HBO Max - The Last of Us

[Shepard Wong]

49 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

I would think so based on what they've shown in trailers and spoke about in interviews. Someone who's played it more recently than me can confirm, but I think we'd roughly be about halfway through the first game so far. But with only 3 episodes left (one of which covers her backstory from the DLC), they're going have to be selective with what gets cut from the remainder of the game if they want to stick the landing as well as the game did. 

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I wonder if maybe the next episode isn't all the backstory from the mall scenes they showed.  It would make sense if they only included scenes from that in the preview of the next episode so as not to show Joel and ruin the cliffhanger-ish ending of the last episode, based on my completely ignorant assumption he didn't actually die.  I really don't know.

 

[LeanMeanGM]

The weird part is I expected the last few episodes to be on the longer side but apparently they aren't. The finale is the shortest episode by far. 

[Shepard Wong]

By the way, thanks to everyone in this thread for the consistent use of the spoiler tags.  I've been reading the thread only if I'm up to date on the episodes and don't remember having had any plot points spoiled in here.

[Shepard Wong]

Just now, LeanMeanGM said:

The weird part is I expected the last few episodes to be on the longer side but apparently they aren't. The finale is the shortest episode by far. 

I haven't seen the run times but that surprises me too.  

[we_gotta_believe]

13 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

It's probably a little more than half. There's only two major plot points left in the spoiler below. I think the show is going to change both also like they have been by cutting out the action filler of the game and just getting to the point of the drama. 

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David and Ellie and the hospital

It might feel like a speed run through the first game but it will probably translate well enough for a TV show. We're just not going to get all the mass killings like the game gives. 

Right but to capture the full drama of those two subplots with the time remaining is going to be tricky if they presumably interweave the Left Behind DLC into the main narrative just like the game did. I guess if they leave that out, they can maybe cram each into their own episode but they'll have to be really efficient with pacing. Either way, should be a fun ride til the end.

 

EDIT: For background in case you only played the remakes, the DLC on PS3 filled the gap in the main story and tied up the loose ends from the original game through the use of flashbacks. Probably the best single-player DLC of any game I've ever played.

[we_gotta_believe]

10 minutes ago, Shepard Wong said:

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I wonder if maybe the next episode isn't all the backstory from the mall scenes they showed.  It would make sense if they only included scenes from that in the preview of the next episode so as not to show Joel and ruin the cliffhanger-ish ending of the last episode, based on my completely ignorant assumption he didn't actually die.  I really don't know.

 

Ya know what's F'ed up? With as much as they're changing from the game... I'm not even totally sure what will happen with that cliffhanger.  

I have a hunch about how it will go, based on what they've alluded to, but Bill's backstory and ultimate outcome was very different than the game, so they just might switch gears on us again. 

[mikemack8]

6 minutes ago, Shepard Wong said:

By the way, thanks to everyone in this thread for the consistent use of the spoiler tags.  I've been reading the thread only if I'm up to date on the episodes and don't remember having had any plot points spoiled in here.

The first time one of these gamer nerds spoils something for me, it's game over for THEM!!!

[LeanMeanGM]

5 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Right but to capture the full drama of those two subplots with the time remaining is going to be tricky if they presumably interweave the Left Behind DLC into the main narrative just like the game did. I guess if they leave that out, they can maybe cram each into their own episode but they'll have to be really efficient with pacing. Either way, should be a fun ride til the end.

The one, yes. The other, I'm not so sure. Don't want to get too spoilery but there's a lot from the game they just aren't going to do that cuts out a lot of filler. 

[we_gotta_believe]

5 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

The one, yes. The other, I'm not so sure. Don't want to get too spoilery but there's a lot from the game they just aren't going to do that cuts out a lot of filler. 

See, to me, filler would be any time spent on the woman villain from KC and dedicating an entire episode for Bill and Frank's backstory. The full details of

Spoiler

the winter scenes including encounter with David and his camp, and then the hospital scenes (including the lead up), need to all remain intact. 

Double spoiler on the lead up...

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If they don't show me some MF'ing giraffes, I will find Druckman myself and hold a pillow over his face while he sleeps.

 

 

[Mike030270]

3 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

See, to me, filler would be any time spent on the woman villain from KC and an entire episode for Bill and Frank's backstory. The full details of

  Hide contents

the winter scenes including encounter with David and his camp, and then the hospital scenes (including the lead up), need to all remain intact. 

Double spoiler on the lead up...

  Hide contents

If they don't show me some MF'ing giraffes, I will find Druckman myself and hold a pillow over his face while he sleeps.

 

 

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I felt like the resistance story wasn't needed. Some may disagree but I thought it was pointless. Showrunner said they wanted to humanize them but the resistance was shown just as bad as fedra

 

[we_gotta_believe]

4 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

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I felt like the resistance story wasn't needed. Some may disagree but I thought it was pointless. Showrunner said they wanted to humanize them but the resistance was shown just as bad as fedra

 

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That was my least favorite part of the show so far. If they were targeting a 12 episode season, I'd be indifferent about it. But they wrote that in and left out other much more impactful subplots like Ishmael and his family. And if keeping that in means less time for the things I mentioned earlier, it's gonna end up being a real poor decision.

 

[Mike030270]

1 minute ago, we_gotta_believe said:

That was my least favorite part of the show so far. If they were targeting a 12 episode season, I'd be indifferent about it. But they wrote that in and left out other much more impactful subplots like Ishmael and his family. And if keeping that in means less time for the things I mentioned earlier, it's gonna end up being a real poor decision.

Agreed. If it was more episodes then I wouldn't have cared about the additions. Actually would have been better because then some scenes wouldn't have been rushed

[LeanMeanGM]

3 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

See, to me, filler would be any time spent on the woman villain from KC and dedicating an entire episode for Bill and Frank's backstory. The full details of

  Reveal hidden contents

the winter scenes including encounter with David and his camp, and then the hospital scenes (including the lead up), need to all remain intact. 

Double spoiler on the lead up...

  Reveal hidden contents

If they don't show me some MF'ing giraffes, I will find Druckman myself and hold a pillow over his face while he sleeps.

 

 

Spoiler

Winter is going to be the tricky one that might feel rushed. I think Wong is on to something because the more I think about it, I don't know how the DLC can be an entire episode. Game spoilers to follow

Spoiler

I think the next episode is going to be like the game, intertwined between Ellie searching for meds and flashbacks to her past, without the viewer knowing the fate of Joel. Towards the end Ellie will have the meds but come across David and get captured, leaving another cliffhanger. Next week is all Winter, and then all Salt Lake hospital.

By filler being cut out, I mean they aren't going to have Ellie kill a ton of infected and a bloater with David. They aren't going to have her kill a ton of David's men. They aren't going to have David/Ellie fight two bloaters and then get swept through the sewers/knocked out and captured by the fireflies. And then they aren't going to have Joel kill hundreds of soldiers. I think they are going to focus more on the drama of these interactions and maybe slightly more action/violence in the hospital, but not to extent of the whole episode he's going around shooting everyone up. 

 

 

[mikemack8]

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I just want to feel included 

 

[LeanMeanGM]

1 minute ago, mikemack8 said:

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I just want to feel included 

 

Spoiler

 

[we_gotta_believe]

Just now, LeanMeanGM said:

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Winter is going to be the tricky one that might feel rushed. I think Wong is on to something because the more I think about it, I don't know how the DLC can be an entire episode. Game spoilers to follow

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I think the next episode is going to be like the game, intertwined between Ellie searching for meds and flashbacks to her past, without the viewer knowing the fate of Joel. Towards the end Ellie will have the meds but come across David and get captured, leaving another cliffhanger. Next week is all Winter, and then all Salt Lake hospital.

By filler being cut out, I mean they aren't going to have Ellie kill a ton of infected and a bloater with David. They aren't going to have her kill a ton of David's men. They aren't going to have David/Ellie fight two bloaters and then get swept through the sewers/knocked out and captured by the fireflies. And then they aren't going to have Joel kill hundreds of soldiers. I think they are going to focus more on the drama of these interactions and maybe slightly more action/violence in the hospital, but not to extent of the whole episode he's going around shooting everyone up. 

 

 

SPOILER WARNING

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Not sure if you caught my edit earlier, but for those who played the original game, the DLC filled that gap from the main story. So for me...

Spoiler

I already knew the outcome from the main game, but didn't know how we got from the university to the first winter scene of Ellie hunting for food. The DLC fleshed out the timeline to connect those two plot points, while also giving Ellie's backstory with Riley. Really well done for its time, but for the remakes (which it sounds like is what you experienced), they dropped in the DLC semi-chronologically to make it appear more seamless, but I almost prefer the order of the original game with the DLC content coming after the fact. The jarring nature of going from the fall, followed by a jump cut right to the opening winter scene, hit like a jackhammer. So I really, really hope the cold open for next episode is with her hunting, and then they can dive into the DLC. 

But yeah I'm fine with less interactions with infected, and even less of the action scenes overall, since that was needed for the game but not needed to move the plot of the TV show forward. Even so, the winter scenes still have a good amount of ground they'll have to cover to provide context for who David is and what they're doing out there. I guess I'll reserve judgment until I see the next episode, maybe they'll make some gains there, like with the cold open, to buy themselves some time.

 

 

[LeanMeanGM]

2 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

SPOILER WARNING

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Not sure if you caught my edit earlier, but for those who played the original game, the DLC filled that gap from the main story. So for me...

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I already knew the outcome from the main game, but didn't know how we got from the university to the first winter scene of Ellie hunting for food. The DLC fleshed out the timeline to connect those two plot points, while also giving Ellie's backstory with Riley. Really well done for its time, but for the remakes (which it sounds like is what you experienced), they dropped in the DLC semi-chronologically to make it appear more seamless, but I almost prefer the order of the original game with the DLC content coming after the fact. The jarring nature of going from the fall, followed by a jump cut right to the opening winter scene, hit like a jackhammer. So I really, really hope the cold open for next episode is with her hunting, and then they can dive into the DLC. 

But yeah I'm fine with less interactions with infected, and even less of the action scenes overall, since that was needed for the game but not needed to move the plot of the TV show forward. Even so, the winter scenes still have a good amount of ground they'll have to cover to provide context for who David is and what they're doing out there. I guess I'll reserve judgment until I see the next episode, maybe they'll make some gains there, like with the cold open, to buy themselves some time.

 

 

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Yep, I played the remake but the DLC was still separate from the main game. It was always available but didn't make sense to me to do that first so I played through the whole game and then did the DLC after. 

 

[we_gotta_believe]

1 minute ago, LeanMeanGM said:

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Yep, I played the remake but the DLC was still separate from the main game. It was always available but didn't make sense to me to do that first so I played through the whole game and then did the DLC after. 

 

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Oh weird, I thought they dropped in the DLC as part of the game itself instead of being separate. Unless I'm thinking of the Part I remaster, or whatever they called it.

 

[LeanMeanGM]

1 minute ago, we_gotta_believe said:

 

Maybe. The one I have is the PS5 remake that just came out last September

[we_gotta_believe]

Just now, LeanMeanGM said:

Maybe. The one I have is the PS5 remake that just came out last September

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Alrighty then, nvm  

 Better they left it separate, the original sequence is perfect as it is. Here's to hoping that's what the cold open is for next week.

 

[we_gotta_believe]

Speaking of that, I'm kinda bummed we didn't get more cold opens of things pre-outbreak like we did in the earlier episodes. That scene with mycologist is the perfect example of how the TV format can allow for better narrative building than the game allows for. That might even be my favorite scene of the entire show so far.

[mikemack8]

6 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Speaking of that, I'm kinda bummed we didn't get more cold opens of things pre-outbreak like we did in the earlier episodes. That scene with mycologist is the perfect example of how the TV format can allow for better narrative building than the game allows for. That might even be my favorite scene of the entire show so far.

Yep - the fear in that doctor when she realized what had happened was palpable

[we_gotta_believe]

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Maybe. The one I have is the PS5 remake that just came out last September

This must've been what I was thinking of...

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https://gamerant.com/the-last-of-us-part-1-left-behind-full-story-mode-option-needed/

 

It was an opinion piece on a mode they should've offered, not what actually made it into the remake. Incidentally, I own the remake just never opened it, but was close to starting it when the series premiered, but now I think I'm gonna wait for the show to finish before playing through it again.

 

[Agent23]

I will post episode predictions when I’m back at a computer (using video game spoiler tags) 

[Agent23]

okay, first spoiler tag will be vague enough that folks who haven't played the games shouldn't have anything ruined, but can avoid if they want 100% blind experiences moving forward

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• Episode 7: 56 minutes -- I expect this to be backstory with Ellie (survival) interspersed with how she's navigating her (survival) in response to Joel bleeding out and whatever outcome may happen to him as a result. 
•  
• Episode 8: 51 minutes -- I expect this to focus on the group/community encountered in route to Utah -- Tommy in the show indicated that the road to Salt Lake City didn't have the greatest reputation
•  
• Episode 9: 43 minutes -- I expect this to be arrival to SLC through the final events of the original game

 

The second spoiler will be my in-depth, descriptive predictions of what happened in the games and what I think they will do with the show

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Episode 7: 56 minutes -- I like how the game cuts to Ellie hunting, and we have no clue if Joel is dead or alive -- but at this point in the game I don't think anyone even remembered that they played as Ellie the first 10 mins inside the house in Texas. So a switch to a new controllable character pretty much feels like fate is sealed. We could lose this, since the hunting and first meeting with David are within the first 5 mins of that chapter (unless you are teh suck at shooting the deer). I think the show may mainly focus on Riley backstory and may have cut between the mall pitstop where Ellie first tries to find medicine for Joel, that the main game yada yadas past. I don't think we'll see any of David unless its at the very end of the episode, but they could end with Joel getting worse and Ellie venturing out for supplies post-mall pitstop 

Episode 8: 51 minutes -- this could follow the game. Ellie hunting, tracking a deer, and bumping into David (pre-dialog) would take all of 5 mins. Then we probably have 5 mins of dialog between those two waiting for the meds, before an attack scene that likely is another 5 mins. At the 15min mark Ellie takes off, and by the 20min mark she's given Joel meds, overhears people tracking her, and she takes off. 10 mins of her trying to escape/thwart them before she gets caught. 30 min mark.

Joel wakes up, makes his way through town and interrogates two guys (they already used the map scene.. maybe thats to set it up for viewers to see Joel ain't Mr. Niceguy). That can be 10 mins of Joel activity with that and arriving in the town. 40min mark: Ellie bites david, does the "you're infected" and we have a 15ish min chase/cat-and-mouse with them, and the final minute is Joel arriving at the climax. 

Episode 9: 43 minutes -- Joel and Ellie arrive at SLC and we have a despondent Ellie. Joel is acting all chipper and what not and for 10 mins they are exploring what also looks like an abandoned Firefly camp. Maybe 10 mins of Ellie seeing animals to cheer up and while it may not be drowning in the same way, I suspect some life-threatening event that puts Ellie at risk and separates them. By the 20min mark you have Joel and Marlene meeting, and it shouldn't take more than 20mins for him to escape, fight through the hospital, intervene, and confront Marlene again. Then like the game, that final arriving just outside of Jackson and approaching the final few miles on foot is only about a 3min scene.