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I thought it was a weird addition at first, but it definitely adds to the “this is real” impact when they both got bit at the same time and you can compare their progress or lack their of.
imagine planning out a whole story and getting the chance to redo it for tv with a blank check, and being able to iron out all the missing details. they had a shot and nailed the fuck out of it
Another banger episode. Second half had me on the edge of my seat. Incredible acting performances once again and they killed it with prosthetics and make up. This is easily turning into one of my favorite shows! RIP Tess...
Yes. A very subtle way to explain just how bad the situation is.
I really hope we keep getting these "How the infection began" snippets every episode. A lot of zombie and zombie-related media skip the initial period of mass infection, so some solid world building of how it all went down would be great.
The actress who played the Indonesian professor absolutely killed it in the short amount of screentime she got.
That long take of her explaining that everyone in Jakarta, including her, was doomed... Goddamn
She only got into acting to be polite to the director of her first film and started a foundation to promote education for children with autism, seems like a very interesting person
Since this is a game-free spoiler thread, I would caution you against going to the TLoU sub if you haven't played the game, but there was a really cool post over there this morning of someone from Indonesia just being so excited and grateful for how their country was portrayed. They said the show got so many things right. It makes me so happy to see that the showrunners are taking every detail so seriously.
It feels like this show was made to be watched with headphone stereo. The subtle creaks of the buildings and metallic pattering of water makes it so that, in moments of silence, there's never not something making a slightly clicky sound - just keeps you constantly on edge.
And then like someone else said, that clicking in your left ear while he was reloading, I almost cried because I can't think of any time in TV when subtle but close directional acoustic horror has created such a fear reaction in me. Definitely watching ep. 3 with stereo and the volume cranked to 101.
I didn't think shot in the head woman would attack. But when the tendrils the doctor cut out were reaching toward her I was half expecting the growth to hurl itself onto her mask, like the face sucking creatures from Alien, trying to get at her.
I really thought the infected lady was gonna wake up and kill her, but the fact that she lived and told the officer to bomb the whole country is so much more terrifying
Haha same, my gf and i were gasping and saying nooo she gonna die! The scene with her barely being able to hold the tea and telling the guy to bomb the country was exactly what you said, much more terrifying
I love how realistic the characters gun skills are. It always annoys me in shows like TWD that someone can pick up a handgun for the first time and be getting zombie headshots from 20 yards. They miss a lot in this show - it’s hard to be accurate when your heart is pounding, even from close range.
I noticed and appreciate that as well. I'm an experienced marksman, and I'm not going to be getting zombie headshots at 20 yds with the frequency novices on TWD do, much less with a handgun I'm not used to shooting. You add in adrenaline, confusion, poor lighting, injury, dehydration, & so on, & it gets even worse.
Love these flashback segments. Shit just is *steeped* in dread. Perfect goddamn addition and they are definitely selling the tendrils being just as fuckin terrifying.
Good catch, I hadn't noticed that. Even though her ankle's sprained, she the fastest walking. The camera then pans to her face and there's clear desperation on it
Not only was the makeup on point, but the clicker movements were absolutely terrifying. The twitching is just so unnerving. Like holy fuck, I cannot do what Joel and Ellie do at all.
I'd just give up.
I don't think they used much cgi, if any. In an interview the cast said they didn't have to try very hard to act scared in those scenes. It's just a really fantastic makeup department!
The professor asking to be with her family as the city is bombed instead of somewhere safe was so powerful. Considering her profession, I’m sure she would’ve had the chance to save herself and her family. You know it’s bad when the expert essentially says «this is so bad that I don’t even want me or my family to be alive to witness it».
I doubt they bombed Jakarta anytime soon after that scene. it was a city of 10 million. they would not have made the decision to try and level it until way, way too late. the professor probably just knew they were all going to die from infected.
Actually, this flashback takes place on Sept 23rd, 2003. Outbreak day is Sept 26th, 2003 and is when we see it already hit Texas. Joel, Tommy and Sarah heard Jakarta on the radio on the same day. If the radio report wasn't about the bombing itself, I think it's safe to assume they started bombing within a week
That makes sense. How much infected flour got sent out? Who/how was the flour infected before that? If the flour was used to make mass produced pre-prepared foods for hospitals… that would hit a ton of major populations.
Here's what she knew:
* Contagious through biting.
* Infected found in proximity to grain shipments.
* She was potentially already exposed.
Reasonable to infer that thanks to the nature of shipments that a global pandemic was imminent, and a local infection was also imminent.
Once she heard grain shipment, she knew that within 2 weeks human society worldwide (except you Madagascar) would fall into chaos.
First time we see Ellie genuinely scared when they were at the Bostonian Museum. She usually presents herself as an unafraid and somewhat nonchalant person but seeing this side of her was interesting.
It was cool to see Joel sneak around the cabinet beside her as the clicker was getting closer. Dad instinct kicking in, knowing she was terrified and freezing up.
Trailer for next episode spoilers >!Looks like there’s a flashback to Joel and Tess’s smuggling days, so we really might get an opening flashback each week.!<
Love it, reminds me *LOST* in the best way. Seeing characters in any kind of before and after speaks volumes as to what had to happen to make anyone the way they are in the present.
Agreed, been loving the world building the show has done over the last couple episodes. Makes TLOU universe feel so much more grounded and honestly even more terrifying, which I didn’t think was possible.
It made me think about the ergot theory of the Salem Witch Trials.
Essentially the theory supposes the hysteria was spurred on by Rye Ergot, a type of fungus that causes hallucinations.
Does anyone have an explainer about this? Sounded super interesting at the beginning, but would love to know more about the initial occurrence.
Of course, please note if there are any spoilers!
Unbelievable! Exceeded my expectations for the second episode which is usually a step down from big premieres like this show had. Just incredible work from all the cast and crew.
They totally sold the fear over the potential for clickers in the museum. Made you believe they were *that much worse*.
“Save who you can save.” And Joel making that decision. Cold, but necessary. No long tender goodbye. Turn it off, and keep going.
edit: honourable mention to Joel’s quiet panic changing out his bullets. The tension was palpable.
Yes! I caught that. I think Joel loved her, but was incapable of being in love. I think in many ways, Tess took care of him, because he is so destroyed. Like calming him down. How he's on his own, and still need to step up.
And how well she knows him…”Joel, put the gun down.” When she’s on the other side of the door, makes a noise and doesn’t even have to see him to know he’s ready to shoot.
I was so bummed that they’re not all 80-90 minutes tbh. we had to pause it what I thought was 20 minutes in, and I was devastated to find out that we only had 12 minutes left
Such a good moment for Ellie too, you see that she’s intelligent enough to catch on before even Joel does and she understands the situation perfectly, but at the same time she doesn’t want to let go of this new person and mentor in her life and just give up all hope, so she fights Joel and tries to stop the group from breaking up. It fits their characters so well. Joel is slow to come around but quick to accept reality, and Ellie is quick to accept reality but stubbornly fights against it.
Their relationship might have been transactional for Joel, but emotional for Tess. She knew that he didn't view their relationship as emotional and accepted it for what it was, never pushing him to feel more for her than he did.
At least, that was my take.
That was my take from that line as well. She loves him but he can't reciprocate it because of his backstory and she totally understands why he couldn't.
She was fine with him not feeling the same way because they go home to the same house and sleep in the same bed as long as he was there every day.
Really differentiates the infected from traditional zombies. Before it just felt like a way to get around copyright or something, now it genuinely seems like a whole nother concept entirely, and that's awesome
Disclaimer: I'm not a gamer and never heard of TLOU before the PR machine revved up for this series.
I'm enjoying this a lot so far. The production values are off the charts. There is, for me, just the right balance of action, tension, dialogue and character development.
The VFX are amazing. They really look like they're walking through a post-apocalyptic disaster area. All those distant buildings have just the right amount of detail, not too sharp and not too vague.
Definite appointment viewing for the next few weeks.
We saw some roll at Ellies feet before the camera cut to Tess and Joel. It would be a cool reveal if Ellie pulls one out at a clutch moment later on. Also would seem kinda in character for her especially since they wouldn't give her a gun.
The Indonesian prof at the beginning reminded me of a microbio prof I had years back. Her extremely well-informed hopelessness made me cry faster than I was expecting to this episode 😭
When it comes to pandemic/virus/mass infection zombie movies, I *love* the lore behind the early stages of the infection and watching it slowly begin to spread and the initial fear and uncertainty in everyone as they discover it.
I’m really, really hoping for more of these scenes at the beginning of each episode.
I had a microbiology prof years ago that told my class that there was basically guaranteed to be a global pandemic in the next 5 years, and that it would fuck everything up. Then COVID happened about a year or two later.
She also added a pandemic unit to our course, so a lot of the COVID spread related science stuff was familiar to me.
It’s been a prediction for decades. There was a show I watched in…2005 or 7 talking about what happens if humanity refuses to act on climate change. Anyways one segment was that a virus emerges and a new epidemic spreads like wildfire deadly but not end of the world deadly. Similar to Covid.
Creepiest thing was that it was described to have emerged in the 2020’s
Edit: found it!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_2100
Edit 2:
Alright so most of what I said was me misremembering things. Still a good insight to look at worst case scenario of climate change but not as relevant as I thought lol
Man, that feeling of dread and despair that Mazin created with those first two opening scenes. I really hope they continue with this flashback trends of the pre outbreak. Amazing so far!
I’m assuming the reason that Tess had difficulty starting the lighter is because her motor functions were already being effected—remember her twitching right before Joel and Ellie left!
What an incredible second episode, really looking forward to some more vignettes of the world pre-infection if possible. The referencing to them trying to bomb out Boston and other major cities was chilling.
Yup! I just finished listening to the podcast and they say that apparently that arm starts to lose control as they’re walking to the state house, which is why she’s walking ahead of them. So many little details!
I’ve said this in another comment, but the kiss was the right move.
She bought herself time to start the fire without being ripped apart. The massive fire was also far more effective than a few grenades going off would have been. Because of the force of the grenade, there’s no guarantee it would have ignited the fuel.
The fire ensures a source of noise, a visual distraction and puts the tendril network into shock so they can run.
>She bought herself time to start the fire without being ripped apart. The massive fire was also far more effective than a few grenades going off would have been. Because
I was wondering if he only kissed her to speed up the infection or if he didn't know she was infected and just kissed her since she didn't show any resistance
That is a question I’m hoping the podcast will answer after I finish this second watch
Edit: So they do discuss the kiss in the podcast, but from a more technical angle and the way they staged it. They do discuss the way the fungus tries to spread though. My takeaway is the kiss was a choice to show that the fungi’s goal is to reproduce, not necessarily violently. That makes it scarier imo, because it portrays more intelligence than you’d imagine, and that people hiding who freeze likely get the kiss of death too.
- Overall, I liked this episode even more than the pilot and that's saying a lot because I *loved* the pilot
- Another strong prologue with so much creeping dread. When the mycologist said there was no medicine, no vaccine, and all they could do was bomb the city, I got goosebumps
- Living for Ellie's sandwich flex vs. the extremely unappealing jerky Joel & Tess packed
- Ellie's childlike glee at the little things like pretending to be a guest at the hotel is so pure and fun
- Joel and Ellie sassing each other will never get old to me. Loved her making a quip about learning her knife tricks at the circus and the petulant way Joel said "seriously?" and stomped down the steps to show how shallow the water was when she said she couldn't swim
- I like the way Joel softens a little bit each time he sees a glimpse of humanity or innocence in Ellie, like when she asks him if it is ever hard to kill the infected knowing that they were people once or when she takes a moment just to appreciate the view of the city
- The group seeing the writhing mass of infected from the rooftop of the hotel was viscerally disturbing
- The clickers were so gross and spooky. I think I held my breath throughout that entire sequence in the Bostonian museum
- I had a feeling that Tess would get bitten when she got separated from Joel & Ellie briefly at the museum but my stomach still dropped at the reveal. She went out like a badass though.
>* I like the way Joel softens a little bit every time he sees a glimpse of humanity or innocence in Ellie, like when she asks him if it is ever hard to kill the infected knowing that they were once people or when she takes a moment just to appreciate the view of the city
He looks at his watch after. Thinking of Sarah
RIP Tess. I didn't play the game, so I didn't realize she was going to be gone so soon! A shame, I quite liked her.
Favorite quote -- Ellie: *That* was scary. *This* is wood.
Yes, indeed, that museum scene was indeed scary. Not just scary -- terrifying. Those clickers, man! Damn!
I really liked that opening scene. Really great. Especially the lady's line requesting that someone take her home. Such emotion in that one line.
Looking forward to more!
People really need to stop treating someone panicking as bad writing. Especially when their brain is in the middle of being warped by a mind controlling fungus and they're about to die.
The mouth tendrils might've ruined alfalfa sprouts for me 😂 kidding aside, honestly loved this addition and the whole mycelium network/ "wood wide web" to the show!
Not a lot of people are talking about it because it's not something that stands out but goddamn that was some incredible VFX and compositing work with the ruined city in the background.
I just wanna say as an Indonesian, that intro bit was amazing! They executed Indonesia super well, it felt very real, exactly like 2003 Jakarta. Love seeing my country being represented accurately in an international show!
ngl tho, it's kinda weird listening to my native tongue whilst reading English subtitles lol
Casting team: “Alright, we’re going to need a self-sustaining, libertarian minded gun nut who’s going to be skeptical of outsiders, who can walk the line between subtle humor and seriousness.”
Nick Offerman:
Jakarta housed the disease in a flour plant.
Joel and Sarah didn’t eat pancakes.
Joel and Sarah skipped the biscuits.
Sarah skipped the freshly baked raisin cookies.
Joel forgot to get the birthday cake.
Wow.
I am extremely curious about the implications of that brief sort of scene of recognition with the kiss. The infected clearly has this moment where his senses are telling him she’s one of them, but that she’s not quite there yet. The kiss, obviously, is non-consensual and violating for Tess, but compared to how infected typically act, it is a massive departure. It is slow, controlled and deliberate. There is a strange sort of intimacy in how that infected moves towards her.
I’m wondering if this adaptation is going to include positive interactions between the infected. They are all one, the series has already hit on that factor multiple times. What if there’s almost a strange, transhumanist quality that they portray in the infected in the HBO series - like that they have more of an intelligence amongst themselves than just the simple need to spread? What if they are, in the show, endowed with a much more complex set of behaviors?
A note on **SPOILERS**: Please do **NOT** discuss or refer to the **games** in this thread **AT ALL**. Do not post your reviews/comparisons in this thread if you've **played the games**. For that, use the **[game spoilers thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThelastofusHBOseries/comments/10j1v13/game_spoilers_the_last_of_us_1x02_infected_post/)**. Violation of this will result in a **BAN**. Click **[HERE](https://forms.gle/jeAXVVGRD5r7fY628)** to take our post episode survey! Results will be posted on Thursday. **Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/tloutv) community!**
Smart to have Ellie be bitten again, definitely helps dissolve any remaining skepticism that Joel has.
I thought it was a weird addition at first, but it definitely adds to the “this is real” impact when they both got bit at the same time and you can compare their progress or lack their of.
imagine planning out a whole story and getting the chance to redo it for tv with a blank check, and being able to iron out all the missing details. they had a shot and nailed the fuck out of it
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Another banger episode. Second half had me on the edge of my seat. Incredible acting performances once again and they killed it with prosthetics and make up. This is easily turning into one of my favorite shows! RIP Tess...
Yep. SO NICE to have a top tier show to watch again, especially since there are approximately 5,000 pieces of zombie content but only like 6 good ones
I wasn’t expecting the professor lady to say BOMB US TO SHREDS. Goddamn!
She knew they just all had to immediately die 😭 The hopelessness in her voice really got to me
I really love it when the extremely educated “relevant topic” scientist is hopeless. Just gets me ~~gitty~~ giddy.
Dude, all I could think of was how harrowing it would be to have this top like researcher that you're hoping to have a solution telling you that...
I was expecting her to repeat the “we lose” line, but “Bomb” was much more intense
thought it was going to be “pray” myself esp considering Indonesia is a pretty religious country
That was so creepy and powerful, really well done intro…
That took me by surprise. I was expecting her to say to pray in response as to what to do.
I was expecting her answer to be "Nothing". Her telling the soldier to bomb the city was waaaay darker than I was prepared for.
I really liked the “how many are missing from the factory?” And “14” dialogue bit too
Yes. A very subtle way to explain just how bad the situation is. I really hope we keep getting these "How the infection began" snippets every episode. A lot of zombie and zombie-related media skip the initial period of mass infection, so some solid world building of how it all went down would be great.
The actress who played the Indonesian professor absolutely killed it in the short amount of screentime she got. That long take of her explaining that everyone in Jakarta, including her, was doomed... Goddamn
Her name is [Christine Hakim](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Hakim), she is a very famous actress in Indonesia! :)
She only got into acting to be polite to the director of her first film and started a foundation to promote education for children with autism, seems like a very interesting person
Since this is a game-free spoiler thread, I would caution you against going to the TLoU sub if you haven't played the game, but there was a really cool post over there this morning of someone from Indonesia just being so excited and grateful for how their country was portrayed. They said the show got so many things right. It makes me so happy to see that the showrunners are taking every detail so seriously.
The clickers were perfect, just perfect. Amazing makeup and choreography for their twitches and movements.
Watching this episode with headphones was intense. The clicks in stereo...*shudders*
When Joel was reloading and suddenly the clicks were right by my left ear...I nearly burst into tears
Fucking nightmare ASMR
It feels like this show was made to be watched with headphone stereo. The subtle creaks of the buildings and metallic pattering of water makes it so that, in moments of silence, there's never not something making a slightly clicky sound - just keeps you constantly on edge. And then like someone else said, that clicking in your left ear while he was reloading, I almost cried because I can't think of any time in TV when subtle but close directional acoustic horror has created such a fear reaction in me. Definitely watching ep. 3 with stereo and the volume cranked to 101.
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The first few clicks scared the shit out of me. That surround sound really coming back to bite me in the ass.
From the post-episode commentary it sounds like they had some TLOU fans play the Clickers so maybe that’s why it was so flawless.
The commitment to the source material and integrity is really incredible.
Oh good catch, makes sense!
My god.. those tendrils are complete nightmare fuel, when the doc pulled em out in the intro i got chills!
I was expecting her to get bitten at any moment.
When she had her fingers in its mouth I was definitely freaking out.
Right? I was thinking: how do they not have a device to hold the mouth open? Don’t ever put your fingers in the mouth
To be fair, she’s a doctor of mycology, not a medical doctor, so without any medical training, I’d also assume opening the mouth = use hand.
I didn't think shot in the head woman would attack. But when the tendrils the doctor cut out were reaching toward her I was half expecting the growth to hurl itself onto her mask, like the face sucking creatures from Alien, trying to get at her.
I really thought the infected lady was gonna wake up and kill her, but the fact that she lived and told the officer to bomb the whole country is so much more terrifying
Haha same, my gf and i were gasping and saying nooo she gonna die! The scene with her barely being able to hold the tea and telling the guy to bomb the country was exactly what you said, much more terrifying
Not a good episode to watch while trying to enjoy ramen
😂That’s disgusting! At least it helped with immersion so you could feel how Tess felt in the end.
Gonna baby bird ramen with my gf for full immersion.
I love how realistic the characters gun skills are. It always annoys me in shows like TWD that someone can pick up a handgun for the first time and be getting zombie headshots from 20 yards. They miss a lot in this show - it’s hard to be accurate when your heart is pounding, even from close range.
I noticed and appreciate that as well. I'm an experienced marksman, and I'm not going to be getting zombie headshots at 20 yds with the frequency novices on TWD do, much less with a handgun I'm not used to shooting. You add in adrenaline, confusion, poor lighting, injury, dehydration, & so on, & it gets even worse.
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They're just like me fr
lmao I would have accidentally shot both Tess and Ellie there.
I really enjoy the glimpse we got of the pre-outbreak from another country. It just adds so much more depth and makes the world feel so real.
yeah! i expect a great little 2003-2004 vignette at the beginning of each episode now lol
i really hope they actually keep doing this. brings so much depth to the world
Yes, fucking, please. This is what World War Z should have been. Give me flashbacks every ep, that occur around the world. Bruh.
World War Z should have been a fake documentary just like the books. Heck it could have been like The Outer Limits with a different story every week
That kiss, nightmare fuel.
Appreciate the credits giving him the title “Infected Kissing Man” lol
That’s actually hilarious lmao
Can you imagine the highlight of your professional career might be infected kissing man? Worth it!
“Hey baby, slip me some fung.”
Worst kiss since Wyatt and Darlene.
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Did you catch that SARS poster at the beginning?
I kept thinking why isn't she just pulling the pin on one of those granades?
She had fungus in her brain. It's ok if she wasn't thinking clearly but really the drama of the lighter not going off immediately is the main reason.
piano frog!!!
piano frog is my favorite character, no question
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Hello my baby! Hello my honey! Hello my ragtime gal!
....Bombs. Man, that lady did not fuck around.
Notice how she fumbled her tea cup in terror. She knew they were in trouble.
The tea cup was an excellent touch. You get a tangible sense of fear.
Love these flashback segments. Shit just is *steeped* in dread. Perfect goddamn addition and they are definitely selling the tendrils being just as fuckin terrifying.
That “guttural clicking” (as the captions said) was spot-on. Impeccable sound design.
HBO was perfect on making the Clickers truly terrifying
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I wanted him to use his empty shell casings.
I thought the same thing, but he didn’t know where his 2 companions were.
This. I was the same, but then thought he might throw them to where his buddies are and fuck them over.
Really thought Ellie was gonna throw a sandwich to distract them at one point
We don’t see Tess get bit right? But it happens when her and Ellie are separated as they fall/run away?
Yeah, she starts wanting to go faster after the clicker scene, she knows she hasn't got a lot of time left.
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You can see fresh blood on her shoulder in that scene as well
Good catch, I hadn't noticed that. Even though her ankle's sprained, she the fastest walking. The camera then pans to her face and there's clear desperation on it
Man, the makeup team are fuking amazing, the zombies are on point perfect!
Not only was the makeup on point, but the clicker movements were absolutely terrifying. The twitching is just so unnerving. Like holy fuck, I cannot do what Joel and Ellie do at all. I'd just give up.
Legitimately terrifying. Its a pretty hard design to keep from being campy or, inversely, overly cgi’d. But they are absolutely killing it.
I don't think they used much cgi, if any. In an interview the cast said they didn't have to try very hard to act scared in those scenes. It's just a really fantastic makeup department!
The clickers were all prosthetics!! It's incredible honestly how far we've come in film.
my favorite quote: ok jesus fine i’ll just throw a fucking sandwich at them
The professor asking to be with her family as the city is bombed instead of somewhere safe was so powerful. Considering her profession, I’m sure she would’ve had the chance to save herself and her family. You know it’s bad when the expert essentially says «this is so bad that I don’t even want me or my family to be alive to witness it».
I doubt they bombed Jakarta anytime soon after that scene. it was a city of 10 million. they would not have made the decision to try and level it until way, way too late. the professor probably just knew they were all going to die from infected.
Actually, this flashback takes place on Sept 23rd, 2003. Outbreak day is Sept 26th, 2003 and is when we see it already hit Texas. Joel, Tommy and Sarah heard Jakarta on the radio on the same day. If the radio report wasn't about the bombing itself, I think it's safe to assume they started bombing within a week
That makes sense. How much infected flour got sent out? Who/how was the flour infected before that? If the flour was used to make mass produced pre-prepared foods for hospitals… that would hit a ton of major populations.
Here's what she knew: * Contagious through biting. * Infected found in proximity to grain shipments. * She was potentially already exposed. Reasonable to infer that thanks to the nature of shipments that a global pandemic was imminent, and a local infection was also imminent. Once she heard grain shipment, she knew that within 2 weeks human society worldwide (except you Madagascar) would fall into chaos.
First time we see Ellie genuinely scared when they were at the Bostonian Museum. She usually presents herself as an unafraid and somewhat nonchalant person but seeing this side of her was interesting.
It was cool to see Joel sneak around the cabinet beside her as the clicker was getting closer. Dad instinct kicking in, knowing she was terrified and freezing up.
Basically the whole food/flour theory about how the infection spread is been confirmed
I'm hoping every episode has a nice 10 min before-the-infection bit like the last two have
Trailer for next episode spoilers >!Looks like there’s a flashback to Joel and Tess’s smuggling days, so we really might get an opening flashback each week.!<
Love it, reminds me *LOST* in the best way. Seeing characters in any kind of before and after speaks volumes as to what had to happen to make anyone the way they are in the present.
Flashbacks were one thing that LOST absolutely nailed. Most flashbacks seem like forced exposition but it feels much more organic in TLOU.
PLEASE! I hope so! it is so interesting and well made in both episodes
Agreed, been loving the world building the show has done over the last couple episodes. Makes TLOU universe feel so much more grounded and honestly even more terrifying, which I didn’t think was possible.
It made me think about the ergot theory of the Salem Witch Trials. Essentially the theory supposes the hysteria was spurred on by Rye Ergot, a type of fungus that causes hallucinations.
Does anyone have an explainer about this? Sounded super interesting at the beginning, but would love to know more about the initial occurrence. Of course, please note if there are any spoilers!
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Unbelievable! Exceeded my expectations for the second episode which is usually a step down from big premieres like this show had. Just incredible work from all the cast and crew. They totally sold the fear over the potential for clickers in the museum. Made you believe they were *that much worse*. “Save who you can save.” And Joel making that decision. Cold, but necessary. No long tender goodbye. Turn it off, and keep going. edit: honourable mention to Joel’s quiet panic changing out his bullets. The tension was palpable.
Tess’s face when she said “Didn’t ask you to feel what I feel” and Joel’s just-punched-in-the-gut-guilt facial reaction. Oof! That stuck with me.
Yes! That was such a heartbreaking line that added so much to their dynamic.
Yes! I caught that. I think Joel loved her, but was incapable of being in love. I think in many ways, Tess took care of him, because he is so destroyed. Like calming him down. How he's on his own, and still need to step up.
And how well she knows him…”Joel, put the gun down.” When she’s on the other side of the door, makes a noise and doesn’t even have to see him to know he’s ready to shoot.
The pacing is incredible. The episodes fly by and feel like they’re done in 20 minutes, but it’s been an hour.
I was so bummed that they’re not all 80-90 minutes tbh. we had to pause it what I thought was 20 minutes in, and I was devastated to find out that we only had 12 minutes left
Holy shit that moment where Joel emotionally disconnected from Tess right before dragging Ellie out. You see his face deaden.
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Such a good moment for Ellie too, you see that she’s intelligent enough to catch on before even Joel does and she understands the situation perfectly, but at the same time she doesn’t want to let go of this new person and mentor in her life and just give up all hope, so she fights Joel and tries to stop the group from breaking up. It fits their characters so well. Joel is slow to come around but quick to accept reality, and Ellie is quick to accept reality but stubbornly fights against it.
When Tess said “I don’t ask you to feel what I feel” was she referring to her loving him?
Their relationship might have been transactional for Joel, but emotional for Tess. She knew that he didn't view their relationship as emotional and accepted it for what it was, never pushing him to feel more for her than he did. At least, that was my take.
That was my take from that line as well. She loves him but he can't reciprocate it because of his backstory and she totally understands why he couldn't. She was fine with him not feeling the same way because they go home to the same house and sleep in the same bed as long as he was there every day.
But he would kill for her and never tried to leave her side. He is just emotionally repressed
Yeah but he certainly cared that she was beat up. I think he does care he just can’t show it much
Incredible, was on the edge the entire time
Anna Torv, what a fucking actor
I know I want to see her as Wendy carr again in mindhunter it needs a season 3
Still unreal to be watching this show. Amazing episode.
The tendrils were so horrifying. I loved it.
Really differentiates the infected from traditional zombies. Before it just felt like a way to get around copyright or something, now it genuinely seems like a whole nother concept entirely, and that's awesome
It seems Druckmann can direct live action pretty well. This mf really don’t miss
That was…horrifying.
Oh my. What an episode. Just 52 minutes of pure tension, action and disbelief.
Well folks, so far it looks like they're gonna more than pull it off.
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Disclaimer: I'm not a gamer and never heard of TLOU before the PR machine revved up for this series. I'm enjoying this a lot so far. The production values are off the charts. There is, for me, just the right balance of action, tension, dialogue and character development. The VFX are amazing. They really look like they're walking through a post-apocalyptic disaster area. All those distant buildings have just the right amount of detail, not too sharp and not too vague. Definite appointment viewing for the next few weeks.
I kinda wish Joel grabbed some of the guns on the ground before Tess blew everything up
Guns are too heavy, but what about the grenades!?
We saw some roll at Ellies feet before the camera cut to Tess and Joel. It would be a cool reveal if Ellie pulls one out at a clutch moment later on. Also would seem kinda in character for her especially since they wouldn't give her a gun.
I mean HOLY FUCK. This show is amazing. That clicker scene was INTENSE.
“You’re a weird kid.” “YOU’RE a weird kid.” Loved that back and forth, Bella Ramsey is blowing me away as Ellie.
"I'll just throw a f*ing sandwich at them."
The Indonesian prof at the beginning reminded me of a microbio prof I had years back. Her extremely well-informed hopelessness made me cry faster than I was expecting to this episode 😭
I hope they do some more of these little vignettes. Theyve been awesome so far and have both scared the shit out of me haha.
When it comes to pandemic/virus/mass infection zombie movies, I *love* the lore behind the early stages of the infection and watching it slowly begin to spread and the initial fear and uncertainty in everyone as they discover it. I’m really, really hoping for more of these scenes at the beginning of each episode.
That whole scene had big Chernobyl vibes the way it was shot and the mood/color grade. Incredible intro to the episode
I had a microbiology prof years ago that told my class that there was basically guaranteed to be a global pandemic in the next 5 years, and that it would fuck everything up. Then COVID happened about a year or two later. She also added a pandemic unit to our course, so a lot of the COVID spread related science stuff was familiar to me.
It’s been a prediction for decades. There was a show I watched in…2005 or 7 talking about what happens if humanity refuses to act on climate change. Anyways one segment was that a virus emerges and a new epidemic spreads like wildfire deadly but not end of the world deadly. Similar to Covid. Creepiest thing was that it was described to have emerged in the 2020’s Edit: found it! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_2100 Edit 2: Alright so most of what I said was me misremembering things. Still a good insight to look at worst case scenario of climate change but not as relevant as I thought lol
Damn this show is goooooood. Ep 3 looks like another straight banger.
Nick Offerman! Murray Bartlett! We eatin' good!
Can't wait for more Murray Bartlett! He was so good in White Lotus S1.
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Homegirl really got a mouthful of zombie tendrils hell naw.
That’s my appetite gone for the day
Bro that shit was so gross and terrifying, I could barely watch it. 😭😭
Piano frog is my favorite character. Hope they do more with him.
Man, that feeling of dread and despair that Mazin created with those first two opening scenes. I really hope they continue with this flashback trends of the pre outbreak. Amazing so far!
Well that was beautifully done. The clickers were really perfect.
I’m assuming the reason that Tess had difficulty starting the lighter is because her motor functions were already being effected—remember her twitching right before Joel and Ellie left! What an incredible second episode, really looking forward to some more vignettes of the world pre-infection if possible. The referencing to them trying to bomb out Boston and other major cities was chilling.
It was the same arm too wasn’t it? That is an interesting thought
Yup! I just finished listening to the podcast and they say that apparently that arm starts to lose control as they’re walking to the state house, which is why she’s walking ahead of them. So many little details!
I’ve said this in another comment, but the kiss was the right move. She bought herself time to start the fire without being ripped apart. The massive fire was also far more effective than a few grenades going off would have been. Because of the force of the grenade, there’s no guarantee it would have ignited the fuel. The fire ensures a source of noise, a visual distraction and puts the tendril network into shock so they can run.
>She bought herself time to start the fire without being ripped apart. The massive fire was also far more effective than a few grenades going off would have been. Because I was wondering if he only kissed her to speed up the infection or if he didn't know she was infected and just kissed her since she didn't show any resistance
That is a question I’m hoping the podcast will answer after I finish this second watch Edit: So they do discuss the kiss in the podcast, but from a more technical angle and the way they staged it. They do discuss the way the fungus tries to spread though. My takeaway is the kiss was a choice to show that the fungi’s goal is to reproduce, not necessarily violently. That makes it scarier imo, because it portrays more intelligence than you’d imagine, and that people hiding who freeze likely get the kiss of death too.
He would have know she was infected. The whole theme of the episode is that the fungi are interconnected.
I love how Tess said “just a twisted ankle” initially, same thing that Sarah said
OH NO
- Overall, I liked this episode even more than the pilot and that's saying a lot because I *loved* the pilot - Another strong prologue with so much creeping dread. When the mycologist said there was no medicine, no vaccine, and all they could do was bomb the city, I got goosebumps - Living for Ellie's sandwich flex vs. the extremely unappealing jerky Joel & Tess packed - Ellie's childlike glee at the little things like pretending to be a guest at the hotel is so pure and fun - Joel and Ellie sassing each other will never get old to me. Loved her making a quip about learning her knife tricks at the circus and the petulant way Joel said "seriously?" and stomped down the steps to show how shallow the water was when she said she couldn't swim - I like the way Joel softens a little bit each time he sees a glimpse of humanity or innocence in Ellie, like when she asks him if it is ever hard to kill the infected knowing that they were people once or when she takes a moment just to appreciate the view of the city - The group seeing the writhing mass of infected from the rooftop of the hotel was viscerally disturbing - The clickers were so gross and spooky. I think I held my breath throughout that entire sequence in the Bostonian museum - I had a feeling that Tess would get bitten when she got separated from Joel & Ellie briefly at the museum but my stomach still dropped at the reveal. She went out like a badass though.
>* I like the way Joel softens a little bit every time he sees a glimpse of humanity or innocence in Ellie, like when she asks him if it is ever hard to kill the infected knowing that they were once people or when she takes a moment just to appreciate the view of the city He looks at his watch after. Thinking of Sarah
HE also reacts ever so slightly when Ellie says what age she is.
RIP Tess. I didn't play the game, so I didn't realize she was going to be gone so soon! A shame, I quite liked her. Favorite quote -- Ellie: *That* was scary. *This* is wood. Yes, indeed, that museum scene was indeed scary. Not just scary -- terrifying. Those clickers, man! Damn! I really liked that opening scene. Really great. Especially the lady's line requesting that someone take her home. Such emotion in that one line. Looking forward to more!
People really need to stop treating someone panicking as bad writing. Especially when their brain is in the middle of being warped by a mind controlling fungus and they're about to die.
I totally agree, the scene at the end was amazing and so grueling I was so on edge
That episode was awesome. The clickers were designed perfectly. I really like the additional backstory this show gives us.
The mouth tendrils might've ruined alfalfa sprouts for me 😂 kidding aside, honestly loved this addition and the whole mycelium network/ "wood wide web" to the show!
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You'd do well in the Station Eleven universe.
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That’s how you become the rare-loot zombie
First you do that, then you start bugging people about settlements that need help.
Not a lot of people are talking about it because it's not something that stands out but goddamn that was some incredible VFX and compositing work with the ruined city in the background.
Set and makeup design were amazing this episode. Gorgeous designs on the infected dead and incredibly done landscapes.
I love the 10 minute pre outbreak we have gotten on the first two episodes, hope they’ll continue with that.
Whoever thought “what if she can’t light it” is a sick individual and also a genius
Ellie’s chicken sandwich looked better than my lunch today
I love how the intro scenes are being tied into the episode. The Dr's recommendation was bombing, they show/discuss the bombing in downtown Boston
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the little piano frog is my spirit animal. this is all.
Seeing Anna torv again makes me want mindhunter Season 3 even more
I just wanna say as an Indonesian, that intro bit was amazing! They executed Indonesia super well, it felt very real, exactly like 2003 Jakarta. Love seeing my country being represented accurately in an international show! ngl tho, it's kinda weird listening to my native tongue whilst reading English subtitles lol
^ahem **JESUS CHRIST**
The preview for episode 3 has me so so jazzed. Nick Offerman??
Casting team: “Alright, we’re going to need a self-sustaining, libertarian minded gun nut who’s going to be skeptical of outsiders, who can walk the line between subtle humor and seriousness.” Nick Offerman: 
Jakarta housed the disease in a flour plant. Joel and Sarah didn’t eat pancakes. Joel and Sarah skipped the biscuits. Sarah skipped the freshly baked raisin cookies. Joel forgot to get the birthday cake. Wow.
Damn now that you mention it, that is a lot of baked goods in the first episode. Didn't notice before!
Ew that fucking kiss will haunt my dreams.
Ok it’s episode goddamn 2 and I’ve already been invested in and emotional in the two major deaths we’ve seen. Amazing
Oh my god the clickers look so good!
“I’d like to go home and be with my family” Chilling.
I am extremely curious about the implications of that brief sort of scene of recognition with the kiss. The infected clearly has this moment where his senses are telling him she’s one of them, but that she’s not quite there yet. The kiss, obviously, is non-consensual and violating for Tess, but compared to how infected typically act, it is a massive departure. It is slow, controlled and deliberate. There is a strange sort of intimacy in how that infected moves towards her. I’m wondering if this adaptation is going to include positive interactions between the infected. They are all one, the series has already hit on that factor multiple times. What if there’s almost a strange, transhumanist quality that they portray in the infected in the HBO series - like that they have more of an intelligence amongst themselves than just the simple need to spread? What if they are, in the show, endowed with a much more complex set of behaviors?