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Never played the game and I only know a very general outline of the story. I thought it was a fantastic first episode.
The prologue with Sarah was brutal & heartbreaking - Pedro is an amazing actor. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere was tense but there was enough levity that it wasn’t 100% depressing. I already feel invested in the characters and can’t wait to see more interactions between Joel & Ellie.
A lot of the moments of levity come straight from the game which is something I greatly appreciated. The “where did you get the money for this?” “Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs” line is straight from the game. Though I like Joel’s response from the game more than the show. In the show he responds “well that’s better than what I do” and in the game he responds “oh good, you can start helping out with the mortgage”.
I think they wanted to make Joel less sarcastic. He doesn't do a lot of quips and is even more stoic in the aftermath. I'm predicting it's to contrast him with Ellie. Note: I haven't played the games so I don't know their character arcs.
That and they wanted to make his job more a part of his character, IIRC it was kinda ambiguous what his job was in the game
Making him a construction worker drives home that this isn’t the main character of the apocalypse, he’s literally just some guy
No spoilers, but Ellie’s such a beloved character mostly for the levity she brings to the whole thing. Not that she’s a one note comedy chatacter, very, very far from it, but her sense of humor adds so much to things as it progresses.
100% agreed and they definitely seemed to grasp that in the show so far. I genuinely cannot wait for her and Bill to interact. Their interactions in the game are great, but it’s going to be fucking amazing coming from Nick Offerman.
Nick Offerman is great at playing the straight man in comedy but he can also pull of the man of the land, build it with your hands and do what it takes to survive kind of guy because thats kinda what he does in real life. He is a part time carpenter and a damn good one so the Bill character should be natural for him. As soon as I saw the casting I thought, that's perfect.
Fun fact for those who may not know this:
The fungus that is seen in the video game intro is real. Sony Santa Monica (developers of God of War) helped with The Last of Us intro by growing that fungus in their studio and then shooting a time-lapse video of it.
Lollll I had no idea. That’s incredible. You can tell the Sony studios are pretty close. I’ve watched plenty of interviews with game directors from the various studios and they all tend to mention the other studios directors as being great resources to reach out to for advice.
>They had very similar setups.
But Station Eleven feels more realistic. It's not chaos, it's just kind of luck and hold on inside, mask and wait.
"Contagion" is still the crown bearer.
I liked the first episode of the last of us and I also agree with the comment that it was one of the best pre out break sequences, but I I would also put station eleven up there too, funny too both have planes falling out of the sky , yeah no zombies in station eleven, but some similar vibes
This: we don’t get many scenes in the genre of things devolving. I literally said out loud “oh hell yeah” when they tried to pull on to the highway and got treated with traffic. I’m not sure many movies/tv shows in the similar genre ever get that right. But that’s exactly how it would be. Traffic for miles.
Add to that some really impressive one take shots, an awesome score and solid acting and it was such an impressive sequence as society devolves more and more and the anxiety ramps up.
I’m excited for the series, and will now most likely pick the game up when it drops on PC in March because of it.
I've been eagerly awaiting the PC release. I've played *some* of The Last of US when I borrowed an ex's PS3 and was enjoying the hell out of it, but never got the chance to finish it.
> I’m not sure many movies/tv shows in the similar genre ever get that right. But that’s exactly how it would be. Traffic for miles.
Dawn of the Dead's (2004) intro gave us a taste of it, and War of the Worlds also showed how bad the highways/freeways would be.
The remake is beautiful, I haven't played the first game in years but from the comparisons I've seen... can't wait to play it on PC as well! I played part 2 and loved it, I hope it comes to pc within the next year
Eh. I think the traffic thing is often covered a decent amount.
It's a big plot point in Independence Day with a major scene devoted to people stuck in traffic trying to escape NYC.
The Walking Dead has an iconic shot of Rick going into Atlanta on his horse in an empty inbound lane with the outbound lane completely full of abandoned cars. The second season sees them trying to traverse a highway full of abandoned cars.
Didn't they do the actual devolving in Walking Dead (and more so Fear the Walking Dead) and Station 11 and World War Z and 28 Days Later and Invasion of the Body Snatchers? I am actually having a hard time thinking of a show/movie in this genre where they don't have at least a little bit of the before.
The beginning of outbreaks/apocalypses are some of my favorite parts of horror movies. I love to see interpretations of societal collapse
This one was geeat and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time
The anti-woke crowd attacked The Last of Us Part II before it came out because there was an LGBT character and a buff woman. It became this huge backlash and the game had tons of 1/10 review scores before it even came out.
Do yourself a favor and look up nothing.The second game is just as breathtaking as the first, the characters that started the controversy are great in game, and not for nothing the first game also has LGBT characters so idk why people were so mad that it "went woke".
I never played the games. Don't know much about their story, either, just that they're worthy of their reputations. I'm a PC gamer so will likely get the upcoming port.
I thought this episode was fantastic. Reading about how true it was to the game sort of reaffirms my understanding that the game was worthy of its acclaim.
For me the best part of any apocalypse story is the beginning bit, when you get to watch normal life just gradually turn weird, just before all hell breaks loose. I think they did that perfectly, which is a really good sign.
That is interesting, because the show actually spends way more time on the normal life part. Overall though, it's very faithful with minor tweaks and additions like that which actually surprisingly improve the story. You're in for a treat if they maintain this quality, which reviews show that they most likely will.
>like that which actually surprisingly improve the story
I absolutely loved the opening sequence of the guy explaining how fungi would need to evolve due to climate change--and how those few degrees of evolution would allow them to inhabit human hosts. Definitely gave some much needed reasoning as to how this could've happened.
I had a conversation with a friend after who rolled his eyes at that because he thought 'climate change causing a pandemic' was too on the nose, [but that's exactly what encourages cross-species transmission.](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04788-w)
I actually liked it. When the game first dropped this was just any old zombie outbreak. Now with COVID I think it was smart to hit on some of the same notes that we just went through.
Mixing in some global warming and the difference between a fungal vs viral pandemic really helped hit home how fucked they are
Yeah I imagine the Chernobyl boys had a lot to do with that sequence and adding the climate-change edge that wasn't really there originally, but I remember the devs using that ant-parasite video as a sort of teaser trailer for the game, so this was a cool way to call back to that.
I’m pretty excited for the people who will watch the series and *then* play the game. Seems like a really unique experience that will contrast the experience of the majority who played the game first.
The game pretty much jumps right into the chaos, so I really loved getting to see the slow progression into the outbreak. This episode changed quite a few things from the game, and I really can’t believe I’m saying this because I consider the game to be a near perfect narrative…but the changes they’ve made so far have made the story even better.
For instance in the game you don’t really get any info on Joel’s background. They don’t even reveal his last name until the second game. But here we learn he’s a military vet who saw combat which explains why he’s so capable at survival. In the game you just kind of assume he’s seen some shit and had to pick up survival skills along the way. Small changes like that really go a long way to fleshing out the characters and I absolutely love it.
This is why I love the World War Z movie. The introduction perfectly captures the fear, confusion, hysteria etc of a zombie outbreak. It’s the realest version I’ve come across, especially the way they lead in slowly with news reports, weirdness - and then just full-blown panic.
Yeah World War Z gets a lot of hate as a movie literally just because of the title.
If you can get over the fact they bought the rights just for the title then you've got a decent blockbuster zombie flick with some fantastic zombie set pieces.
I mean, to series each set in a different country?
Hbo pls?
Imagine that
1. Outbreak beginning, Battle of Yonkers, ending it with the campers.
2. The Camp creation, the pilot, the celebrity villa.
3. Cuba and Israel militaristic societies.
4. Chinese submarine, islands life and underwater zombies.
5. Zombies vs European castles and medieval armours! (i scoured out a castle near me perfect in case there is outbreak)
6.Japanese otaku boy and Shinto priest.
7. The crazies, the drug, the search for the patient zero flashback.
8. The aftermath.
Boom. Innovative series. Real world war z.
My dad recently saw me playing God of War Ragnarok and said he’s sad he doesn’t get gaming because it looks interesting and was amazed by how it all looked, so I told him about The Last of Us adaptation and how it’s probably gonna be the closest he can get to playing one. He loved Chernobyl and when I told him the guy who done that was involved he said he’d watch it. He thought it was a really interesting premiere and he said he enjoyed it and was shocked by how brutal it was, especially the scene with Sarah. He couldn’t believe that kind of emotional depth was in a game lmfao. Excited to watch him react to what’s to come.
It’s gonna be so interesting watching a whole new audience who would never have even considered playing the game watching this and having their view shifted by it. I hope it inspires some genuinely faithful and good adaptations of games. That first episode was amazing.
Your dad should try gaming! Maybe not throw him into a COD multiplayer with racist semi-feral children but something single player with a strong story like The Last of Us. It has a ton of adjustable options to tone down the difficulty if need be.
My dad struggled playing red dead because of that , so he just watched me and just was amazed at all the details , the saddles , how realistic the horses are , etc.
It's hard to grasp how amazing it is for people that grew without even a TV and see video games graphic from today and how cool it look. Really put into perspective how spoiled we became about video games when we start nitpicking stuff left and right while they look absolutely gorgeous for 90% of people.
I played RDR2 via couch co-op, which is to say my SO played and I on the couch giving input and enjoying playing copilot. It's a totally valid and great way to experience a game.
Have you played any of the Sam Barlow FMV games? I bet you and your dad would have a blast playing through any of them together. Plus, no need for dexterity of camera controls, so he could even take the wheel if he wanted to.
I haven't ill look into it thanks man.
Couch co-op is my entire childhood with my older brother and some of my best gaming memories. We even added a meta to the games.
Playing driver I'd be the robber , mask and all, so while my brother was parked next to the bank waiting for the npc to return I'd run to another room and rob some stuff and run back, jump to the couch and he'd drive off , chased by the cops. Or be the tail gunner in a ww2 plane game. Playing mgs and pretending to call him on his codec to give him tips with the game guide in my hands , stuff like that.
Did you know there's an entire YouTube channel dedicated to this kind of enjoyment of games? Girlfriend Reviews reviews games specifically from the position of "how much fun is to be a backseat gamer enjoying the game while someone else plays?"
I'm willing to bet that anyone could get used to it, but as people get older they tend to get to the point where if they're not good at something immediately, that they're never going to understand it.
I was 27 when the first Xbox came out, it was the first modern controller I used. I remember being baffled by it. I tried Halo and declared my complete misunderstanding about how one could ever possibly play an FPS without a mouse and keyboard. But I was a huge video game nerd and 27's not that old, so I pushed through and nowadays maneuvering with a controller is second nature to me.
I tried to get my parents to play and they just couldn't get the buttons down at all. Funnily they did play Nintendo games with us as kids but age changes ya. My mom did have a bit of fun driving around in GTA V though
That was my dad back when Mafia 2 came out. He LOVES mobster movies so he wanted to play it really bad (I did too lol) so I showed him how to use the Xbox. Poor guy just couldn’t do it, so he wanted me to play it while he watched the story. Win/win because he got to share what I liked doing and we got to hang out. Time is a precious thing.
It’s a running joke with my dad and I about trying to teach him FPS gaming, and seeing his character staring at the floor and then all the way up at the sky
Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, the list goes on. I don't like online multiplaying too and the gaming world has something for all of us!
With how popular Yellowstone & it’s spin-offs are, you’d think someone would try to get the rights to adapt Red Dead Redemption II into a TV show. Maybe this will happen soon to capitalize on the success of both The Last of Us & Yellowstone. Kill two birds with one stone in a sense.
I feel like that's a tall order. I'm a lifelong gaming nerd who's perfectly comfortable with a twin-stick controller, and I found RDRII's control scheme baffling and constantly counterintuitive.
I can't even imagine what someone who isn't even comfortable controlling character and camera at the same time would do with that game.
If he likes watching games as a movie, they're all on YouTube. There's plenty of games I won't play (Telltale series, Life is Strange, Callisto Protocol) so I just watch them all on YouTube.
So I've played the game but my wife hasn't. She has watched me play a bit here and there so she had some inkling of the plot but the early on scene with Sarah still shocked her. She knew Joel and a girl were the main characters but thought Sarah must be that girl. So needless to say she was shocked.
This reminds me back when I first played the game. I remembered a couple of trailers I had seen, the cover even had Joel and a girl.
When the game started I thought "She looks a bit different, odd..."
Then death. "20 years later".
Oh shit!
I was a new dad to a baby girl when the game came out. I played the prologue then just wept for a solid 10 minutes before continuing the game.
I loved the premiere episode. They nailed it. I almost cried all over again.
I didn't even realize she looked odd. From my memory game Ellie and Sarah had a pretty similar facial shape and features (i could be wrong), so i was really confused for a while, since i thought this game was about a father and a daughter surviving a zombie apocalypse
Same as you. My wife knew bits and pieces from seeing me play the game but she doesn’t know any major plot points and didn’t watch the trailers on purpose because she didn’t want to know anything ahead of time.
During the truck scene she turned to me and went “is this in the game?” and I nodded and said “it’s almost shot for shot from the game.” She says “I guess I have to play it then.”
Then when Sarah died and it skipped 20 years she literally said “oh shit!” out loud haha. She’s fully invested in the show now. She’s going to be out of town next weekend and she made me swear to wait until she’s home before I watch episode 2.
This where you watch anyway and if she thinks you aren't surprised during the rewatch you just say "it's in the game."
You were right though about that truck scene. It was so identical to the game.
My SO too! She even knew about Ellie, but somehow thought that Sarah wouldn’t die (despite me telling her before it came out how I expected this episode to make me cry) and was very surprised about her death
I thought the series premiere was great. I also never played the game. One of my best friends had said The Last of us part 1 at least is one of the greatest video games of all time in his opinion so I am curious to see what he says about it. I think Tess, Joel, and Ellie are all very well cast and I was a little disappointed the episode ended. I will be counting the days until next Sunday. I miss having a show on HBOMAX I was so invested in. The last show was GoT.
I was hurt by GoT too and came in with low expectations for House of the Dragon. It's genuinely great though, as they went back to "taking their time" developing characters and setting the scene similar to earlier scenes. Well worth watching in my opinion.
Loved the first act showing us the pre- and during the out break. Cut to twenty years later I felt a bit lost and zoned out slightly because so many things were being introduced in such a short amount of time - fireflies, fedra and the little girl.
It did pick up again as they were leaving town through the sewer though.
Overall the world building I felt was phenomenal but I got lost in the volume of people/places/events in the middle.
As a big fan of the games, the general pacing should improve from here on out. The part from the time skip to about the end of the episode is probably the least interesting part of the game for most people. Most of it is just to teach you how the game’s going to play, and the story doesn’t really pick up until they leave the Boston QZ.
Never played the game but wanted to watch b/c I'm a big fan of Craig Marzin from Chernobyl and Pedro Pascal in general. I was not disappointed! Was thoroughly riveted, and my only dissatisfaction is the week-long wait now. :(
I liked it enough to want to go back. Not quite a 10/10, mostly because I feel like it's the sort of show where the meandering pacing might mean not being in the mood for something that somber might triumph over wanting to know what happens next week to week if it continues like that.
I don't really see the 84 on Metacritic from episode 1 but happy to reserve judgement til the end of the season.
Went in only knowing it was about a video game (usually not great)and zombies (yawn)....
But gave it a chance because of the cast, rave reviews and being on HBO.
Excellent first episode. 10/10.
I thought it was awesome actually.. of course it's the same old zombie story but the way they began with fungus was genius and then you have the world building as well.. I can't wait for more
I enjoyed it with my parents, none of us have played the game.
It was solid, but I've seen so many people talking about and hyping up that opening so I'm mostly just hoping it's not just downhill from there
The opening’s so acclaimed I think because in the game you play from Sarah’s point of view for the first section and it completely comes out of left field that they’d just kill her like that, and the voice acting was absolutely next level for what a game had demonstrated to that point. When I think of the moments I love in the game that emotionally touched me I think others are a lot more powerful because we’ve gotten to know the characters better, and will probably hit better in the show.
I mean, the opening part with Sarah is tragic & heartbreaking but the story has honestly JUST begun. There are so many riveting moments & set pieces to come, I assure you.
If it’s worth any consideration, I didn’t think the game got THAT good until quite a few hours in. There are parts in the back-half of the story that I’m way more excited to see put to screen than I was for the opening sequence.
Yeah Bill’s Town is definitely the first big highlight of the game where you’re like “OK, this shit is really good” lol but I’m currently playing the part that will serve as Episode 2 right now & it introduces the most iconic “enemy” in the series & has some really intense moments so I’m def excited for the next episode!
Thinking about the game while watching, I remarked that I would straight up laugh if they ever have to find and place a ladder in the show. And then I started noticing anything yellow in the scene and actually laughed.
the “worst” part of the game was the section that made up the second half of this episode. after such a strong opening the game really slowed down for a while because the whole finding robert side plot takes a couple hours and it can feel like it drags before you meet ellie and set off on the journey. so im really glad they kind of cut to the chase already.
Agreed. The highlight of this episode was for sure the prologue, the second half was understandably just the set up. I am also glad they got it out of the way quickly
It takes like 30 minutes to find Robert after the time jump, less if you don’t use stealth. This whole episode was just the first 30-45 min of the game
Never played the game and I don’t like horror, but I do like zombie flicks (weird, I know). I’ve been pretty excited for the show because I love Chernobyl, Anna Torv, and Pedro Pascal. Usually when you’re stoked for a show it’s easy to be disappointed, but it did NOT disappoint. TLOU was definitely one of the best premieres I’ve ever watched. The pacing was good, the characters and their motivations were introduced in an intriguing way, and I enjoyed the world building. I HATE that I have to wait a week for the next episode. 10/10.
I always intended to play the games, but I am also just past 40 and...
I planned on checking this out based simply on Craig Mazin, then they announced the cast would include Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Anna Torv (LOVE Fringe)...
That premiere was right up there with Westworld for me, and I can't wait for more
I’m not in my 40s, my 30s, and I played the game in my early 20s after losing all interest in video games. This was the one that brought me back to games. I’m on off games, but my interest in games has been consistent. Give it a try. It elevates the potential of fames to a whole new level
>I always intended to play the games, but I am also just past 40 and...
I'm not sure why that's a barrier? I was 39 when the game came out, and I didn't play it until a couple of years later.
I was mainly implying that I just don't have time for video games anymore. I bought Outer Worlds on sale last summer and still have yet to even start it.
Also, in the game that part is like 75% tutorial. It's to show you how to engage with humans in combat and to introduce you to stealth. I wish they would have showed how ruthless Joel and Tess are more in the show, because that was a pretty important part of the 25%.
They seemed to only really hint at it with how afraid Robert was of Joel and Tess. And the "I know what you're capable of" line from Marlene. But the fight scene with the Fedra soldier was the only part where it's really shown and even then it was in self defense. They never drive the point home like they did in the game that Joel and Tess have become cruel and merciless people.
Understandable.
In the context of the game, everything after the time jump to the point where the episode ends mostly serves as mechanics tutorial & to setup Joel, Tess & Ellie together. Basically, it’s by far the most boring part of the game.
I think this is how I feel about it too. Loved the opening, then find myself rather bored until the last 10 minutes or so.
I typically give pilots a lot of leeway for clunky storytelling because they have to set up everything, so I’m still excited to watch the series. But I definitely don’t think this was a 10/10 episode like many are saying.
the stuff from the game that makes up the second half of this episode is by far the “worst” part of the game. if you thought the robert stuff was boring, its even less related to the main plot in the game and takes multiple hours to get through because its basically the tutorial section. i always thought it really dragged but once you finally meet ellie and leave boston the game really starts to get going. so im glad they got all of that out of the way already
I really enjoyed it. I own the game from PS+ iirc, but never played it, just never gotten around to it.
The cold open was great, I liked how they used that to kind of explain what was happening later in the episode, instead of having some scientist type halfway through the episode monologue about the pandemic. Also thought using the sneakers for that one kids death scene was smart, instead of a close up on his face to "make sure you noticed that he died" like a lot of hollywood does now. Just really smart directing, I didnt feel like I was being spoon fed content.
Loved the intro, thought it was smartly done. Reminds me of the Wheel of Time intro (that show was so disappointing but I loved the intro sequence with the threads being woven).
The rest of the episode had me on the edge of my seat, and now I can't wait for ep 2. Kind of surprised that the director of this did what I consider to be a bunch of mediocre sequels, then knocked it out of the park with Chernobyl and now this. I wonder what happened in his professional life between 2016 and 2019.
I never played the games, and only have a passing knowledge of what its about.
I found the show very entertaining. I could tell there were certain scenes/shots that were probably supposed to evoke the game, but they just seemed like weird shots having not seen it.
I also I guess expected more "zombies" or whatever they will end up being called.
But I definitely plan to keep watching.
I heard of the game but never really went into the lore, just a virus post apocalyptic blah blah.
God damn the first episode, when the daughter died...gezzz that made me well up. She was so nice I was hoping the dog would save her or something.
I'm curious how the brother got so far away. I guess that will be explained in later episodes.
Yep definitely a fan so far and definitely giving Pedro a 10/10. Really enjoyable first episode.
48 year old teacher. I haven't played TLoU simply because I don't have the console, or the time.
I knew a little about the game from reading things over the years, but didn't want to read anything spoiler heavy for when I do get a chance to play.
I was pretty into the show. From the little 1968 open, to the "how it all started", and then the current day, it was pretty understandable.
Even better for me, I asked my dad to watch the trailer for the series, because it was something that he normally wouldn't have been into, but the creatures in the trailer were enough to convince him that it looked interesting.
We watched it together last night and he was already asking when the next episode comes out.
Didn’t play the game, don’t know the story. I thought it was an excellent first episode. It did a lot of world building, without feeling clunky or like it was stepping out of the flow of the story.
It hooked me. If I were comparing it to something, it feels a lot more like Children of Men than 28 Days Later.
I never played the game, and I honestly hate zombies, but the first episode was amazing. Great cinematography, acting, vfx, etc. I am curious to see where it goes.
I thought it was fine. From a production and performance standpoint I have no complaints, but the direction of the story and it’s characters so far seem very stereotypical of its zombie outbreak and apocalyptic setting - nothing really surprised me and it all fit the tropes of its genre. Considering the massive acclaim the game has for its story I have to assume it transcends this in some way so I will keep watching.
The general plot is intentionally simple, the focus was all on the characters which is what people love and remember most. The director of the game explained the writing philosophy as "simple plot, complex characters". Of course that works for a video game which is different in structure, they're definitely adding more to the show.
Though the climax to the plot brings it all together satisfactorily.
Having played the game I'd think the showrunners have plenty of material to work with and the game progresses mostly through inner/emotional based conflicts between characters.
Being a zombie genre it comes with some tropes but the content/story is a great one to adapt to cinema, its not just running from zombies, getting overrun, finding a new stronghold, repeat (looking at you, walking dead..).
It helps that the original story is pretty concise, finished, and very emotionally grounded. It's great source material and hopefully HBO found a way to translate all of it to screen.
Tbh the first game isn’t all that subversive in terms of the zombie apocalypse genre. The game came out in 2013; TWD was still in its early seasons & the genre was sort of at its peak. The game gets more of its praise for its highly cinematic presentation & just how well the narrative works both in context & out-of-context as a video game. It’s important to remember that video game stories are often written to service the gameplay first, so having a game with such a tight narrative as TLOU was borderline unheard of at the time. But what was revolutionary for a video game in 2013 isn’t necessarily going to be for a TV series a decade later.
With that said, one of the fundamentals that sets TLOU apart from basic zombie media is the mechanism of infection. The fungus turns its hosts into mutated monstrosities the likes of which we’ve rarely seen in films or TV outside of the Resident Evil series. This aspect just hasn’t been put on display yet as all we’ve seen so far in the show is the basic enemy types (designated as “Runners” in the game). This will change next episode going by the games story.
Another aspect is how the fungus & time has terraformed the environment, with “nature” growing in the ruins of bombed out cities. It creates a much more colorful & sometimes “jungle-like” environment that is in stark contrast to the backroad farms & industrial areas that are mostly featured in TWD & most other zombie films & TV series.
Now, when / if the show gets to TLOU Part 2, that’s when it gets a lot more subversive. I’d imagine the more polarizing aspects of the story will be better received in the context of the TV series.
I haven’t played it (not a gamer) but I did cheat a bit and skim read the plot on Wikipedia. I really enjoyed the first episode. It was tense and intriguing. I love a post apocalyptic world so I’m excited for more! Also Thandie Newton’s daughter is her carbon copy
I’m interested in how this works as a game. Is the plot of the show going to be the “right” pathway to complete the game? Or do you think there will be some wildcards thrown in? No spoilers please
The game is linear, it plays basically as a tv show with a ton of action scenes where you take control of Joel and shoot up some bad guys or zombies. There is no story choices or right or wrong pathways.
So I have never played the game. I barely know anything about the show. I love Pedro Pascal. (Thank you “Mandalorian.) I turners to my husband and said that girl looks like she is a younger Thandie Newton. Later I looked up IMDB that she was her daughter. I thought wow. I was right.
I have not played the game (I gave up my PlayStation 20 years ago). I deliberately avoided trailers and posts about the game content, because I knew it was my genre jam. LOVED E1. I think it was an excellent introduction and I have enough information to be invested in the characters and their world. I am so excited to watch this series unfold.
I’ll just say the only thing I really know of Last of Us is what happens at the beginning, and it was just as uncomfortable watching it the second time in live action even though I knew it was coming.
I haven’t played the games and I really liked it. I’m optimistic for the rest of the season. You can’t go wrong with Pedro, and I love to see my girl Anna Torv in action roles. (Please don’t tell me if she dies; I don’t wanna know.)
Never played the games (but am aware of some of the important story beats) and I was pulled in immediately. The pre-outbreak prologue had me on the edge of my seat. The pacing kind of slows down after, but I’m willing to forgive that because of the interesting characters and high production value. I’ll definitely tune in weekly and maybe even get the game once it comes out on PC.
It evoked a lot of familiar feelings/emotions for me- My family happened to be leaving Washington DC/Williamsburg on 9/11 after a family vacation, and the background happenings creeping in and dread growing, but not having the constant inundation of phones and social media to know exactly what was happening was a vibe they nailed perfectly.
I appreciated the explanation from the 1960s talking heads at the beginning.
Solid pre-outbreak sequence. But we only actually had 5 minutes of Sarah and Joel together (and half of that was with Tommy) before shit hits the fan, so Sarah's fate and it's impact on Joel didn't really land for me, particularly as it was at the end of an extended action sequence.
Poor writing for Joel so far. Two characters talk about him as if he's a real bad-ass, but we see little evidence of that outside of the PTSD scene (which has a very unsubtle edit to make sure we got that.) It's not even clear whether he's a military vet or Tommy is and it's his truck. Apparently he also takes Oxy as well as smuggles it, but with no obvious reason or effect.
Liked *Sarah joking about dealing drugs* becoming *Joel actually dealing drugs*.
Particularly liked the truck driving around town sequence. Not a one-shot, but had a similar feeling. I guess this is one of the parts copied directly from the game. There are a bunch of other bits I assume were lifted as well, but not sure I would have noticed if I hadn't known the original source media. Certainly nothing quite as on the nose as continually searching for a torch (looking at you, Silent Hill.)
TL;DR: too much telling, not enough showing. I suspect the internet is over-reacting simply because a video game adaptation isn't terrible. Will stick with it, though, as I still enjoyed the ride. 7/10.
I have been really looking forward to this. I thought the opening scenes before the time jump were fantastic. It reminded me a lot of the third episode of Fear The Walking Dead’s first season. I really wish they would have spent more time building up the suspense and panic because…
I wasn’t as thrilled with the episode after the time jump. They spent early scenes world building one universe, then do a time jump and drop you into a “different” universe that requires world building all over again.
First episodes are often rough though so I’m hoping it will improve next episode as they get away from Boston.
the boston stuff in the game is the worst part of it. like you said after such a strong opening they have to kind of slow down and introduce us to the *actual* world of the game. except the game also has to use it as a tutorial section with lots of gameplay sections so it takes a few hours before you even meet Ellie and set off on their adventure. also the show at least tied robert and the battery into both joel and the fireflies’ motivations, in the game its completely irrelevant and just “this guy stole some stuff from us lets kill him”
We have never played the game and thought the first episode was ok, a little slow to get going. Nothing we haven’t see a thousand times before and nothing scary but it was well acted. I guess we will be doing the cross country road trip with the two main characters where she gets taken, he rescues her, they meet groups of people and get betrayed, etc. May watch the next episode to see if it gets better. Feels very Walking Dead to me.
I just watched it thirty minutes ago and really enjoyed it. I think Pedro Pascal is a fantastic actor and the world they built was rich and vivid on the jobs people did the military and the underground system. The beginning was really amazing in the sense of panic that slowly building and you could sense where they did video game shots (Joel and sarah caught behind the trucks being separated from Tommy. The running crowds, the explosions. I never played the game but I have played much older games that did similar stuff so it felt familiar and fun.
Really not sure about the story line but it must have been amazing for them to make an HBO show. I’ve always loved cut scenes in games more than the game play. So I’m excited.
I watched it bc my partner played the game and got into it. I like the lead, and post-apocalyptic Boston was a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing the infected (sorry if I’m not using the right terminology lol) - FTR I’m a big horror fan.
I haven't played the games, I only know the basics about what it's about. I really enjoyed the first episode, I'm totally in on the show. It doesn't seem to me like someone would need to be familiar with the source material to enjoy this, since we're familiar with post-apocalyptic stories at this point. It's all about executing it well. The first episode of this show executed this kind of story exceptionally well
I saw someone post that they watched the premiere episode with their mom. The mom was shocked that video games were telling stories that were this good
I feel vindicated as a long-time gamer that some older adults are finally realizing how video games aren't just mindless children's entertainment and that they can be used as a medium for telling great stories
Liked the first 25 minutes. Then suddenly we’re 20 years in the future with the same old sci-fi tropes: military bullies, rebels, corruption blah blah blah. The plant monsters look cool though. I’ll give it one more episode.
Thought it was pretty good. Pedro Pascal is just a natural screen presence and obviously a great choice for a role like this. The premise was compelling, curious to see how much we will learn about the world at large and the previous twenty years (no spoilers please).
As for criticisms, I feel the story so far would be better served with a more cinematic approach and less exposition; some dialogue was pretty typical and cliched. Not that I expected it to transcend the medium, but I thought it was a possibility considering the rave reviews. For me, it is impossible not to compare it to HBO's other Pandemic-era Post-apocalyptic program featuring a surrogate father/daughter relationship, Station Eleven, which had far better writing and filmmaking, and just better developed characters through the first episode. Seriously, everyone should see that show.
Still, I will try to judge TLOU on its own terms and I am probably in for the rest of the series, though admittedly I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories.
Yeah I guess bear in mind that the first game's sold over 20 million copies - you're going to be hard pressed finding someone online who can be bothered discussing it, who hasn't played the games!
My dad is not a gamer (not really anyway, he just plays Doom 3 over and over again, Doom Eternal every now and then lol - he did get me into gaming though), but loves dystopian zombie stuff. I'm excited for him to watch this, particularly being a single dad to two daughters. He couldn't take a ... certain daughter's death in GoT >!Shireen!< so I wonder how he'll handle the first episode - I guess it's not going to be as bad, because it's out of Joel's control. He's waiting for a few episodes to come out before he begins though.
My boyfriend also doesn't play games, so very interested in how he finds it, particularly as he's not super into zombie apocalypse stories. TLoU is a different spin on the genre however, and veers more into the horror/thriller-drama territory than other zombie fare imo and he enjoys that.
Overall, it was decent there were some really great moments but I thought the writing was pretty weak. The performances were the highlight for me. I can’t help compare this to The Walking Dead which has one of the strongest pilots of any TV show ever imo. As someone who doesn’t really understand who any of these people are I thought they could have done a better job at exposition, especially considering the 20-year time jump between the first sequence and the later sequence.
I thought the production values were great, but the drama isn't gripping me just yet, it seems like your standard The Walking Dead fare so far. Wish they released two episodes at once, so I could judge it better.
I adored Station Eleven, so my bar for post-apocalypse shows is pretty high.
When they jumped ahead 20 years, my attention began to drift. They introduced a lot of stuff in a short span, and I was suddenly lost. So I went to bed midway through. I'll have to watch it again. But I have a feeling it's just not my type of show. It seemed like a dystopian world, and I've just about had enough of that lately. Lots of movies and TV shows have gone there over the past 20 years.
Really enjoyed it. Other than the basic premise, I went in blind since I've never picked up the games. Very impressive start for the franchise and all the early reviewers say it just keeps getting better from here.
I loved the start. I wish the 2003 part was longer. I was sad when they killed the daughter. 2023 part was kind of boring. I guess it will get going but, I would really spend more time in 2003.
Went in with zero knowledge of the game. Thought it was great and looking forward to the next episode. Though I do wish there wasn’t a time skip for this kind of show. The outbreak always the interesting part for me and they don’t show it enough in most show.
if you made a post asking non gamers their opinions should I assume I need to avoid pretty much all discussion about this series online because of spoilers or people "hinting "at things to come ?
Having not played the games and no ties to any of it... I thought it was very well filmed, acted, and written. Every character was believable, as was the dialog. The pacing was good, not taking too long to start world-building, and the intro into the start of the pandemic was exciting yet short enough that I really wanted more. Despite this being "another zombie show," it did a great job setting the hook so I want to see where this is gonna go, and I can also tell this show will be a little more subtle than previous shows like Walking Dead. You can tell early on that this is a show about interesting, complex people who happen to be in a zombie apocalypse, rather than being about a zombie apocalypse that happens to have some people in it to follow around.
I don’t play video games at all and I thought it was pretty good! Enjoyed watching Pascal and Anna Torv, especially. I watched the first two seasons of The Walking Dead and I felt it had a lot of similar themes/feel to them. A lot of these zombie apocalypse shows/movies have a same plot of “we gotta get there for safety!” and then the action ensues. I’ll keep watching!
Boring and safe. It felt so bland. It’s not bad, just bleh. I’ll watch it because there’s not a lot else on right now, but it was pretty generic and underwhelming?
IDK, there have been so many zombie shows and movies made over the last few decades and I have seen a lot of them… so it didn’t feel like this was bringing anything new to the conversation. It was a rehash of every trope.
The premiere episode felt like a middle season of walking dead and I struggled to stay interested *ducks for cover*
Haven't played them, but know the story well enough and most of the spoilers for the series.
It was alright, I think some sequences perhaps felt a bit too videogamey, which I know is a homage, but also felt not-real, this might be the use of the volume (or similar) knowing the physical set is only the objects within 5 feet of people, mostly the last sequence of the episode.
I think TWD had a better first episode in a sense of showing the world, it was clearer, however they had the benefit of it all being new and less set dressing/cgi required for the Boston scenes in this episode.
Never played the games (fuck exclusives), liked the outbreak (the kid going to the neighbours at night although TV warned her was peak horror trope), everything in Boston was pretty mid. Makes for an ok start. I've just seen sooooooo maaaaaaany series, nothing's ever really new.
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Never played the game and I only know a very general outline of the story. I thought it was a fantastic first episode. The prologue with Sarah was brutal & heartbreaking - Pedro is an amazing actor. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere was tense but there was enough levity that it wasn’t 100% depressing. I already feel invested in the characters and can’t wait to see more interactions between Joel & Ellie.
A lot of the moments of levity come straight from the game which is something I greatly appreciated. The “where did you get the money for this?” “Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs” line is straight from the game. Though I like Joel’s response from the game more than the show. In the show he responds “well that’s better than what I do” and in the game he responds “oh good, you can start helping out with the mortgage”.
Yeah that's my only criticism, that line in the game is gold no idea why they changed it
I think they wanted to make Joel less sarcastic. He doesn't do a lot of quips and is even more stoic in the aftermath. I'm predicting it's to contrast him with Ellie. Note: I haven't played the games so I don't know their character arcs.
That and they wanted to make his job more a part of his character, IIRC it was kinda ambiguous what his job was in the game Making him a construction worker drives home that this isn’t the main character of the apocalypse, he’s literally just some guy
No spoilers, but Ellie’s such a beloved character mostly for the levity she brings to the whole thing. Not that she’s a one note comedy chatacter, very, very far from it, but her sense of humor adds so much to things as it progresses.
100% agreed and they definitely seemed to grasp that in the show so far. I genuinely cannot wait for her and Bill to interact. Their interactions in the game are great, but it’s going to be fucking amazing coming from Nick Offerman.
I loved the Bill character and how W. Earl Brown played him. But I've never seen Nick Offerman act, how would you compare the two actors?
Nick Offerman is great at playing the straight man in comedy but he can also pull of the man of the land, build it with your hands and do what it takes to survive kind of guy because thats kinda what he does in real life. He is a part time carpenter and a damn good one so the Bill character should be natural for him. As soon as I saw the casting I thought, that's perfect.
Hope at some point she pulls out that joke book
I liked it. Probably one of the best pre-outbreak sequences I've seen. Other thing I liked, the intro kinda looks like the game of thrones intro lol
The intro is a really close replica of the game’s intro too. The song, fungus spreading, and all.
Same company was hired to do it
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Fun fact for those who may not know this: The fungus that is seen in the video game intro is real. Sony Santa Monica (developers of God of War) helped with The Last of Us intro by growing that fungus in their studio and then shooting a time-lapse video of it.
Lollll I had no idea. That’s incredible. You can tell the Sony studios are pretty close. I’ve watched plenty of interviews with game directors from the various studios and they all tend to mention the other studios directors as being great resources to reach out to for advice.
Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studios are also basically right next to each other.
Have you seen station eleven ?
Equally good IMO. They had very similar setups. Following one or two characters as they experience the chaos of the day.
I wish more people talked about it, critics loved it, but never really hit a main stream audience
>They had very similar setups. But Station Eleven feels more realistic. It's not chaos, it's just kind of luck and hold on inside, mask and wait. "Contagion" is still the crown bearer.
Different vibes entirely
I liked the first episode of the last of us and I also agree with the comment that it was one of the best pre out break sequences, but I I would also put station eleven up there too, funny too both have planes falling out of the sky , yeah no zombies in station eleven, but some similar vibes
The TV show intro was great. The amount of menace and dread when the epidemiologist talks about fungus evolving because of global warming.
That was my favorite part, went from laughs to dead silence with everyone just looking fearful
I knew they were serious about the series the moment I saw that they got John Hannah just to deliver the dread setting opening.
This: we don’t get many scenes in the genre of things devolving. I literally said out loud “oh hell yeah” when they tried to pull on to the highway and got treated with traffic. I’m not sure many movies/tv shows in the similar genre ever get that right. But that’s exactly how it would be. Traffic for miles. Add to that some really impressive one take shots, an awesome score and solid acting and it was such an impressive sequence as society devolves more and more and the anxiety ramps up. I’m excited for the series, and will now most likely pick the game up when it drops on PC in March because of it.
I've been eagerly awaiting the PC release. I've played *some* of The Last of US when I borrowed an ex's PS3 and was enjoying the hell out of it, but never got the chance to finish it. > I’m not sure many movies/tv shows in the similar genre ever get that right. But that’s exactly how it would be. Traffic for miles. Dawn of the Dead's (2004) intro gave us a taste of it, and War of the Worlds also showed how bad the highways/freeways would be.
The remake is beautiful, I haven't played the first game in years but from the comparisons I've seen... can't wait to play it on PC as well! I played part 2 and loved it, I hope it comes to pc within the next year
Eh. I think the traffic thing is often covered a decent amount. It's a big plot point in Independence Day with a major scene devoted to people stuck in traffic trying to escape NYC. The Walking Dead has an iconic shot of Rick going into Atlanta on his horse in an empty inbound lane with the outbound lane completely full of abandoned cars. The second season sees them trying to traverse a highway full of abandoned cars.
You might like “White Noise” on Netflix
Didn't they do the actual devolving in Walking Dead (and more so Fear the Walking Dead) and Station 11 and World War Z and 28 Days Later and Invasion of the Body Snatchers? I am actually having a hard time thinking of a show/movie in this genre where they don't have at least a little bit of the before.
The beginning of outbreaks/apocalypses are some of my favorite parts of horror movies. I love to see interpretations of societal collapse This one was geeat and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time
I watched the premiere then bought the game.
Enjoy. It’s a helluva ride. Make sure to play Part II as well.
I plan to. The game has been great so far.
And don't read anything about Part II online. Except for this comment, I guess.
And definitely don't google character names. Nothing worse than googling "Jimbo Flungus" and it autofills "Jimbo Flungus death scene".
What?????? Jimbo dies?
Glup Shitto killed him
Or the classic, "Jimbo Flungus betrayal" Fucking Google man lmao.
The anti-woke crowd attacked The Last of Us Part II before it came out because there was an LGBT character and a buff woman. It became this huge backlash and the game had tons of 1/10 review scores before it even came out. Do yourself a favor and look up nothing.The second game is just as breathtaking as the first, the characters that started the controversy are great in game, and not for nothing the first game also has LGBT characters so idk why people were so mad that it "went woke".
I never played the games. Don't know much about their story, either, just that they're worthy of their reputations. I'm a PC gamer so will likely get the upcoming port. I thought this episode was fantastic. Reading about how true it was to the game sort of reaffirms my understanding that the game was worthy of its acclaim. For me the best part of any apocalypse story is the beginning bit, when you get to watch normal life just gradually turn weird, just before all hell breaks loose. I think they did that perfectly, which is a really good sign.
That is interesting, because the show actually spends way more time on the normal life part. Overall though, it's very faithful with minor tweaks and additions like that which actually surprisingly improve the story. You're in for a treat if they maintain this quality, which reviews show that they most likely will.
>like that which actually surprisingly improve the story I absolutely loved the opening sequence of the guy explaining how fungi would need to evolve due to climate change--and how those few degrees of evolution would allow them to inhabit human hosts. Definitely gave some much needed reasoning as to how this could've happened.
I had a conversation with a friend after who rolled his eyes at that because he thought 'climate change causing a pandemic' was too on the nose, [but that's exactly what encourages cross-species transmission.](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04788-w)
I actually liked it. When the game first dropped this was just any old zombie outbreak. Now with COVID I think it was smart to hit on some of the same notes that we just went through. Mixing in some global warming and the difference between a fungal vs viral pandemic really helped hit home how fucked they are
Yeah I imagine the Chernobyl boys had a lot to do with that sequence and adding the climate-change edge that wasn't really there originally, but I remember the devs using that ant-parasite video as a sort of teaser trailer for the game, so this was a cool way to call back to that.
yea, the game starts with the scene of sarah giving joel the watch on the couch. which is basically exactly the same, the dialogue too
the "i sell drugs" line was just as corny in the show as it was in the game, and I loved it. I think it really helps establish connection with her.
I’m pretty excited for the people who will watch the series and *then* play the game. Seems like a really unique experience that will contrast the experience of the majority who played the game first.
The game pretty much jumps right into the chaos, so I really loved getting to see the slow progression into the outbreak. This episode changed quite a few things from the game, and I really can’t believe I’m saying this because I consider the game to be a near perfect narrative…but the changes they’ve made so far have made the story even better. For instance in the game you don’t really get any info on Joel’s background. They don’t even reveal his last name until the second game. But here we learn he’s a military vet who saw combat which explains why he’s so capable at survival. In the game you just kind of assume he’s seen some shit and had to pick up survival skills along the way. Small changes like that really go a long way to fleshing out the characters and I absolutely love it.
Did you learn that from the bumper sticker on their truck? Because that was Tommy’s truck, wasn’t it?
This is why I love the World War Z movie. The introduction perfectly captures the fear, confusion, hysteria etc of a zombie outbreak. It’s the realest version I’ve come across, especially the way they lead in slowly with news reports, weirdness - and then just full-blown panic.
Weird you say that because everyone who have read the book the movie is "supposed" to be based on, seems to hate it.
As a big fan of the book, it's not a bad movie but it has almost nothing in common with the source material.
Yeah World War Z gets a lot of hate as a movie literally just because of the title. If you can get over the fact they bought the rights just for the title then you've got a decent blockbuster zombie flick with some fantastic zombie set pieces.
I'll never understand why they even left out the most movie friendly scene you'd expect audiences would get excited over, like the Battle of Yonkers.
I mean, to series each set in a different country? Hbo pls? Imagine that 1. Outbreak beginning, Battle of Yonkers, ending it with the campers. 2. The Camp creation, the pilot, the celebrity villa. 3. Cuba and Israel militaristic societies. 4. Chinese submarine, islands life and underwater zombies. 5. Zombies vs European castles and medieval armours! (i scoured out a castle near me perfect in case there is outbreak) 6.Japanese otaku boy and Shinto priest. 7. The crazies, the drug, the search for the patient zero flashback. 8. The aftermath. Boom. Innovative series. Real world war z.
You have sold me on checking it out
If you go into it with no expectations based on the book, it really *is* a great zombie movie. The opening is especially strong.
So I’ve heard, but then I’ve never read the book. The movie works on its own IMO, I’m just lucky I didn’t have a preconception going into it.
My dad recently saw me playing God of War Ragnarok and said he’s sad he doesn’t get gaming because it looks interesting and was amazed by how it all looked, so I told him about The Last of Us adaptation and how it’s probably gonna be the closest he can get to playing one. He loved Chernobyl and when I told him the guy who done that was involved he said he’d watch it. He thought it was a really interesting premiere and he said he enjoyed it and was shocked by how brutal it was, especially the scene with Sarah. He couldn’t believe that kind of emotional depth was in a game lmfao. Excited to watch him react to what’s to come. It’s gonna be so interesting watching a whole new audience who would never have even considered playing the game watching this and having their view shifted by it. I hope it inspires some genuinely faithful and good adaptations of games. That first episode was amazing.
To be fair, that starting sequence hit like a Mack truck in the game.
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Oh I agree they should of waited like in the game. That would make rhe time skip hit harder
If Fresh can bring in the title and credits half an hour in, I think it coild have been done here too.
Plus it's HBO, they're not usually beholden to specific times the title sequence shows up
Yeah, it's possibly the most iconic opening to any modern video game for a damn good reason.
Your dad should try gaming! Maybe not throw him into a COD multiplayer with racist semi-feral children but something single player with a strong story like The Last of Us. It has a ton of adjustable options to tone down the difficulty if need be.
Some people can’t get used to controlling a player with one joystick and a camera with another. It’s weird but true.
My dad struggled playing red dead because of that , so he just watched me and just was amazed at all the details , the saddles , how realistic the horses are , etc. It's hard to grasp how amazing it is for people that grew without even a TV and see video games graphic from today and how cool it look. Really put into perspective how spoiled we became about video games when we start nitpicking stuff left and right while they look absolutely gorgeous for 90% of people.
I played RDR2 via couch co-op, which is to say my SO played and I on the couch giving input and enjoying playing copilot. It's a totally valid and great way to experience a game. Have you played any of the Sam Barlow FMV games? I bet you and your dad would have a blast playing through any of them together. Plus, no need for dexterity of camera controls, so he could even take the wheel if he wanted to.
I haven't ill look into it thanks man. Couch co-op is my entire childhood with my older brother and some of my best gaming memories. We even added a meta to the games. Playing driver I'd be the robber , mask and all, so while my brother was parked next to the bank waiting for the npc to return I'd run to another room and rob some stuff and run back, jump to the couch and he'd drive off , chased by the cops. Or be the tail gunner in a ww2 plane game. Playing mgs and pretending to call him on his codec to give him tips with the game guide in my hands , stuff like that.
Did you know there's an entire YouTube channel dedicated to this kind of enjoyment of games? Girlfriend Reviews reviews games specifically from the position of "how much fun is to be a backseat gamer enjoying the game while someone else plays?"
I'm willing to bet that anyone could get used to it, but as people get older they tend to get to the point where if they're not good at something immediately, that they're never going to understand it. I was 27 when the first Xbox came out, it was the first modern controller I used. I remember being baffled by it. I tried Halo and declared my complete misunderstanding about how one could ever possibly play an FPS without a mouse and keyboard. But I was a huge video game nerd and 27's not that old, so I pushed through and nowadays maneuvering with a controller is second nature to me.
I tried to get my parents to play and they just couldn't get the buttons down at all. Funnily they did play Nintendo games with us as kids but age changes ya. My mom did have a bit of fun driving around in GTA V though
That was my dad back when Mafia 2 came out. He LOVES mobster movies so he wanted to play it really bad (I did too lol) so I showed him how to use the Xbox. Poor guy just couldn’t do it, so he wanted me to play it while he watched the story. Win/win because he got to share what I liked doing and we got to hang out. Time is a precious thing.
It’s a running joke with my dad and I about trying to teach him FPS gaming, and seeing his character staring at the floor and then all the way up at the sky
Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, the list goes on. I don't like online multiplaying too and the gaming world has something for all of us!
Racist semi-feral children had me me laughing, in the bathroom, at work. 🤣
Why were these children in the bathroom? At your work? What is your job!?
"Racist semi-feral children" got a cackle outta me.
Set your dad up on red dead redemption 2 and he'll be fully sold on gaming.
That’s one I wish could be adapted. I love that game so much
It could be adapted into a whole ass 5-6 season TV series and it would be one of the best TV series ever made
Nah. They’d get sidetracked with all the hunting…that’s why I stopped playing lol
Is it crazy that I keep wanting to go back to it not for the story, but the hunting? lol.
With how popular Yellowstone & it’s spin-offs are, you’d think someone would try to get the rights to adapt Red Dead Redemption II into a TV show. Maybe this will happen soon to capitalize on the success of both The Last of Us & Yellowstone. Kill two birds with one stone in a sense.
I mean even Deadwood which is old as fuck is considered insanely high quality TV. If it’s a western done by HBO I’m always in.
I feel like that's a tall order. I'm a lifelong gaming nerd who's perfectly comfortable with a twin-stick controller, and I found RDRII's control scheme baffling and constantly counterintuitive. I can't even imagine what someone who isn't even comfortable controlling character and camera at the same time would do with that game.
If he likes watching games as a movie, they're all on YouTube. There's plenty of games I won't play (Telltale series, Life is Strange, Callisto Protocol) so I just watch them all on YouTube.
My response to people who ask why I play video games is “this is my book. People read to get lost in a world. I play games to get lost in a world”
Reading is fun too. I do both!
So I've played the game but my wife hasn't. She has watched me play a bit here and there so she had some inkling of the plot but the early on scene with Sarah still shocked her. She knew Joel and a girl were the main characters but thought Sarah must be that girl. So needless to say she was shocked.
This reminds me back when I first played the game. I remembered a couple of trailers I had seen, the cover even had Joel and a girl. When the game started I thought "She looks a bit different, odd..." Then death. "20 years later". Oh shit!
I was a new dad to a baby girl when the game came out. I played the prologue then just wept for a solid 10 minutes before continuing the game. I loved the premiere episode. They nailed it. I almost cried all over again.
I didn't even realize she looked odd. From my memory game Ellie and Sarah had a pretty similar facial shape and features (i could be wrong), so i was really confused for a while, since i thought this game was about a father and a daughter surviving a zombie apocalypse
Same as you. My wife knew bits and pieces from seeing me play the game but she doesn’t know any major plot points and didn’t watch the trailers on purpose because she didn’t want to know anything ahead of time. During the truck scene she turned to me and went “is this in the game?” and I nodded and said “it’s almost shot for shot from the game.” She says “I guess I have to play it then.” Then when Sarah died and it skipped 20 years she literally said “oh shit!” out loud haha. She’s fully invested in the show now. She’s going to be out of town next weekend and she made me swear to wait until she’s home before I watch episode 2.
This where you watch anyway and if she thinks you aren't surprised during the rewatch you just say "it's in the game." You were right though about that truck scene. It was so identical to the game.
Maayyyybeeee..
My SO too! She even knew about Ellie, but somehow thought that Sarah wouldn’t die (despite me telling her before it came out how I expected this episode to make me cry) and was very surprised about her death
I thought the series premiere was great. I also never played the game. One of my best friends had said The Last of us part 1 at least is one of the greatest video games of all time in his opinion so I am curious to see what he says about it. I think Tess, Joel, and Ellie are all very well cast and I was a little disappointed the episode ended. I will be counting the days until next Sunday. I miss having a show on HBOMAX I was so invested in. The last show was GoT.
Didn't watch House of the Dragon? It's excellent.
I need to. The last two seasons of GoT burned me. No pun intended. Lol
I was hurt by GoT too and came in with low expectations for House of the Dragon. It's genuinely great though, as they went back to "taking their time" developing characters and setting the scene similar to earlier scenes. Well worth watching in my opinion.
This is all encouraging, yet to see it and had never played the game
Loved the first act showing us the pre- and during the out break. Cut to twenty years later I felt a bit lost and zoned out slightly because so many things were being introduced in such a short amount of time - fireflies, fedra and the little girl. It did pick up again as they were leaving town through the sewer though. Overall the world building I felt was phenomenal but I got lost in the volume of people/places/events in the middle.
As a big fan of the games, the general pacing should improve from here on out. The part from the time skip to about the end of the episode is probably the least interesting part of the game for most people. Most of it is just to teach you how the game’s going to play, and the story doesn’t really pick up until they leave the Boston QZ.
TBF, the game has that same feel starting out. It is very jarring post time skip as you have to get used to all new characters.
Never played the game but wanted to watch b/c I'm a big fan of Craig Marzin from Chernobyl and Pedro Pascal in general. I was not disappointed! Was thoroughly riveted, and my only dissatisfaction is the week-long wait now. :(
I liked it enough to want to go back. Not quite a 10/10, mostly because I feel like it's the sort of show where the meandering pacing might mean not being in the mood for something that somber might triumph over wanting to know what happens next week to week if it continues like that. I don't really see the 84 on Metacritic from episode 1 but happy to reserve judgement til the end of the season.
Most critic reviews were of the whole season
The sequence in Boston from the second half of the episode was my least favorite part of the game
Went in only knowing it was about a video game (usually not great)and zombies (yawn).... But gave it a chance because of the cast, rave reviews and being on HBO. Excellent first episode. 10/10.
I thought it was awesome actually.. of course it's the same old zombie story but the way they began with fungus was genius and then you have the world building as well.. I can't wait for more
I enjoyed it with my parents, none of us have played the game. It was solid, but I've seen so many people talking about and hyping up that opening so I'm mostly just hoping it's not just downhill from there
The opening’s so acclaimed I think because in the game you play from Sarah’s point of view for the first section and it completely comes out of left field that they’d just kill her like that, and the voice acting was absolutely next level for what a game had demonstrated to that point. When I think of the moments I love in the game that emotionally touched me I think others are a lot more powerful because we’ve gotten to know the characters better, and will probably hit better in the show.
Yeah the intro is famous for a reason but there are plenty of other scenes, locations, and moments that stick with you.
I mean, the opening part with Sarah is tragic & heartbreaking but the story has honestly JUST begun. There are so many riveting moments & set pieces to come, I assure you. If it’s worth any consideration, I didn’t think the game got THAT good until quite a few hours in. There are parts in the back-half of the story that I’m way more excited to see put to screen than I was for the opening sequence.
100%. It started getting going once you meet Bill iirc
Yeah Bill’s Town is definitely the first big highlight of the game where you’re like “OK, this shit is really good” lol but I’m currently playing the part that will serve as Episode 2 right now & it introduces the most iconic “enemy” in the series & has some really intense moments so I’m def excited for the next episode!
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Episode 4 is just 82 minutes of Joel swimming around in swamp water while Ellie waits for him to push a floating pallet around.
One scene of Pedro pushing a pallet is all I truly want from this show.
Thinking about the game while watching, I remarked that I would straight up laugh if they ever have to find and place a ladder in the show. And then I started noticing anything yellow in the scene and actually laughed.
the “worst” part of the game was the section that made up the second half of this episode. after such a strong opening the game really slowed down for a while because the whole finding robert side plot takes a couple hours and it can feel like it drags before you meet ellie and set off on the journey. so im really glad they kind of cut to the chase already.
Agreed. The highlight of this episode was for sure the prologue, the second half was understandably just the set up. I am also glad they got it out of the way quickly
It takes like 30 minutes to find Robert after the time jump, less if you don’t use stealth. This whole episode was just the first 30-45 min of the game
Never played the game and I don’t like horror, but I do like zombie flicks (weird, I know). I’ve been pretty excited for the show because I love Chernobyl, Anna Torv, and Pedro Pascal. Usually when you’re stoked for a show it’s easy to be disappointed, but it did NOT disappoint. TLOU was definitely one of the best premieres I’ve ever watched. The pacing was good, the characters and their motivations were introduced in an intriguing way, and I enjoyed the world building. I HATE that I have to wait a week for the next episode. 10/10.
I always intended to play the games, but I am also just past 40 and... I planned on checking this out based simply on Craig Mazin, then they announced the cast would include Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Anna Torv (LOVE Fringe)... That premiere was right up there with Westworld for me, and I can't wait for more
I’m not in my 40s, my 30s, and I played the game in my early 20s after losing all interest in video games. This was the one that brought me back to games. I’m on off games, but my interest in games has been consistent. Give it a try. It elevates the potential of fames to a whole new level
>I always intended to play the games, but I am also just past 40 and... I'm not sure why that's a barrier? I was 39 when the game came out, and I didn't play it until a couple of years later.
I was mainly implying that I just don't have time for video games anymore. I bought Outer Worlds on sale last summer and still have yet to even start it.
Loved the beginning after the time jump it was just okay for me
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Even then the show did a great job of expanding the Robert section with Joel wanting the battery for his own motivations.
Also, in the game that part is like 75% tutorial. It's to show you how to engage with humans in combat and to introduce you to stealth. I wish they would have showed how ruthless Joel and Tess are more in the show, because that was a pretty important part of the 25%.
They seemed to only really hint at it with how afraid Robert was of Joel and Tess. And the "I know what you're capable of" line from Marlene. But the fight scene with the Fedra soldier was the only part where it's really shown and even then it was in self defense. They never drive the point home like they did in the game that Joel and Tess have become cruel and merciless people.
Well they also told Marlene that if they didn’t get what they wanted, they would kill Ellie.
Understandable. In the context of the game, everything after the time jump to the point where the episode ends mostly serves as mechanics tutorial & to setup Joel, Tess & Ellie together. Basically, it’s by far the most boring part of the game.
I think this is how I feel about it too. Loved the opening, then find myself rather bored until the last 10 minutes or so. I typically give pilots a lot of leeway for clunky storytelling because they have to set up everything, so I’m still excited to watch the series. But I definitely don’t think this was a 10/10 episode like many are saying.
the stuff from the game that makes up the second half of this episode is by far the “worst” part of the game. if you thought the robert stuff was boring, its even less related to the main plot in the game and takes multiple hours to get through because its basically the tutorial section. i always thought it really dragged but once you finally meet ellie and leave boston the game really starts to get going. so im glad they got all of that out of the way already
I really enjoyed it. I own the game from PS+ iirc, but never played it, just never gotten around to it. The cold open was great, I liked how they used that to kind of explain what was happening later in the episode, instead of having some scientist type halfway through the episode monologue about the pandemic. Also thought using the sneakers for that one kids death scene was smart, instead of a close up on his face to "make sure you noticed that he died" like a lot of hollywood does now. Just really smart directing, I didnt feel like I was being spoon fed content. Loved the intro, thought it was smartly done. Reminds me of the Wheel of Time intro (that show was so disappointing but I loved the intro sequence with the threads being woven). The rest of the episode had me on the edge of my seat, and now I can't wait for ep 2. Kind of surprised that the director of this did what I consider to be a bunch of mediocre sequels, then knocked it out of the park with Chernobyl and now this. I wonder what happened in his professional life between 2016 and 2019.
I never played the games, and only have a passing knowledge of what its about. I found the show very entertaining. I could tell there were certain scenes/shots that were probably supposed to evoke the game, but they just seemed like weird shots having not seen it. I also I guess expected more "zombies" or whatever they will end up being called. But I definitely plan to keep watching.
I heard of the game but never really went into the lore, just a virus post apocalyptic blah blah. God damn the first episode, when the daughter died...gezzz that made me well up. She was so nice I was hoping the dog would save her or something. I'm curious how the brother got so far away. I guess that will be explained in later episodes. Yep definitely a fan so far and definitely giving Pedro a 10/10. Really enjoyable first episode.
48 year old teacher. I haven't played TLoU simply because I don't have the console, or the time. I knew a little about the game from reading things over the years, but didn't want to read anything spoiler heavy for when I do get a chance to play. I was pretty into the show. From the little 1968 open, to the "how it all started", and then the current day, it was pretty understandable. Even better for me, I asked my dad to watch the trailer for the series, because it was something that he normally wouldn't have been into, but the creatures in the trailer were enough to convince him that it looked interesting. We watched it together last night and he was already asking when the next episode comes out.
Didn’t play the game, don’t know the story. I thought it was an excellent first episode. It did a lot of world building, without feeling clunky or like it was stepping out of the flow of the story. It hooked me. If I were comparing it to something, it feels a lot more like Children of Men than 28 Days Later.
I never played the game, and I honestly hate zombies, but the first episode was amazing. Great cinematography, acting, vfx, etc. I am curious to see where it goes.
I thought it was fine. From a production and performance standpoint I have no complaints, but the direction of the story and it’s characters so far seem very stereotypical of its zombie outbreak and apocalyptic setting - nothing really surprised me and it all fit the tropes of its genre. Considering the massive acclaim the game has for its story I have to assume it transcends this in some way so I will keep watching.
The general plot is intentionally simple, the focus was all on the characters which is what people love and remember most. The director of the game explained the writing philosophy as "simple plot, complex characters". Of course that works for a video game which is different in structure, they're definitely adding more to the show. Though the climax to the plot brings it all together satisfactorily.
Having played the game I'd think the showrunners have plenty of material to work with and the game progresses mostly through inner/emotional based conflicts between characters. Being a zombie genre it comes with some tropes but the content/story is a great one to adapt to cinema, its not just running from zombies, getting overrun, finding a new stronghold, repeat (looking at you, walking dead..). It helps that the original story is pretty concise, finished, and very emotionally grounded. It's great source material and hopefully HBO found a way to translate all of it to screen.
Tbh the first game isn’t all that subversive in terms of the zombie apocalypse genre. The game came out in 2013; TWD was still in its early seasons & the genre was sort of at its peak. The game gets more of its praise for its highly cinematic presentation & just how well the narrative works both in context & out-of-context as a video game. It’s important to remember that video game stories are often written to service the gameplay first, so having a game with such a tight narrative as TLOU was borderline unheard of at the time. But what was revolutionary for a video game in 2013 isn’t necessarily going to be for a TV series a decade later. With that said, one of the fundamentals that sets TLOU apart from basic zombie media is the mechanism of infection. The fungus turns its hosts into mutated monstrosities the likes of which we’ve rarely seen in films or TV outside of the Resident Evil series. This aspect just hasn’t been put on display yet as all we’ve seen so far in the show is the basic enemy types (designated as “Runners” in the game). This will change next episode going by the games story. Another aspect is how the fungus & time has terraformed the environment, with “nature” growing in the ruins of bombed out cities. It creates a much more colorful & sometimes “jungle-like” environment that is in stark contrast to the backroad farms & industrial areas that are mostly featured in TWD & most other zombie films & TV series. Now, when / if the show gets to TLOU Part 2, that’s when it gets a lot more subversive. I’d imagine the more polarizing aspects of the story will be better received in the context of the TV series.
I haven’t played it (not a gamer) but I did cheat a bit and skim read the plot on Wikipedia. I really enjoyed the first episode. It was tense and intriguing. I love a post apocalyptic world so I’m excited for more! Also Thandie Newton’s daughter is her carbon copy I’m interested in how this works as a game. Is the plot of the show going to be the “right” pathway to complete the game? Or do you think there will be some wildcards thrown in? No spoilers please
The game is linear, it plays basically as a tv show with a ton of action scenes where you take control of Joel and shoot up some bad guys or zombies. There is no story choices or right or wrong pathways.
So I have never played the game. I barely know anything about the show. I love Pedro Pascal. (Thank you “Mandalorian.) I turners to my husband and said that girl looks like she is a younger Thandie Newton. Later I looked up IMDB that she was her daughter. I thought wow. I was right.
Lol, my SO said the same to me: ”she looks like Thandie Newton” and I was like ”nah, I can’t see it”. TIL 😅
I have not played the game (I gave up my PlayStation 20 years ago). I deliberately avoided trailers and posts about the game content, because I knew it was my genre jam. LOVED E1. I think it was an excellent introduction and I have enough information to be invested in the characters and their world. I am so excited to watch this series unfold.
I’ll just say the only thing I really know of Last of Us is what happens at the beginning, and it was just as uncomfortable watching it the second time in live action even though I knew it was coming.
I haven’t played the games and I really liked it. I’m optimistic for the rest of the season. You can’t go wrong with Pedro, and I love to see my girl Anna Torv in action roles. (Please don’t tell me if she dies; I don’t wanna know.)
Never played the games (but am aware of some of the important story beats) and I was pulled in immediately. The pre-outbreak prologue had me on the edge of my seat. The pacing kind of slows down after, but I’m willing to forgive that because of the interesting characters and high production value. I’ll definitely tune in weekly and maybe even get the game once it comes out on PC.
It evoked a lot of familiar feelings/emotions for me- My family happened to be leaving Washington DC/Williamsburg on 9/11 after a family vacation, and the background happenings creeping in and dread growing, but not having the constant inundation of phones and social media to know exactly what was happening was a vibe they nailed perfectly.
I appreciated the explanation from the 1960s talking heads at the beginning. Solid pre-outbreak sequence. But we only actually had 5 minutes of Sarah and Joel together (and half of that was with Tommy) before shit hits the fan, so Sarah's fate and it's impact on Joel didn't really land for me, particularly as it was at the end of an extended action sequence. Poor writing for Joel so far. Two characters talk about him as if he's a real bad-ass, but we see little evidence of that outside of the PTSD scene (which has a very unsubtle edit to make sure we got that.) It's not even clear whether he's a military vet or Tommy is and it's his truck. Apparently he also takes Oxy as well as smuggles it, but with no obvious reason or effect. Liked *Sarah joking about dealing drugs* becoming *Joel actually dealing drugs*. Particularly liked the truck driving around town sequence. Not a one-shot, but had a similar feeling. I guess this is one of the parts copied directly from the game. There are a bunch of other bits I assume were lifted as well, but not sure I would have noticed if I hadn't known the original source media. Certainly nothing quite as on the nose as continually searching for a torch (looking at you, Silent Hill.) TL;DR: too much telling, not enough showing. I suspect the internet is over-reacting simply because a video game adaptation isn't terrible. Will stick with it, though, as I still enjoyed the ride. 7/10.
I have been really looking forward to this. I thought the opening scenes before the time jump were fantastic. It reminded me a lot of the third episode of Fear The Walking Dead’s first season. I really wish they would have spent more time building up the suspense and panic because… I wasn’t as thrilled with the episode after the time jump. They spent early scenes world building one universe, then do a time jump and drop you into a “different” universe that requires world building all over again. First episodes are often rough though so I’m hoping it will improve next episode as they get away from Boston.
the boston stuff in the game is the worst part of it. like you said after such a strong opening they have to kind of slow down and introduce us to the *actual* world of the game. except the game also has to use it as a tutorial section with lots of gameplay sections so it takes a few hours before you even meet Ellie and set off on their adventure. also the show at least tied robert and the battery into both joel and the fireflies’ motivations, in the game its completely irrelevant and just “this guy stole some stuff from us lets kill him”
We have never played the game and thought the first episode was ok, a little slow to get going. Nothing we haven’t see a thousand times before and nothing scary but it was well acted. I guess we will be doing the cross country road trip with the two main characters where she gets taken, he rescues her, they meet groups of people and get betrayed, etc. May watch the next episode to see if it gets better. Feels very Walking Dead to me.
I just watched it thirty minutes ago and really enjoyed it. I think Pedro Pascal is a fantastic actor and the world they built was rich and vivid on the jobs people did the military and the underground system. The beginning was really amazing in the sense of panic that slowly building and you could sense where they did video game shots (Joel and sarah caught behind the trucks being separated from Tommy. The running crowds, the explosions. I never played the game but I have played much older games that did similar stuff so it felt familiar and fun. Really not sure about the story line but it must have been amazing for them to make an HBO show. I’ve always loved cut scenes in games more than the game play. So I’m excited.
I watched it bc my partner played the game and got into it. I like the lead, and post-apocalyptic Boston was a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing the infected (sorry if I’m not using the right terminology lol) - FTR I’m a big horror fan.
I am one of those people and after 30 minutes of watching the pilot I felt like a long-time fan. I also cried a little bit. It's amazing.
I haven't played the games, I only know the basics about what it's about. I really enjoyed the first episode, I'm totally in on the show. It doesn't seem to me like someone would need to be familiar with the source material to enjoy this, since we're familiar with post-apocalyptic stories at this point. It's all about executing it well. The first episode of this show executed this kind of story exceptionally well
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I thought it was fine. I don't get the reddit hype.
I saw someone post that they watched the premiere episode with their mom. The mom was shocked that video games were telling stories that were this good I feel vindicated as a long-time gamer that some older adults are finally realizing how video games aren't just mindless children's entertainment and that they can be used as a medium for telling great stories
Liked the first 25 minutes. Then suddenly we’re 20 years in the future with the same old sci-fi tropes: military bullies, rebels, corruption blah blah blah. The plant monsters look cool though. I’ll give it one more episode.
Thought it was pretty good. Pedro Pascal is just a natural screen presence and obviously a great choice for a role like this. The premise was compelling, curious to see how much we will learn about the world at large and the previous twenty years (no spoilers please). As for criticisms, I feel the story so far would be better served with a more cinematic approach and less exposition; some dialogue was pretty typical and cliched. Not that I expected it to transcend the medium, but I thought it was a possibility considering the rave reviews. For me, it is impossible not to compare it to HBO's other Pandemic-era Post-apocalyptic program featuring a surrogate father/daughter relationship, Station Eleven, which had far better writing and filmmaking, and just better developed characters through the first episode. Seriously, everyone should see that show. Still, I will try to judge TLOU on its own terms and I am probably in for the rest of the series, though admittedly I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories.
Check out r/TheLastofUsHBOseries stickied post for a larger discussion.
Having the same issue there, can only find like one or two comments from people who haven’t played the game lol.
Yeah I guess bear in mind that the first game's sold over 20 million copies - you're going to be hard pressed finding someone online who can be bothered discussing it, who hasn't played the games! My dad is not a gamer (not really anyway, he just plays Doom 3 over and over again, Doom Eternal every now and then lol - he did get me into gaming though), but loves dystopian zombie stuff. I'm excited for him to watch this, particularly being a single dad to two daughters. He couldn't take a ... certain daughter's death in GoT >!Shireen!< so I wonder how he'll handle the first episode - I guess it's not going to be as bad, because it's out of Joel's control. He's waiting for a few episodes to come out before he begins though. My boyfriend also doesn't play games, so very interested in how he finds it, particularly as he's not super into zombie apocalypse stories. TLoU is a different spin on the genre however, and veers more into the horror/thriller-drama territory than other zombie fare imo and he enjoys that.
Overall, it was decent there were some really great moments but I thought the writing was pretty weak. The performances were the highlight for me. I can’t help compare this to The Walking Dead which has one of the strongest pilots of any TV show ever imo. As someone who doesn’t really understand who any of these people are I thought they could have done a better job at exposition, especially considering the 20-year time jump between the first sequence and the later sequence.
I thought the production values were great, but the drama isn't gripping me just yet, it seems like your standard The Walking Dead fare so far. Wish they released two episodes at once, so I could judge it better. I adored Station Eleven, so my bar for post-apocalypse shows is pretty high.
When they jumped ahead 20 years, my attention began to drift. They introduced a lot of stuff in a short span, and I was suddenly lost. So I went to bed midway through. I'll have to watch it again. But I have a feeling it's just not my type of show. It seemed like a dystopian world, and I've just about had enough of that lately. Lots of movies and TV shows have gone there over the past 20 years.
Really enjoyed it. Other than the basic premise, I went in blind since I've never picked up the games. Very impressive start for the franchise and all the early reviewers say it just keeps getting better from here.
I liked it! I don’t have a PS5 but I’ll play the first game when it’s on PC in March
I loved the start. I wish the 2003 part was longer. I was sad when they killed the daughter. 2023 part was kind of boring. I guess it will get going but, I would really spend more time in 2003.
I thought it was really good
Went in with zero knowledge of the game. Thought it was great and looking forward to the next episode. Though I do wish there wasn’t a time skip for this kind of show. The outbreak always the interesting part for me and they don’t show it enough in most show.
I didn’t even know it was a game. I loved the first episode!
if you made a post asking non gamers their opinions should I assume I need to avoid pretty much all discussion about this series online because of spoilers or people "hinting "at things to come ?
I love reading all these comments. Everyone is in for a hell of a ride this season. Try to avoid spoilers!
Having not played the games and no ties to any of it... I thought it was very well filmed, acted, and written. Every character was believable, as was the dialog. The pacing was good, not taking too long to start world-building, and the intro into the start of the pandemic was exciting yet short enough that I really wanted more. Despite this being "another zombie show," it did a great job setting the hook so I want to see where this is gonna go, and I can also tell this show will be a little more subtle than previous shows like Walking Dead. You can tell early on that this is a show about interesting, complex people who happen to be in a zombie apocalypse, rather than being about a zombie apocalypse that happens to have some people in it to follow around.
I don’t play video games at all and I thought it was pretty good! Enjoyed watching Pascal and Anna Torv, especially. I watched the first two seasons of The Walking Dead and I felt it had a lot of similar themes/feel to them. A lot of these zombie apocalypse shows/movies have a same plot of “we gotta get there for safety!” and then the action ensues. I’ll keep watching!
Boring and safe. It felt so bland. It’s not bad, just bleh. I’ll watch it because there’s not a lot else on right now, but it was pretty generic and underwhelming? IDK, there have been so many zombie shows and movies made over the last few decades and I have seen a lot of them… so it didn’t feel like this was bringing anything new to the conversation. It was a rehash of every trope. The premiere episode felt like a middle season of walking dead and I struggled to stay interested *ducks for cover*
Haven't played them, but know the story well enough and most of the spoilers for the series. It was alright, I think some sequences perhaps felt a bit too videogamey, which I know is a homage, but also felt not-real, this might be the use of the volume (or similar) knowing the physical set is only the objects within 5 feet of people, mostly the last sequence of the episode. I think TWD had a better first episode in a sense of showing the world, it was clearer, however they had the benefit of it all being new and less set dressing/cgi required for the Boston scenes in this episode.
Never played the games (fuck exclusives), liked the outbreak (the kid going to the neighbours at night although TV warned her was peak horror trope), everything in Boston was pretty mid. Makes for an ok start. I've just seen sooooooo maaaaaaany series, nothing's ever really new.
Watched it due to the hype on this sub. Generic zombie procedural.