The Last of Us: A Critique, Commentary and Celebration

there have been incredible film adaptations of TV shows and vice versa there have even been Stellar reimaginings of popular books for the young and old alike onto the small and silver screens and despite some Book Lovers lamenting the depiction of a certain event or the omission of a particular scene I think it's safe to say that in the right hands a film or TV show based on a book cannot only be done effectively but brilliantly so why is it so difficult to adapt a video game into live action well it actually has nothing to do with the complexity of the plots these games boast or the quirky ideas they often explore it doesn't even necessarily have to do with the team producing the recreation though that is important in some instances instead quite simply what makes this endeavor so hard has everything to do with what sets video games as an entertainment medium apart from any other form of media and that secret ingredient is active engagement and the active engagement element of a video game playing experience offers a gargantuan difference to to what tv offers on a foundational fundamental level which cannot be overlooked in the case of HBO's admittedly ambitious adaptation of one of the best games of all time the last of us being an active participant in a story rather than an onlooker has the knock-on effect of boosting the stakes of every scene the tension of every encounter and your own sense of personal investment as a player in the story and this is why adapting video games into live action has been historically cursed with troubled releases unlike when a book is adapted when adapting a video game a director cannot simply rely on the source material entirely because unlike books which connect key scenes and story beats through narrative the connective tissue offered by a video game is active gameplay and in the case of naughty dog the connective tissue of a great video game is integrating that story Into the active gameplay experience itself which creates an exciting problem that The Last of Us HBO series needs to solve how do they replace the gameplay sections with meaningful additions that make up for the lack of active participation and to answer this question I want to take a walk through each and every one of these Nine episodes in this series observe what they've changed what they've added and analyzed the merits of these decisions and how they impact the Merit of the story with respect to the source material itself The Last of Us is my favorite video game of all time and needless to say I was extremely curious to see how they attempted to solve one of the most persistent problems plaguing the video game industry how to translate the active magic of a video game experience into the passive but captivating medium of Television I'm Tony nutmark and this is my review of HBO's The Last of Us in the intro I mentioned that a director cannot simply rely on the source material to create a worthy adaptation simply stitching together cutscenes and calling it a day just won't cut it as seen in many YouTube videos that trident failed to do just that you might get a rough idea of the story at hand but something foundational will be missing the secret ingredient the active engagement the superb gameplay that transports you the player from point A in the story to point B and that now requires new story sections to be written from scratch that otherwise never existed prior scenes that need to replace active gameplay experiences without losing the spirit of the game and story itself which means of course one thing changes are not only going to be made when translating this Game's plot but those changes are also imminently necessary and any change however slide will certainly be noticed and would certainly risk corrupting the spirit of the original experience if handled poorly and so changes need to be made of course but they need to be correct choices that ring true to the original story that don't get in the way of our personal enjoyment and expectations and if possible enhance parts of the story in ways that the game simply could not and so you can imagine my joy when it was announced that Neil druckman the original Creator and writer of the original story of The Last of Us would be one of the two directors helming the production and creative process in my opinion that was a necessary and important first decision you need look no further than the shambles of an adaptation that was Dragon Ball Evolution with the powers that be actively ignoring the suggestions and advice of Akira Toriyama himself the creator of Dragon Ball directly and even for the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop Watanabe wasn't even involved in the slightest and naturally as a result of this creative negligence both Akira Toriyama and Watanabe themselves were both left with their hands hanging standing in awe of the messes these Studios made using their stories and these were adaptations of TV shows to film not video games which as we discussed offers so many more hurdles to clear but a successful Creator in one field isn't necessarily equipped to succeed in another adjacent field and so after some failed attempts at bringing the last of us to live action and film drochman finally found the perfect partner many years later in Chernobyl Creator Craig Mason and once aboard the seeds of a premium HBO series were finally planted these directors were hungry ambitious afforded an enormous budget of no less than a hundred million dollars but what truly set my expectations for this production was The Guiding philosophy they followed in producing this series and that guiding philosophy was if we change something it has to be an improvement it cannot take anything away and there are no treatments for this no preventatives no cures they don't exist it's not even possible to make them so if that happens we lose we'll be back this is it I'm not kidding when I say that every ounce of trepidation I felt going into this series immediately evaporated when I saw this entirely new and phenomenally scripted directed and performed scene I love John Hannah at the best of times but the way this setting acts as a natural and compelling form of exposition to initiate the uninitiated on the fungal infection that will eventually take over the world is breathtaking in every sense of the word and once again encouraged me that the approach taken with this series was going to be one of adaptation and not exact Recreation beat for beat and despite this scene taking place in the 1960s it managed to feel relevant to even the modern day mentioning how viral pandemics are bad but curable while fungal ones are almost impossible to contain let alone cure due to their devastating adaptable Natures the opposition to Hannah's concerns calls it unlikely due to fungi needing a high temperature to thrive in leading Hannah to retort by touching on possibility of global warming bringing it back home to us as viewers again it's doing that very real thing of we know something bad is happening but we're doing nothing about it it is a perfect real world parallel in my opinion and amazingly this scene itself was almost left on The Cutting Room floor the initial idea for the scene was Pitch to drop in by Mason himself but Neil thought it felt strange instead opting for a more straightforward and clinical docu style opening akin to the famous David Attenborough segment on quarter sips fungus thankfully however once they were nearing the conclusion of their production both of them came to realize that this would have made for quite a boring opening and with newly found motivation and vigor Mason overhauled his talk show segment once again to something both directors were happy with and that's what we see today and it's just as well things got off to a great start because it's one thing to create faithful new material and it's an entirely different process to repurposing gameplay and wouldn't you know it this next section deals with exactly that did you what I don't hear anything this is one of the rare instances you'll hear me say this but what druckman and Mason did here with Sarah was perfect there's an argument that the choices made in writing Sarah hair could be better than that offered by the game itself and I think that was made possible partially due to the type of game The Last of Us is unlike RPGs or role-playing games where the players themselves are actual characters in the game I think it's important to understand that that is specifically not what the last of us is in The Last of Us in the story you aren't Joel you're not even Sarah as you navigate their dark home on the night of the outbreak you control them but only to a point you can't make Sarah make a call the script doesn't account for you can't make her run out the door now this limited and curated control of the character in this game offers a layer of intensity and immersion certainly but it's important to remember that it's not your story you aren't making choices as these characters this is an experience where you personally follow the lives of these characters through their eyes and during gameplay sections control how they arrive from point A to point B but unlike more open less linear games you must always arrive at point B within the last of us when you're in control of Sarah you can choose whether or not to engage with the environment of the house but you will always need to arrive at the patio doors where Joel runs in distressed it is a fixed story that you know needs to play out a specific way and this my friends is called meta engagement now it of course means that this game can at times challenge you to do things you otherwise may not want to do as an individual and on its face that might sound bad but in actuality it's part of the reason why the ending to the first game was effective as It ultimately became adding yet another layer of complexity for the team at HBO to overcome and in addition to that one of the most interesting aspects of the first game I thought was the choice to have us control Sarah in the very first section and not Joel but of course this was for a good reason a massive strength the game possesses is the ability to bond us to the characters we control through through shared experience unlike on TV in this level we wake up as Sarah and feel her isolation and Dread as it becomes increasingly obvious that something serious is about to happen she's completely and utterly alone defenseless and the best part is that the game tailors the levels pacing to our individual sensibilities if you want you can raise ahead to Joel running in through the patio doors triggering the next section but if you're someone that wants to bask in the atmosphere for a little bit longer there's plenty to explore and investigate whether it be on Joe's TV the explosion outside or the missed calls on the phone in the kitchen to name but a few this is all to say that right out the gate the HBO series was tasked with overcoming a first level that profoundly bonded us to the character of Sarah and by association Joe so how do they approach this first challenge the answer quite cleverly I think right off the bat there was a conscious choice to age up Sarah from 12 to 14 years old this is a small but I think significant difference this introductory scene establishes there are not as a helpless child but as a responsible teen she knocks on Joe's door in the morning to wake him up she makes both his and her breakfast she doesn't have to be told to do her homework and even manages to point out that Joel's shirt was on inside out before he goes off to work this all pains Sarah as caring responsible and intelligent but more than that bonds us to the character immediately she's just a wonderful person and in addition to that in just two minutes we understand Joel and Sarah's relationship Sarah is Joel's Rock and while it's left as simply subtext once Sarah presents Joel with his watch fixed she says you weren't going to do it yourself and the face Jewel makes following that remark is short-lived but it's grief stricken suddenly Sarah's characterization makes sense suddenly it makes sense why she's Joel's Rock the one who takes care of things he isn't good at because she's adopted the responsibilities of her late mother she's half Joel's age but she knows him better than he knows himself and it's that aspect of our character that's revealed to us as we follow her throughout her day to not only Bond us to the character profoundly but also offers plenty of subtle hints to let us know that not all is well in this world as she goes about her day little things like the police the news broadcasts that cause concern amongst the watchmakers she sought out or even the jets flying overhead All of This lends to this sense of rising tension that is all over this introductory portion we're anticipating something big and boy do we get just that there are three pillars that Define The Last of Us for me action adventure drama and survival horror you can't deliver a great adaptation of this series without all three and I'm happy to report that this episode absolutely Nails the survival horror element of this game's adaptation making Sarah older and more self-assured meant that the approach they took with the game with Sarah exploring the house wouldn't achieve the same level of Terror this is why their neighbors become much more established characters acting as a vehicle to give the neighborhood some color establish a community and it lays the seeds for some reveals later on but of course sets up another major deviation from the main game [Music] this is all right this is scary no matter who you are and between her being chased out of the house Tommy and Joel arriving to save her or their quick getaway all of this is enhanced by the subtle Exposition offered in this episode's opening half and before we move on I just want to talk for a moment about the change in design to those that become infected and while purists might want the infected to behave exactly like they did in the games the film critic in me cannot disagree more as many of you might already know the infect in The Last of Us game spread the fungal infection slightly differently in some cases and in others very differently to how they infect people in the TV show and I think creatively there were some amazing changes implemented here some of which don't come into effect until episode 2 but I'm going to talk about it all here from a visual standpoint the biting zombie Trope has been done to death and visually we all know what to expect almost 200 episodes of The Walking Dead exist for God's sake and demonstrate the undead eating people in more ways than anyone could possibly imagine Neil druckman in fact bans the use of the word zombie from being being used in the production of the games and so it's only natural he'd be open to further divorcing his version of the undead to the more commonly seen variants grotesque tendrils reaching from the mouth of the infected like a creature exiting the host to impregnate the minds of their victims with these monstrous qualities visually this is incredibly striking disgusting and terrifying all at the same time and it's not even the best mechanical change this Series has given to the infected either nope and that I will talk about when it's revealed in the story later on and while HBO is The Last of Us often demonstrates that it's not afraid to make necessary changes I'd be lying if I said that I didn't jump out of my seat or become transfixed on my television set when certain significant moments from the game reared their heads eventually the transit scene from their home into the town is shot almost identically like the video game's depiction of events only once again they've given Sarah more to say and to be concerned about the dynamic in the car is fascinating Sarah genuinely piecing together reason after reason to be concerned about their own infected status and Joel acting very much like the Father Figure trying to dissuade any concerns and Tommy follows everything his big brother is saying despite his own personal feelings of the matter this further speaks to the relationship they have and the Unseen Journey they go on together over the next 20 years the Frantic nature of the cinematography as the trio tried to navigate their Town amidst this frenzied Panic is something else an incredibly well orchestrated if there's one thing I want to give this production credit for it's their dedication to trying to do as much as they can with practical effects the fire the infected flooding out of the theater even the car crashes that eventually separate them and despite there being a decent amount of computer-generated effects also like the newly added plane crash the chase that ensues between an infected Runner and Joel carrying his daughter is some Next Level commitment on behalf of the actor playing the runner the way he smashes through doors chairs and a host of other objects only further sells how doomed Joel and Sarah are until truth be told there are a handful of scenes I was worried for in this adaptation and this one was right up there on the list this scene might be my favorite in the entire game in terms of how it evokes such intense emotion from me and from the outset I knew that recapturing that lightning in a bottle was not only going to be difficult but even trying to do so would be more difficult than the initial shot in many ways because it's going up against such a strong performance we're all now intimately familiar with and while I can speak for everyone watching from my perspective I think they knocked it out of the park back when they shot this for the game druckman was very clear with Troy Baker that he needed to stop acting he was too focused on giving his own emotional performance instead of focusing on the sequence of emotion Joel is going through he conveyed to Baker that this needs to begin with confusion and denial and attempt to save her and then the reality setting in that she's unsavable and eventually gone the show manages to capture this perfectly right down to Sarah's animal-like whimpers as she Fades away forever Joel clutching at the single most important person in his life unable to let her go just yet and just like the game this scene it destroyed me foreign that's super dark but there's actually an interesting story surrounding this part of the first episode and while we are only halfway through originally episode 1 ended right here would you believe with the last shot being where Joel throws that kid into the fire pit this being symbolic of how his Humanity has long since been lost and how he has fundamentally changed the person since we last saw him that any hint of sentimentality or fragility has been hidden beneath years of denial trauma and resentment towards the world following his daughter's death but ultimately the decision was made to combine the first and second episode together into one and narratively I think they made the right decision and to be perfectly honest despite having sung the Praises of the first part of this episode for the entire runtime of this video so far even I have to admit that ending the premiere episode here would have been an utter disaster and ironically enough we have the network to thank for this change according to the directors Ace Espio didn't think there was a sufficient hook with this ending and furthermore back-to-back child deaths might in a way give the people who are watching for the first time the wrong impression about the show's messaging the story of The Last of Us does deal with a lot of heavy themes but the general overarching narrative sees two unlikely companions help each other on a trip across a very dangerous America on a mission and with that being the conclusion to what was then the first episode the goal hadn't been established there were no motivations established and like HBO said there was no book naturally they totally agreed and that's why they ended up adding The Original Episode 2 into the mix an episode that gives us everything that was missing and so so much more including that all-important goal let me out are you gonna hey [ __ ] [Applause] the introduction to Ellie here adds a nice new bit of texture surprisingly with the benefit of going back to the story already told the team managed to add elements from the American Dreams comic that elaborated on Marlene's relationship with Ellie and her early years two elements that I returned to later on in the series in a major way also but in addition to that it introduces the fireflies with great clarity showcasing their goals their crumbling organization and further insight into Marlene as a character the fireflies were always quite an unknown entity for much of the first game despite their importance so I think these additions actually do wonders for onboarding audiences into the world and its politics however with these additions come convergence of storylines and as a fan of the games going in I knew Robert's section being a fairly lengthy tutorial for the game's combat system would need some significant overhauls in order to be adapted effectively in the game the scanners and ruthlessness of the quarantine Zone were shown to us as a background element as you walk through the streets you see people lined up and being scanned and before they're shot dead in broad daylight it's a very Savage dystopian and immersion Driving Experience however quite evidently these artifacts of the game's atmosphere weren't used in comparable fashion for the TV show speaking on this change Mason and druckman said that violence in the game is very different from violence on a TV screen with how many enemies you mow down in a game moments like these feel less intense and work well in this context while on screen they're more real and have a very different and perhaps more extreme effect that would hit too hard for what was actually intended by taking this approach they managed to create a visual parallel with Joel holding a child's body and also convey the ruthlessness without being so in your face about it further emphasize with the public hangings later on it's all still horrifying but it's not quite as absurd as public firing squads executing in the streets while people don't bat an eye and like I alluded to earlier in this video the rest of the episode is largely entirely overhauled from how the game plays out despite using this same story beats while Tess Robert Joel and even Ellie are all introduced differently the core of the story being told is very much still there Robert is still terrified of Jolin Tess he's double crossed them and they are trying to get back what they're owed from him in addition to that they've done something I wish the games did more of and that's totally the character of Tommy into the early story section in the games Joel resorts to reaching out to Tommy when he needs help but in this retelling Tommy is in suspected trouble and Joel is trying to gather the necessary funds to reach out to him and save him and efficiently this newly crafted Recreation manages to weave in the dwindling Firefly storyline with Ellie so damn naturally also I swear as a story I prefer this version of events which I mean I should given that the TV show's specialty is storytelling I mean so much time in the game's mandatory Combat tutorial is spent with Joel trying to get some guns that Robert stole and as a player I never really cared about those guns I never cared about that mission but this has helped massively in the series by replacing those guns with a car battery a car battery that we know Joel once so he can try to help his little brother whom we are already connected with it's just so so much better and I think it's a shame that this part of the episode is likely getting slept on compared to the action-packed first half with the initial outbreak and the child murder but the sheer amount of creative heavy lifting that's been carried out here to make this section not only work narratively but to thrive and in my opinion surpass the original in some respects cannot be understated keeping folks akame on the Forefront of our minds introducing and establishing alien aspects of her past earlier than normal and of course bringing up Bill and Frank much earlier also planting seeds for the future but one of the more significant changes that didn't need to necessarily be there but was changed anyway was this explain you better explain fast three weeks old you know everyone turns within 2 days stop bullshitting it's three weeks I swear after Joel and Tess accept the job of transporting Ellie to the Capitol Building there's our first reveal as players that Ellie isn't any Ordinary Girl the emphasis on the scene is squarely on her situation this reveal and why they will be moving forward it's very much rooted in the turmoil of the world so to speak and it's also a wonderful moment to show how resourceful Ellie is as a character however the HBO version of events has a similar approach but with a very very different Focus while Ellie's resourcefulness is present and she's revealed to have been infected technically the reveal is very much a background element which on one hand makes sense as it is largely hinted to if not outright confirmed while she was tied up by the fireflies instead the focus of this scene comes through Joel as he comes face to face with his demon and general PTSD concerning the event that took place with Sarah 20 years ago there's a wonderful shot that mirrors his tragic past moments before the Soldier's trigger is pulled Joel pulls his trigger and unloads a series of Savage and brutal attacks of end less clubbing blows to the Federal Officer and what I found to be the most interesting about this wasn't necessarily Joel's actions but in fact what's happening in the background Ellie's reaction there's a contrast here with Joel and his past self obviously the camera switches between those two moments to draw attention to that fact exactly but there's I think a more profound comparison being made that wasn't apparent in the game and that is between Ellie and Sarah there are two moments from the beginning of this episode I'd like to draw your attention to the first being Sarah's inspection of a particular knife in Joel's drawer putting it back before going about her day and the second being her reaction to Joel killing the old infected neighbor as she chases Sarah out of her house these are seemingly two innocuous scenes that might not have anything to do with each other until you realize that another significant difference between this shot of Joel and this shot of Joel is that he isn't holding any injured person and why you might be asking well Ellie kept her knife with her and what's more is unlike Sarah who could deal with the brutality Joel administered on his neighbor for her own good Ellie not only can deal with it but examines the actions almost as if she admires his ability the contrast being made here between Joel and his passive is great but I think there's a more fascinating contrast being made between Ellie and Sarah here that I think people need to talk about but I think for episode 1 this is a good place to launch from and with the sounds of clickers echoing in the distance as the camera pulls up towards the famous Fallen Towers we come to the close of an utterly fantastic first episode and the best part is it's not even the best episode not even close much the same as the last episode this one opens with a flashback this time to outbreak day in Jakarta Indonesia in the first episode Joel Tommy and Sarah were discussing where Jakarta might have been and this cold open flashback concerned itself with the very event that report on the radio was covering and I think my favorite aspect of this short opening comes from how it elevates the material in episode 1 retroactively very quickly it's established that the source of the outbreak comes from a flower and grain Factory on its own it's a rather innocuous Revelation however when you look back at episode 1 you come to realize just how close Joel and Sarah came to becoming infected from the very food that they would normally consume Sarah wakes up and complains that there's no flour for the pancakes close call number one nobody ate the neighbor's biscuits when they were initially offered that's close call number two Sarah avoids the raisin cookies after school close call number three and Joel forgets to get the birthday cake on his way back from work close call number four all of these near misses could have easily led to their infection and explains exactly why the neighbors and so much more of the surrounding population got infected when few others didn't it's a brilliant Revelation in my opinion and one that sits in the background until almost outright confirmation and this is the first episode directed by Neil druckman himself the original director and writer of the game itself I think with the sheer number of impressive Easter eggs and one-to-one game moments in this episode you could probably guess without even looking it up but the transition from game director to live action director wasn't quite so simple despite directing actors prior on a mocap stage druckman mentioned that directing a film or episode of Live Action television required a very different approach than that which he was used to with video games specifically with regards to the type of planning required with video game motion capture while it's still important to get a good performance you don't have to think about anything else necessarily nine times out of ten the 3D capture data is there so aspects like camera angles my nude expressions precise movements and lighting can be decided upon at a much later date if need be even if the actors aren't there themselves with live action however drachmann had to be very conscious that what you get on camera barring any VFX work is final and that was an interesting new challenge for him overall I think the episode itself has really solid Direction particularly when you take into consideration that he's a first timer in this field and while I wouldn't say it's as polished as episode 1 and some of that shaky cam is still looking a little bit too amateur it does have some fantastic visual storytelling and framing in the first scene once we return to the present day the scene in question concerns Ellie waking up to two disgruntled and scared smugglers in Joel and Tess and really this is a pivotal moment in the greater story as it's the first time Ellie's immunity is explored in a meaningful fashion but it's the framing of this interaction between the two parties that I want to draw attention to here personally in the games between Tess and Joel Tess is the one to First latch onto hope and trust in Ellie's Revelation and beguing Joel acquiesces to her conviction in this child and the TV show is the exact same but presents this I think in a much more interesting way the scene itself starts with Ellie sitting eating her sandwich on a bed of green growing in a pool of light while Joel and Tess still scared of what Ellie could be remain off to the side in the shadows with their guards still up it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the light in this scene represents hope for the future and the Darkness is the pessimistic reality they all share right now bringing characters together into the same frame or even closer together visually is a great tool to convey what a director or writer wants you to feel in a given scene take that famous panning shot from Goodwill Hunting For example it's one of my favorites the scene concerns Sean Will's therapist played by Robin Williams delivering an uninterrupted five-minute monologue where he tries to reach the troubled young man of Will Hunting played by Matthew Damon the performance here is fantastic but it's the framing I want you to take notice of as Sean is speaking too will the camera remains fixed on Sean however as he continues to speak slowly the camera pans until will is now sharing the screen with Sean narratively the text is implying that Sean is reaching well but visually also it's clear that these two are now on the same page as they share the same screen space as a similar approach in principle takes place here in this scene with LA test and Joel respectively when the conversation or rather negotiation begins Ellie is firmly on one side fighting her Corner trying to convince the other two pictures on the opposite side of the screen shrouded in darkness that she needs to get to the Capitol Building because she is the real deal however as the conversation continues Tess slowly emerges from the Shadows visually moving closer to the hopeful light that Ellie represents but Joel someone who has long since lost all hope refuses to budge Resolute in his pessimism both sides argue with Tess who's now standing in the middle of this argument Ellie wants to March forward Joel wants to cut their losses and go back and just like the games Tess chooses hope and just about manages to convince Joel to see this through to at least the Capitol building it's a simple scene with a simple objective but I just love the visual idea behind this back and forth the way it's shot performed and lit it all screams attention to detail with a Clear Vision of what this scene represents you can find this thoughtful staging all across the episode 2 by the way as they walk across the highway Joel hangs back and is completely detached from Tess and Ellie's conversation the awkward face-to-face chat between Ellie and Joel is Tess is busy unblocking a door there's a real emphasis on characterizing everyone through their placement within a given scene and that's not to mention all the Care and framing that so authentically to the game itself [Music] there are some noteworthy deviations from The Source material in this episode however most obviously the lack of spores in the game spores are a threat but the show does away with this in favor of a brand new mechanic the fungus can communicate over long distances through these fungal root systems Stefan tendrils in one area and miles away a horde may hear you and come frantically searching for you it's gross it's scary and it adds another wonderful layer to the possible interactions in this story that the spores otherwise could provide Craig Mason mentioned this change came about due to concerns that while spores might be a cool idea for a game in the real world spores don't really operate like that they don't stay in one place like they do in the games and so he didn't think it would sell well for television and hilariously drockman once he heard the pitch about the long-range fungal communication he got all sorts of mad because he even admitted it would have been such a great idea that could have worked super well as a game mechanic and while we're on the topic of spores and their ultimate removal here this is just my take but I would have imagined having to deal with gas masks would have been a very annoying part of production not just for audio but also for being able to capture powerful expressions in terrifying situations as a creative Choice I'm honestly satisfied that spores don't play a role and are instead replaced by a much more engaging narrative mechanic in the root systems foreign so this segment is the part that really defines this episode when people think about episode 2 they think clickers as they should they are my favorite enemy to fight in the series Bar None and what's interesting about their inclusion here is that it reveals the first major series of changes to the timeline of events in the series in this episode the show speeds through a lot of gameplay you don't go through the tall high-rise building or travel through the subway station they do however acknowledge the high-rise collapse in front of them where Tess refers to it as the weird [ __ ] dead way but outside of that a lot of what was once gameplay has been cut meaning our first encounter with clickers has been moved to the museum section and ban is this everything I wanted and more from the clickers in this series the way this scene captures The Dread and Terror of the clickers is nothing short of perfection everything from the Practical effects used to bring them to life to the actors convincing movements to the out of focus introduction to our screens druckman honestly outdid himself with this one there's a brilliant sequence where Joel desperately tries to reload in silence to avoid detection while also dodging glass shards on the ground these are all mechanics from the game series and these are far from all the callbacks Made In This Very episode alone this is honestly The Last of Us at the peak of its horror for now and all I can do is just gush the part where Joel and Ellie desperately try to creep around the display cabinet is so familiar from all our playthroughs and not to mention the clicker diving onto Joel is framed identically to that found in the game also and before I move on with so much gameplay having been cut out and mechanics like spores omitted entirely Ellie getting bitten in this scene suddenly became essential in the games Joel is convinced of the legitimacy of Ellie's immunity by her being able to breathe in the spores without getting infected and so naturally in the TV show with her being bitten this acted as a natural and easy way to remedy that small hole that needed filling similarly to the museum and all the levels that changed prior the capital building sequence is largely overhauled too while the conversation that reveals Tess is infected is largely similar the vibe is quite different in in the Companion podcast that was released alongside each episode's airing Troy Baker noted that he loved the little Flinch Pedro Pascal did towards anatore as she stepped towards him during that very reveal further adding that he was annoyed he didn't do it himself druckman and Mason also go on to mention that these magical moments are actually the reason why they intend for their actors not to look at the games prior to playing the characters themselves as they don't want them to Simply copy the original performances but to instead make it their own and while I do plan on talking about her closer to the end of this video I will say that Pedro Pascal's Joel is noticeably different to the game's version both in a good and potentially bad way that I will be touching on later in addition to those minor changes there are other more substantial ones to touch on fedra no longer infiltrates the building to kill Tess what makes the last of us a great game is that each level in sequence is designed with the gameplay in mind this scene is no different with Tessa's sacrifice transitioning smoothly into the gameplay as Joel and Ellie need to find their way out of fedger's control area however the challenge presented to this episode is that unlike the game which could continue the narrative into more gameplay this needs to be the final scene to cap off the episode in a satisfying fashion and naturally significant changes were made like nixing the federal Squad entirely in favor of antagonizing the massive horde we saw earlier to rush the capital through those very root systems Mason did also mention that he didn't believe the original sequence made much sense with Phedra he said why would they be so far out of the qz I'm personally I don't know if that's necessarily a fair criticism given the implication in the original was that fedra were actively trying to take out the fireflies but I do think this change works a lot better for the conclusion of this episode and when The Horde breaches the building Tess freezes up and backs into a corner most of them ignoring her implying that she's already part of them to an extent and I thought that was a beautiful touch and man that kiss the kiss is horrifying taking something so beautiful in a normal situation and corrupting it by placing it in a horrifying context is honestly pretty genius druckman spoke about this idea being that the fungus just wants to spread and it's not always violent though to me what makes this scene so genius is that it is still violent but in a very different way it's horribly invasive and watching Tess struggle to fight the corruption almost giving up only to finally muster the last strength to light the lighter it's an incredible moment and once again in the Companion podcast Mason mentions that the idea behind this event with respect to Joy and Ellie was that Joel looks at Ellie now as the one at Falls for what has just happened and has no real interest in whether she comes along at this point or not all the while as we soon find out Ellie blames Joel also I live in this world you live in a psycho bunker where 911 was an inside job and and the government are all Nazis the government are all Nazis one aspect afforded by The Last of Us transitioned to TV is the ability to change perspectives in the game you're always seeing events from the perspective of a player's character and that's largely in service of the immersion factor of the game it may not be your story but there's a sense of at least wanting to ground you within the character's perspective while we've seen aspects of diverging from this in the previous episodes like Marlene's Firefly base or test being interrogated by Robert this marks the first complete shift of the series it casts aside an entire section of the game in favor of a unique story and challenges fans in ways the prior episodes did not and yet what's so fascinating to me is that in spite of that this episode is one of if not the best written episodes of the entire Series in spite of this being the most pervasive opinion of the episode there have been an unfortunate number of people who didn't see it that way they don't see the Thematic importance of the episode as an analog of Ellie and Joel's story one that informs actions going forward and produces a fundamental change in Joel's character and while there are certainly many valid reasons one might criticize the contents of this episode 4 there is one angle that just didn't sit right with me the entire episode has no zombies no real threat and it is about two gay dudes who meet and have a relationship in which one grows strawberries for the other and then they die given the nature of my job I don't get to say this all too often but Ben's reading and criticism of the episode here is objectively wrong and I'm being incredibly charitable by limiting my criticism of his analysis to just that but look I'll address these criticisms later this story isn't about Ben and this story has so much more to offer that for one reason or another has flown under the radar for some folks and so you may consider this section of the video for those that did not enjoy this episode maybe I can help change your mind maybe I can't but either way I hope you look at this with an open mind contrary to what Ben has asserted this episode isn't about quote two gay dudes in fact while 45 minutes of the runtime does contend with the lives of Bill and Frank 30 minutes of the episode deals specifically with Joel and Ellie and while those scenes with Joel and Ellie specifically lend necessary exposition to the world and explore their characters more it's what those 45 minutes with Bill and Frank offer to the main NGO that elevates this episode from just another flashback to one of the most impressive episodes of the Season some viewers might describe the last of us as a story about people during the apocalypse and while that's of course not incorrect it goes a hell of a lot deeper than that it's a story that concerns itself with people struggling to hold on to their Humanity in a world that forces them to be inhumane and additionally it's a story about choices that's what the last of us is all about and this episode is the perfect distillation of that very message I mentioned earlier in this video that The Last of Us is my single favorite game of all time I've played it to completion at least 10 times over at this stage and to be honest Bill's section with its more high contrast visuals quirky traps and terrifying enemy Revelations consistently held the top spot as my favorite section to play through and that's the problem here it was my favorite section to play through it is wall-to-wall gameplay with short expository sections and comedy leaning cutscenes that for brief moments revealed some tenderness and so going in I knew that there would have to be changes to make this work but I had expected it to be a fairly conventional episode with an action set piece at the school and maybe some flashbacks here and there to flesh out the relationship Bill had with his partner Frank who's really just a footnote in the game prior to discovering his corpse and note towards the end of that section and really never in a million years did I expect the show to have taken that footnote of a plot Point flipped it on its head and extrapolated it into an episode that not only works in isolation but manages to do more for Joel and Ellie than the game did in this section nobody made you go along with this plan you needed a truck battery or whatever and you made a choice so don't blame me for something that isn't my fault scene after seeing this episode continues to work in service of its main Jewel and it is so wonderfully handled towards the beginning of this episode Ellie is the one who opens up and takes the initiative to ease the tensions between herself and Joel following the Fallout of the prior episode the level of maturity she demonstrates here is one clearly forced from lived experience and one that exposes the hulls in Joel's facade here and despite begrudgingly accepting these extensions to his quest in delivering Ellie to Bill it's clear from this point on he slowly starts to share more of himself with her and in addition to that fills her in on the horrors outbreak they had on the small towns in remote regions this naturally transitions into the main meat of the episode then that acts as a metaphor an analog to the main story at hand one that explains in Greater detail the sort of person Joel has become while also Illuminating that there's still hope for him if the right person can come along to reignite his will to live and not simply just survive as soon as Bill pops onto our screens we get to enjoy the overtlyness and survival Madness he's associated with in the games quite quickly we see him setting the foundations of what will eventually become his insulated world of self-sufficiency placed against uncharacteristically upbeat rock music this Montage does wonders for characterizing Bill in an instant thereby allowing the plot to search forward into its introduction of the episode's other key player Frank in the game our sole encounter with Frank is with his corpse sometime after he's decided to end his own life he's a pair of dangling legs and a suicide note that reveals a deeply troubled relationship with Bill to the point where he claimed he never even liked him in the first place it's an upsetting moment that clearly has its own thematic through line but it's very much an easily missed background detail instead the show takes this idea of a couple in an isolated town in the apocalypse and reworks it into a love story one that explores what it means to give yourself over to another person to listen to do things on your own terms and in many ways to find your true self emerge out of the ashes of the Apocalypse bill is deeply repressed and closed off and that's seen visually in the way he conducts himself whether it be his awkwardly hunched posture or the way he can barely relax or sit down smoothly thanks to the gun holster to his thigh Frank stands in complete opposition to that he's very open and relaxed around Bill and seems to truly understand him from the get-go this is you just from looking through the sheet music on the piano Frank has a real sense of who bill is and I just love this slow Rising romantic tension between the two as Bill's nature is slowly pulled out of him by this newfound stranger It ultimately Peaks when Bill sits down at the piano and that stiffness we've seen entirely dissipates that tough rugged bordering unmasculine parody of a man slips away and instead what emerges is a man singing his truth its delicate beautiful and with all the Finesse in the world you can almost feel the exhale of relief in the silence as he finishes that song and the reveal that Frank already sussed out Bill's sexuality before they kissed is just breathtakingly beautiful and from that blossoming point the two characters just fall in love Bill having met the one person capable of breaking through his mental barriers accepting him and loving him for the person he is but Bill is still bill at the end of the day he's a Survivor a protector and now he has someone he needs to fight for to protect and he does exceptionally well in in that role but as Frank points out that isn't enough in this story Frank represents life and Humanity providing an answer to why we survive why we continue to fight on in the face of certain destruction and chaos and this philosophy is seen not just in how he acts as the perfect Catalyst for Bill to open up to but also acts as the means with which he meets Joel and Tess two people who provide bill with what he needs to continue to protect and survive along with his partner Frank it's clear that without people like Joel and Bill in this world we have no chance of survival but this scene also points out that without those like Frank and Ellie we lose our reason to keep fighting with the most obvious instance of that coming by way of Frank selling one of Bill's guns to get a luxury item strawberry seeds and following the shock of such a frivolous trade Bill Giggles with joy once he tries one of the berries once again letting his tough guy guard down frame moment to just enjoy life and that's who Frank is he is life and as soon as Frank starts to fade away because Bill can now see the value in this upkeep of the town he starts to take over Frank's duties with their final dinner acting as one of the many moments where this very element of the story is laid to bear I'm old I'm satisfied and you were my purpose and fittingly this final dinner mirrors their very first in many ways everything from where Frank sits to how Bill serves him his food down to the finest detail but there are key differences this time around there's no more guard up no more sitting at opposite ends of the table no more measured dialogue no gun strapped to his thigh any longer Frank was his purpose and now he has nothing left to fight for nothing left to protect nothing left to guard he makes the choice to go out on his own terms leaving behind what was a wonderful life with his entire world Frank held close in his arms it's a beautiful scene and one that so powerfully Echoes the tagline of the show when you're lost in the darkness look for the light Frank and Bill found the light in each other and what a privilege it is to be able to extinguish that on their own terms in a world just so ready to tear away that from them quote this isn't the tragic suicide at the end of the play it's so perfectly Bittersweet and has rightfully become one of the most talked about moments of the show but for me it's what follows this phenomenal scene that cut right down to my core I'm guessing you found this Joel because anyone else would have been electrocuted or blown up by one of my traps back in the present Joel is confronted by the words of his late counterpart in that letter and he's forced to contend with his own personal failures his own shortcomings and what he needs to do to set things right it results in a powerful moment of Silent Agony as Joel steps outside to take in what he's just hurt and for the first time in this story without being forced to without being asked to Joel volunteers to take Ellie the next step of the way on his own accord he will not fail again and that is the single biggest piece of character development he's seen since the outbreak in episode one Ellie is Joel's why and you found purpose she's the reason he has to live now and soon she will become a vehicle that will deliver Joel his long-lost Humanity Frank is Ellie in this story made clear by the fact that she takes Frank's very gun from the cabinet that he used to protect bill when the Raiders attacked his town it's this powerful parallel and development on top of what already works as an incredible Standalone story that makes criticisms like Shapiro so mind boggling and incorrect this isn't filler you cannot take this out without losing anything I cannot fathom walking away from this episode with this impression and to be blunt for those that do it reeks of a severe lack of media literacy this episode is pivotal and while I adore the counterpart in the game from a gameplay perspective what this episode offers from a storytelling perspective against its game counterpart is night and day as scripts in this story go there are few that stand up to the Brilliance of this one it is so well conceived so well thought out and so stunningly acted by Bella Pedro Nick and Murray this episode it not only gave us a fantastic love story but offered us our very own light to look for in the Darkness why are all these Pages stuck together uh I'm just [ __ ] with you pacing is an essential part of Storytelling particularly long-form storytelling like a TV show not just in terms of keeping the plot moving for the sake of your audience's entertainment but also managing the tension levels of the episode experience itself it's important to be able to take a breath and decompress or that constant level of intensity starts to fatigue or at worst becomes muted or boring that deep breath of relief is precisely what this episode functions as and it's an episode I had a real change of heart about between my weekly viewing and my binge viewing to be clear I enjoyed this episode both times around but when watching week to week I did find it to be strangely lacking in Impact compared to the prior episodes and yet when watched back to back with those prior episodes the fact that it's a very low key and character-driven piece is nothing but a plus if not necessary those first three episodes were exhausting Sarah's death Tess's death and of course Bill and Frank's emotional gut punch of a suicide are tiring enough let alone when you consider the sheer weight of the outbreak the Clickers set piece and Joel's reaction to Bill's letter in only three episodes there's a real sense of an exhausting Journey starting to form and so to be able to just slightly exhale and explore Joel and Ellie's characters is great and I'm glad this episode exists in the form that it does there are a huge number of changes from the corresponding section of the game here and they begin right from the get-go following the acquisition of the truck in the game there's a very brief conversation with Bill where he gives you a gas life and shoe before the game jumps you right into the cassette tape moment and sticky Pages gag for a split second of respite before speeding ahead into the inner city section of action it works given how Bill's Town plays out in the game but given the TV show just produced one of the most tragic moments in all of Television additional breathing room was 100 required to smooth this transition over and as a result this episode begins with Ellie alone in a run-down bathroom examining her newly acquired pistol with her trademark curiosity pouring over the weapon with somewhat discomforting Intrigue in the same way she did with the trapped infected in the previous episode or the way she looked on at Joel's violence in episode one it's uncomfortable but it's not Sinister this is a girl who wants to be a Survivor to avoid repeating what she considered mistakes in the past and to become an asset to Joel in the present rather than just cargo as he so called her earlier it's this build up to Ellie's self-sufficiency and Independence that results in the winter section of the story working so well and why her place as the ultimate asset in the ending of the story and a particular choice made there is so divisive it's a small addition but one that serves a multitude of purposes when looked at in conjunction with other small additions and in the grand scheme of the story the show then returns to Great faithful Renditions of the game following this with Joel siphoning gas from nearby cars a fun nod to build his gift in the game and of course Ellie pulls out her joke book an aspect of the game that exists exclusively through dialogue delivered during gameplay as I mentioned earlier to Simply Stitch cutscenes together would remove so much of what makes the last of us so special to me it's these little moments that add a lot of not only Ellie's characterization but also her bond with Joel and why this adaptation is utterly fantastic just navigating through the world and listening to Ellie and Joel interact does so much of the heavy lifting and it's clear that Mason and Rockman understand this following the iconic sticky Pages moment the show takes a literal turn off road and invents a sequence of the pair camping in the woods it's a scene that entirely exists to recreate those aforementioned feelings captured through gameplay we learn of Joel's love of coffee for example something that likewise exclusively existed through gameplay But ultimately what this scene does here is begin to break down the barriers between Joe and Ellie it works on three levels for Joel he's a teacher a father and a guardian he explains the dangers of lighting a fire as it would alert not the infected but people in danger of this world that Ellie had considered the extent of and of course foreshadows the subject matter of not just this episode but the next he finishes her scarecrow joke and finally cracks a smile the one moment he finally lets his guard down across these first few episodes but I think the most critical scene here is the guardian element Ellie shows her first instance of legitimate vulnerability a simple question about whether anyone will find them in the woods and while Joel pretends to be asleep incapable at this point of truly playing an uninhibited Father Figure he stays up all night guarding her it's such a simple addition that told us only five minutes of screen time but it's so vital in unpacking this complex relationship that's beginning to form here and as they jump back into the car and head forwards the show Once Again finds itself on the rails of faithfulness to the game with a slight twist while the game sees them heading to Pittsburgh the show swaps this to Kansas City for the sake of realism as far as travel time and location goes but also because they felt the shooting location in Calgary looked absolutely nothing like Pittsburgh and it's that concern for realism that sees the famous ambushine play out slightly differently too while the game has them rammed by a huge truck crashing spectacularly and then single-handedly mowing down 10 enemies the show opts for tire spikes and a brick dropped on a windshield with the number of enemies reduced to just three it's the first stage in a severe overhaul to the game there's a huge chunk of gameplay removed here with many moments shifted around in Aid of pacing thematic competence and suitability for a TV series for pacing and TV series suitability Joel and Ellie no longer make their way through a large stretch of the city evading Bandits becoming separated and exploring the hotel the latter having been moved to episode 2. however it's the Thematic competence that I find the most interesting here Joel is caught by surprise in both the game and TV show and Ellie saves him but the way these scenes play out couldn't be more different and not just because of where they take place Ellie executes the guy with a surprise gunshot to the forehead in the game while the TV series sees her slowly build to making the decision to shoot the enemy and it's not a kill that is such a fantastic change that serves the story so well for a number of reasons as I've mentioned Basin has been very vocal about how violence is perceived in live action versus a game and I think that is arguably the most true here a child murdering a man is a major event no matter what you're watching and yet the game sees Ellie react like this I shut the hell out of that guy huh that doesn't exactly convey the type of trauma one would experience for that to actually happen and I would argue that Ellie making the kill here in live action would severely undermine the impact of her first legitimate murder found in the winter section of the show instead we see hesitation horror and a terrifying realization of the impact of her violence as the shot only maims rather than kills Bella Ramsay's performance as Ellie listens to Joel finishing the job is fantastic you can see the trauma that's forming she's hyperventilating there's a blank look in her eyes it's all so masterfully done and to me completely obliterates the game's version of events here and it is yet another terrific example of the showrunner's Mantra of if we change something it has to be better and man this is certainly better there have I satisfied the necessary conditions for you to talk for lack of a better term one of the most gamey parts of The Last of Us was its Pittsburgh section the bandits who commandeer Federal vehicles and weapons are a faceless enemy and the armored truck they have is merely a constant presence designed to drive the player through to the next story beat anything that occurred in this city prior to the pair's arrival is left in the background and that just wasn't ever going to work in a TV setting without feeling undercooked and so instead the show gives these Bandits an identity by creating a brand new subplot led by an original character by the name of Kathleen she leaves these Bandits with her second in command Perry Someone fans from the games might recognize as Tommy's voice actor Kathy's brother was murdered by Federer which led to the Insurrection that took place and she's after Henry and Sam for giving him up two very important characters for the next episode it's a very simple addition to the story and one that I think is far better explored in episode 5. but I appreciate the way it weaves connective tissue between these three parties involved here despite only having around seven minutes of screen screen time in the 45 minute episode it results in everyone having a clear motivation and so the pieces now move into place in a way that feels much more organic than its video game counterpart would have and while I'm not sure it's quite so easy to understand how Kathleen ended up in this position without the context provided in episode 5. ultimately the episode is very much about Joel and Ellie it's a character piece more than anything and far more important than I first gave it credit for and I'm not sure spending extra time on Kathleen in this episode would have best served its intentions oh wow yeah following Ellie's saving Joel there's a wonderful scene that shows Joel incapable of knowing how to comfort Ellie properly something I think contrasts very well against the aftermath of the David episode it shows him finally giving her some responsibility with a weapon and taking on the teacher role once again and of course the episode ends with Joel finally letting his guard down and laughing at her jokes but not before ensuring the room is safe teacher father Guardian this episode is the turning point for the pair and the perfect breather and relief from the sheer emotional gut punches that preceded it but it is not without its own shocking moment as the painted face of a young boy stares down with his gun pointed right at Joel thank you the title of each episode holds significance within each story that speaks not only to something specific in the world of the last of us but additionally tells us something about the emotional or thematic significance each episode serves to satisfy episode ones when you're lost in the darkness points quite obviously to the first half of the famous fireflies quote literally everywhere all over that episode but and more importantly illuminates for us the darkness Joel currently has lost himself within having lost his daughter that episode also episode 2's infected naturally speaks to the event where in test dies but additionally works as a metaphor for Hope Joel and Tess have spent years perhaps decades without hope and that's how they've survived but now Ellie has stumbled into their lives and infected it with hope and finally episode 3's long long time title points again quite obviously towards the Linda Ronstadt track but also thanks to the storytelling within the episode acts as The Motif for the bond between both Joel and Ellie and not just bill and Frank it's the theme of unity in that episode and so keeping that in mind mind I'd like to look at this episode at least partially through the lens of its title endure and survive and the Canon event or quote this endure and survive title stems from is a phrase from a comic book enjoyed by both Ellie and Sam once the two groups eventually converge speaking of which within this episode we follow three separate groups of Interest Joel and Ellie Henry and Sam and finally a new original character in Kathleen alongside her forces when we first beat Henry and Sam they're hiding like rats in this dreary attic stabbing themselves in an attempt to get away from the vengeful Kathleen who unbeknownst to them will soon be hunting Joel and Ellie following their abrupt and impactful arrival this I thought was an effective way of bonding us to Henry and Sam from the outset aligning them with Joel and Ellie the main characters against a common evil in Kathleen all the while we get to relive some of the key moments from their arrival in Kansas City Through The Eyes of Henry himself Henry and his younger brother Sam were two of my favorite supporting characters Joel and Ellie met along their way to Seattle in the first game and truth be told I prefer this iteration of them in live action and that is something I never anticipated to say however I think it is thanks partially to some key changes that the scriptwriters have made to them with the largest of those changes coming by way of Sam's New Age what was once a 13 year old boy in the games has now been aged down to an eight-year-old boy with one additional added complication Sam is now deaf and as a result these changes completely alter the dynamic between his brother every other character he engages with and even the environment itself that he has to try and navigate there are sequences where Henry reacts to a noise only for Sam to react to Henry's reaction whether that be the crash outside or glass he steps on and with monsters that rely on sound to see in this world Sam is entirely reliant on his loving older brother which means to Sam Henry is his entire world and their Dynamic reflects that not just in the lengths Henry will go to to protect and provide for his younger brother but additionally in how Sam views his older brother as mentioned earlier endure and survive is a phrase uttered in salmonelli's favorite comic book much like in the very comic book referenced Heroes both real and imaginary serve a prominent role in this episode the most obvious reference to this is seen early on when Henry paints a red mask on his younger brother's face to help him find the courage to come out of hiding but more easily missed are some creative camera tricks to give Henry that same effect like I said Henry is Sam's hero and the director wants us to not only feel and understand that from a script writing perspective but also from a visual perspective and with shots like this where a storefront's reflection creates for Henry his very own mask I don't know what more you could ask for in terms of visual storytelling here we don't want to hurt you we want to help you okay the greater episode itself is a real love letter to the game and I'm actually really surprised this section was kept largely the same albeit with locations shifted around one difference I didn't take much notice of until I began my analysis was that of Joel and Henry's coming together in the games Henry blindsides you as you're climbing in through a window fleeing from a faceless fedra and largely the result the live-action version comes to is the same or so I thought Henry and Sam do get the jump on Joe and Ellie and quickly see them as allies that they can work with to get out of the city but the way with which they are jumped has a very different source and power Dynamic at play one that speaks the fear and motivation of Joel later on in the story unlike the game Joel isn't fleeing from anything he's not in some room he hasn't inspected and unlike the game this Advantage Henry and Sam were able to get on Joel wasn't a blind side it instead came about because of Joel's own personal shortcomings he's deaf in one ear and unlike Sam he has no one he can rely on this isn't drawn attention to in the episode but it's specifically speaks to a certain scene in the next and it's one that directly ties to the hero motif of this episode too in this instance Joel has failed Ellie this surprise attack could have resulted in his or her own death had it been literally anyone else in the city looking for them and this isn't the only instance Joel feels less than in this episode either Joel didn't have a plan to get out of the city and once he starts following Henry's plan running into a building he's visibly exhausted feeling his age and as they get down to the maintenance tunnels he fails to see the utility in allowing Sam and Ellie the time they need to unwind and gather themselves suddenly the father teacher Guardian standard he wants to uphold starts to feel like a hopeful delusion however with those changes to Joel's Outlook in this section the scenery is kept remarkably faithful to the original game albeit with locations like I mentioned shifted around seeing druckman and Mason actually maintaining the story of ish and keeping the kids portraits off him on the wall was a wonderful touch it's such an easily missed part of the game if you were to ignore those notes and I'm so glad that they were in included however it's the change in dialogue during this sequence that really made me fall in love with this version of Henry over that which I'm used to in the game while he's still trying to do everything for his brother there's an element to him that's far more complicated being Sam's only remaining Guardian he reveals that in an effort to save his life he handed over the leader of the resistance and Kathleen's brother leading to the man's death this reveal naturally grants Kathleen a much more humanized presence in the story however it's how Henry Sam's hero described himself during this conversation with Joel that I really took note of yeah so still think they should take it easy on me am I the bad guy this reveal naturally grants Kathleen a much more humanized presence in the story however it's how Henry Sam's hero describes himself during this conversation that I thought was quite telling Henry is torn apart by what he's done and sees himself Unworthy of pity and moral consideration from Joel he doesn't see himself as a hero but a quote bad guy and if I don't say it now Lamar Johnson as Henry steals this episode hand over fist this performance is breathtakingly sincere and subtle and I'd love to see this man in more shows and films but back on topic this feeling of not being worthy being less than that both Joel and Henry are feeling at this moment once again speaks to the philosophy of both the comic and this episode's namesake endure and survive that's all they can do welcome where they are we're almost there [ __ ] Kathleen is an interesting character in these episodes her presence has some great qualities for certain unfortunately those qualities don't have anything to do with her character writing with that said she did offer a lot in the way of thematic and structural significance to the story at hand to at least justify her existence unlike the other two groups in this episode each has at least one hero to follow Kathleen has lost her older brother the leader of the resistance and her hero and while she is now the leader of the resistance it's her irresponsible actions which leads to their ultimate downfall this is emphasized further with Kathleen's fate had she simply endured and survived or Familia loss she would have never doomed her City every poor decision she makes is driven by an unwavering Lust For Revenge ignoring the basement mindlessly hunting Henry and with all that we know that lies on the horizon for this very story it's impossible not to see the groundwork being laid here for future episodes and Seasons quote is the world worth one kid as a small footnote out I will say that I thought Kathleen's character was portrayed much better in this episode than the last I don't think she was necessarily an issue in the last episode but I think she was perhaps better directed in giving a performance that really sold the whole cam but ruthless Vibe here in this one but on the whole though I don't think her subplot was all that well executed it does serve the plot well and that it unifies the characters against a singular threat but it's not all that compelling on its own and while not receiving much in the way of screen time in the last episode this one remedies that right away however outside of that I can say I enjoyed how Kathleen was characterized nor how inconsequential she ultimately felt thankfully she wasn't replacing anything meaningful in terms of story so there's nothing from the original that's ruined here so to speak it's just not elevated in the same level that drachmann and Mason have managed to do in other areas with their fresh material and that's all to say that taking a dense section of gameplay where the only antagonistic force is a truck and turning it into a character with a core motivation is still a net positive but it's a very loose motivation and ultimately I think that character still ends up feeling like an armored truck a plot device to unite characters and move them from one place to the next I got a gush for a second but the sniper sequence being kept almost one to one genuinely made me leap out of my chair in excitement it's one thing keeping the tunnel settlement the same but I couldn't believe they kept the sniper section and played it almost identically through I mean this thing is one of the most gamey segments of the last of us and here it is almost untouched the layout of the area the way the events play out it's all authentic naturally the show does take some creative Liberties here and there by dining it up to 11 and presenting us with the largest threat of infected since episode two I mean that thing is like something straight out of World War Z and combining it with this resistance confrontation only enhances the action climax for me oh introducing the bloater to the series here is new as it was first introduced in the game long ago during the build section towards its latter stages its rendition is super faithful albeit missing the Spore element for reasons we've already discussed the hybrid of CGI and practical effects used to bring this scene to life from the costumes to the extras to the sets themselves it's all just so perfectly done despite not being from the game itself this Rush of infected coupled with the strong presence of the bloater here really stand out to me as the defining action set piece of the season with regards to the infected at the very least it's just so much fun with one of the coolest details I noticed being Perry's death looking awfully familiar now why is that well maybe it's because it's straight out of the game apparently Mason and druckman owned an odd about including the bloater here at all which is interesting to me but did eventually decide to include it and portray it as this unkillable Beast to contrast it against the video game Boss Vibes it gave off in the first game in addition to that on the design front the child clicker was designed by one of the the original games clicker designers which has nothing to do with the story but was a neat detail I thought might be interesting to share with all of that praise aside however I do have a few criticisms I'd like to give voice to The Surge of swarming infected is one of the most exciting and cinematic scenes in this series and I have a couple of issues with it the scene where the truck drives through the building and sinks into the ground thus releasing the horde of clickers Runners stalkers and one big fat bloater while awesome feels incredibly convenient to me and it didn't need to be that the odds of there being a weak point right beneath that building that they happen to crash into that wasn't alluded to before just rubs me the wrong way simply because the video game did it better and the TV show had already laid the groundwork necessary to recreate it even better than the game did in the game you in control of Joel need to cover Ellie salmon Henry as they avoid fedra and eventually because of the noise caused by Federer and you with the sniper the swarm of infected that rushed the scene naturally as I pointed out prior I'm not against TV shows changing things sometimes they're necessary and thus far more often than not they add a ton to the story being told but I don't think they needed to change as much as they ultimately did here in this episode with episode 2 having established the fungal root systems this would have literally been the perfect time to use that mechanic again we've seen the sinkhole in the city from the episode prior and we've got an irresponsible leader willing to tear down anything in our way to get what she wants why not have her carelessly rip through tendrils thus alerting the sinkhole full of infected to Surge more causing it to erupt that's just one way to use it and perhaps there are infinitely better ways but my point is that outside of just episode 2 this fascinating new mechanic isn't used once and that's such a wasted opportunity to me particularly when this felt a little contrived in spite of the underground infected being set up previously unfortunately this serves as the last major infected set piece of the season for me the last of us has three pillars Joel Ellie and The Infected they're one of the most iconic parts of the game when you think of The Last of Us you think of the bond between jolly and you think of the horrors of the infected and while I don't think this threat needs to be in every episode as the last thing you want is to reduce their impact I do think their presence falling into the background at this Midway Point hurts one key pillar of this series and more critically subdues the importance of Ellie's existence though I'll touch on this a little more later in episode 8 analysis oh in the game salmonella's relationship is friendly and almost flirtatious with how Sam tries to play a cool around her and even pretends to be the same age as Ellie in the show however their bond is akin to something siblings would have it's all based on a sense of joy and camaraderie and Ellie feels a real desire to protect him this all comes to a head when Sam confides in La that he's bit and she desperately and perhaps naively tries to use her blood to save him that right there is one of the most meaningful changes the show has made yet and there's no way that isn't a pivotal point in season 2 when Ellie confronts Joel about the choice he took from her it's another terrific creative change and while the game's version is still effective the whole I'm bitten but I'm gonna hide it until it's too late Trope is very played out in this genre and I think that would have been felt far more strongly in live action now that we're over 10 years removed from the original story's release and so instead of that Trope the show offers us a tender emotional moment and lets the audience wallow in the futility of Ellie's efforts to save him Ellie reinforce the fact that she is the symbol of Hope and Humanity in this cruel and inhumane World refusing to sit back and just let this happen doing everything in her innocent power to help in whatever little way she can but it's not enough she failed to stay up with him like he asked and she failed to save him with her blood and to add insult to injury the way this scene plays out sadly hints at Sam's question from the night before are people still in there Sam didn't attack Ellie during the night because he simply didn't hear her it's only when she touches him that he pounces we know from episode 1 on the catatonic old lady that the infected can heal but it takes time before it fully takes over and so the implication here is that Sam's not quite fully gone speaking on the topic Craig Mason said that those early stages are like being on a hallucinogenic trip where you can't control yourself and with that in mind it really helps to add a new layer of utter horror to this scene expanding on the topic further Sam was made deaf as Mason wanted to make Henry and Sam feel distinct to that of Joel andelli in the game you never really see them alone and so the interactions with Henry and Sam all felt quite distinct to those you enjoy with Joel and Ellie on TV however we get to see their perspective before they meet up with our main Duo this was a a potential problem where just like the video game and another father-like figure and curious child it would have felt like an exhausting retread of what we've already seen in Joel and Ellie and so I'm really glad that they changed that the murder suicide in the scene hurts so much more here too in the game Henry reactively starts to blame Joel before turning the gun on himself here his line is changed to what did I do and you just see that panic and realization set in before he realizes that he has nothing left he's lost his why his reason to be alive his only family and man this performance is again next level by Lamar overall and thus far I've really liked how this series is structured such that every significant encounter or plot Beat Speaks to that part of Joel and Ellie's budding relationship Test shows Joel how to accept his responsibility Bill shows him how to open up to new possibilities and Henry and Sam now represent a further development on that idea once again it's definitely clear this is being written with careful consideration of how the story will eventually play out with each traumatic event like this we're seeing Ellie toughen up and in turn we see as his desire to play guardian over her gross it's such a perfect build up to the alien Joel we'll see in the future however I will say that in service of those subsequent Seasons coming in the future I fear that along the way we will lose something that made that game's experience as captivating as it was and I plan on talking about this in Greater detail towards the end of this video once again and so for now let's call this another great episode and move on to episode six kid while a great deal of time has passed throughout the previous episodes this marks the first episode set in the present with a lower third time skip three months later the deaths of Sam and Henry are a harrowing moment in both mediums with the game opting for a hard cut to Black following the suicide leading into the fall section of the game while the show lingers and marinates in the tragedy for a little longer and so this time Skip and season change serves that same purpose it demonstrates a dramatic shift and in this case it's a shift in the relationship between Joel and Ellie in many ways this episode Works in direct contrast to episode 4. it's a moment to reset and marinate in the changes and the tragedy but with the roles reversed here following a humorous opening scene with a familiar interrogation method Joel experiences the first anxiety attack of the episode over a fear that this brother of his May well be gone it's a moment of vulnerability like the one Ellie showed while camping in episode 4 a fear of the unknown ahead of them these parallels further extend into the camping scene of this episode that follows where the same same teacher father Guardian theme rears its head once again and were privy to just how much has changed over those months Joel now outwardly cares he tells Ellie to get down off a rock for fear of breaking her neck he gives her a quick taste of alcohol in a way I'm sure many of us can relate to and in what is perhaps the most powerful demonstration of this change he recounts her favorite astronauts so beautifully demonstrating how much he's paid attention to her over these months that they've shared as the conversation continues Eddie reveals to Joel that she's tried to save Sam with her own blood and expresses sincere fear and doubt over whether the fireflies can really produce a vaccine from her blood it's the same level of vulnerability from episode 4 she's looking for reassurance and now unlike that episode where Joel was incapable of playing the fatherly role he does so with confidence here and while it was Joel who stayed up to play Guardian to Ellie in that episode here it's Ellie who steps into that role it's not only a fun reversal but it exists to demonstrate just how much Joel has taught daughter she recounts what to do perfectly and although Joel is embarrassed for having fallen asleep there's still that twinkle of fatherly Pride seeing how capable she is following his very teachings I really do love just how closely those scenes are mirrored by the way and to me I think it demonstrates the real quality of Craig Mason's writing and understanding of this very material these are some of my favorite unique moments in the series and they're exclusively there to fill in the development found through conversations had only in gameplay prior and I think that could have run the risk of feeling like awkward stitching between game moments but they're woven in so naturally and have clearly been given a great deal of care and thought that they work so well on this level we're looking for any trouble we're just passing through as the duo are ambushed by Jackson's inhabitants the first two very powerful moments of unspoken character work are present here throughout the series Joel's had moments of PTSD seep in almost exclusively linked to his trauma with Sarah the first being in episode 1 where the guard holds up him Tess and Ellie and now again as the fear that Ellie would be detected as infected and killed I love the way that this scene's directed and you can really feel Joel begin to disassociate as the piercing ring plays out and almost all diegetic sound Fades away these unspoken moments of trauma are a common theme in this episode and I think my favorite example of it is found shortly after as they make their way into the Jackson commune and Joel reunites with Tommy while the scene itself should be one of exclusive positivity two brothers embracing after a long time apart steeped in the unknown of each other's well-being there's a quiet sadness to it Elise framed as a background element looking on with an expression that just says so much one that expresses a realization that she's never experienced a familial Bond like this and another that suggests a feeling of insecurity and a fear of being forgotten it's the first pin in an important through line that sets up a major emotional set piece later in this episode and I was so happy to see it handled so elegantly here how about a tour one of the many opportunities afforded when adapting an existing property is the power of hindsight while The Last of Us Part one's game had a great deal of money and Manpower behind it things like time and technological limitations are hard to avoid and with a sequel barely a thought in druckman's mind at the time there's only so much direct setup to be found there and thus this part of the series features a major overhaul in its location and structure despite the key events featured remaining the same what originally took place at a dam in an isolated Farmhouse is now relocated directly within the Jackson commune itself what's interesting about this change is that this is actually restoring Neil druckman's original vision for this portion of the story before settling for the damn sequence the team at noidog were looking to build Jackson for the introduction to Tommy and Maria but due to the time and processing power it would have taken to build that on the PlayStation 3 Hardware they were forced to scale back the idea now however with near endless possibilities and the power of foresight of course this version of events not only restores the original intent but takes the opportunity to introduce the many key elements of Jackson that will soon become a a fundamental part of the series moving forward following the touching reunion with Tommy the pair find themselves in a very familiar setting to those who have played The Last of Us Part 2. and with a surprise onlooker watching Ellie eat while their identity isn't revealed in the show major fans may remember Dina recanting this exact scenario in the game I did I remember thinking who is this string bean girl stealing all the jerky of course the setup and references don't end there were introduced to a young Shimmer Ellie's horse in the game and the movie night we see in this episode is an aspect advertising posters in the second game they're all wonderful little Easter eggs for longtime fans but at the same time they really do demonstrate the team's commitment to the source material and a forward-thinking attitude to the grand scheme of the series as a whole and what I really enjoy about this understanding of the source material is that it allows departures and reworkings of sections to feel organic and lead into upcoming scenes smoothly Maria's distrust of Joel is brought to the Forefront very quickly and Tommy announcing his Emery relationship is altered in a way that sees Joel's reaction turn into one of surprisent hurts begrudgingly congratulating them when prompted by Ellie only it's an important change as one of the major overhauls of the episode comes in the form of how Ellie learns of Sarah and how Joel asks Tommy to take Ellie in the former's case after being handed off yet again by Joel Ellie finds himself alone with Maria and this newfound perspective allows the latter to receive a great deal more character development than she ever had in the game while we learned that she was an attorney prior to the outbreak it's the insight into her own child's death that reveals a great deal about how this shared trauma may be how her and Tommy ended up together but I think what's Most Fascinating is the outcome of Maria revealing that Joel once had a daughter who died Bella Ramsay is so good that you can just see the split-second feeling of betrayal of having not been told this and this is so important as it's ultimately yet another strike in her feeling so completely cut off from Joel at this point in this story on the other side of things Jill and Tommy find themselves alone catching up in this town's bar and this is the first of two scenes that were singular in the game a discussion about their violent-filled past and Joel's request for Tommy to take Ellie off his hands is One Singular very aggressive scene in the game while here that request is shifted to much later this newly extended discussion is extremely impressive at first Joel keeps his trademark stiff upper lip and lies to Tommy he says Tess is fine and that he has decided to Simply pop in to see Tommy on a profit-driven trip to deliver a big wig's daughter I just love that little bit of Deceit so much it really sells Joel's humiliation of having worried for nothing only to turn up and see his brother living a near idealistic lifestyle he asks for Tommy's help on making it over the finish line of this journey and it's here that aggression from the game manifests when he refuses but it's shifted it's Joel's insecurity that brings up the murderous past and it's Tommy who says there's no judgment for it but when Tommy explains that Maria's preg and Joel reacts Baddie to it that aggression flips again just because life stopped for you doesn't mean it has to stop for me what a powerful statement it's a terrible thing to say to your brother given he lost his child and it's clear on Tommy's face he realizes that immediately but what this does thematically is just unbelievably sophisticated and good it forces Joel to recognize and confront his trauma and how it's actively having an effect on his ability to deliver and it leads to the second panic attack the moment he steps outside but he just cannot forgive himself for this perceived failure to protect Sarah and is just killing him inside even the sight of a girl resembling Sarah reminds him of what could have been had he protected her had he succeeded had he not failed it's such a brilliant piece of acting and so well directed and what this means however is that the request for Tommy to take Ellie by himself rather than with Joel is shifted to a later part of the episode in the game Joel asks Tommy and his men to finish the job and when Tommy asks what makes you think I'd do this for you Joel snaps back saying that it's not for him it's for the fireflies cause the very people Tommy had joined prior to settling down with Maria he so aggressively asks for any kind of solution to get Ellie off of his hands and it almost seems out of character for him at this point in the story it's as though he doesn't care or sees her as a burden but it becomes abundantly clear as soon as he drops a line I need this that it's a facade and that he is scared terrified of failure and this is further underpinned by his big emotional reaction following the fight at the dam where he frantically checks to see if Ellie is okay the TV show however presents this completely differently in a way that ties itself into the trauma that sits right at the Forefront of Joe's character in this show it doesn't bubble beneath the surface Mast by anger it spills out here in one of the most emotional scenes of the series Tommy comes to apologize to Joel and it's here Joel reveals Ellie's immunity and Tessa's death the facade comes crashing down and the truth comes spilling out a brother pouring his soul out to his only remaining kin after months of repressed trauma and no Outlet you want me to take her I'm just gonna get her killed I know don't know it and I have to leave her this scene hurts it's a glimpse into a tortured Soul one reflecting on every bit of horror he's seen on this harrowing journey and how he places all the blame now on himself squarely it affects every aspect of his being from his sleep to his mental stability this is a man broken by a broken World terrified of failing once again quote I was never afraid before you showed up as Bill put it to Frank Joel is now so keenly aware of his feelings for Ellie at this point that it terrifies him his natural reaction is to just push her away and I can tell you as someone who has pushed away many wonderful things in life through anxiety or fear or failure that is a powerful and deeply relatable emotion and Pedro Pascal's performance conveys that to utter Perfection and while this show removes a section of Ellie running off the results are largely the same Ellie overheard the conversation and thus a confrontation must happen I'm not entirely convinced this tracks quite as smoothly as the game however since I think Joel's aggressively trying to get rid of her makes more sense to upset Ellie then her overhearing and emotional Outburst of the same request but at the same time I think the show just about gets away with it as this is the fourth notch in Ellie's feeling of Abandonment within this episode alone and I don't think a rational response from someone of her age after already feeling hurt is likely or reasonable to expect ultimately it doesn't particularly matter because what follows is Sublime everybody I have cared for has either died or left me everybody [ __ ] up for you so don't tell me tell me save from somebody else be I would just be more scared this is my favorite scene in the game and to see it brought to life almost verbatim moved me to tears and brilliantly it now works on a different level it's a mirror of Joel's scene this is Ellie's outpouring of trauma to her only family she has been through so much she is terrified of being alone again and the thought that this person in her life who she's come to see like a father wants to leave her it's too much what I find so fascinating is that side by side with the game there is a marked difference in the direction of the scene Craig Mason mentioned they changed the iconic quote you are treading on some mighty thin ice line because they felt it didn't fit with their version of Joel and while I agree I think it's arguably more to do with how he is exclusively within this scene in the game he is just boiling with rage exhausted from tracking down Ellie and taking on Bandits here there's a calmer and quieter rage still emotionally exhausted from his conversation with Tommy and I think the choice to go with a cold and whispery no don't say another word fits really well here and I don't find myself missing the original game light as much when I think about it that way and as Joel walks away from the argument having ruthlessly cast Ellie out he sits and reflects on Sarah and I really like that as an addition it lets the audience marinate in the moment for much longer compared to the game that launches into an action set piece even the next scene sees Ellie sitting by the window waiting for someone to come and get her and I love that fleeting look of disappointment Bella gives as Tommy enters the room you can just see for a second that she was hopeful it would be Joel it's a really nice extension of uncertainty about the upcoming events for new viewers and works quite well I think for old fans too furthermore I really like the change from Joel making the decision for Ellie to come with him again to him awkwardly giving her the choice ashamed of his words from the night before I think it not only makes for a sweet and amusing moment given her reaction but also creates an interesting contrast to the end of the game that is of course all about the removal of choice I very much love the decision to move Joel teaching Ellie how to use a rifle to after after all of these emotional scenes too the game had the sequence immediately after Ellie saved his life which would have had this moment placed in the middle of episode 4 had the series done the same and I think by moving it to here it allows the show to convey how dumping all of that trauma out in the table and being honest with one another actually leads to a stronger bond in the end and what better way to demonstrate that than with a classic parent-child teaching moment one of the interesting tidbits about this episode is its director yasmila uzbanich who was originally asked to direct the previous two episodes as she is Bosnian and had not only lived through a terrifying Siege of her City but made an award-winning film about similar subject matter at the time Mason felt that lived experience would be perfect for Kathleen's Siege of Kansas City however yasmila was more passionate about using her experience with survival through solidarity to reflect the community of Jackson and I think that came across remarkably well she carefully studied the game on YouTube and I think that's so fundamentally clear to see in these wonderful sections of Joel and Ellie traveling across the country the use of silhouette against the Setting Sun is identical to shots found in this section of the game and it sure does look absolutely beautiful and on that topic this episode has some of the best visuals of the series likely due to her using her longtime cinematographer collaborator and I think that really comes across here too but moving on as Joel and Ellie arrive at the University I think near every fan screamed in Joy seeing so much of it Faithfully recreated the monkeys the conversation where Joel talks about wanting to be a singer and okay committing to that monkey jump scare Faker was honestly brilliant they even threw in some perfect setup for The Last of Us Part 2 and season 2 of this show by showcasing a path from Seattle to Salt Lake City unfortunately I think this is where this phenomenal episode slightly stumbles when held up in comparison to the game's version of events this is a sequence that naturally had to be changed for the TV series it would have been ludicrous for Ellie to fight off dozens of enemies with a barely conscious jaw by her side so it's not the scale or scope of the encounter that I think is lacking but rather the presentation of the aftermath after Joel is impaled by rebar in the game the intensity of the sequence Rockets upwards and there's this horrifying impending sense of Doom felt as you fight your way to safety and when safety comes the reality of Joel's wound seeps in and it's the final nail in the coffin as Joel Falls from his horse and when compared to that I think the show moves Just a Touch Too Fast here to recreate that Rising tension after it occurs I think perhaps some sort of small set piece to show Ellie struggle to escape would have gone a long way so the audience could marinate a little more in Joel's wound like the game counterpart offered thankfully however I do think the final moment of this episode works as a great closer and while I certainly don't feel as much impact as I did from The Game's counterpart it's been quite evident from Reading newcomers reactions to this moment that it certainly works here on its own even if it might not quite capture the full extent of what it's adapting overall this is probably the most emotionally rich and complex episode of the series and if its only fault is some slightly muted tension it's final moments I think it's safe to say that this is a real Contender for one of the best episodes of the series as a massive fan of this series when the titles for each episode were released I was very much interested specifically in this episode's title Left Behind simply because I knew what I was adapting and despite having only played that once I have exceptionally found memories of that experience in spite of being detached from the mainline game itself this beloved DLC offers valuable insight into Ellie's early years what her upbringing was like how her sexuality blossomed and what ultimately led to a pivotal loss in her life that has informed her desire to ensure nothing like this happens to anyone ever again the TV version of events is almost a one-to-one recreation of this very story with impressive editions pulling from a tie-in comic book set in the same era it honestly sounds like a perfect episode right well it kind of is in isolation unfortunately it has a major issue that is impossible to ignore at least for me it's one that has nothing to do with its quality but instead is all to do with its structure and placing within the series as many fans of the mainline game might remember the Last of Us was released on the 14th of June 2013 and within the game comprises every episode of the series bar one this one it is of course the DLC that shares the same name as this episode and was released eight months later on Valentine's Day 2014. similarly the comic book that also plays a small part of the story was conceived of after the mainline story was written according to Neil drockman several months before rapping the production of The Last of Us Darkhorse Comics approached him to produce a tie-in comic book series for the game initially he was wary of the idea but eventually agreed when he realized they didn't want to do something tangential and instead could focus on expanding their characters and universe beyond find what was seen in the game itself this became the comic book entitled The Last of Us American Dream released between the 3rd of April and the 31st of July 2013 alongside the first game's release I mentioned these dates because ultimately it shows that left behind was very much something that came after the main last of a story was considered complete rather than an unfinished part of its narrative that was gutted and released later and so much in the same way the Remake doesn't insert it following Joel's impalement and of course nobody would stop you to play at Mid game for your first time through I would say the same for the way the TV series is structured you can simply split a specific story in a crucial moment that adds something to it that wasn't there before without creating some significant issues and so before I dive into my analysis of this episode proper and the game itself I'd like to shine a light on how significant Neil druckman himself viewed this part of the story with the last of us we got to see the events that led to who Joel is during the game but we never get to see that with Ellie with Ellie we're picking her up at the outset of the journey you see the events that are shaping her and changing her and how she loses the one person in this world that she cares for then you understand why she's willing to fight tooth and nail not to lose Joel this is a story that means the world to Neil druckman and that's reflected in the script of this very episode not only does everything feel incredibly faithful from the dialogue to the characters to the new set pieces and scenes but this is the only episode in the first season written exclusively by Neil druckman himself it's a story he believes in and loves and from top to bottom this episode tells its own compelling and self-contained story while in similar fashion to the games complementing its more harrowing flashbacks with similar struggles in present day with Joel Neil has always said that he hated referring to this post-game material as DLC because he sees it as a valuable and integral chapter to the story being told in the whiter game and honestly I agree with that notion Left Behind certain really isn't your run-of-the-mill low effort DLC this is a fully realized backstory written by the main writer himself of the series for a key character that very much informed the choices she makes and the action she takes within the journey she and Joel go on together and beyond that it's exceptionally well written and the design philosophy behind the game itself from a mechanical perspective is very sophisticated considering it is at the end of the day post game content much like the original game the gameplay of this expansion was tailored to the specific needs of the story they were trying to tell one challenged Rockman and the other designers involved noted in many interviews was that of finding new and interesting ways to bond us to these two characters as they effectively just have fun goofing around in a mall with little to no actual conflict water gun fights brick throwing games and even goofing around with masks were all added to the experience we look at contrast a lot whenever we're in trying to create pacing of things and you know you can't have your lights without your darks your highs without your low so while we're looking at the Le storyline we also want to contrast that with what's happening in the desperation of Joel Additionally the gameplay in this sequence is very different to what we experienced through Joel instead of being a fully grown Burly man hell-bent on killing anyone and everyone that threatens his own in Left Behind or Ellie a young girl and by virtue of that with a focus on fun and emphasizing a measured approach it gave this chapter of the story its own distinct flavor and so Neil I thought was the best person for the job in adapting this complicated tragic and beautiful story and he was the camaraderie and Chemistry Between Bella Ramsey and storm Reed who plays Ellie's best friend Riley in this episode was spectacular truly Bella's performance as Ellie across this season has been stand out and I'm happy to say it's present in this episode too witnessing her innocent amazement when looking at an escalator for the first time her confusion around the concept of a photo booth joking that it was a time machine these are all perfectly performed and purposeful editions included by Neil himself to alleviate the missing interactions gameplay offered in the DLC and in turn helped us bond to the characters themselves during the development of the game drochman mentions that they had planned on having more environments to explore but in the end had to settle for recycling the same Mall assets for both the flashback sequences with Riley and the present-day survival sequences as she scampages for Joel this is an area ripe for improvement and this episode offered a lot more variety in terms of environments to explore for the first time outside of the comic book we get to see the orphanage or boarding school Ellie resided in prior to the events of the mainline games it's here we see her interact with other kids her age as well as officers who see the potential in Ellie's abilities establishing the dormitory she lives in alone and the isolating and troubling time she had since royally abruptly left one night offering up the perfect chance for Riley herself to once again fall back into Ellie's life to Kickstart this event will Adventure it's a story whose events are hinted at here and there in the game and are of course what became this DLC and I really like that this series added a bunch more of them helping what was once post-game content fit into and feel like a Mainline story in episode 1 the very first scene she takes part in she shouts I'm not supposed to be here alluding to the fact that she was never supposed to leave her fed recorders in the first place in addition to that a later scene sees Marlene mention Riley specifically as someone Ellie should know and be friendly with but most notably she mentions her in the past tense in episode 2 during the conversation where Ellie asked Joel whether or not he's killed infected before she asks the follow-up question was it hard knowing that they were once people this is quite obviously inspired by the tragic fate they both share at the end of left behind's DLC and additionally as they're walking along the highway the response Ellie gives to the question about a boyfriend is very telling and of course course finally in episode 3 Ellie inspects a trapped infected under a store with the camera and overall direction focusing specifically on the eyes and Ellie examining whether or not there's someone truly human still in there all of this was purposely put in place and truthfully helped to establish Ellie's backstory within the main story's DNA without detracting from the pristine pacing and structure of the original story itself unfortunately while I love this episode and everything that it does I can say that it doesn't feel like it interrupts the main story drastically one of the most memorable moments of the game is the uncertainty of Joel's fate this section is one of the most tense and nerve-wracking sequences to play through also we are emotionally invested in the fate of Joel following the events at the University and the game does not tell us what happens instead Joel Falls from his horse reminiscent of those old western films were falling from your horse usually means death before cutting to Black and ending the fall chapter on an emphatic moment in the story what follows this is a wonderful bit of misdirection for the first time since embodying Sarah in the game's opening we are not in control of Joel but instead Ellie as she is left to fend for herself hunting rabbits and eventually deer for quite some time were left to sit and Ponder what Joel's fate is until finally the tension is broken surrounding that very question much later in the form of David's chapter which episode 8 later covers It's a Wonderful piece of Storytelling and yet as strong as episode 7 why was its dedication to unveil Joel immediately utterly ruins that experience from the game the most charitable I can be towards this creative decision is that perhaps druckman and Mason felt that the week-long break in between episodes might achieve the same effect a game did or somehow spending an entire episode unsure whether he'd even live would cut it unfortunately I just don't think it even remotely lives up to that and even if they were to move the reveal of Joel's well-being to the very end of the episode I'm still not sure that does anything to address the elephant in the room you still spend an hour away from the story for the second time this season so should it still exist then the conversations surrounding this very story whether it be from this DLC or the second game are some of the most mind-noming to listen to the sheer volume of people that called episode 3 quote filler was enough to make me never want to trust another human being's opinion on story ever ever again simply because that story wasn't filler it was necessary the events of that episode fundamentally changed Joel Forever that's precise actually what I mean when I talk about content being necessary it's not simply about the necessity to move the basic story forwards Left Behind isn't something that does that it's about enriching what already exists which in turn elevates events to come from the outset druckman and Mason's mission statement has been if we change something it has to be better and what this story includes 100 benefits and improves the base game I mean this is an episode that explores her sexuality in ways the prior episodes only sort of into that it shows us the trauma she went through with Riley really sells us on how much she desires to be part of a potential solution to this outbreak she doesn't want anyone to have to go through what she went through and this naturally reinforces the theme of choice and that choice being taken away from her in the final episode of this season by Joel I think all of that is phenomenal and obviously an essential piece of Storytelling that enriches both this season and the future wants to come but I don't think copying its precise location chronologically from The Game's version works here in the same way that like I said you don't stop to play Left Behind mid-story unless you're a die-hard fan looking for a different experience it's just not designed to be seen or received that way by the audience and I think that's so evident in its identical placement here in this version of the story they heard us one of the finest aspects of the game's version of events is that it really helped Ellie feel distinct to play since it intercuts between the past story with Riley and the present with her searching for medicine while avoiding infected and bandits it offered up interesting new ways to play such as that example of pitting the two enemy types against each other seeing how Ellie performed based on what she learned from Joel at this point could have been an interesting way to navigate this episode keeping Joel's fate secret and intercoding between a new survival objective and these flashbacks might have been able to address the feeling of slamming on the brakes and sucking all tension from the room I think perhaps I'd have been able to walk away fondly remembering Ellie's present sequence of events and the flashbacks like I did with the DLC rather than in this episode where the present amounts to rummaging through a drawer and one admittedly well-directed stitching sequence laughs I'm not letting you go I'm not letting you go ultimately I think they were faced with a very difficult decision and the failure to make one that personally worked for me and many others has meant much of this review has been focused on the why of that opinion and I think that's a shame and it's why so many people have likewise focused negatively on this episode instead of looking at the beauty of it I mean this is an episode that so perfectly conveys that teenage feeling of love and not knowing how to address those feelings properly particularly when it's a close friend it's won many LGBT plus viewers have adored for its accurate portrayal of their personal struggles in their youth it's one that captures the childhood Joy of sneaking out and doing stupid irresponsible things together it truly is a real Triumph in isolation and it's a shame to have to acknowledge it doesn't quite work in the context of the episodes it sits between perhaps this is an episode that would have benefited from serving as a special between season 1 and 2. similar to its DLC format perhaps it could have even worked earlier in the story perhaps it was as simple as the hunting suggestion I presented I'm not sure what the answer is but what I do know is that left behind is a necessary part of the story for the last of us but presently it's not one that can be inserted seamlessly into the story in either mediums and that's a huge shame I think I don't want to give that up I could just be a poetic and [ __ ] and lose our minds together while Left Behind stayed relatively faithful to its source material this episode returns to the show's preference for retooling sequences into a form that works best for TV rather than a video game while the game's version of events begins with Ellie hunting showing her isolated but determined to face the terrifying odds surrounding Joel the show instead immediately introduces the antagonist of the episode David it's a small change but one that definitely establishes a very specific tone from the outset and sets the ball rolling in how the episode will ultimately function by forming an independent plot with David and his gang to be intercut with Ellie's own struggles it's clear from the outset that this will be quite a different experience the ground is too cold to dig will bury your father in the spring this first scene changes everything because we now know something about David before he meets Ellie in the game we as a player control Ellie as we understand the situation is dire we have no idea as the fate of Joel is he alive or dead we have no idea we don't even know where she is all we know is that she's struggling to hunt this deer and once she successfully fell the deer that's when we suddenly meet David and his buddy boy he's diplomatic tries to de-escalate the situation he's trying to be as reasonable as he can sure his demeanor compared to his buddy is concerning but as he rattles off possible things he could trade Ellie exclaims medicine and by doing so tells us as players that Joel is alive but struggling it suddenly creates a situation where who David is is a question mark but when we now suddenly meet and when his friend is confused as to how reasonable David is being for me it only sold the anticipation more who is this guy what does he want can we we trust him and while the adaptation of this scene is performed spectacularly by all involved in that episode all of those questions are either answered before or we don't even need to ask the questions in the first place now there is of course plenty to appreciate in the scene Troy Baker the voice of Joel Genia Cameo is a nice touch and so too is the choice to swap out the bow Ellie had in the game for a heavy rifle for so long Ellie has wanted to be self-reliant and be more like Joel she desperately wants to be a Survivor and not cargo but despite the tenacity of this little girl it's clear what the reality is as she struggles to hold the very gun she needs it's a perfect visual metaphor however because we now know not to trust David already there's no uncertainty and to be clear I don't think that is necessarily good or bad it's just an observation in fact there's plenty to love about this change and the performance in this scene we understand more clearly Who David is and as Ellie continues to act tough self assured in putting up this facade we can see David the master manipulator and narcissist see right through this thinly veiled facade this creates a different kind of anticipation and definitely a lot of dread despite Ellie holding this rifle it feels like David is in control of all things and that's a wonderful change what I do have an issue with however is what happens or should I say doesn't happen next in the game while definitely wait for his partner to retrieve the medicine for the trade the infected begin to swarm the area resulting in another survival situation one where you no longer can feel uncertain about David you need to trust him and trust him you absolutely do together you two cooperate and through that shared experience he becomes someone that seems more trustworthy than he actually is which makes what happens later all the more striking you see everything happens for a reason the TV show manages thankfully to have plenty of faithful and striking scenes later with David but they entirely removed the infected from the equation and I've bit my tongue on this for quite a while now but I think it's time to address the big fungal elephant in the room the sheer lack of any noteworthy infected in the back half of this season from the outset I want to be clear that I don't think every episode needs to have infected in fact I think it's better that not every episode does and the core of the last of us is very much Joel and Ellie's relationship in this infected world as I pointed out I especially love that episode 3 took an entirely different direction from the infected bloodsports of the game and gave us a more grounded and human story with Bill and Frank but when you think about the last of us it's difficult not to also think about the infected you play against they are a core pillar of this game and furthermore the story needs them so to help me better understand Craig Basin had this to say on the removal of that scene with David and the infected because at the end of the day it is a scene that they removed from the game that does do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of Storytelling David is carefully creating a circumstance whereby Ellie will lean forward he's not gonna pull her he's going to make her want to lean forward in the game that discussion happens after Ellie and David have to fight a lot of infected teeth so they're bonded by a certain trust at because of gameplay while we could do that the flawed implications of a lot of infected running around out there that can just get you at any moment it would permeate throughout the episode and we wanted to function a different way I think this is a perfectly reasonable point and when they clearly thought long and hard about and I'll even concede that with this current iteration of the David character the dynamic between himself and Ellie might feel strange with David no longer being shrouded in mystery during this encounter so I think there are plenty of good reasons to have gone in the direction they did but I still have a problem with it personally the back half of this season where things start to get dire in the game where we face more and more infected more tribulations on our way to meet with the fireflies every encounter every kill every single time you have to avoid the infected it's another reminder of how sick and destroyed this world is that they inhabit it reminds us why mankind is so overwhelmed by the infected and most importantly it reinforces Ellie's why her reason for going on this Mission she wants to go to the fireflies to save everyone from the infected so no one has to go through what she did with Riley ever again it's simple but it makes sense HBO's The Last of Us does a great job at establishing that very threat of the infected early on and even provide reasonable explanations as to why there are fewer in the wilderness this all makes perfect sense and I understand wanting to go with a more grounded approach I won't dispute that but I must say as a fan of the last of us since 2012 when I first saw the trailer back half of this season is disappointingly light on that infected aspect and while I understand the infective felt like a massive part of the games because they were a primary enemy we fought and played against with little direct involvement to the story they still created the atmosphere that was this game and in the second half I especially started to feel like something was missing and honestly even in retrospect I still do I do however have hope for future seasons and that hope comes from rising tension while the first game has plenty of infected action and grotesque moments of horror it is still one single game a complete experience produced to completion without any consideration for what may or may not come afterwards it was as I said a complete experience that did not need to build to anything and one wanted to tell the story with nothing held back HBO's TV series on the other hand does need to build to something more as seen in pretty much every single episode I spoke on in this video there are Easter eggs and pieces of exposition that point directly to the coming Seasons season 1 of The Last of Us isn't a complete experience it is the first of what will be I assume many more seasons because of this one could argue that it makes sense to not go all out with the infected Madness right away and instead use this season to introduce us to this force of disaster ride Julie how were people infected what are clickers and how do they communicate what is a bloater dotted throughout this season while hindering the significance of Ellie's Journey for me and dampening the atmosphere of the story I can in a way see the utility in not going all out from the get-go we are building to a crescendo here and that Crescendo isn't in season one wake the [ __ ] up Joe if anybody makes it down here you [ __ ] killed them you got it for me the differences from this point on are brilliant and even when one particular moment remains super faithful to the games it gave me a greater appreciation for other changes that were made in the past to enhance the significance impact and implications of that very moment an aspect of this episode that feels distinct and different is that of the perspective this very much feels like Ellie's episode and her Story the game had a switching to and fro between Joel and Elliot until the end and though that created an anticipation for Joel to come in save the day and rescue Ellie only for the game to subvert that entirely and have Ellie defeat David herself and while the TV show does achieve that same desired effect with us as audience members anticipating Pedro's Joel to somehow arrive to save Ellie from David this feels very much like Bella Ramsay's moment to shine and take Center Stage tell them that Ellie he's a little girl who broke her [ __ ] finger finger I think I'd be remiss for not mentioning at least once Scott Shepard's intensely unsettling performances David while I had my criticisms for what that opening scene took away from what I was used to seeing in this section I must say what it offered in terms of exposition and context for the character was incredible he's a delusional power hungry Tyrant a disgusting monstrous human being that preys on those that are too weak to fight back and defend themselves and every ounce of that comes through in this performance and what's more is this scene offers a new line that honestly is quite Illuminating he says Ellie has a quote violent heart we've seen Ellie show admiration for the violent acts Joel commits on her behalf we've seen how she's physically lashed out when she was first bit in that last episode's flashback with Riley we all have different sides to ourselves this is undoubtedly true but it takes a truly violent person like David to see that part of Ellie for what it is so quickly and unfortunately for David he doesn't know the half of it despite the focus on La there is still a close eye being Joel while staying true to its more grounded nature compared to the video game this version of Joel while he doesn't mow through dozens of enemies to get to Ellie he does manage to assassinate someone while at 10 and we even get to see the scene where he tortures folks to tell him which way to go it's all terrific stuff but as I said the real star of this episode and this centerpiece of this story is Ellie and her inevitable entanglement with David you don't know how good I am you don't know what I could have given you it's exceptionally difficult to conjure the same level of tension emotion and Dread a well-conceived video game can deliver and The Last of Us is as premium of an experience as one could hope to enjoy in video game format as I mentioned the game places Us in Ellie's tenacious but small shoes as she engages with and tries to survive against easily the most horrific human Encounter of the series David is a disgusting manipulative narcissistic murderous creep of a man who is pursuing Ellie keeping her alive all because he simply wants her it's a terrifying concept on its own but once you add cannibalism and the desperation these people are in into the mix everything gets that much more terrifying we aren't controlling Joel we're simply anticipating him as we crawl around corners avoiding shards of glass that might alert David to her whereabouts all of it very much feels like a little girl trying to escape a monster and quite honestly the first time I played this encounter while not being particularly difficult with the control I had on top of all the layers of complexity this encounter brings with it I knew this was going to be a near impossible level to beat in the show but damn it they just might have done it this moment hit me like a train I've spent a large amount of time in this video discussing the benefits and mediums such as video games has offered the story of The Last of Us however it's this scene that I think shines a light on and acts as a prime example of one advantage in this case live action has over video games the atmosphere appropriate for a game is very different to that of a live action TV series and the reason for that has everything to do with the different thresholds each medium requires to suspend the audiences or players disbelief in order to feel tension in a given scene the writers animators and or directors need to take the appropriate measures to ensure they don't under or overstep when it comes to playing with an audience's disbelief we need to believe that what's happening before us is congruent with the material of the story there are ways around this but depending on the medium you've chosen to tell your story in it may require you to take things any more extreme or muted Direction I wrote a video a while back about Disney's recent obsession with reimagining all their classic animated films as quote live action for the new generations and if there's anything that's apparent after having watched the live action Lion King is that without the flexibility of Animation the characters in The Lion King look emotionless stripped of all expression joy and color that the original enjoyed and my point is when it comes to watching animation the audience is far more forgiving and accepting of the zany and the unconventional you'll believe a lion cub can talk can live on delicious looking bugs and be friends with the unlikely Duo of a warthog and meerkat whereas in live action we have an entirely different set of expectations that we more specifically map onto our own real lived experiences in other words we expect live action to work and behave like well the real world now this might sound like I'm pointing out yet again another massive disadvantage of live action compared to animation and in the case of the Lion King who decided to adapt a story that was designed with animation in mind it is but if you take a realistic story like the last of us and make the correct subtlety changes to translate it to live action you grant yourself the ability to utilize the realism of the live-action medium to draw out some of the most insane emotional responses from your audience but it needs to be done right and HBO is The Last of Us did it right because video games require gameplay to advance the story and to well be a game Neil drockman needed to rely on that aspect of the medium to advance Joel and Ellie's budding relationship and bond us to the pairing themselves and it worked fantastically well because Joe is the character we control for the majority of the game anytime Ellie helps us achieve a task reach a spot or saves us from an enemy we grow closer and in the process Thunder of her we chat with her we walk with her and we listen to her tell bad jokes this approach is so effective that once we actually play with Joel and she's not around or even in some instances where she is not acting like herself we feel that as a player and miss her the TV show naturally can't achieve this same effect and so decided to lean in a different direction is instead of Ellie demonstrating how helpful she can be in a pinch during combat the TV show decided to save Ellie's first kills for one specific scene [Applause] this scene this performance this reaction she gives afterwards it's breathtakingly tragic and as a viewer one that knew exactly what was coming this scene made me cry when the video game did not and I think that has everything to do with the show owner's choice to keep Ellie's hands largely clean all throughout this story there's a moment in the game where Ellie saves Joel's Life by killing an assailant the TV show allows Ellie to save Joel but not kill the assailant a small difference but one that made the world of difference to her character in this moment this is how you leverage the strengths of your medium and another small detail that further adds to the feeling that this is Ellie's episode is Joel doesn't arrive to stop her mid-assault he doesn't stop her from attacking David's lifeless corpse instead she leaves the scenario scared out of her mind half petrified half disassociated and on the verge of a total mental break and that's Joel steps in it's okay baby girl this is Joel Miller the concerned loving father trying to comfort his adopted younger daughter he tried his best to reach her to Shield her from the evils of this horrible infected sick world but he was ultimately unable to the guardian has failed but it's not too late for him to succeed as a father and in the process of holding her giving her that security blanket he manages to on some level save her emotionally the contrast of the blood splattered against the snowy background is incredibly striking but what struck out to me most in this scene was a collection of words uttered by Joel to Ellie baby girl remind you of anything come on baby girl I gotta get you come on come on come on baby this is what Ellie means to Joel he failed to protect her but did manage to save her and from this moment on God help any [ __ ] stand in his way [Music] in the games Ellie's mother isn't present or even flashed back too instead she's represented or defined by a single note she left behind for Ellie and of course her switchblade which Ellie carries with her at all times and that makes it all the more interesting that this scene exists in the first place according to Neil druckman following production of the game he was approached to work on an animated short and for that very project he had written a brief story about Ellie's mother however it never made it past the writing phase until today the scene that was written and subsequently adapted into this episode's opening demonstrates the circumstances surrounding Ellie's birth and her mother's inevitable demise in the final podcast discussed in the first season Craig Basin goes into great detail about why he liked this scene so much and the significance it had within the story and honestly it was quite Illuminating he explains that A Moment Like childbirth which is so typically joyous and congratulatory is now instead soaked in sadness as he puts it the performance by Ashley Johnson the original voice of belly as her mother offers the scene this incredible passing of the torch type feeling on this new iteration of the character and on so many levels this is just gorgeous and once again just like Joel has consistently failed Ellie on his journey across America with her the first person Ellie is bonded to at the very beginning of her life fails her and is forced to abandon her right away soaked in sadness as Craig Mason describes it it is a perfect collection of words to convey the vibe of this scene in question and I adored the logic behind the decision to have this scene appear here on episode 9's beginning and not in say episode 2. had the scene appeared in a more conventional space like episode 2 it would have taken away more from the story than you might have realized for this season of The Last of Us to function as the game did it's important for us that we are bonded with Joel yes but it's also important that we see the world through his eyes just like the game through the story we investigate and come to learn about the extended cast and indeed our co-main character through Joel discovering more about Ellie in other words it was important that we as an audience were offer of that same experience as the game that same journey and had we been given that level of exposition and insight into Ellie's character so early on it could have spoiled that atmosphere that feels so true to the games for us to suddenly have some fundamental understanding of Ellie that Joel doesn't have it creates a disconnect and placing it here in the final episode offers all the benefits of putting in anywhere else with none of the downsides [Music] Furthermore with Marlene playing such a pivotal role in this scene it has a certain thematic relevance to the conclusion of the story also reframing certain things to once again enhance our experiences Marlene represents the diametric opposite to Joel in terms of philosophy when it comes to Ellie and her immunity they've both accepted this kid in their own ways Marlene is a passive mother from afar following her biological mother's demise and Joel her de facto parental figure or father today both of them shared the desire to protect Ellie but there are fundamental differences as to why they do that as they again point out on the podcast Marlene's love encompasses all of humanity and what she will do specifically for the greater good of the world she's a freedom fighter at the end of the day and willing to give up her life to achieve those goals she's willing to compromise her morals if it means the success of the Firefly's mission in other words Marlene at this moment in time cares for Ellie now because of what she means to the world whereas on the other side of things Joel wants to save her because of what she means to him he doesn't know the rest of the world he knows he cares about her and values her life and safety Above All Else and having that Dynamic brought to the Forefront in this way was so striking I felt It's a Wonderful explanation for her immunity and resonated so perfectly with this episode's impending subject matter Ellie what I found this in there Beefaroni Chef Boyardee oh cool I love this part of the series for the same reason I love this part of the game feeding this way towards a character and the relationship with another is rare but in video games I'd argue it's even more rare and I think naughty dog really outdid themselves when it came to bringing this sequence to life for Ellie and Joel in the first game it hurts it hurts to hear see and feel Joel who was once so closed off and Ellie who was once so open and chatty now finding themselves with their roles reversed following the harrowing situation they both narrowly survived thanks entirely to Ellie's determination to survive and in the games this is almost more apparent though I will say the show does a phenomenal job at adapting it as best they can in the games we've come to rely on Ellie for some snacky commentary and more directly we need her in order to progress through the game and there's this moment where we Joel need Ellie to boost onto this ledge and drop down a ladder we walk up to the ledge press the action button the same way we have done an infinite number of times in this playthrough up until now and not Ellie doesn't respond and while the TV recreates a very similar moment here which I love as I knighted the gameplay I think it does lose just a little something that jarring feeling of a mechanical Norm banishing is a moment unique to video games and man did I feel that when I played it something I've heard mentioned to me a couple of times was this section leading up to and during the famous giraffe segment possessing strange pacing as if it was rushing to the next sequence and while I can't say that was my experience I will say their observations may be very well valid but I also think there was nothing the TV show could have done to remedy that issue for them the reason being is this section of the game they're adapting doesn't have any enemies it's an open area and even when you get to more narrow sections leading up to and during the giraffe segment it's designed from the ground up to be played at the player's unique Pace it's at their discretion you can sit and listen to Ellie for as long as you want explore as much as you want watch and enjoy the giraffes with her for as long as you you want before moving on and the TV show just can't do that what I can do however is go above and beyond in actually using a real life giraffe for that moment and I honestly love that aspect of it but moreover I think my favorite part of that moment was Joel's reaction he doesn't focus on the giant beautiful animal coming closer instead his attention is squarely on Ellie watching her smile and for the very first time in a while just have fun which perfectly brings out his concerns for her he asks if she's sure that she wants to go through with all of this and to that she says it can't be for nothing this is Ellie convicted in achieving her goal of making her life matter making all the sacrifices and death mean something in the end and once again reinforces the complexity of what ultimately happens God I love this episode it's brilliant I've spoken at length over the course of this video praising the various actions and portrayals of these iconic characters both from a performance and writing standpoint and while I stand by all of that praise I'd like to for a moment share a concern I have with regards to Joel's depiction in the series and why I'm worried for what it might mean in the future it was me I was the guy who shot and missed this this is a lovely scene and one that has resonated with many people for obvious reasons so take this as a concern rather than a criticism to acknowledge let me explain for me when it comes to character writing it's less about what a character says and more about what a character actually means and does that matters and bonds me to them when a character comes out and explicitly tells us how they are feeling and what they want it suddenly becomes less interesting than the alternative and that alternative is subtext the last of us as a video game series is filled with subtext it's the best part of the writing for me I think with Joel never outwardly or explicitly addressing certain sensitive areas of his past and his feelings because he simply isn't comfortable with himself or equipped to express those feelings and so instead we look at his actions to communicate how he feels about Ellie his demeanor his willingness to communicate and eventually help even his willingness to tell bad jokes it informs us that he loves her and it's because Joel's law of language isn't explicitly staining how he feels very often I think that makes him feel all the more human and moreover made a key moment in the next game the sequel that much more powerful I'm going to be talking about the second game and ultimately the material that will be covered in the second and third Seasons most likely so if you'd like to remain spoiler free of that material feel free to use the chapters on the progress bar down below to skip to the next spoiler-free part our future Days days of you and me [Music] there you go this is my second favorite scene in the entire game it's so beautiful this is the most explicit and honest Joel has ever been with Ellie about what she means to him and he's doing it not through telling her how he feels but instead through singing it to her and even as he's doing so you can see his nerves his voice is almost shaking it's a stunningly perfect and vulnerable performance and I just don't think if this scene were to be recreated by HBO that it would feel as emotionally powerful and it has everything to do with respecting subtext HBO's adaptation of Joel has been terrific Pedro looks the part he feels the part and he even sounds the part he's got a wonderful combination of a tough and warm exterior that is so difficult to pull off Faithfully this is to say that my issue with this version of Joel stems from the scripting itself there's a beautifully touching and raw set of scenes in the story that are some of my favorites in isolation but again I fear for what that might mean for the story moving forward these are scenes that otherwise happened off-screen or outright never happened at all and those scenes in question are Joel's breakdown in front of Tommy once he gets to Jackson and his eventual confession to Ellie about his suicide attempt paired with how much she means to him again these scenes are utterly brilliant on their own if not a little on the nose in certain parts but okay we'll put that to the side and it's not like what he says in these scenes aren't true to how the character of Joel might feel either I just don't think the original character would Express himself like this at all we know what Ellie means to Joel we know how badly he needed time to take her and we know the reasons he had for feeling like he needed to let go and we understood all of that through subtext there are of course positives to be taken from this narrative route I've spoken at length in this video already singing their praises but with these scenes as they are with these dialogue exchanges right now I'm worried the result for season 2 will be lesser without them because my favorite scene in part 2 is actually one of the very last in the game one that finally gives us closure for the relationship we've been so heavily invested in throughout this series and it depends on Joel being a specific way up until then in part two we see Joel step into physical altercations on Ellie's behalf and this fits his love language perfectly we even get glimpses into the extra effort he's going to to reach out to Ellie in any meaningful way he can things like learning jokes that he otherwise never would or reading her favorite comic books that he definitely never would all of this occurs with a painfully tense atmosphere that he's not addressing until she does for him halfway through and that doesn't go well and he just gets angry these attempts at reconnection feel almost embarrassing and it hurts to watch it's brilliant this is all to say that the scene they share at the end of the game feels that much more powerful because he actually opens up and speaks in no uncertain terms for the very first time to her face somehow the lord gave me a second chance at that moment I would do it all over again when this scene ended with Ellie giving him a second chance in Joel saying I'd like that I was left as a shell of a human being I couldn't pick up that game again to play until I started writing this video it impacted me that much I was a wreck and so with material that had that sort of impact on me I can't say it could ever hope to be as impactful at least not in that same way with the current more open incarnation of the Joel character what made this scene so intensely powerful was how closed off Joel was up until then and while the HBO version is clearly still somewhat closed off he's nowhere near as such compared to the game and as a result I hope they take these scenes in a slightly different direction because my worry is if they play it straight it will leave fans feeling like it didn't hit as hard as it could have at least that's my opinion find someone else there is no one else when this sequence began I was extremely curious to see the direction they take it with because again so much of what makes this a brilliant sequence to play through is the fact that you get to play through it you're forced to take out these folks and be as aggressive as you want with the mandatory kill that will lock in the events that will unfold thereafter and uh fun fact when I play games like this my inclination is to always hoard as many resources as possible because who knows when I'll be able to get more later this normally translates into me ending these sorts of games with some of the most powerful Weaponry available to me being the only ones that are available to me with ammo in the last of us one of the most imposing enemy types is that of the bloser and fire is extremely effective against them I don't like where this is going because of this I would literally never use my flamethrower outside of a bloater encounter and so you might see where I'm going with this when I played through this game for the very first time by the time that I got to the operating room with the doctor and nurses after having stormed this building guns blazing I was left standing there contemplating the morality of this decision with my only weapon remaining being the flamethrower so despite me being on the fence about the whole thing at the time I had no other choice than to brutally burn all of these people to death in the most painful fashion thankfully the show did take that route and instead decided to Anchor this in Pedro Pascal's performance and it's absolutely haunting as the main theme of the show playing in a very dark and sad Arrangement Joel walks an almost Death March completely disassociated on his face taking out anyone and everyone that he sees in his way the best kill of them all being the completely deadpan dispassionate and almost haphazard murder of the doctor it's performed to utter perfection can't keep her safe forever this was a moment I honestly forgot about or at the very least didn't fully appreciate the significance of in the game when I first played through it but in reality it's the perfect ending to Joel's Journey as a character and I think the TV show emphasized that in a wonderful way the character-defining incident that makes Joel who he is in this series is the death of his daughter Sarah and throughout this journey across America we've seen him apprehensively and gradually regain his Humanity piece by piece Ellie has made Joel feel like a human being again one that values what tomorrow can offer and doesn't just exist as a rough angry shell of a man those demons from his ultimate failure as a father still very much haunt him see not just in that moment where he takes out the federal agent but additionally in various scenes where he starts to suffer the effects of what appears to be PTSD he's outwardly expressed that he feels like a failure for not living up to what he believes he should be for both Sarah and now Ellie failing to protect her against the horrors of this world and now in this parking garage ho holding what is now effectively his daughter he once again finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun threatening her very life and he's not gonna fail this time the decisions Joel makes in these scenes are ones that have been the subject of discourse for over a decade and it's one of the most defining aspects of the entire plot was this the right decision and while there have been countless videos discussing the ins and outs of it that's not something I want to draw a definitive conclusion on here heck it's not something druckman himself draws a definitive conclusion on either during testing the audience was split some people were concerned with whether the fireflies could have even done it some argued that didn't matter and that it's simply about the fact Joel believed it and almost everyone was unanimous in that he took Ellie's agency away but what was most evident was that when asking an audience of parents every single one cited with Joe and I think that's the genius of this ending it's about perspective it's the perfect conclusion to a story where everyone thinks they're doing the right thing because of their lived experiences and that's a perfect setup If Ever I did see one for what's to come in season 2 and Beyond as the pair make their Ascent up towards Jackson there's a real sense of unease in the air attention Rising as to whether Ellie truly believes the story Joel spun in the car Journey on their way to this point she entertains his ramblings as he speaks with total openness about Sarah drawing comparisons there and behaving in a way that conveys the idea that a huge weight has suddenly been lifted off of his shoulders but Ellie's the opposite and we're soon faced with a question that will Echo for Seasons to come swear to me swear to me that everything you said about the fireflies is true it's a Monumental moment for the two and it's heartbreaking to see Joel tell Ellie such a bold-faced lie druckman and Mason seem unanimous on at least one aspect of this ending however it's that it's not so much about whether Ellie truly believes him or not it's that she needs to believe him but the idea that such an important figure in her life would do something like that is a thought that is impossible to stomach and what a way to end a season to go forward thinking about how that decision will affect the relationship to think about how Joel's choice will affect them both and the World At Large and is made evident by this frequently long video I've had a million things to say about this series and even as I write this I still find myself in awe of what this team managed to accomplish from a writing directorial artistic and even logical perspective 99 times out of 100 a property like this would have ended up like all the rest unimpressive emotionally vapid soulless cash grabs with no respect for the source material adding yet another legendary name to the pile of terrible video game adaptations to say that this project and its success was a miracle is putting it mildly and to say that I'm excited for what season 2 has to offer is as a large and understatement as I am capable of conveying and so with season 1 a resounding success now breaking the cycle of bad live-action video game adaptations and producing a real labor of love capturing the hearts and minds of long time and new fans alike I politely ask Mr Mason and Mr druckman to swear to me to keep this incredible energy up as we head into the immensely challenging part two okay [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Totally Not Mark

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Length: 146min 14sec (8774 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 04 2023