Transcript
Speaker: This is food! This is beans!
Speaker: Adrian, let's get right into it. Season two, episode one of HBO's The Last of Us has now aired on HBO, obviously. And we're going to review it here. We're going to do a review discussion. We're start with non-spoilers and then get into spoilers a little later.
Speaker: And so I will ask you high-level thoughts. What did you think of The Last of Us? Season two, episode one. Yeah, Simon. So, um, so yeah, just, i guess like a little bit of background here, you know, I am someone that absolutely loves the last of us part two, the video game. It is, you know, one of my favorite games of all time.
Speaker: I believe it is a masterpiece and the way it tells its story in particular is a way that I'm, um, that I find incredibly impactful and, and perfect, um,
Speaker: um I think with the start of Last of Us Season 2, as again, someone that really loves um the video game, I i found this good. Like, I find this a good start to a season.
Speaker: However, you know, me kind of coming in here with... you know, I guess specific expectations on on how this story has been told and how I want it to be told left me um a little, don't want to say disappointed, but confused.
Speaker: I think they do some pretty substantial changes um to how this story is going to be told, in particular with the first scene of this episode that really threw me off. um And yeah, again, it just...
Speaker: it, you know, for something that I'm arguably very, very, I don't want to say protective over, but something that I love so much in, in, in how it's done. um it, yeah, again, kind of threw me for a loop watching this first episode, but I do think it is really great.
Speaker: I think the casting is phenomenal. Um, I think it looks really good. Um, you know, obviously HBO comes in with very high budgets for their show and, and they're, they're,
Speaker: you know, willing to, um you know, create something that looks spectacular. And I think the show does look spectacular. um But yeah, I ultimately, i think it's a good start.
Speaker: And that's really how I feel about this. What about you, man? I thought it was excellent. I thought it was a great start for season two. i I remember the game. Sure. i think that they they said they were going to do changes and i'm i'm I'm good with them.
Speaker: I think and it it looks to be on a pretty good pace for the next seven or next six episodes, I suppose. I think that, as you said, the production design is killer. I think the writing is killer. I think the cinematography is killer.
Speaker: like the way Obviously, the production values for HBO are very high generally. The thing that I feel like I really like, though, is the pacing. I thought the pacing was quite good, and I thought it was quite exciting throughout. I thought they did a great job trying to throw in action where there maybe wasn't in the game in some weird way, even though the funny thing is I feel like in the game...
Speaker: there's more action overall than like the first season of the show is an example. Cause the TV show, and it's not really all about the actions you can, you can really put drama in there. um But I didn't think it was boring. I thought it was pretty exciting in the right ways. And I think they did did a good job with that. I think the ensemble cast killed it.
Speaker: I think that the consternation about Bella Ramsey, not being the right choice to play Ellie is stupid. And we've seen this online repeatedly. It happened for the first season and it's kind of happening again for some dumb reason.
Speaker: And I think that's just, it's just completely dumb. And I think when you watch like Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey play off of each other in this episode, it kind of just, I feel like dispels that for, i hope for everybody um just because, because Bella Ramsey just did a great job.
Speaker: um Yeah, I tend to agree with you on that. i think I was a little worried going into this season because of the trailers and how, you you know, this season takes place five years after ah the first season, like where where the first season ends.
Speaker: And, you know, looking at those trailers, I found that Bella Ramsey's Ellie did not look older. Like I thought she looked like the same 14 year old girl that she did in, in the first season. But as this first episode played out, um you know, I quickly realized I was wrong in that assumption. I think Bella Ramsey's performance in particular, how well she conveys that extra level of maturity while still being, you know kind of young and, and fun and and wacky, like, like her character is.
Speaker: um i think they did a really good job kind of showing that. And even just kind of the outfits that she's wearing. And she does honestly look like a 19 year old kid, um versus that 14-year-old girl that she was in in that first season.
Speaker: um But I do agree. like I think the way her and Petra Pascal play off each other is is great. I think there's a lot of impact in that. um Yeah. Cool.
Speaker: Yeah, like there's one particular scene I talked about production design um that sticks out for me in the games. And there's this one scene in Jackson um that really... really pulled me in as ah as an audience member of the of the game, of of ah as ah as a fan of the game.
Speaker: And as a fan of the game before the game even launched, because at an E3 event, PlayStation had put on this huge show where they had the audience kind of go into this actual location. And they pulled that location so well into the into the into the season, into this episode.
Speaker: I was like shocked. I thought it was great. The way it was shot was brilliant. It yeah made me feel like I was transported back to when I played this in 2020. it's yeah it it's almost a shot for shot remake of that exact scene in in the game it's excellent and i just thought that the production design and the music in that scene and the again the the staging of it wow really great just awesome and i i don't know i i did like the pacing i know that you might not have um but we'll we'll get into that as we get into yeah spoilers anything else you want to talk about on the non-spoiler aspect before we jump into spoilers here
Speaker: You know, I, I think the, you know, introduction of the new characters is, is really great. I think Isabella Merced, in, in particular ah is incredibly charismatic and charming in, yeah in the role of Dina.
Speaker: Um, I think she fits right into that role and I think she's a standout in this first episode. Um, and Catherine O'Hara being in this as well and kind of her role, which is, she's playing a, ah wholly original character as well.
Speaker: Um, that's not in the game. And I find that sort of aspect really cool and unique. And I mean, I'm just a big fan of Catherine O'Hara in general. I think she's phenomenal. So it's it's nice to see her here.
Speaker: Yeah, she's great. Yeah. No, the ensemble overall is it's really great. And they they all fall into the rules just perfectly. It just feels like they are these characters and there's no one really. i wouldn't say they're not seen stealing because they're not doing a great job. They are. They're just not seen stealing in that. They just you just feel like you're transported into that world as the audience.
Speaker: And that's what I think they really killed it. Yeah, like that's the that's the aspect that they really killed it. um But yeah, for sure. Okay, cool. All right. Yeah, I thought it was excellent. Let's, ah let's move on to spoilers. Now, Adrian, just get right into it. Spoilers are happening now audience. If you haven't watched season two, episode one of HBO is the last of us.
Speaker: Turn this off now. Flip that channel, because we're getting into it. Adrian, Stalkers, man. Stalkers are in in this in this show, um which I'm particularly excited about.
Speaker: i I hate them. I hate them with the fashion when I'm playing the game. I love them as a concept, man. I love them as a concept, but in the game, they're terrifying.
Speaker: And so stalkers, if you weren't paying attention or that one scary enemy that kept stalking Ellie in that, in that abandoned grocery store in this episode, but it, they did, did a great job with this. And it's interesting how they seem to change the,
Speaker: the game in a way because they showed stalkers as an evolution of the infected as a whole which is interesting because that's not really what it is in the game they're they're an evolution of the infected the initial runners but and then theoretically they become stalkers and then they become click clickers in the game but that's not what they've done here they're that council in jackson wyoming is is talking about the stalkers as if they are a, an evolution of like the, the infected are getting smarter, which is interesting, but yeah, i don't know if you have any thoughts on that, but yeah, just a great scene in general in that grocery store. I really loved it.
Speaker: I agree completely. I thought that was, it was very tense. It's creepy. I was watching this with my fiance and and when that happened, she was like, Oh Jesus Christ. She's like, what was that in the background? And she's like, was that a cat? I'm like, oh no, I'm, that's a stalker. And she's like Oh no.
Speaker: And like just this, I could see the anxiety falling over her. um And yeah, I think they did a really good job. I i found it interesting because the Stalkers are in the first game. So I thought that was kind of missing in in the first season of the show.
Speaker: um I mean, they they hold back on quite a few things in the first season of the show. um yeah So I found that interesting. However, they do touch on you know infected um evolving differently based on the environment in the in the game.
Speaker: but not like this. So I thought this was a very unique way to do it and have it a little bit more, um you know, like seeing how the the humans, the people that that are running this commune essentially react to the news of, oh shit, like it's been 25 years since this outbreak happened.
Speaker: And now we're actually seeing infected evolve to a degree that is, you know, something that they've never seen before. Intelligence, yeah arguably. Yeah. Right, intelligence versus what we get in like a bloater, which is just long-term illness, is basically what that is. Like bloaters are theoretically long-term illness. This is a more intelligent creature. Theoretically, we might see smarter bloaters, smarter clickers maybe.
Speaker: I don't know. This is interesting. It is interesting. Untreaded water so far, like on – Untracked land. we'll We'll see how it goes. this is very, that's super interesting.
Speaker: But, but yeah yeah, I thought the, like the, the way i so I mentioned the pacing, I really liked it. I thought that the introduction back into the world with Tommy and Ellie sniping, I thought that was cool.
Speaker: There's just like these relationship building elements that they, they put in throughout the story in this episode that I thought was really great. But the best relationship that we see in this, obviously, as you mentioned already,
Speaker: Dina and Ellie, I think that Isabelle Merced just killed it. I agree. Yeah. Yeah. I always like bringing up as well that, um, Isabella Merced, she was cast in alien Romulus as a care, like a pregnant character.
Speaker: And, uh, Fede Alvarez, when he wrote that, um, he based that character on Dina from the last of us part two. And he's like, he talked about how, when Isabella Merced was cast in the last of us part two, how it was a full circle moment.
Speaker: I mean, like created a character based on this character, casted this actress to play, her and then she was later cast as the character he based his character on.
Speaker: It's, it's very cool that they, that, that, that, that happened. And yeah, again, I think she's incredibly charming and and the chemistry is there between her and Bella Ramsey. I think they play off incredibly well. Um,
Speaker: So yeah, it it it is it is cool to see. The one thing I do want to point out though is like I found it interesting the way they – like because they're they're showing this story more chronologically um and kind of revealing things far earlier on.
Speaker: um than what the game did. The first scene in particular, kind of showing Abby's group who they are, what their intentions are, what their motivations are, is totally different from how the the game plays out.
Speaker: When they're introduced, you you just see them, you're like, oh, who are these people? Until kind of like a climactic moment happens and you're left wondering what, like, why did that person do this thing? What were they aiming to do?
Speaker: Like, who are they? um And I think, One of the reasons I think this episode kind of threw me for a loop right off the bat is because they they they introduced this character, show their intention and just kind of run with it right away.
Speaker: And it really threw me off. And I don't know if the payoff is going to be as good because of that. Or again, if they're changing things even more substantially than what the game played out as. Like, what what did you feel about that? Like when you saw that?
Speaker: Because I thought that was it Yeah, again, it threw me off. I think the payoff will be different. And I don't think, yeah I don't know. i think that that's not a problem though.
Speaker: I'm okay with this. I want them to take creative licenses. I want them to change things. I want them to make it, just make it true to the overall story. The timeline doesn't matter so much to me. I've already played the game. I don't need the game again. That's unnecessary completely.
Speaker: So just do what you need to do. Make it work. I thought this episode was paced brilliantly. I thought it was a great setup for a season, especially. It's a season of TV. You have to kind of set it up in various ways. I don't need it to be in an in an alinear way ah like the like like you seem to probably want from from the game's history.
Speaker: I'm okay with this. I like this idea. It's interesting. Abby arrives. She gets there. You see her in the distance. It's an interesting way to set up a sequence. And I'm curious to see what happens next.
Speaker: We're not going to spoil anything here. We know that what the game's plot is, but we're not going to spoil it for those who have yeah played the game perhaps. But it's interesting to see where they're going to go from here. My prediction is the next episode will be ah flashback within the five years, actually.
Speaker: I think they're going to try to cover a flashback from some side, maybe Abby's side, and then the show what she's been doing potentially, or they'll show what's been happening in Jackson in in in the in-between in that five-year period. That's what I predict will happen because they've got seven episodes to go.
Speaker: And I think that I don't... Sorry, six episodes, seven episodes in total. And I think I don't I. Yeah, there's some big moments that we know about, obviously, you and me and anyone who's played the game, of course.
Speaker: I don't think they're going to try to get to those big moments until some like penultimate type situation. I think they're going to kind of wait. That's what i'm I'm thinking will happen. We'll see. Who knows?
Speaker: um But yeah, talking about this episode, though. I think like the Dina and LA, I want to go back to that dance scene, the the church dance scene. I just thought the way it was shot, you mentioned it was like shot for shot. They just did a great job.
Speaker: Gustavo Santolalla is literally in it playing in the band. He's literally there. That's cool. Playing the ukulele or the banjo. One of those, one of those instruments. I'm like, I did it. did it in my mind. I was like a Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I was like, i was like That's Gustavo.
Speaker: It's pretty cool. And like, he's the composer of the show, but he's also the composer of the games. And that's pretty exciting ah for me. I thought that was really cool because I think the music in this show and the music in the games is phenomenal. I really think fits and it's unique and it's really neat for what themes they're kind of going for and the the the feeling it portrays. I love that. But I thought that the, again, the church, the Dina and Ellie,
Speaker: relationship scene in that moment it's it's so close to the game but it it got me quite a bit and then you combine that with the joel and ellie aspects of it Where he he jumps in, pushes the dude.
Speaker: He's being a bit, you know. He's being a homophobe. And it's just, I don't know. It was just so, there's a heartbreaking element to Joel's character in this. And Joel in the, but obviously in Gale's office or living room or whatever.
Speaker: Gale, a new character, as you mentioned. and Yeah, Catherine O'Hara, played by Catherine O'Hara. Yeah, and but like the fact that Joel apparently killed her husband was like, we don't know about that. That's a flashback right there. They're they're going to get into that for sure.
Speaker: There's no way they're going to show that, say that and then not do it, I feel like. So there's a lot there, but the the best thing is like Pedro Pascal's tearing up in that scene with Catherine O'Hara, like Joel and Gail.
Speaker: So good. The acting is so good. And then him playing, oh man, there's just so many good moments in this that they really captured the game's essence. They did things out of order, sure.
Speaker: But I feel like they did it in a very great way. And I just, I was like, are they going to do the dance scene right now? Like the, I'm like, are they going to do this? Because this is, I love that scene. I love it so much. And i they just did such a great job with it.
Speaker: I agree. and And one thing to point out about that scene in the video game, like it is one of the, last yeah I think it might be the last cut scene of the game. like where it plays out almost.
Speaker: So it's very interesting, again, that they're in showing this scene at the start instead of the end of of the of the story. That's a great piece of feedback. I played this game in 2020. I don't remember what order it's in too. So yeah it's not as fresh for me. I don't know if it would matter either way for me, but I will say this.
Speaker: The thing about it being the last thing you potentially play This is like a scene in which we knew about before the game came out, which is a crazy choice for marketing on the PlayStation side. Before the game comes out, you show it at E3 years before at the E3 conference and everyone's in the stage. They're there at the church.
Speaker: watching in some way the scene play out. It's such a crazy way to market something when the game doesn't show it until the end. It's so interesting. And then there's, and then this, they're like, you know what? we We think this scene has a lot of impact. We're going to show it right away. Just like we did at E3. There's this like full circle moment that kind of happened in a weird way.
Speaker: i don't know. I don't know. It's great. I thought this episode was great. And yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. Anything else you want to add? Yeah, I mean i guess um I do want to kind of, um you know, talk about... ah the i guess what's to come in the season because it's interesting how the episode kind of ends it shows the like the the pipe in the ground um that they broke at like the start of the episode and how there looks like there's like kind of spores coming out of there like the the weird spore tendrils coming out of fungus yeah yeah the fungus no spores we don't have spores yet yeah they don't have the spores yet it's just there was hinted at the spores though in that trailer
Speaker: So maybe they'll bring spores to this. But yeah, you're right. The fungus, because they have this, unlike the games, the fungus is kind of rooted in the ground and then it kind of signals and it has a communication network.
Speaker: I don't know how that's going to play off. But yeah, what are you thinking about that? Well, yeah. Did you watch the, like this season on Last of Us that it played after the episode? Did you see that? Do do we want to touch on any of that?
Speaker: Didn't see that. I hate that when that happens. Okay. Oh, man. yeah oh yeah You saw I didn't see that. Oh, maybe it's because I watched it. I didn't watch it live. I watched it five minutes late and I just watched the episode.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. yeah i don't like when shows do that. I don't get it. Like, I don't need to be sold. I'm already sold. and You don't have to sell me on it. I'm already watching it. But yeah, no, I didn't see that. i don't know if you want to leave that out or leave it in. Yeah, I'll leave it out. I'll leave that out. trailer Yeah. um no No, I'll leave it out. It's okay because I don't think it has much impact. But yeah, it it is interesting that they have that sort of fungus coming out of the pipe there.
Speaker: um it's It's cool like what's going to be set up. um I like your idea that you know the next episode might be a flashback. um I think what the first season did best was when it deviated from the game the most.
Speaker: um However, again, for me, this first episode, funnily enough, I liked it the best when it was the most similar to the game. um So it is an interesting kind of you mean timeline or in in exact content, like in the exact content.
Speaker: Oh, so not the timeline of the content, but the actual... So like you liked the scene at the church, but you didn't like that it was out of order. Correct. Yes. Right, okay. um But i I love that scene. It is very impactful. But yeah, man, I think this is a good first episode. I'm very excited to see where it goes.
Speaker: um you know I'm excited to kind of dive deeper into spoilers as the season goes on and be able to talk about the game a little bit more as well and kind of point out more comparisons and why why I don't like it. But yeah, I got to...
Speaker: i got unattach myself to what I love already and what has come before this and try to have that like perspective of this is a, this is its own piece of art.
Speaker: I'm going to like it for what it is and and try to enjoy it my best. Cool. That's great. All right. Sounds good. Let's put our scores out there and then we're done for this episode. My score is a 4.5 out of 5. I loved it like a lot. I thought it was great. Mine a 3.5 out of 5. 3.5 out of 5. That's the lowest score you've given the last of us episode.
Speaker: Yes. Crazy. By bit. Wow. Interesting. Yeah, there's definitely episodes in season one that i disliked far more. Okay. Interesting. Okay, man. Thank you very much for joining me.
Speaker: Thank you, audience, for joining us. We'll see you on the next one, either a numbered episode or The Last of Us, A Closer Look, season two, episode two, perhaps. Goodbye.
Speaker: Take care.
