The Last of Us (HBO) Trailer: Show and game spoilers

[Underfoot]

6 minutes ago, briantw said:

Pretty sure I’ve read that Ashley plays Ellie’s mom in flashbacks.

That makes sense. I've been surprised at how similar Ashley and Bella look, comparing still photos doesn't quite do the resemblance justice

[The Anti-Targ]

1 hour ago, briantw said:

Pretty sure I’ve read that Ashley plays Ellie’s mom in flashbacks.

The main trailer pretty much confirmed it. It had Ashley Johnson gushing over a still gooey newborn baby. She's certainly not Sarah's mum, because, well, melanin genetics makes it highly improbable, so that really only leaves 3 options: Riley, Ellie, Henry. 99.9% she's holding Ellie for the same melanin genetic issues. I am of course assuming they won't be tanning Ashley Johnson up for her cameo, as that might raise eyebrows and purse lips.

1 hour ago, psynetik123 said:

They did a pretty good job replicating the game shot-for-shot

 

Even that excerpt still made something get in my eye. So weird how there's always something floating around to get in my eye when that scene plays out.

[karaddin]

I haven't played the games but I did watch a let's play if TLOU1 and have been pretty thoroughly spoiled on part 2. It was really impressive the level of palpable tension in the first half of this episode even knowing what was coming.

I love Pedro so much I wasn't sure how he'd go at bringing the menace of Joel or if his charisma would detract from it but I think he's going to have it. The brutality of Joel in the game was something that really struck me, it managed to feel much more violent than games typically manage due to the physicality if it.

[Heartofice]

Haven’t played second game, first game is maybe the only game on PlayStation I ever completed. Even then I don’t remember much of the story

I thought this was a solid first episode. At times I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to handle yet another ‘last day before the zombie apocalypse’ story, seeing how many millions of times that’s been done since Dawn of the Dead.

But, and even though it was just a collection of worn out tropes (helicopters in the background, running away from houses while zombies rush out, driving a car down a busy chaotic street) it was well done and kept a level of tension I wasn’t expecting.

[DireWolfSpirit]

Okay its now making sense why i was so impresssed by Sarah. 

Just read its Thandiwe Newtons daughter (apple not far from the tree and so forth).

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-last-of-us-nico-parker-thandiwe-newton-daughter-lookalike-130039586.html#amp_tf=From %1%24s&aoh=16739550677696&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Fentertainment%2Fthe-last-of-us-nico-parker-thandiwe-newton-daughter-lookalike-130039586.html

Edited January 17, 2023 by DireWolfSpirit

[The Anti-Targ]

Walking Dead was rightly praised for not having a last day before the apocalypse episode. But Joel's character is so affected by what happens on the day of the apocalypse that it would have been a huge disservice to the source material to skip it.

I kind of don't like that the show made Joel and Tommy ex-military. I prefer that Joel and Tommy went from ordinary gun-owning Texan civilians to hardened apocalypse survivors without there being any indication of prior military experience. It's just a small thing though.

[l2 0 5 5]

On 1/16/2023 at 6:12 PM, The Anti-Targ said:

It'll be interesting to see if this thread has legs. I guess when characters like Sam and Henry, and like, I wonder how many episodes winter will cover. I heard speculation that game 1 will be 2 seasons? Winter would be a good cliffhanger where Ellie realises she's met some very polite cannibals.

Speaking of polite cannibals, while we've seen Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson will be making appearances, I wonder if Nolan North will be making an appearance, perhaps as not a cannibal.

Ashley Johnson playing Ellie’s mom, Anna, and Troy baker will play James who is David’s henchman that fetches the antibiotics. 

[HokieStone]

20 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Walking Dead was rightly praised for not having a last day before the apocalypse episode.

They just waited for Fear the Walking Dead for that...

[Whiskeyjack]

So I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that season 1 is going to cover the entire first game.  Kind of having a hard time seeing how they manage it.  I love the show so far.  But hope they don't rush some of the major things that are going to happen the rest of the way.

Judging by the episode titles, I guess they might do something like this?

Episode 3 - Long Long Time - This will be Bill's Town.  Reviews have said that it will include the stuff from the game, but also flashbacks.  Which is also pretty apparent from the preview after episode 2.

Episode 4 - Please Hold My Hand - I think I read that they are changing Pittsburgh to Kansas City?  Either way, this is probably the start of that arc and meeting Henry and Sam.

Episode 5 - Endure and Survive - They have to spend 2 episodes on that section, right?  If they just do it in one episode, then they're going way too fast.  Guessing this ends with them going through the sewers, the part in the town with the sniper, etc.

Episode 6 - Kin - Judging by the title, would make sense for this to be when they make it to Jackson / the power plant and find Tommy.

Episode 7 - Left Behind - Its the title of the DLC, so that indicates this will include the flashback to Ellie and Riley in the mall, and show how Ellie got infected.  Maybe also intersperse that with Joel and Ellie going to the university to look for the Fireflies.  End with Joel getting injured?

Episode 8 - When We Are in Need - Guess this would have to be the part with David.  But like . . . really don't think one episode is enough for that. 

Episode 9 - Haven't seen a different title for it.  If they really are doing everything in one season, then this would be the ending.
 

In theory, I guess it could work.  But would mean they are going to push through the David part of the story quickly. 

Alternatively, maybe Kin is finding Tommy and going to the university, if they can find a way to combine those two things together.  And then Left Behind is the flashbacks and also the start of the David story?

[l2 0 5 5]

Loved the first two episodes, torn on this one. I think i suffered from hearing too many critics saying ep 3 is like a 10/10. Went in to this episode thinking of ellie/joel entering bill's town, joel tied up, the back and forth between ellie and bill, the jaunt to the armory, and then the final haul to the high school to get the battery, and then enter the games first bloater. We get none of that, and are reduced to an elongated episode of bill/frank origin story with no joel and ellie running along side bill. that's tough for me. 

Don't get me wrong I thought Offerman and Murray Bartlett were great. From their beginning to their end and everything in between, it was sad when they said their goodbye. Them walking around their town one last time and saying goodbye was rough to watch. It really got me. I just can't believe they scrapped all of ellie/joel/bill run through together. It's so damn good in the game I'm shocked they scrapped it all. 

[karaddin]

I think most of that is enjoyable gameplay that may not make for the most compelling TV. In particular I think its a good choice to have at least 1 or 2 episodes with no actual danger for Joel and Ellie, to avoid it becoming too predictable that there's going to be a "and now the zombie fight of the episode!" formulaic. I was also skeptical I was going to find it as emotional as the couple of snippets I'd seen talked up, but it landed despite that.

[briantw]

2 hours ago, karaddin said:

I think most of that is enjoyable gameplay that may not make for the most compelling TV. In particular I think its a good choice to have at least 1 or 2 episodes with no actual danger for Joel and Ellie, to avoid it becoming too predictable that there's going to be a "and now the zombie fight of the episode!" formulaic. I was also skeptical I was going to find it as emotional as the couple of snippets I'd seen talked up, but it landed despite that.

The game necessarily had to throw in a bunch of prolonged combat or stealth encounters to keep players engaged.  The show smartly seems to be picking its spots. 

[karaddin]

On a sad note continuing the discussion of the voice/mocap actors from the game and their alternate or lack of roles in the show - just saw that Annie Wersching who played Tess in the game has just died of cancer at 45. 

[The Anti-Targ]

Man that sucks for Annie Wershing and her family.

I enjoyed ep 3 as a simple piece of TV drama. I don't mind the complete change from the game, though I do miss having the game version of events being fleshed out and dramatised. It could have been equally compelling drama as this episode, but I also like that Bill and Frank's love stayed strong to the end, it almost brought a tear to the eye. I think if I had not had 1/8 of my mind on the game version of events the tear would have come out.

[Mexal]

22 hours ago, briantw said:

The game necessarily had to throw in a bunch of prolonged combat or stealth encounters to keep players engaged.  The show smartly seems to be picking its spots. 

Agreed. I think that's why I was totally fine with this change. There is going to be so much danger coming that another episode of it doesn't necessarily add to the whole. Thought this episode was brilliant and I'm glad they made this change.

[Whiskeyjack]

6 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Agreed. I think that's why I was totally fine with this change. There is going to be so much danger coming that another episode of it doesn't necessarily add to the whole. Thought this episode was brilliant and I'm glad they made this change.

Yeah same.

The preview shows that the next episode is going to be the start of the Pittsburgh arc, which should be pretty intense.  Need some downtime in order to make the action and danger stand out.

Plus, Bill + Frank was a great story, in and of itself.

[The Anti-Targ]

I expect episode 4 to be the point where everyone transitions to "yeah, the infected are gross and scary, but it's still people who are the most dangerous animals on the planet." That notion was bring in in Ep 3 where the only thing that posed a real threat to Bill and Frank was the raiders, and the warning Joel gave to Bill to help broker a trade deal was about people breaking through, no mention of infected really at all.

Part of what makes this story great is the end and in particular the last two lines of the whole game. For more or less the first time I'm wondering to myself how that's going hit with people who have no clue about the game. Will it be the next great internet TV debate? And is there a more controversial moral decision in TV fiction, both in terms of Joel's actions in the hospital and the lies? I can't think of one in any game I've played, though there are many games I have not played.

Edited February 1, 2023 by The Anti-Targ

[karaddin]

His actions in the hospital are wrong from an objective point of view, but the subjective angle is much more nuanced. Lying to her about it later after he's already overridden her agency is pretty cut and dried for me, there's no excuse or justification for it and I really hope (and expect) that will remain.

[The Anti-Targ]

Given Marlene had decided to override Ellie's agency with fatal consequences to Ellie, I would say it was right for Joel to prevent the surgery from proceeding. What should have happened after that from what I think is an ethically objective perspective is, wait for Ellie to fully recover and give her the choice. Even saving humanity needs to be based on informed consent when it requires someone to submit to medical homicide.

[karaddin]

I thought it was pretty heavily implied Ellie is aware, or at least thinks it's very likely, and accepts it. That was at least the interpretation I based my above comment on. If she doesn't/isn't then I'd shift to where you are.