joel how much this girl cares for him. Parts like this that were part of combat sequences got skipped in the show.

Lastly, I'm sure quite a few of us have played the game more than once. We're used to Troy and Ashely's portrayal of Joel and Ellie. That is the standard. Regardless of how well Pedro and Bella have performed, I don't think they'd ever be able to hit the same heights that Troy and Ashley did. There are certain scenes I think are way better in the game, but maybe I wouldn't think that if I saw the tv show first. I'll never know.
Ofcourse those who have played the game will not have the same impact as playing it for the first time. It is about if the TV show will also translate into similar impact for first time viewers of this story on any medium.
 

Bosws87

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Gaming when done right is a better storytelling medium then film for me and this just exacerbates that

Its been a gradual shift in the sands for a while.
 

hobbers

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I also think leaving out certain parts of the game hurts the experience. It makes sense to leave some of the combat sequences out of a tv show, but those help to bring the characters together. The combat really helps to improve Joel's and Ellie's relationship. It looks rushed on the show. It's more subtle, but more believable in the game.
Yeah the relationship in the tv series doesn't stack up at all. There's no way it can though, because between leaving Boston and arriving at the Dam, there's so many moments and conversations in and out of gameplay that are lost.
 

Irwin99

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Not a Last of Us fan but I know the controversy that surrounds the second game and I've got to ask: is there any actress at the moment tipped to be Abby? God help her for that role with the bulking up and the fallout to you know what (although tv show fans are probably a little less aggressive than some gamers ;) )
 

SuperiorXI

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Not a Last of Us fan but I know the controversy that surrounds the second game and I've got to ask: is there any actress at the moment tipped to be Abby? God help her for that role with the bulking up and the fallout to you know what (although tv show fans are probably a little less aggressive than some gamers ;) )
Sam Smith
 

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It's been years since I played the game but in the last episode, iirc Joel had to fight through the whole cannibal town to reach Ellie and David. In the show it seemed at pains to make clear that most of the town didn't know about the cannibalism, another thing I dont remember from the game. Am I just not remembering how this part of the game went?
 

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Not looking forward to the opening of Season 2. It's gonna fecking hard to bear :(
 

padr81

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Not a Last of Us fan but I know the controversy that surrounds the second game and I've got to ask: is there any actress at the moment tipped to be Abby? God help her for that role with the bulking up and the fallout to you know what (although tv show fans are probably a little less aggressive than some gamers ;) )
The Rock is playing Abby till the end section, then David Spade.
 

Mockney

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Considering Bella is in her 20s and unlikely to grow much if at all in time for the second season, it wouldn’t surprise me if Abby isn’t as bulked as in the game.
 

Kush

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Part II was a phenomenal game, one of most emotional experiences I've ever had in gaming. The discourse around it has been pretty terrible though, for obvious reasons.

Considering Bella is in her 20s and unlikely to grow much if at all in time for the second season, it wouldn’t surprise me if Abby isn’t as bulked as in the game.
Agreed.

Will be interesting to see how they adapt it for TV. Rumors suggest it'll be split into two parts, but I don't think the game structure would work for TV.
 

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One thing I think they haven’t gotten as well as the game is the bond between Joel and Ellie. Hasn’t felt like enough time was dedicated to it.
I'd agree with this... I realised I keep putting what I know from the games relationship between Ellie and Joel into the show, so it means more to me then my wife, who feels like their relationship isn't anywhere near a father/daughter level.
 

hobbers

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Not a Last of Us fan but I know the controversy that surrounds the second game and I've got to ask: is there any actress at the moment tipped to be Abby? God help her for that role with the bulking up and the fallout to you know what (although tv show fans are probably a little less aggressive than some gamers ;) )
I cant see it being anything like as big a deal. The tv audience will have a fraction of the investment in Joel as the game audience
 

crappycraperson

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Considering Bella is in her 20s and unlikely to grow much if at all in time for the second season, it wouldn’t surprise me if Abby isn’t as bulked as in the game.
Size difference is supposed to be noticable in their first encounter. For the second one, Abby has lost a lot of muscle after crucifixion which equalises it a bit. I think casting will be more dependent on the Abby's arc outside Ellie stuff whether she is going to be bystander in battle between her group and seraphites or an active participant.
 

SalfordRed18

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Just finished the second one. What an amazing game and complex story.

It's going to be rather difficult to put this into a TV format. Think there'll be a lot of chopping and changing in terms of when certain parts of the story play out.
 

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There are certain scenes I think are way better in the game, but maybe I wouldn't think that if I saw the tv show first. I'll never know.
I wonder how i would feel about the tv show if I hadnt played the game. I think they have done a really good job of the TV adaptation but I wonder if thats partly because they were able to recreate some really important parts and expand other parts well that we didnt know about. If I was seeing this with no knowledge of the story I dont think I would have enjoyed it as much.
 

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Watching it back, episode 7 really was a bad episode. They should've spent maybe 15 minutes on the whole thing and spent more time developing the Ellie and Joel relationship.
 

SalfordRed18

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Also think the criticism of the game is quite stupid tbh. Seems to me a lot of people can't handle their favourite character being killed off so early and in such fashion (by a woman no less). Felt the reason she killed him is a little flimsy but overall they tell the story very well and you don't hate her come the end of the game.
 

Sylar

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Just finished the second one. What an amazing game and complex story.

It's going to be rather difficult to put this into a TV format. Think there'll be a lot of chopping and changing in terms of when certain parts of the story play out.
How I'm thinking it might be done

Season two might end with the death scene.
Then season three follows Abby.

Funnily enough I think Abby's arc was really good and much better than Ellie's in the second game
 

Stack

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Also think the criticism of the game is quite stupid tbh. Seems to me a lot of people can't handle their favourite character being killed off so early and in such fashion (by a woman no less). Felt the reason she killed him is a little flimsy but overall they tell the story very well and you don't hate her come the end of the game.
I think people struggled with the essentially feel good end to the first game being switched to a gut wrenching story of revenge and how pointless it is.
I loved the change in direction but I do understand lots didnt
 

Ted Lasso

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Also think the criticism of the game is quite stupid tbh. Seems to me a lot of people can't handle their favourite character being killed off so early and in such fashion (by a woman no less). Felt the reason she killed him is a little flimsy but overall they tell the story very well and you don't hate her come the end of the game.
It's one part what actually happens in the game and two parts the internet/social media creating an absolute cesspit of toxicity around it with spoilers and leaked portions before the game even launched.

In many ways it turned political during one of the worst and most vicious political cycles I can recall. If it weren't for that you'd probably have a lot of people shocked and upset with their favorite character dying, certainly moderate levels of critique but definitely not the level of hatred that was eventually seen
 

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That episode felt like that last few hours of work on a Friday where you just rush through your workload and dgaf. Very rushed.
 

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All in all for me it gets around an 8 or so which is much better than I hoped going in. So I'm quite happy.

By episode
1 - 8
2 - 8.5
3 - 7.5
4 - 6
5 - 8.5
6 - 6.5
7 - 6.5
8 - 10
9 - 8

The first 2 and last 2 episodes save it from being just solid

My missus who hasn't played the game gave it a 7 "about the same as the first 3 series of the walking dead". She finds the changes in Joel to Ellie jarring as it's too quick and doesn't feel the relationship was strong enough to justify the Joel of the last 2 episodes
 

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That episode felt like that last few hours of work on a Friday where you just rush through your workload and dgaf. Very rushed.
The episode with Ellie and Riley could have been done in 3/4 of an episode and that time given to the final episode to help flesh it out more. It felt a bit like a box ticking exercise. Too quick, too shallow, a shame really because Pedro and Bella were superb with what they had.
 

pratyush_utd

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How I'm thinking it might be done

Season two might end with the death scene.
Then season three follows Abby.

Funnily enough I think Abby's arc was really good and much better than Ellie's in the second game
They gave one redemption arc and other revenge arc. No wonder Abby arc felt better. It was designed like that.
 

crappycraperson

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They gave one redemption arc and other revenge arc. No wonder Abby arc felt better. It was designed like that.
Both arcs were supposed to feel whole when looked at together. Ellie’s arc initially is what Abby goes through in her hunt for Joel but it is not shown to us. Culmination of both arcs is ugly with Ellie killing a pregnant lady amongst others and Abby killing Joel in ghastly manner. Their subsequent arcs are complementary with added subtext of two violent groups continuing a cycle of violence. I think Ellies final arc in California was good end to the game.
 

RedDevilRoshi

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Enjoyed that although would have liked them to have included the underground tunnel battle with the infected before the fireflies come into it

Overall a good solid series although my major gripe with it all was there was nowhere near enough infected battles/ambushes. It did feel a tad rushed.

Intrigued now how they do the 2nd game. Will they stick close to the source material.
 

SalfordRed18

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Enjoyed that although would have liked them to have included the underground tunnel battle with the infected before the fireflies come into it

Overall a good solid series although my major gripe with it all was there was nowhere near enough infected battles/ambushes. It did feel a tad rushed.

Intrigued now how they do the 2nd game. Will they stick close to the source material.
Honestly dont remember the tunnel scene.
 

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The second game is much darker, its brutality relentless and its themes emotionally hard-hitting. It hit me hard. It will also be much more difficult to transfer to the TV in my opinion, but the consensus seems to be it'll be split over two seasons - which fits the game's narrative well. The first game's linearity made a transfer to live action easy, but Part II jumps all over the place.