For sure.
*** THE LAST OF US *** (Non-Gamer Thread)
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Last: 3 mo ago by BadMoonRisin
I do too, but they (as you know) as basically making 10 hr long movies. Go back 20+ years ago to really good shows (The Wire, The Sopranos, The Shield) and compare the production value to a show like this. No comparison. Heck, it is better than most actual movies were back then.TCTTS said:
I hate the long wait between seasons as well, but to be fair we would have had season two last year if not for the dual strikes.
Lolllll
Thought this episode was pretty good.
Although if I'm WLF, I'm burning that park down.
Although if I'm WLF, I'm burning that park down.
This is slowly becoming too plot armor-y for me.
Ok. I've given this show a loooooot of leeway, because I loved the first game. Even though I didn't love the casting in Season 1, I still felt like the show captured the spirit of the game so I appreciated it overall.
But several things are clear now.
Bella Ramsey is not that good of an actress plus she's horribly miscast as Ellie.
The writing is just plain subpar this season and in some places, like tonight's episode, laughably bad.
The substitution of Dina-and-Ellie for Joel-and-Ellie is like substituting a Big Mac for a sirloin steak.
But several things are clear now.
Bella Ramsey is not that good of an actress plus she's horribly miscast as Ellie.
The writing is just plain subpar this season and in some places, like tonight's episode, laughably bad.
The substitution of Dina-and-Ellie for Joel-and-Ellie is like substituting a Big Mac for a sirloin steak.
Tonight's episode was pretty solid.
One of Bella's better performances, which isn't saying a lot but we've got what we've got
Set production and photography were once again the stars of the show
They did a phenomenal job with the Seraphite jungle. They also nailed the abdominal-gutting scene you witness in-game.
The Nora beatdown was well done.
One of Bella's better performances, which isn't saying a lot but we've got what we've got
Set production and photography were once again the stars of the show
They did a phenomenal job with the Seraphite jungle. They also nailed the abdominal-gutting scene you witness in-game.
The Nora beatdown was well done.
I expect everyone who insisted/told me over and over again, for two straight weeks, that no remaining WLFs would know about the "immune girl" in the hospital, to start lining up for the crow I am now serving.
Because Abby's whole crew clearly knew the whole damn story.
I ****ing told y'all.
Because Abby's whole crew clearly knew the whole damn story.
I ****ing told y'all.
As for the episode itself…
The whole time I kept thinking that revenge or justice or whatever for Joel just isn't worth all this damn effort, especially now that Dina's pregnant, and that they needed to turn around and go back to Jackson. But the second Ellie got the jump on Nora and said "You'll still be dead... Nora" I was basically fist pumping and like hell yeah take them all out.
However, I do somewhat agree with the WLFs as well, and that ambiguity/understanding-both-sides is part of what makes this show so good. That said, I'm with Definitely Not A Cop in that I'm burning that whole forrest/park to the ground, seeing as the Scars can go straight to hell.
Otherwise, I honestly don't understand what some of you want from a show like this. Not only was that an expertly crafted episode (teasing/setting up the spores in the opening, delivering on them at the end, that whole final sequence, etc), but if you somehow think Bella Ramsey is a bad actor, I don't know what to tell you. IMO, she's so good at playing exactly who she needs to be, and I fully buy/am invested in her plight now. Granted, I don't have the game to compare her to, but I'm honestly glad I don't at this point.
The whole time I kept thinking that revenge or justice or whatever for Joel just isn't worth all this damn effort, especially now that Dina's pregnant, and that they needed to turn around and go back to Jackson. But the second Ellie got the jump on Nora and said "You'll still be dead... Nora" I was basically fist pumping and like hell yeah take them all out.
However, I do somewhat agree with the WLFs as well, and that ambiguity/understanding-both-sides is part of what makes this show so good. That said, I'm with Definitely Not A Cop in that I'm burning that whole forrest/park to the ground, seeing as the Scars can go straight to hell.
Otherwise, I honestly don't understand what some of you want from a show like this. Not only was that an expertly crafted episode (teasing/setting up the spores in the opening, delivering on them at the end, that whole final sequence, etc), but if you somehow think Bella Ramsey is a bad actor, I don't know what to tell you. IMO, she's so good at playing exactly who she needs to be, and I fully buy/am invested in her plight now. Granted, I don't have the game to compare her to, but I'm honestly glad I don't at this point.
My only complaint is that with just two episode left, next week looks to be a flashback. Yes, we get Joel back, and we're clearly going to see how Ellie already knew the truth about what went down at the hospital, but that also means we somehow have only one episode left for forward-momentum story, which is kind of crazy.
Sorta. "You're...you're her? The immune girl....you're REAL." Emphasis mine.Quote:
I expect everyone who insisted/told me over and over again, for two straight weeks, that no remaining WLFs would know about the "immune girl" in the hospital, to start lining up for the crow I am now serving.
Because Abby's whole crew clearly knew the whole damn story.
A big part of the argument was "why didn't they take Ellie?" Because they didn't know.
100%. I think most of the "issue" with Bella is that she doesn't look like a typical leading lady (especially a ~20yo).Quote:
Otherwise, I honestly don't understand what some of you want from a show like this. Not only was that an expertly crafted episode (teasing/setting up the spores in the opening, delivering on them at the end, that whole final sequence, etc), but if you somehow think Bella Ramsey is a bad actor, I don't know what to tell you. IMO, she's so good at playing exactly who she needs to be, and I fully buy/am invested in her plight now. Granted, I don't have the game to compare her to, but I'm honestly glad I don't at this point.
I'll give you that. But she also followed it up with super specific details like Abby's dad being the only surgeon alive who could actually harness a cure from Ellie's blood. Meaning it wasn't some super-top-secret operation (no pun intended) that only a select few people knew about, who all died at the hospital.
Ol Jock 99 said:100%. I think most of the "issue" with Bella is that she doesn't look like a typical leading lady (especially a ~20yo).Quote:
Otherwise, I honestly don't understand what some of you want from a show like this. Not only was that an expertly crafted episode (teasing/setting up the spores in the opening, delivering on them at the end, that whole final sequence, etc), but if you somehow think Bella Ramsey is a bad actor, I don't know what to tell you. IMO, she's so good at playing exactly who she needs to be, and I fully buy/am invested in her plight now. Granted, I don't have the game to compare her to, but I'm honestly glad I don't at this point.
That's absolutely it. Do I think someone like, say, Cailee Spaeny would far better fit the role, looks-wise? Yes. But there's no way she'd be able to give the cocky/vulnerable/damaged performance Ramsey is currently giving.
Ah, but if we dive down that road, it was not "from her blood". It was from her brain. Maybe Ally chose to paint a rosier picture…or maybe she didn't know the details. "Dad was going to use her to help us all…" not "dad was going to kill her to try to find a cure."
(I'm just having fun. Not planning to revisit this further.)
(I'm just having fun. Not planning to revisit this further.)
We shall see. Good thing is, we'll almost assuredly learn more at this point.
This episode's director also directed 26 episodes of Lost including S3E21 "Greatest Hits" where Charlie remembers some of the greatest moments in his life. Was hoping for a flashback when Ellie started playing Future Days then stopped. Based on the previews, looks like next week will be a really good flashback.
So you're okay with that ridiculous plot device that the baby-daddy was able to track them to their exact location, in the middle of a huge city like Seattle, and save them right before they were going to die? Because, you know, he was previously able to track them to the exact spot they slept the night before, and of course they coveniently left their map at that spot (because why would they need to take the map of this completely foreign City with them).
And yeah, I don't like Bella Ramsey in this role, and I don't like the Ellie character. Up until she ran into Nora (again, the show just conveniently places Ellie into the middle of the WLF's operating room), she was acting like she was on a fun vacation trip. Neither one of those girls were acting like they were in a post apocalyptic city, surrounded by zombies who thrive on sound and two warring factions who would kill them on the spot. Oh, look, I found a generator and I'm gonna turn on the power and all the lights, etc! "Natural gas baby!" That's completely irrational behavior for two girls who literally grew up in this violent, dangerous world and had survived on their own for various parts of their life.
The only bright spot in last night's episode was the basement scene. That set design, and Ellie suddenly remembering that she actually cared about Joel and was hell-bent on avenging his death, was great. THAT is the Ellie we should be seeing the whole time.
Conversely, imagine if this whole time Ellie was singlemindely focused on getting her revenge, sinking deeper and deeper into that same darkness that Joel was in at the beginning of Season 1. And it was Dina who was the "light", being that reminder that you can't live like that and working to pull Ellie back from that abyss?
And yeah, I don't like Bella Ramsey in this role, and I don't like the Ellie character. Up until she ran into Nora (again, the show just conveniently places Ellie into the middle of the WLF's operating room), she was acting like she was on a fun vacation trip. Neither one of those girls were acting like they were in a post apocalyptic city, surrounded by zombies who thrive on sound and two warring factions who would kill them on the spot. Oh, look, I found a generator and I'm gonna turn on the power and all the lights, etc! "Natural gas baby!" That's completely irrational behavior for two girls who literally grew up in this violent, dangerous world and had survived on their own for various parts of their life.
The only bright spot in last night's episode was the basement scene. That set design, and Ellie suddenly remembering that she actually cared about Joel and was hell-bent on avenging his death, was great. THAT is the Ellie we should be seeing the whole time.
Conversely, imagine if this whole time Ellie was singlemindely focused on getting her revenge, sinking deeper and deeper into that same darkness that Joel was in at the beginning of Season 1. And it was Dina who was the "light", being that reminder that you can't live like that and working to pull Ellie back from that abyss?
TC is absolutely right near the end of his review post of the episode. Those of us who have played the game are comparing Bella's performance to the in-game Ellie performance by Ashley Johnson, which is ****ing phenomenal. Bella will never top the source.
TCTTS said:
I'll give you that. But she also followed it up with super specific details like Abby's dad being the only surgeon alive who could actually harness a cure from Ellie's blood. Meaning it wasn't some super-top-secret operation (no pun intended) that only a select few people knew about, who all died at the hospital.
What's interesting is that at this point in the story in the game, the player doesn't know about Abby's dad being the surgeon in the hospital. The game dials up the "hell-bent Ellie intent on revenge" a bit more than the show is giving and part of that is the game player doesn't have as much context as the show viewer does at this point which is an interesting parting of ways between the two
More fodder for the Cailee > Bella as a fit for Ellie argument
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastOfUs2/s/nFMrh4xjla
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastOfUs2/s/nFMrh4xjla
FL_Ag1998 said:
So you're okay with that ridiculous plot device that the baby-daddy was able to track them to their exact location, in the middle of a huge city like Seattle, and save them right before they were going to die? Because, you know, he was previously able to track them to the exact spot they slept the night before, and of course they coveniently left their map at that spot (because why would they need to take the map of this completely foreign City with them).
When I started to question if all of this effort was worth getting revenge for Joel, part of me was thinking what are these two little girls going to do against this army anyway? So, if anything, I was relieved and it made perfect sense to me that the two people who cared about Ellie and Dina the most would come after them, and I was happy to see them seemingly joining the fight. Was the timing a bit too convenient? Yes. But I've seen worse in even better shows/movies, and personally it didn't bother me that much, all things considered.
And yeah, I don't like Bella Ramsey in this role, and I don't like the Ellie character. Up until she ran into Nora (again, the show just conveniently places Ellie into the middle of the WLF's operating room), she was acting like she was on a fun vacation trip. Neither one of those girls were acting like they were in a post apocalyptic city, surrounded by zombies who thrive on sound and two warring factions who would kill them on the spot. Oh, look, I found a generator and I'm gonna turn on the power and all the lights, etc! "Natural gas baby!" That's completely irrational behavior for two girls who literally grew up in this violent, dangerous world and had survived on their own for various parts of their life.
To me, BECAUSE they "literally grew up in this violent, dangerous world and had survived on their own for various parts of their life," it makes PERFECT sense that they would be almost ho-hum about it by now. This is all they've ever known. They're beyond used to. Further, they have to find levity and moments of joy where they can or they'd go insane. No one can live in super-soldier-survival-mode 24/7. Did you complain in Aliens or Edge of Tomorrow or any other dozens of intense, sci-fi action movies when the soldier characters are wise-cracking nonstop, right until **** hits the fan (and sometimes even during it)? I'm guessing not.
The only bright spot in last night's episode was the basement scene. That set design, and Ellie suddenly remembering that she actually cared about Joel and was hell-bent on avenging his death, was great. THAT is the Ellie we should be seeing the whole time.
Conversely, imaging if this whole time Ellie was singlemindely focused on getting her revenge, sinking deeper and deeper into that same darkness that Joel was in at the beginning of Season 1. And it was Dina who was the "light", being that reminder that you can't live like that and working to pull Ellie back from that abyss?
Personally, I think it's so much more interesting that Ellie's darkness is bubbling just beneath the surface, only rearing its ugly head every now and then, as opposed to it being worn on her sleeve for everyone to see. There's an internal struggle there that's captivating. Otherwise, Ellie just being dark and brooding and pissed off 24/7 would get old fast, and simply wouldn't be good character work either.
I'm sorry, but this is so incredibly stupid, and gives big time bro-culture/Snyder-fan vibes. I really like Cailee Spaeny, but this video amounts to nothing more than her being able to look slightly more expressionless while shooting a gun, and slightly less goofy in freeze frames, compared to the random, split-second freeze frames clearly/purposefully meant to make Ramsey look more goofy than she actually appears. Never mind that none of it is even real scene acting, meaning it has absolutely nothing to do with the far more important drama/inner turmoil that happens between action set pieces.
Quote:
To me, BECAUSE they "literally grew up in this violent, dangerous world and had survived on their own for various parts of their life," it makes PERFECT sense that they would be almost ho-hum about it by now. This is all they've ever known. They're beyond used to. Further, they have to find levity and moments of joy where they can or they'd go insane. No one can live in super-soldier-survival-mode 24/7. Did you complain in Aliens or Edge of Tomorrow or any other dozens of intense, sci-fi action movies when the soldier characters are wise-cracking nonstop, right until **** hits the fan (and sometimes even during it)? I'm guessing not.
It's one thing to joke and wise-crack, find levity, etc. in crap situations, that is to be expected. What is ridiculous is to fire up a generator which signals two warring parties and zombies where you are. You left that part out.
And because it is the only life they've known, it should have been second nature NOT to do that. They did the opposite of what would be expected.
For example, you don't take an American Marine that's been fighting in Iraq for years, drop him in backcountry Kandahar and it's ho-hum, no big deal. He's on 110% high alert because he's in new terrain, with new enemies and he knows the consequences.
Again, it's the small details you notice between game Ellie vs Bella that are so jarring. I saw those angsty faces in my first watch through of last week's episode before seeing the comments online. It ain't great
They didn't show the generator, did they?
In the game it's on the roof in a greenhouse thing if I recall right. It is "hidden" so to speak
In the game it's on the roof in a greenhouse thing if I recall right. It is "hidden" so to speak
It was broad daylight outside. The lights made no difference. And if the generator was in a basement or tucked away there was hardly any risk of it being heard by warring factions way off in the distance. Ellie and Dina had clearly checked the place/area out beforehand.
I can feel this starting to turn into military guys/experts nitpicking about realism and accuracy, and to me that's just the absolute worst, most boring way to watch/discuss a show like this.
I can feel this starting to turn into military guys/experts nitpicking about realism and accuracy, and to me that's just the absolute worst, most boring way to watch/discuss a show like this.
The one difference from the game that I sometimes question is that Bella’s Ellie is much more upbeat and cheery. After the latest episode, I understand why they made this change. Because when Bella switches to vengeful, killer Ellie, it’s a lot more shocking and terrifying. https://t.co/n5N5P9tetf
— Ian (@Tokyo_Joey) May 12, 2025
It was one good scene for Bella. They tweeter is engagement hate farming
I get your point of view. To me, writers should strive for realism & accuracy within the world they create. I mean, they are professionals. Generators make noise, and you have no idea who is around or within earshot even if you cased the place. Remember, this world is generally without mechanical noise. Sound travels a long freaking way.... but to your point I'll drop it. It's a problem with writing on a ton of shows now, which is why good ones like Andor really stand out.Quote:
nitpicking about realism and accuracy, and to me that's just the absolute worst, most boring way to watch/discuss a show like this.
TCTTS said:
It was broad daylight outside. The lights made no difference. And if the generator was in a basement or tucked away there was hardly any risk of it being heard by warring factions way off in the distance. Ellie and Dina had clearly checked the place/area out beforehand.
I can feel this starting to turn into military guys/experts nitpicking about realism and accuracy, and to me that's just the absolute worst, most boring way to watch/discuss a show like this.
Paging aTm Ag
TCTTS said:
It was broad daylight outside. The lights made no difference. And if the generator was in a basement or tucked away there was hardly any risk of it being heard by warring factions way off in the distance. Ellie and Dina had clearly checked the place/area out beforehand.
I can feel this starting to turn into military guys/experts nitpicking about realism and accuracy, and to me that's just the absolute worst, most boring way to watch/discuss a show like this.
I'll drop this line of argument as well after this post, but come on. This is HBO's premiere show right now. A dark supposedly realistic take on a zombie world (as ridiculous as that sounds when said out loud). So yeah, sometimes the viewers are going to get nitpicky when the writers decide to get willy-nilly with details of the world they've built whenever it's convenient to them. And as Apache mentioned, compared to truely standout shows like Andor, the failings of this show stand out even more so.
Yes, you're making arguments to support your viewpoint regarding the characters actions (just like I'm doing). But, I feel like your arguments are simply ways of trying to justify why the characters would act against their training/nature in this world that's been created. IMO, when the viewer has to do that to enjoy a show it's the result of subpar writing. So, in that regard I feel like you're cutting this show a lot of breaks.
If you are going to nitpick, at least complain about Ellie shooting directly at Dina to kill a stalker. That was dumber than operating a generator in an abandoned building
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