OT: The Last of Us
Because he chose to accept the role.
A lot of things ruined the Walking Dead, but I did not think “wokeness” was one of them.
I don’t think grandma Carol would be a deadly bad ass in a real apocalypse, or that 125 pound Maggie would be consistently beating up men.
March 11th, 2023 at 10:36 AM ^
I somewhat agree with your point about returning to a caveman society if only because manual labor will take on a greater importance, but casting Nick Offerman in that roll is part of what made it so poignant and unexpected. That episode just wouldn't have worked as well if it were two flamboyant guys meeting and falling in love. The fact that he wasn't openly gay is what added depth to his character and explains why he was so introverted and antisocial.
I agree that the episode was well written and Offerman did a great job with the role, but I just prefer straight Ron Swanson.
Hard not to like Ron Swanson over any other character ever. How are people supposed to know how to live without his pyramid of greatness?
I love the show, and I loved the first game. I'm the guy that realizes how technically great the second game is but hates the direction that took the characters. Additionally, if you've played the second game I want you know I never played golf again.
I don’t know why I’m still waiting to start this show. I know I will absolutely love it.
The show is nothing special.
I'll have more respect for it if Baby Yoda shows up as an episode baddie.
Best TV show adapted ftom a game is “Arcane” (from League of Legends) and its not even close. TLOU has two big name actors and a big budget but is nowhere near as emotionally riveting, visually stunning or as complex as Arcane. i am not a gamer and know nothing abt LoL. I know great TV (Breaking Bad, Succession, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Better Call Saul, Battlestar Galactica) and Arcane is great TV. TLOU is not.
And Arcane has the great opening song, the Imagine Dragons “Enemy,” written for the show. TLOU’s is boring There is always that too
Never heard of the game until I saw the show. From the opening moments I thought it was miles better than Walking Dead. The production values, acting, writing, cinematography... It's all way better than Walking Dead. I mean, the first 4 or 5 seasons of WD were fantastic! But I think HBO raised the value of everything they've done over what WD was able to do.
You have to suspend some belief when watching shows like this, but plausibility certainly comes into play. I do think the cause here is better than anything WD tried to come up with. And the ramifications over the previous 20 years seem to be close to what I'd imagine, also.
I like the show and will certainly keep watching. But it also doesn't help that the state of TV entertainment right now is historically bad. Network TV is straight up unwatchable.
March 11th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
Walking dead wins for me because the scenes were more visceral and the setting in Atlanta and surrounding areas are all familiar places I grew up around. It just felt more realistic even after meeting a couple of the actors while out and about.
I stopped watching after Glen died though.
March 11th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
I did as well. Any show that has a bad guy bash in the main characters heads then becomes the groups nanny later has lost all credibility with me.
I don’t think that gives enough credit to how long Neegan’s redemption arc was, and how much he had to work for it, and he still never really got it. I didn’t like Neegan’s entrance into the show, I think they missed some beats there and took things over the top, but I think JDM showed admirable commitment to the character in later seasons, and both the actor and the character worked for everything they got. (His flashback episode may be the best episode of the series). Frankly by the end of the show I thought Neegan was the only reason to watch.
I'm glad the Atlanta area worked for you. When they moved to Alexandria it was a forested setting. There is no forest within 75 miles of Alexandria, VA. LOL!!
Lol, I'm very familiar with Senoia, GA and have seen the set regularly. As much as they mentioned Alexandria, I never thought Virginia either.
My son, a gamer, turned me on to this show. He thinks it's great. I think it's too similar to The Walking Dead: Always battling some weirdo in some town.
March 11th, 2023 at 10:34 AM ^
I never played the games, but I was intrigued with the premise. I have to say the production values, writing, and narrative are to my liking and moreso than other zombie shows/films because there's been good character development that complement with the flowing narrative. I do like that the focus isn't on the man vs zombie conflict (it's there, but secondary) but on the man vs man or man vs self conflict that makes it work. Also, the Bill & Frank episode was just damn good despite being a one-off.
Also, the first episode ended with "Never Let Me Down Again" blasting during the credits and that sold me.
I hated the Bill and Frank episode and it has nothing to do with them being gay. It was a boring filler episode that brought the plot to a screeching halt with characters we'll never see again. They could have told that story in about 15 to 20 minutes and then led to all the cool intense things that happen in Bill's Town in the game. It was a fan fiction that if you never saw it, you would not have missed anything from the plot. The story would have made sense and advanced without it.
March 11th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
I didn’t play the games. I’m greatly enjoying the show as it’s very well-written and acted. The added bonus is the MAGAs getting upset about the LGBT storylines.
This is such a nonsense trope. If you are taking about conservatives, I have no issue whatsoever with people’s sexual lifestyles. I do, however, have an issue with the idea that a man can become a woman by merely thinking it. That’s absurd, and no amount of shaming that you try to do will change it. Certain things are facts. Reality is not relative. That isn’t bigotry. That’s common sense.
March 12th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
Why do you care?
Because I care about facts. Facts are important to everybody.
I love the show but having 2 filler episodes out of 8 is hard to take, especially the first one that wasn't even about characters you'll ever see again. Each filler episode could have reduced their story to about 15 to 20 minutes and kept advancing the plot. The 1st filler episode in Bill's town cut out some really great parts of the game that could have had some really intense moments, but instead they wasted an hour on a love story that only needed 15 minutes or so to tell about characters we'll never see again. At least the 2nd filler episode was about a main character and a tiny bit of backstory but would have been much better if done as flashbacks while helping Joel instead of the whole episode.
I've been watching and like it. I think Pascal & Ramsey are good. I was glad to see Anna Torv (was a fan of Fringe), and disappointed that she didn't have a larger role. (I didn't know when I started watching that it was based on a game.)