I agree. All in all I like the change in episode format keeps things fresh. I think also they need to find a way to not make Joel & Ellie become repetitive and have found the best way to do that, while still keeping it relevant
Television The Last of Us - TV Series HBO | NO GAME REFERENCES OR SPOILERS | Receives 24 Emmy nominations
- Thread starter Widow
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What an excellent 3rd episode. Bold plot choices excellently executed.
Really really really good episode, again. One of the strongest opening three episodes of a TV series ever, I think.
Not sure why you spoilered that. In two different ways.
And also The Leftovers. The Leftovers in general is full of Max Richter, he's fantastic.
Not sure why you spoilered that. In two different ways.
Initially spoilered because I did the first 'live' during the show, and then added the second once I'd realised my error (Clara) and found a link. But you're right, prob not spoiler-worthy.
What I love about this show is there’s none of that cult team this or that that you find in other HBO shows.
Absolutely beautiful episode from start to finish.
This sounds like something that someone who is Team Firefly would say.
I'm #Team Cordyceps.
Hahaha #TeamHemorrhoidsHeads
Wow just wow, that’s the story telling I needed to set this apart from just another well done zombie series. Just an amazing episode
Felt like I was watching something else entirely. 6/10, weakest so far
Are you referring to the third episode? All a matter of taste of course, but I couldn't disagree more. It was an extraordinary episode.
Man... That was a tearjerker and a half.
Holy shit, what a glorious episode. Bold choice to go with something that ultimately won't have a massive bearing on the plot, but brilliantly executed, so touching and cute. Also kind of funny to think of the links between Ron Swanson and Nick Offerman's character in this.
That was absolutely great, 1hr of wonderful television.
That was absolutely great, 1hr of wonderful television.
It was also in Shutter Island.
Max Richter composed all the original music for The Leftovers.
That’s the genius. 10 episodes of just Joel and Ellie would get very boring very quick. They’ve found a way to expand on Joel’s past while also introducing new side characters, or giving us side missing viewing.
I was super psyched for this episode but felt meh... by the end of it.
It was like watching an Avengers movie that suddenly tangents into an hour long back story about 2 extras who offer nothing to the narrative other than Joel got their car. A spinoff movie/episode would have been great. I hope come the end of the serious we don't get some super rushed important parts and then look back and think, if only they hadn't put in that filler episode.
With that said it was a wonderful little standalone story with a really nice human aspect to it and a 9/10.
It was like watching an Avengers movie that suddenly tangents into an hour long back story about 2 extras who offer nothing to the narrative other than Joel got their car. A spinoff movie/episode would have been great. I hope come the end of the serious we don't get some super rushed important parts and then look back and think, if only they hadn't put in that filler episode.
With that said it was a wonderful little standalone story with a really nice human aspect to it and a 9/10.
Meh episode
9/10
9/10
I'm watching for The Last of Us, not for random love story inserts about characters I have no attatchment to and wasnt given one in an hour. We especially dont need "other stuff or it'll be boring" 3 episodes in.
Of course I was.
This episode is the perfect example of why I wanted to see more flashbacks, it gives creative freedom to the show runners to do their thing without greatly impacting the canon. And they are very good.
A perfect 5/7.Meh episode
9/10
First two episodes were quite boring (no soul), but the third episode was very good, made you care.
Have to admit I dropped a few gay tears.
Have to admit I dropped a few gay tears.
I suggest you go to the black market and buy a heart, yours seem defective.
There’s literally only 2 main characters. Imagine how difficult it would be to keep that interesting for 1 hour every episode. That said I do think yesterdays episode was longer than it should have been. Think it was 90 minutes with ads, they should have kept the longer episode for something more plot orientated.
Did you not play the game? And if you did clearly you stopped after a few hours if you're worried about it only being Ellie and Joel after 2 hours of television. Why do you think the game was successful if you think those 2 characters are so paper thin for interest?
If you played the game, then you'd know the love story is not random...
The game has 90 minutes of cutscenes. If you wanted a show exactly like the game it would include about ten hours of Joel and Ellie shooting stuff, which would make for really boring storytelling.
So you think the game had a boring story, gotcha. Well I personally liked the game and wanted to watch the show because of it.
I mean that's fine, but it also sounds like you've gone into the show with your own personal expectations and are giving it no chance to be its own creation, obviously using the story of Joel and Ellie, but doing more than just that. That's not on the show, it's just your own pre-conceptions that are stopping you from enjoying it.
I mean, not that I disagree with the general point, but lots of games are successful with paper thin characters. It’s a game after all. Its success relies just as much on the game mechanics as the story.
I was also personally quite sceptical of the series (though so far I think it’s great) just cos - like most game adaptations - the reason you get so invested in the stories of video games are because you are actively involved in them for hours on end. It’s the complete opposite of a passive activity like watching a film/TV show. Plus it’s not like our culture isn’t incredibly over saturated by zombie stuff, or that a father and a surrogate child making their way through a post apocalyptic landscape is a particularly novel or original concept.
Still, all that said, I do think the characterisation was good and the show has done a great job of it so far. But it’s obviously still going to need to do a bit more, just cos of the medium.
(Ironically I don’t think a film would’ve worked as well, despite being a lot closer to the actual game cut scene run time - purely because it wouldn’t allow us to be quite as invested in the characters shorn of all the actual game stuff)
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Where did I say that? You're just begging for an argument aren't you?
The story is one of the best told in any narrative medium I've seen. Of that story only an hour and a half is translatable into a TV show because the rest is two characters walking around areas and fighting enemies. If they did that for the other 8 and a half hours it would get boring. That is what my point was.
Yes, fighting zombies is the bulk of the story. Its weird to worry that a show mostly about that, is going to have that, especially 2 hours in
Oh ffs. Read what I've written, quit getting your knickers in a twist.
Yes I agree with you about plenty of other games having weak characters but still being successful because of the gameplay, or the lower quality of stories it'll be compared to in other games, but this game is obviously more setup for a direct translation to a show than most games.
For me the first episode was okay. Probably a 7/10. I wouldnt suggest it to someone else to watch it, but it was a decent enough start to a show about the game. The 2nd episode was great, exactly what I would like to see from a show on the last of us. And it made me want to see the next episode. Then we had episode 3 where I got bored 2/3 of the way through, took a break and then finished it making it the weakest one for me. So now I'm at 1 great episode, 1 okay episode and 1 episode where 2/3 of it lost my interest. So I'm also concerned.
I can see why people who thought the game got boring after a couple of hours dealing with zombies would be happy to insert almost an entire episode into the backstory of a note in the game. But personally I'm watching to see the story I've already experienced adapted and if there are some slight changes that are good ones, great.
To think talking about the game was supposed to be banned in this thread. 
I don't know why anyone would go into this show hoping it literally just recreates the game scene for scene. Haven't they already watched that?
I loved the game but the aspects of the tv show I've loved so far have all been the expansions made around the central storyline (The background-building cold opens & this episode).
I loved the game but the aspects of the tv show I've loved so far have all been the expansions made around the central storyline (The background-building cold opens & this episode).
There's another thread for game talk. It's the thread that doesn't have "no game references" in the title.
What do you mean ‘of course’? Grow up.
I don't understand it either. Why not just re-play the game if that's your expectation? Also, why would you have one of the best screenwriters currently active on board just to do a shot for shot remake of the game? It's really strange.
Ekeke has been given a time out from this thread for game talk.