The Last of Us (HBO)

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“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Mother?
Yes, Father?
What does one shout to pack of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infected ants in the Iditarod?
I do not know, Father. What does one shout to pack of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infected ants in the Iditarod?
Mushroom.
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Excellente! Very well-crafted. Your attention to detail is 👨🏻*🍳👌🏻



Welcome to the human race...
The politics of the show are predictable fare for "present year." The communist camp is a utopia. The Federal Camps are oppressive. The religious group is a cult (because of course they are, "paging Mrs. Carmody"). The episodes that don't move forward are pride pieces. And now let's pause for a special message about love... In the original Battlestar Galactica, on the other hand, the politic are right-wing. The military leaders are right and the hippie leaders are always "appeasing" the Cylons and bringing the human race to the brink of ruin.

What to do in a disapora/apocalypse is not an apolitical question, but rather an experiment that shows how the writer imagines the "state of nature." Our writer, working from his/her metaphysical assumptions draws up social contracts formulated as experiments which are predestined with win or lose on the basis of their metaphysical baggage. It's not a question of whether you're doing politics in this genre, only if you "like" the politics of the writer. If you like the politics of the writer, you will say that it is "real," or "honest," or "gritty," or "brave.' If you don't like the politics of the writer, on the other hand, you will object that it is "political."

I would have rather seen a World War Z HBO series that actually followed the stories in the books. Those were great little standalone stories, and they all combined to show the great arc of the zombie apocalypse from collapse to rebuild. As promised, it was an "oral history" of the zombie war.

The genre, I think, speaks to our sense that we're coming to the end of our age, our fear that civilization is on the edge of collapsing. "Zombie" is a just a nice way of saying, "I am afraid of those faceless hordes of other human beings I will be competing with when the excrement hits the spinning blade." It's the faceless fear of our sheer mass without the guardrails of common values, routines, and cops to keep the peace. I don't think we need the veil/buffer anymore. Just tell the tale of the collapse (e.g., The Road). No need for zombies, just show the varying strategic and ethical responses to the crisis.
I do think it's trying to offer a comparatively nuanced approach in regards to the different groups that Joel and Ellie encounter - there is the mini-arc where Melanie Lynskey's character and her militia has successfully overwhelmed the government soldiers, which leads to an unlikely alliance with the two brothers who are targeted for having collaborated with the soldiers (who have been shown to be largely ruthless and unsympathetic in the rest of the series). Of course, this does raise further questions.

Yeah, you could go wild with the mushrooms angle. There is all sorts of body-horror stuff you could do with it. As you noted, Hannibal already went there and did so with more visual impact.



I'd like to see more "betweeners." Show us the Ellies who don't get infected. Show us other people who are partially infected, minds of their own, in a way, still communicative, but still influenced by the mushrooms to engage in behaviors that help their spread. Have some people just die of injection. Have other people go rabid. Have others be compliant tendrils of the great mushroom gods. Have others trapped without a nation, neither really shroom people, but not trusted by humans either. That infected person who hasn't turned on you, because they're semi-immune, but who could turn on you at any moment, because they're semi-NOT-immune, could be an interesting landmine to have to navigate for characters. You love them or need them (guide/expert character), but never know if you can really trust them (e.g., "dangerous dog breeds").



It could be fascinating to see the fungus-side of the story more. Tell story of the person who is absorbed by cordyceps. How much do they hear? How much of the person is left? What do they dream? How does a mushroom area work? What is its radius? Do they compete with other colonies or cooperate?



They've got this semi-novel mechanism for creating zombies. Why not run with it. Play with those toys. What happens?
I mean, that does screw with the whole "save the one immune person" plot if there's this kind of wiggle room. Maybe not a bad idea on its own, but it wouldn't be The Last of Us.

Yeah, I've been enjoying it, for what that's worth. I really like the pacing for this season. It appears that season one will cover the arc of the video game. The downside is that this implies season 2 will be video game 2 (the sequel), which was not as well received.
From what I understand, they might spread the plot of Part II across two seasons, which makes sense considering how the game itself is structured. Regarding the reception, it's hard to gauge exactly how much of that consists of considered criticism and how much is a knee-jerk reaction to certain elements of plot and character development that would constitute heavy spoilers for the entire franchise, but I've played the game and think it's an interesting direction for things to take even if there's always the question of how that would or wouldn't translate into a series.
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I do think it's trying to offer a comparatively nuanced approach in regards to the different groups that Joel and Ellie encounter - there is the mini-arc where Melanie Lynskey's character and her militia has successfully overwhelmed the government soldiers, which leads to an unlikely alliance with the two brothers who are targeted for having collaborated with the soldiers (who have been shown to be largely ruthless and unsympathetic in the rest of the series). Of course, this does raise further questions.
It's on the nose when our Strong Woman™ announces, "Yes, we are communist!" with regard to the Wyoming settlement. This is the one settlement without slave labor, and militarized police on the street. This is the one settlement that is clean, open, and electrified. This is the one settlement where everyone is warm, fed, and housed.

There are shades of gray in the lesser options we visit, but the writers are being rather clear about what the best option on the table is, comrade.
I mean, that does screw with the whole "save the one immune person" plot if there's this kind of wiggle room. Maybe not a bad idea on its own, but it wouldn't be The Last of Us.
Fair cop here. But, you could still branch out into these options in later seasons (after Joel faces his dilemma).
From what I understand, they might spread the plot of Part II across two seasons, which makes sense considering how the game itself is structured.
It would make sense to milk what is left of the source material. I haven't played either game, so you know more about it than I do.
Regarding the reception, it's hard to gauge exactly how much of that consists of considered criticism and how much is a knee-jerk reaction to certain elements of plot and character development that would constitute heavy spoilers for the entire franchise,
Reviews were not as strong for part 2 and the fanbase was split in reception of the game. I mean, one can always blame the fans when a product bombs. That's a very common apologia these days. However, it stands to reason that if the first game was almost universally praised and the second game was divisive, then a faithful adaptation of the video games may face a similar reception.
but I've played the game and think it's an interesting direction for things to take even if there's always the question of how that would or wouldn't translate into a series.
An anecdote, but the schism in the fandom indicates that the question of quality for part 2 is fraught with controversy. However, it stands to reason that if you liked the second game, you will also like a second season which faithfully follows the game. If, however, you lose half your viewers in the offing, it might be a Pyrrhic victory.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
I can give the first game a bad review.

“Not fun.”



I have been watching this, & commenting in the Television tab thread. I haven't played the game.

I am enjoying it.

It's a really well made series with great attention to details & writing, but it's not extra ordinary, or something new.



I have HBO Max and am always looking to find high quality, entertaining shows on there. I identified this show because it's both critically acclaimed and has a high IMDB audience score. However, I don't know if I'll like it or not. I typically don't like the horror genre very much. My favorite film in the sci fi genre of recent years is "Arrival". I also liked "Bird Box" and "A Quiet Place Part I". I didn't like "Get Out" and typically avoid slasher films and movie and TV shows that I find terrifying. I've never seen "The Walking Dead". Based on what I like that may be within the same genre as this show, and what I don't, is this worth checking out? Is there a decent chance that I'll like it, or should I skip it? I recognize this is a subjective question, but I've invested time before watching many episodes of shows other people like due to their popularity and stick with them for that reason, only to later come to terms with the fact that, after I've invested a lot of time giving it a chance, that I just don't enjoy it the same way other people do and am trying to avoid doing that again here. I hope some of you may find this to be an issue you may be able to relate to. Thank you!



I have HBO Max and am always looking to find high quality, entertaining shows on there. I identified this show because it's both critically acclaimed and has a high IMDB audience score. However, I don't know if I'll like it or not. I typically don't like the horror genre very much. My favorite film in the sci fi genre of recent years is "Arrival". I also liked "Bird Box" and "A Quiet Place Part I". I didn't like "Get Out" and typically avoid slasher films and movie and TV shows that I find terrifying. I've never seen "The Walking Dead". Based on what I like that may be within the same genre as this show, and what I don't, is this worth checking out? Is there a decent chance that I'll like it, or should I skip it? I recognize this is a subjective question, but I've invested time before watching many episodes of shows other people like due to their popularity and stick with them for that reason, only to later come to terms with the fact that, after I've invested a lot of time giving it a chance, that I just don't enjoy it the same way other people do and am trying to avoid doing that again here. I hope some of you may find this to be an issue you may be able to relate to. Thank you!
I had all the reservations you have. “The Infected” people are a very small part of the series. It’s predominantly about the journey of two people through a dystopian landscape. I ended up loving it (because of the two leads) & am looking forward to season 2 in January.
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I just finished the series, so here's my take. Oh, and I haven't played the game (I'm not a console gamer, and from my understanding, it wouldn't be my kind of game anyway).

First, I had read some opinions beforehand, and based on them, I started with slightly negative expectations. I'm sure you'll know what these were mostly about.

The actual show was a positive surprise. Sure, it doesn't bring anything new to the post-(zombie)apocalyptic sub-genre, but it succeeds in telling an entertaining story. It's surprisingly free of wokeness and largely avoids the black-and-white worldview.

My main issue was the overuse of extended flashbacks (often involving characters who don't even appear outside them). Ellie's adventure in the mall was by far the worst of them, and the gay couple's backstory was the best (it was needed but went on for far too long).

Ellie and Joel were good characters and delightfully morally ambiguous. Ramsey and Pascal did an excellent job of portraying them. Except for the flashbacks, the pacing was great, and the ruined world looked fabulous.

The season's ending was weird, though. So abrupt and mid-scene that it felt more like an ad break than a season break.

I do think it's trying to offer a comparatively nuanced approach in regards to the different groups that Joel and Ellie encounter
I agree. Even the communist utopia, referred to earlier in the thread, was 1) declared to be a solution unfit for large pre-apocalypse communities (aka countries) and 2) keeping itself safe by demonstrations of force and over-the-top violence towards outsiders.

I liked how everyone was acting on reasonable (or at least understandable) motives instead of being merely good or bad people.

I might even give the season 4/5 (at the very least 3.5).
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My main issue was the overuse of extended flashbacks (often involving characters who don't even appear outside them). Ellie's adventure in the mall was by far the worst of them, and the gay couple's backstory was the best (it was needed but went on for far too long).
I usually hate flashbacks, but didn’t mind them in this show.

The gay couple’s episode was an outlier IMO. Nicely done, but belonged in a different show.

Didn’t mind the mall episode though it was long. The actress who played Ellie’s friend plays Zendaya’s kid sister in Euphoria. Good actress.

Apparently, the final exposode was meant to mimic the actual video game. Lost on me since I’ve never played a video game.