Hynad said:
3 more to go. Season 1 is 9 episodes long, not 10. |
Damn, 3 episodes only for whats is coming? Hope they are big episodes.
Kin was probably the second-best episode of the show to date, in my view (after Long, Long Time). I think I just like these somewhat slower-paced breather episodes the best. Kin does more than just follow the game's template for changing the relationship between Joel and Ellie fundamentally here: it also powerfully builds out the relationship between Joel and Tommy in a way that the game doesn't, and also offers a delightful glimpse into the show's fairly different version of Jackson. I think this is the all-around best performance we've seen from both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey so far, and that's saying something!
Director Jasmila Zbanic's first-hand experience surviving a war was clearly of influence here. You can feel the authenticity of it in the clear divisions of labor that we see, in the fact that there is indeed cinema (she mentioned that even though they had scarcely anything else else, they had a film festival to maintain people's sanity), things like this. Part II's version of Jackson, in short, felt a bit more like her lived experience surviving in a commune in the middle of a war.
The winter is the chapter of the game that shifts the main focus to Ellie, which makes it feel the most distinctive and Left Behind, within that, is my favorite chapter of the whole game, so I'm really looking forward to the next episode. We could be in for something pretty unique too. This will be the first episode not written by Craig Mazin. Instead, Neil Druckmann himself is listed as the sole writer. Also, together with Kin, this will be one of just two episodes directed by a woman (Liza Johnson in this case), which I feel like could add a little something here since this episode will be mainly about Ellie and Riley. The critics are describing Left Behind one of the series' best episodes as well and that all makes me feel confident the material will be treated with the care and respect it deserves. Really looking forward to it!
I hope these next two episodes are 1:30, and they do them justice, HYPE
| ClassicGamingWizzz said: I hope these next two episodes are 1:30, and they do them justice, HYPE |
Unfortunately the last 2 episodes are some of the shortest in the season.
Episode 7:
Left Behind is in close contestation for the title of my favorite episode!
Storm Reid's performance as Riley was the highlight of the episode overall for me! I always thought Riley was a cool kid, but Reid brings juuuuust the right dosage of additional liveliness to the character for my taste. Not an ounce too much or too little.
Some of the top moments for me included:
-Seeing the awe in Ellie's eyes as the mall lights up. The sense of childlike wonder here was palpable and highly endearing.
-The girls getting to actually play Mortal Kombat II, complete with fatalities. That was awesome. 
Honestly, there will always be a special place in my heart for the game's more nuanced version of that scene, but I'm so glad that this alternate version exists too because it was so much fun to watch just as a lifelong gamer who does in fact happen to have some treasured memories of my own playing MK2 at the arcade.
-Bella Ramsey's outpouring of rage near the end of the episode where she shatters every glass surface in sight was a sight to behold and a promise to us that she will be up to the task of delivering us Part 2's rage-filled version of Ellie in the future.
I also just really liked how this version of events more directly connects Ellie's past relationship to Riley on the one hand to her current one toward Joel on the other. Joel and Ellie are both spurred on by past losses to keep from losing each other and in that crucial way are very similar people.
Ultimately, Left Behind, in both the game and this adaptation, is about appreciating the smaller things in life that we so often take for granted. This version was at least as successful as the game's to me at conveying that.
Episode 8:
Episode 8 was immensely gripping, Bella Ramsey is an absolute powerhouse. I hope everyone who doubted the casting choice for Ellie hang down their heads in shame.
Finale:
All in all, with the exception of Bill's episode I think I prefer the game a bit more but this was still a deservedly great adaptation that I'm glad a whole new audience gets to appreciate. I'm eager to see what comes next for this franchise in both its original and adapted forms. Bring on Factions 2, already!
It was a great adaptation, probably the best videogame related. I do wish they had shown more stuff with infected but I understand the budget constraints that probably held them back. Can't wait for Season 2, whenever that is.
Also loved the cheeky Laura Bailey cameo, reprising her first TLOU role!
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