The Last of Us Part II (PS4, June 19, 2020) Video Game • Page 59

Because of my job, a month or so ago I had the chance to see the whole season before it premiered on HBO and I'm kind of sad to have binged it because I think it just works better as a "one episode per week TV show". Loved the game of course. The show is good but... I had a couple of nitpicks here and there, just like the first season. IMHO, it just doesn't take enough risks and it's kind of blindly following the source material, most of the time just shot for shot. Don't take it the wrong way, the show is good, but yeah.

 

Based on this episode and the last 10 minutes or so, this worries me a little. It just didn’t feel like things were earned/built up enough. If this becomes a reoccurring issue, it will be to the detriment of the show as a whole, unfortunately.

 

To add to that, I just don’t feel Ellie’s unrelenting revenge here. The Ellie that they’ve presented thus far feels like she absolutely would have noped back to Jackson after finding out they’re in the middle of a war and Dina being pregnant. The moments of levity/romance feel like they take away from the revenge plot when they’re placed at this point in the story.

 

I think it's weird because the source material basically works as a TV show itself so transferring it to live-action doesn't quite work as say adapting a book does.

 

I do agree with this. Doesn’t feel like the same Ellie from the game a lot of the time but it’s to be expected I guess

 

This article from Variety with Isabela Merced makes sounds like it is intentional. They wanted some of the silly moments from Bella like we had in the first season and Dina was the one that could bring it out of her so that's why her role has been beefed up a bit, she is technically billed as the co-lead of the show. As much as a change as it is, I get it. They probably didn't want it to become torture porn, for lack of a better term, and have Ellie be miserable the entire time.

 

Really makes me wonder how/if it will progress to Ellie essentially telling Dina she’s a burden in Seattle. Also with this being the case in this adaptation, it will make Ellie picking revenge over a life with Dina all that more painful in season 3 or 4.

 

Yeah I got strong rat king winking in that ep 5 teaser.

 

I would imagine something will happen next week probably between the hospital/Nora and her finding Jesse in Hillcrest. Seems like they shuffled the timeline a bit unless they have Jesse running into them elsewhere.

 

Still really curious how/if Tommy will be handled for a WLF ass kicking

 

Not that I wanted to see Shimmer get blown up, but that sequence where Ellie is captured by WLF and is saved by Dina and kills Jordan was really awesome to play in the game so I was hoping they’d keep it in for the show (but it makes sense since Jordan was one of the members of Abby’s group they left out of the show). It does leave the question now of if shimmer is just locked in the music store for eternity now lol

 

Wait I’m not super familiar with the beat by beat of part 2 but couldn’t that still happen?

 

i guess it could if they go out of sequence but in the game that happened before they went to the TV station

 

I'm rewatching the walkthrough on Youtube as the episodes air, and man it's so cool watching it come to life. So many things I forgot from when I first played the game on release, that I see in the show and think "oh that's a cool addition", and then watch it on the walkthrough and it's right there. I also love all the dialogue in the show. Watched the part where they're riding through the woods heading to Seattle and talking about first kill, etc.

 

I realllllly hope the last few episodes change my mind about how they're handling their relationship, I hate being a hater

 

Manny is kind of combined with Jordan because they had him kick Ellie in the lodge so they are probably just going to keep Manny's story beats.

 

I wanna be clear, I'm fine with all the changes to the narrative, like Ellie getting bit, and Ellie not telling Dina she's a burden. I'm excited to see where this goes; this was obviously never gonna be a one-to-one adaptation bc that would be boring. It's the narrative structure I don't like. The timing and execution. The way certain lines are written. And I'm specifically talking about the Ellie and Dina relationship. everything else has been stellar. I don't wanna be associated with those haters who complain about literally everything. ppl on tiktok are acting like anyone with any sort of criticism about the show is some misogynistic asshole and that's definitely not what's happening here

 

While I greatly prefer how Ellie and Dina’s relationship unfolds in the game, I will admit I am starting to come around on the show’s approach after sleeping on it. After losing Joel, I can understand how Mazin/the writers wanted another meaningful relationship for the audience to be able latch onto. Expanding Dina’s role in Seattle could lead to some really heavy moments in season 3, depending on how they decide to adapt it. Not to mention, Isabela is just killing it and the chemistry between her and Bella is palpable through the screen.

At the end of the day, I will have to accept that the TV audience may never get the bleak, unrelenting story we know, but hey, that is what the game is for!

 

Glad you clarified, for a minute I totally had you pegged as a misogynistic asshole. ;)

 

A full minute?!?!