“I'm taking a ride with my best friend” - The Last of Us on HBO (2023)

oh ffs!

will always be olivia to me

otm

I still maintain that the dual universe plot in Fringe is the best sci-fi series stuff in decades. And yeah, the part of Olivia that isn't in any way at all and couldn't possibly be Rupert Murdoch's niece still rules!

I watched something where a zeppelin made an appearance recently and was disappointed anew that the alternate universe in Fringe didn't get more time/attention.

anna torv shouldn't be judged by her aunt's terrible life decisions!

She's got that kind of business-domme thing that lots of nerds go for.

...

Anyway, weird sexual dimension now with how the infection spreads, which is appropriate because that's how fungus reproduces.

dumb question here

but wouldn’t the best place to avoid infection be the coastline? like that kinda fungus wouldn’t thrive/spread in a coastal environment right? or no?

Anna Torv left her phone unattended. She returned to this photo. pic.twitter.com/iMg6xiWJQx

— Bella Ramsey (@BellaRamsey) January 24, 2023

Veg, how do you mean? I think that fungi can grow anywhere (even *in* the oceans).

I'm curious what people thought of the museum sequence (if they thought it was tense) and if they've played the game or not. I felt kind of bored by it even though in the game it's pretty stressful, I think because the stakes and outcome of the latter are actually up in the air and depend on my active interaction with it.

Just felt like Jurassic Park kitchen sequence. It was entertaining but needed to be a little more creative to actually be exciting.

I'm curious what people thought of the museum sequence (if they thought it was tense) and if they've played the game or not. I felt kind of bored by it even though in the game it's pretty stressful, I think because the stakes and outcome of the latter are actually up in the air and depend on my active interaction with it.

Standard horror trope. We're moving through the empty house/haunted hospital/abandoned military facility...when (not if) will the creatures attack? I thought it was a little less tense than some other iterations I've seen but generally fine. And the fungus-headed monsters were kinda cool-looking. The best part of the episode was the Indonesia prelude, though.

horror games are always scarier than other horror media bc of the level of immersion. i found the scene very stressful though!

fungus makeout is the kind of ridiculous and awesome visual i needed to send this show home for me, having a great time

Made the mistake of checking what the internet at large thought of that scene. Not surprisingly there's tons of confusion. Seemed clear to me? Tess trying to stand still so the zombies don't swarm her. She's infected and about to kill herself. She can't light the lighter. Oh god they're running right by now, it just won't light. Stay still. One is walking up to her. No sudden movements, just light it. In her face now. The spores are coming out of the mouth and reaching toward her. They would have attacked by now but something's different ...because it's also inside her this time. Kissing? No, not exactly... might look that way maybe, but no. Horrible. Doesn't matter, don't move, just light it.

However seeing lots of "what's the deal with the KISS?! wtf?!" comments

Yeah sure it didn't actually have to happen at all, but it was cool shock value but made in-universe sense to me!

and*

I don't know what Fringe is, but I have been meaning to start Mindhunter, so I guess I'll see her there!

Fringe is available on HBO Max. I just re-watched the pilot and it's fucking bonkers.

i love Fringe so much, even when it confused me utterly

I found the museum stalking scene writhingly terrifying (non gamer here btw).

Yeah clickers are as freaky in the game as they were depicted in the museum!

I Photoshop paddington into a movie, game, or TV show until I forget: Day 688 pic.twitter.com/GAYYrNbGRr

— Jaythechou (@jaythechou) January 26, 2023

horror games are always scarier than other horror media bc of the level of immersion.

Definitely this. Had plenty of tense moments watching horror movies but nothing that compares to playing say Dead Space or Silent Hill 2.

The cold openings for this show are stellar.

Yes they are and the rest (so far) leaves me cold. But I’ll hang in there even though fungus makeup gives me the willies.

Tonight’s episode 😭

Pleasantly surprised by the show so far. I was expecting a rote Cliff’s Notes version of the game but it’s proving to be very canny with its adaptation choices.

Yes! All the changes made for this episode were for the better.

murray bartlett = deadset legend <3
and use of linda ronstadt was chef’s kiss

great episode

Found myself looking at the phone during this one, kept waiting for the show to bring some feeling into this story or for the characters to feel real and it just kind of lay there as an abstract parable.

Finding the right tune on which to hang Bill and Frank’s encounter presented Mazin with a unique challenge. In addition to something that could be played on the piano both well and terribly, the showrunner was searching for a song about “a long-term ache — the sadness of somebody saying, ‘I wish, but oh, well, I shall be forever alone.’

“Man, I just couldn’t find the perfect song,” he continues. “I texted my friend Seth Rudetsky, who hosts the Broadway channel on SiriusXM radio. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music. I said, ‘Here are all the things I’m looking for. Do you know a song that would fit the bill?’ Within 30 seconds, he texted back with ‘“Long Long Time,” Linda Ronstadt.’ I played it and was like, ‘That’s the song.’”

This episode was the rare example of something very different from the game that doesn't really alter the plot. Added a lot of stuff, albeit at the cost of some stuff. That said, sweet episode though it was, it also posed something of a curious detour. The story is about Joel and Ellie and the time they spend together. With a limited number of hours with which to tell that story, it's a strange choice to spend so much time on characters that have nothing to do with that story.

Yeah this was a great episode. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time. I was not expecting that.

Just so heartbreaking, every time the time skips forward and they’re still there, still in love, literally growing old together. Absolute cruelty.

#TheLastOfUs spoilers
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episode 3 may have been devastating but this line had me ON THE FLOOR pic.twitter.com/HaWFHNOoMS

— kenny (@bvckystjames) January 30, 2023

I thought he was going to do Bill in when his guard was down singing Linda Ronstadt because I'm so good at predicting what happens in these shows!

I did too! It didn’t feel like it would go that direction, I was on edge until the time skip.

Aw:

This morning, we lost Annie Wersching, who portrayed Tess in the game.

Even though the HBO show is a new iteration of The Last of Us, our storylines, worlds and lives have become inextricably linked. We are a blended TLOU family now, and when tragedy strikes, we all feel it.

We will be thinking about Annie tonight and always, but we know that it's her family who will miss her more than anyone.

We’re talking with our respective employers about ways we can help as individuals and as companies. Those things will likely be handled anonymously. If you’re also interesting in helping, there’s a GoFundMe to support her boys: Freddie (12), Ozzie (9) and Archie (4).

https://gofund.me/f915834e

Annie was a brilliant actor, a wonderful mother, and a bright light of a human being. We mourn for her and the children who are grieving her loss. Tonight's episode has become particularly poignant in a way we would have never hoped or wished for, and we are dedicating it to Annie’s memory. It may be too late to get that on screen for tonight, but we will work to get it done as soon as we can.

Annie Wersching, and the Tess she originated, will live on in our hearts. May she rest in peace.

--Craig & Neil

An aside, I don't remember how much the game leans into this stuff, but I like how the show keeps underscoring how this is Ellie's first time outside the QZ, first time in a forest, first time in a car, etc. (She doesn't even know what a seatbelt is, because why would she?). Helps show how she's not only just a kid, but she's a kid who has grown up literally gated away from the world. Hell, we're introduced to her locked in a single room. Her world is rapidly growing bigger. Really helps enforce that for all her world-weary affect, she's still pretty innocent.

Yeah, the "you got to go up in the sky!" bit was great, and the car scene was almost a mini callback to that.

Really liked this episode a lot. I'm not a huge Nick Offerman fan but he was very good.

I highly recommend the official HBO tie-in podcast that follows each episode.

can’t believe i’m watching an hbo show and i don’t even get to see nick offerman’s hog

Google "nick offerman three-quarter headshot"

Offerhog* content

https://vimeo.com/70792622

The story is about Joel and Ellie and the time they spend together. With a limited number of hours with which to tell that story, it's a strange choice to spend so much time on characters that have nothing to do with that story.

Have to disagree. This was a fantastic bottle episode but still had plenty of Joel & Ellie (and other) plot developments: Ellie's constant wonder at the outside world, Joel starting to change from seeing Ellie as a chore to someone he has to protect, they now have a vehicle, Ellie now has a gun, we saw raiders for the first time, we found out the infection originally spread through food supplies etc. By the end of the episode they're even wearing the same outfits from the game

Joel starting to change from seeing Ellie as a chore to someone he has to protect

I honestly think that strawberries scene is so great and illustrative of what Frank says about loving by doing. Just thinking about him acquiring the seeds, cultivating the strawberries, keeping them secret until the time is right - all for that childish glee from Bill when they’re eating them? It’s too good, lads.

And that Bill never (that we see) says any of this to him, but can put it in the letter, leaves the world on his terms with him…🥹🥹🥹

Like I said, this episode was good, and didn't alter the plot at all from where it needs to go, hence all the stuff groovy (and gyac) pointed out is otm. Just saying that all the stuff was very efficiently conveyed during the relatively limited screen time we had with Ellie & Joel, and not through any of the Bill & Frank story, lovely as it was. What the Bill & Frank story *did* do, which I have pretty quickly come to appreciate, is flip the version of their story from the game on its head. In the game, Bill's & Frank's fates are much different, and pose a different sort of lesson to Joel: if you stay bitter and untrusting and uncaring, your will waste your life. There's surviving, and then there's living. This episode showed what living looks like, which is a good message (if imo not necessarily needed for this particular story). My criticism was strictly practical; the relationship between Ellie & Joel is the crux of the story (at least in the game), so the less time we have with them, the taller the storytelling challenge of the show. Of course, TV storytelling is different from game storytelling, so I have faith they'll be able to do their magic, even if they do it slightly differently.

idk anything about the game but i feel the show is more broadly tackling "the way we live after a world-ending event" in a good, dramatically satisfying way that doesn't just necessarily revolve around the two main characters

I was trying to think about post-apocalyptic fiction I’ve seen or read that does people living, rather than just surviving, and I think this is probably the best example of that theme (which I don’t think I’ve seen that often). There’s that inherent discomfort with “everyone’s dead, but I’m happier that I’ve ever been,” but I guess it does address that sticky issue that certain people would be happy if the world ended - underrepresented pro eschatology viewpoint (lol?)

can’t believe i’m watching an hbo show and i don’t even get to see nick offerman’s hog

― flamenco drop (BradNelson)

Otm

In general tho this was a very well-scripted/acted/directed vitamin of a gay romance

Did you cry? I was sobbing. No exaggeration.

I think so, but it's a common complaint I've seen from some. I mean, the gameplay in the second game is so good I think that's why they remade the first game!

having only watched the show i found myself now pretty impressed with the game that it had such deep storylines already built in, like that the ending is part of the game blew my mind a bit.

it’s cool to know that gaming can allow for a nuanced, challenging emotional experience like that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oSFFSu57yU

The most-affecting aspect of the game that I felt vaguely-but-not-actually disappointed didn’t make it into the show was maybe interesting:

I remember there was this fairly terrifying sequence where Joel is having to navigate a school environment where airborne spores are a danger. The ambient light in the environment was precise, it had that “being in school after hours” feeling, which was already scary as shit.

Up until that point in the game, you’d confronted clickers and other mobile fungazombies, but it was exactly in this environment, navigating through it, that you started to see an increase in the prevalence of wall-bound fungal tendrils, leading to the discovery of a full-tilt immobile human fungus flower, head opened into mushroom growth, sitting against a wall. It was the closest visual depiction of a Lovecraft description as I’ve ever seen (and imo likely inspired similar imagery within the movie Annihilation)

I think they discovered those immobile human shitheads in the show but it didn’t happen as balletically as it did in the game, it was really something

Re: spores. For the last 3-ish years, lots of tv shows and movies have - understandably - not wanted to film sequences with a lot of masks; it interferes with showing emotions. Plus you don't pay a kabillion dollars for the face of Tom Cruise or whomsoever and only get his eyebrows.

So a future historian looking only at our entertainment from this period would be hard-pressed to find evidence of the times in which many of us walked about with half our faces obscured. Which would be at odds with the news coverage of the time.

Yeah, it's kind of fascinating. I think on one of the covid threads I noted some TV or movie person's conflicted reasoning. Show people with masks, like the real world, and you break the illusion of escapism. Show people without masks and you introduce a kind of cognitive dissonance scraping against the way the world is. Anyway, given the popularity of "The Mandalorian," or the success of "For All Mankind," this show prolly could have easily tossed in a mask or two. Seeing Pedro put on a mask for a scene probably wouldn't have been that confusing. If anything, it might have made for a pretty claustrophobic sequence!

It was odder to bring up the interlocked infected thing only to never mention it again, but maybe they will in the future.

As I mentioned up thread, can't imagine Pedro wanted to do another show with his face covered up

"No brown M&Ms, clean towels/socks, bottle of Maker's Mark, no covering my face."

A game based on Ron Swanson macguyvering death traps, procuring meds and homesteading with a bickering partner with a dwindling health meter, might be fun though -- some kind of cross between tower defense, animal crossing, and sims.

seeing this as some mid noughties Flash game on the HBO website as part of this series 2005 marketing push.

Flew through the 9 episodes in the last three days - an incredible show. Part of me wishes I had gotten to play more than 30 minutes of the game at my friend's house before watching to see the differences between the show and game, but I guess it made my show-watching experience much tenser not knowing what would happen. I was convinced Joel would be dead by the end of the season

Finally listened to the last official podcast episode, and while I stand by my (modest) reservations about the show, the podcast provided excellent closure.

“While everything at this moment is pencils down, I’m hopeful that we can come to terms sooner than later. Otherwise we will have to assess what is the end of the 24 schedule, what are the shows that are going to be delivered for 2025,” Orsi said. “At this point, those shows that I’m looking to air wouldn’t necessarily be ready if this strike last six to nine months. So yes, that’s a big question for us, but I think we’ll cross that road once we come to it.”

It’s “too early to tell” how the scheduling plans for specific shows will being impacted by the writers work stoppage, Orsi said. “We were looking at The Last Of Us for some time in 2025. And The White Lotus was ideally looking to go in 2024 but there’s some question about timing of the strike.”

Watching this again with my teen, who had never seen it, and while it holds up I maintain my criticism that there is not enough time spent traveling across the country with Ellie and Joel, and the two biggest comments I keep hearing from my kid are "everyone keeps talking about raiders but we never see any raiders" and "how are we supposed to care about any of these characters if they just immediately die?" Fair enough, the show does constantly introduce new characters/villains just to immediately kill them off (typically in the same episode), which gets a little distracting. If they had another episode of just Ellie and Joel traveling/solving problems/fighting it might have offered a bit more narrative breathing room.

I really enjoyed The Last of Us as it aired, but it has not remained in my mind whatsoever since finishing it. I'll definitely watch the next season but if you told me it was still two years away I wouldn't really be bothered.

It's two years away.

OK theory tested and confirmed.

Pascal getting a SAG award for his role in an upset over the Succession candidates and coming to accept it looking like this and saying “I’m a little drunk. I thought I could get drunk" is now all-time great award ceremony material.

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-2036530546.jpg?w=850&h=638&crop=1

Long game campaign paid off
https://absurdink.com/cdn/shop/products/voteforpedro_2048x.jpg?v=1663771136

dammit
https://www.cantonrep.com/gcdn/-mm-/0dd9230c6c4a30f8962f38e8bb74b16d3186694c/c=184-0-2515-1317/local/-/media/2019/03/11/USATODAY/USATODAY/636879209675940780-e0-napoleon-2shot-phenom-wkcov-12.JPG?width=1320&height=746&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp

Wait, wut? Dead link de-deaded itself?

A group of researchers in India have discovered a mushroom sprouting from the side of a golden-backed frog. https://t.co/GEUU19gmCg pic.twitter.com/V8PEGONJHa

— ABC News (@ABC) March 2, 2024

D: