Horror 'The Last of Us' HBO Series

[DarthSkywalker]

 

[AndrewGilkison]

Looks like the evil version of Shaq's Steel.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Bro what is this???

Tried not to hate it but you can't take that seriously. Horrible casting

Right now my biggest issue with her is she doesn't look, act, or sound like she's older. Five years are supposed to have passed. I think she was mostly cast because she was an older actress who could convincingly play much younger, but because she has a natural baby face, I think she ironically isn't convincing playing older, despite the fact she's actually 21. This is where I wonder if it might have been better had they recast the character, House of the Dragon style, with a different actress.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Right now my biggest issue with her is she doesn't look, act, or sound like she's older. Five years are supposed to have passed. I think she was mostly cast because she was an older actress who could convincingly play much younger, but because she has a natural baby face, I think she ironically isn't convincing playing older, despite the fact she's actually 21. This is where I wonder if it might have been better had they recast the character, House of the Dragon style, with a different actress.

You don't recast when the entire plot of the show is driven by the connection between two characters established in season 1.

 

[Black Hawk]

Dina is amazing. Every time she appears on screen, I smile.

 

[Art Vandelay]

You don't recast when the entire plot of the show is driven by the connection between two characters established in season 1.

That's a fair point.

 

[Lily Adler]

Doctor Who?

 

[Lily Adler]

 

[Elayis]

Watching this episode just reinforces how perfectly this show was cast. It's almost uncanny how similar Bella Ramsey's performance is to Ashley Johnson's, even their inflections are practically identical. Yes, the actors don't exactly physically match their video game counterparts, but the spirit of the characters is intact, which is all that matters. I also like that the younger cast is actually the age there's portraying. Having Dina and Ellie look like babies will certainly make future events all the more horrific.

I like that there's enough new elements to keep fans of the games intrigued (like with Gail, and whatever's going on with that pipe), but this also isn't exactly Shakespeare. The showrunners seem pretty keen on remaining absolutely faithful to the game, so there's not much variation to be found here, especially when they do shot for shot remakes. Given that the dance was basically an exact recreation, I'm a little worried that future scenes that are just as loyal to the source material will fail to elicit an emotional reaction from me. This will be my third go around with this story, and I don't want to become desensitized to it.

I'm surprised that they didn't get to a certain moment by the end of this episode, but I suppose that makes sense if they're taking three seasons to adapt the game. I also didn't expect for them to be so upfront about the intentions of Abby's group. I wonder what went into the calculus of revealing that at the start of the episode.

 

[DCDAVE]

It appears they are giving us more game scenes than season 1. The stalker explanation from Elle was a good add on to show. Dina and Jesse are going to be standouts going forward. Like how they are portrayed by the actors.

Pedro is so good as Joel. Even playing the game you don’t understand the pain that Joel is in when Elle discovers the truth. The show really shows it. Joel is broken because Elle means everything to him. My heart is already hurting.

Kaitlyn is Abby in every way personality wise. She wants her some Joel. Abby is cold and heartless, Not a big fan of the actress that plays Mel. Loved her character in the game but the actress in the show seems off.

Great start to season 2. Nothing can beat the start of season 1 so I will give it a pass.

 

[Drizzle]

Non-spoiler impressions:

The highlights for me were Joel's therapy session (Seriously, Catherine O'Hara needs to be charged with robbery for stealing everything she's in these days), the dance scene (perfectly adapted from the show but with an extra hard shove from Joel Miller, Office Linebacker) and any time Isabela Merced was on screen. Seriously, she's perfect as Dina and the rest of the new cast seems very promising as well.

I wasn't expecting it to play out exactly the same way as how the game opened but we're off to a very good start.

Game spoilers:

Spoiler: TLOU Part II Game Spoilers

I liked the opening scene intro with Abby and the Seattle crew even though it was a lot of "beating you over the head" foreshadowing.

I'm also predicting a LOT of flashbacks are coming our way. I don't think this is going to be a straightforward linear adaptation of the game. One, so they can still keep Pedro throughout the show, and also we're still supposed to see Eugene (and I'm assuming why Joel had to kill him).

 

[Kane52630]

Isabela Merced pretty much stole the episode. I already like Dina from the game, but she elevates it even more with her "rizz".

It was interesting to see some parts of the game in a different context and expand on some more, like Eugene, the hunting scene with Tommy, and whatever is going on with the pipes. The scene with Pedro & Catherine O'Hara was incredible. The stalker was great, they really got it down perfectly. Overall, a great season opener.

Spoiler: Game spoilers

So I'm assuming the BIG episode is the next one?

 

[Stringer]

I was kind of thrown off by the choice to have Ellie continue to act more like a teen than a young adult, but maybe that's something that'll change given the journey she's about to go on this season. Kaitlyn is already bringing the intensity to Abby though, I think she's capable, but Bella is going to have to step up to match what she's already bringing.

 

[Snow Queen]

Some Firefly watching Joel kill all their friends:

 

[Kane52630]

Anyone else cheered when she used the bottle?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I was kind of thrown off by the choice to have Ellie continue to act more like a teen than a young adult, but maybe that's something that'll change given the journey she's about to go on this season. Kaitlyn is already bringing the intensity to Abby though, I think she's capable, but Bella is going to have to step up to match what she's already bringing.

Ellie being a moody teen early in the story fits with the game.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Anyone else cheered when she used the bottle?

@Snow Queen doing her best Minecraft.

"This is a bottle. We use it distract and smash into offenders faces!"

 

[Lily Adler]

Some Firefly watching Joel kill all their friends:

 

[Drizzle]

Some Firefly watching Joel kill all their friends:

Since there were only a few people who survived his rampage in the hospital, I think I know who pointed out that detail.

 

[Stringer]

Ellie being a moody teen early in the story fits with the game.

Not talking about her behavior towards Joel. She acts more like an untested student than an experienced fighter that has been through some ish. It's an adaptation so I'm not holding too much against the show at this point, but what characters are saying about Ellie so far don't match her actions in episode 1.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Not talking about her behavior towards Joel. She acts more like an untested student than an experienced fighter that has been through some ish. It's an adaptation so I'm not holding too much against the show at this point, but what characters are saying about Ellie so far don't match her actions in episode 1.

I'm a little confused. Do you mean what Ellie went through the first season/game and it not matching the "babying" of her?

 

[Stringer]

I'm a little confused. Do you mean what Ellie went through the first season/game and it not matching the "babying" of her?

Between the time jump in the games, Ellie became considerably more experienced and "battle hardened" for lack of a better phrase. The respect she had from the community for her skills outside of walls is displayed pretty early on. I didn't get much of that in this episode, and with what's coming I'm slightly concerned about how that change may be portrayed this season.

That said, it's only one episode and the writers may be going about things a different way. Game Ellie and show Ellie do not have to develop the same way.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Between the time jump in the games, Ellie became considerably more experienced and "battle hardened" for lack of a better phrase. The respect she had from the community for her skills outside of walls is displayed pretty early on. I didn't get much of that in this episode, and with what's coming I'm slightly concerned about how that change may be portrayed this season.

That said, it's only one episode and the writers may be going about things a different way. Game Ellie and show Ellie do not have to develop the same way.

I see and thanks for helping me out.

I can get what you mean. I think it's them going for a bit more a realistic appoarch. I thought the training early on really emphasized that. Ellie's skilled. But she's also a tiny person who's been living a pretty easy life all things considered thanks to the community.

I also think it's playing up the paternal nature of Joel and Tommy which I do really like.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[The Joker]

Banger of a first episode. I love the creative choices they made that were deviations from the game, like Joel seeing a therapist. In fact I loved how much time this episode spent with Joel and the guilt he's carrying.

I'll echo what everyone else here has said about Dina, she's fantastic. Loved her from her very first scene. Jessie was great too. Catherine O'Hara as Gail, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby......all the new cast were terrific. I was pleasantly surprised that they revealed Abby's intentions right from the get-go.

The nods to the game's game play like using the bottle on the clickers are just great geek out moments for the fans. Bring on episode 2.