Yeah people are going to be pissed. I wonder what song will be played at the beginning of season 2. Future Days was released in 2013. Seeing how the show starts in 2003. The song shouldn’t exist.
I'm not going to get into that discussion again, especially since it involves spoilers for both of the games.
Genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about but the show runners have said they won’t tell stories outside of the narrative of both games. They may expand a bit like they’ve done with season one, but it’ll be largely similar for the most part.
That's the problem - the entire plot of the second game revolves around the one retcon they made to the first game's ending to justify the actions of one character who was...very unpopular. The success of this show long term was always going to hinge on how that particular character's story is handled since it wasn't gameplay issues that resulted in the mass returns of the game at retailers during its launch week.
...I can't wait to see Part II's adaptation and how everything that happens is Spoiler "a communication failure of tragic proportions" . ...As that failure, has been established in The Last of US Part I ; where its related to the threat of a Fungal contangion.
I don’t know if I can take your opinion seriously if you actually believe the “mass returns” bs. The game was very divisive for sure, but PlayStation is very proud of their sales numbers with the last of us franchise, they usually don’t share data like they’ve done with it unless it’s a huge win for them.
Game Stop had signs telling people they were not accepting returns of a NEWLY LAUNCHED GAME in their stores. If Game Stop, infamous for the low prices given for used games, thinks getting copies of a brand new game isn't even worth their time, then there's clearly a problem.
As someone who has never played either game I guess I may be in for a big surprise. Maybe I'll just Google it...
I didn’t mind that they gave us Bill/Franks backstory , but im upset at the fact that they completely took away one of the best parts of the first game and not showing the highschool scene / generator / battle in the gym scene. I just don’t get how they could leave that out.
It was probably too expensive to do both the episode-long flashback AND the events of that part of the game.
We know we’re getting bloaters so that segment will probably just be shifted and altered into another episode, like how we got some of the moments from the hotel in the game a bit earlier in the show with last weeks episode.
Episode 3 is probably one of best episodes of anything I have watched in quite a while. It had a bit of something for everyone and definitely felt a cut above of the usual zombie fiction that we are all probably getting sick of. I only have a bit of knowledge of the source material as I didn't finish the first game as I was getting a bit fatigued with it as I played it straight after finishing all of the uncharted games, and it felt a bit too samey to those games but with less action. Adapting something well received is always difficult as stick too closely and there is nothing new to present to the viewer and push it too far away and you risk isolating the appeal of it completely. I would say the reason this show is connecting with viewers and critics in the ways that so many other video game adaptations have failed is because it leaves in all of the believable and mundane elements of human life like romance, compassion and yearnings rather than delving too deeply into unrelatable high science fiction concepts. It probably helps that the source material isn't made up of clichéd video game characters who are usually macho action hero stereotypes that say dull one-liners. It's only January but I reckon that unless this show really makes a mess of things later in the season it could likely top everyone's shows of the year lists
Cut down the flashbacks then ? I guess as someone who played the game , loved it alot i would rather it be as close as source material as possible. Regardless if i know how everything will play out. I appreciate and don’t mind the flashbacks to give better world building a context. But then completely leaving out or significantly changing these i dont like or understand. At the end of the day , they are gonna make millions in sales for a game that has been out since the PS3. I already know of people that want to play it that never have just because of the show.
I understand why people may not be a fan of Bill having a different arc, but for everything they’ve taken away from the game so far, they replaced with something that elevated the story and enhanced it. I definitely missed seeing Bill and Ellie’s banter, but that’s what the game is for imo, I like having both versions because they enhance the way you view the other. The core themes and arcs of the story still remain faithful to the narrative of the last of us, and it honestly works even better in the medium of television.
Wow, if this is what the show is capable of, then I'm all in. That episode was on a whole other level, and probably one of the best love stories I've ever seen on TV. All my praise to the writers, actors, and everyone involved. I want to show this to people who don't care about the series, just for Nick Offerman's amazing performance if nothing else! If the show can expand and elevate the game's world and characters in such meaningful ways, that's a very good reason for this adaptation to exist. (I've only talked to friends who played the game, but I gather Bill & Frank don't get nearly this much depth or development in the original story.) This was certainly the least video-gamey episode so far. The first couple episodes felt like they could still be game levels with clear paths and objectives: escape from the outbreak, escape from the army patrols, make it across the city, fight the clickers, etc. (Not a bad thing; they were still solid episodes.) But this one really stopped to explore the drama and humanity in its post-apocalyptic setting, and it was great. I don't think the show will be able to do this every week, but I'm happy to go along on whatever journey they have planned if they're aiming for this level of storytelling. What an unexpected, beautiful story about two people finding each other and building a life together after the world ends.
Spoilery for both the game and show: Agreed. Although I never played the games (I just don't have the time), I did gather that Bill and Frank's relationship was only strongly hinted at, and Frank ended up offing himself after being infected and leaving a note to Bill stating that he always hated Bill, leaving Bill to be a very bitter and cynical person afterwards when Joel and Ellie meet him (it was Frank who stole the car battery that they were after in the game). The HBO show definitely elevates Bill and Frank's relationship to a whole other level and fleshed them both out as actual characters instead of just tropey video game NPCs, which my wife and I appreciated. We both agreed that this episode was riveting television that both adds to and sets it apart from the game. Sure it may have been slightly disappointing that Ellie never got a chance to meet either Bill or Frank (and the resulting banter of such a meeting) but the way the showrunners handled their relationship was much more poignant. We were afraid that their deaths might be misconstrued as the "bury your gays" trope (much like the infamous "fridging the girlfriend" trope) but both Bill and Frank chose their own exit and had enough agency to decide to go out of this world together (the theme of love throughout the series, of finding light in the darkness, etc.). It also helped that they never showed the aftermath in the bedroom, and only alluded to it in Bill's note to Joel, and Bill still fulfills his NPC role of providing guns, ammo, fuel, and a truck to Joel and Ellie as in the video game, just in a more television-memorable way versus the game. Nick Offerman had some really entertaining Ron Swanson comedic moments with Bill's character but also closed that gap with the dramatic heavy parts too. Great performances all around. The Mortal Kombat II bit with Ellie gushing about Mileena's fatality was funny to us too (my wife being the bigger MK fan of the two of us).
I've never played the games, but I have a passing familiarity with the franchise. It always seemed quite interesting, so I was intrigued to watch the series. Man, it does not disappoint. I was glued to the screen for every second of the episodes aired so far. It's great at getting you to connect with characters, even if for only a short time. I was genuinely saddened about Joel's daughter. And episode 3...man...for what would have just been a shitty filler episode in a lesser series, it did such a fantastic job of setting up how they get a friggin' car battery. Ben and Frank were such great characters.
