Hope you enjoyed the video. And like me look forward to the rest of the season

What I will say about Arcane, Cyberpunk and Castlevania is that the stories were very open ended and weren't really based on a specific story beforehand, and so in adaptation there was alot more room to maneuver. The last of us however is different, because it has to focus alot on a pre made story, and adapt with a significant degree of faithfulness.

I think the line from episode three "Older means we're still here" is severely underappreciated; loved it

what you said about ep 2, translating gameplay to screen. i was in awe of how well they translated the atmosphere of both the beauty of the world and the terror of encountering clickers. the subtle nods to combat were insane. my dad had never played the game and i was just sitting there freaking out when Joel quietly unloaded his bullets. im so excited for the rest of the season

I was ugly crying for the whole 10 last minutes of episode 3.

100% agree with you. ive been so awestruck with the way they adapted it. understanding the chances but also limitations of your medium is the key to properly adapting a story and just like you've said they have hit every beat so far. the changes made, while sometimes altering the story significantly like ep 3, were all perfectly in line with the way television works. hell, i like these changes even better than the game. the opening scenes in ep 1 and 2 added so much, but would have broken the immersion in the game. having neil druckman work so closely with the producers has really made every change feel like its not just necessary, but meaningful. he gets to improve bits and pieces, add on to a story millions have already fallen in love with and show us visions he's had for this work that simply didnt fit the medium before.

We can always trust with what you have in store for us. Keep up the good work.

The real Ace in the Hole is Craig Mazin. That guy knows how to be a showrunner. Chernobyl is a must watch.

Already liked because I KNOW this is gonna be epic 🎉❤

I've been watching the BTS bits after the credits to hear the process behind Neil's approach to writing the screenplay and he wholeheartedly says he wants to improve the story he wrote back in 2013. When I heard that, I was relieved and excited for the rest of the series. I also like the nods to the gameplay, and I'm glad they also aren't trying to match the gameplay completely 1-to-1. Sometimes adapting gameplay to shows and films can end up looking too campy. The people that did the Uncharted movie recreated the gameplay 1-to-1 for a lot of the action scenes and it just... looked wrong. Like some things will work in video games that look epic as hell, but slap it onto a live-action adaptation and the feeling ranges from uncanny to outright cartoonish to the point I can't suspend my disbelief. Neil stated in an interview that season 2 of the show is going to be an adaptation of the second game so I'm curious how much of the philosophy behind the writing holds up because the internet decided to start a whole culture war about it before the game came out and led to many critiquing the game in bad faith when it released. I want to believe the writing team won't give in to the pressure from a small sect of the internet, but it's happened before. Even the comments in the IGN post announcing the statement are pretty nasty. I'm also down to watch you play The Last of Us 2 on stream! I'm genuinely curious about your thoughts on the game.

I’m not a gamer myself, but I do watch gameplays & cutscenes as I’m more of a story viewer. The Last of Us has one of the best storytelling that hit hard in my mind & heart I’ve seen. Then, the HBO adaptation came in & boy I didn’t see that coming. It hit me as hard as the original.

I can see the _three episode rule_ being a good barometer for many people. But some of my all-time favorite shows struggled in their first season, or at least during that first season. I suppose one might then simply declare that as _not being a good show._ 🤷🏼‍♂️ But those later seasons knock your socks off. And of the shows which come to mind, those first seasons were still essential, if not wholly up to par with the rest of the show. 🤔 Great video! 😎👍 Thanks for all the time and effort!

beautifully well put! looking forward to your end of the season video, i'm sure we're in for a ride the next 6 episodes

Funfact: the Clickers in ep. 2 are entirely practical effects, and the people they hired to play the Clickers were fans of the game and understood how they were supposed to move and act

I love your videos man! keep up the amazing work!

Thank you for your solid work. Truly appreciated.

If you're not already listening to the official podcast after each episode, you have to! It is hosted by Troy Baker (voice of Joel in the games), who interviews the showrunners, Neil Druckmann (co-creator of the game) and Craig Mazin. Their insights on changes and choices are just brilliant.

i agree with everything except tess's loss hurting more in the show. i felt the exact opposite as the tess content that was cut(the robert scene where she was so eager to pew pew) was necessary to display her nuance as a character. in hbo's defense, they are probably trying to fit the whole 1st game to the first season which consists of 9 eps (i think). but god i loved how you dissected the combat in ep2. oh lawd. hbo has been on a tear lately.

excelent video!!!!

im autistic and the last of us has been my special interest since i first played it and after finding out they were doing a live action, i was a bit iffy about the idea but im glad they translated it so well to a tv show!!!!

I cant wait to watch the series then come back and watch this video

My parents are both in their 70s. My dad doesn't play videogames AT ALL, and my mom plays puzzle games (and Breath of the Wild now that I sucked her into the lore of the series 😈). I told them to watch this because I thought they'd enjoy it, although I warned them that it could get brutal. I also told them it was based on a videogame that's widely considered a masterpiece of storytelling in the genre, which really just intrigued them more, if anything. They LOVED IT. Now my dad is fascinated with the fact that "That was originally a VIDEOGAME???" lol

I definitely agree the level of care and detail that went into the scriptwriting was beautiful.They definitely respected the source material and tried to honor the characters in the best way they could.I do think it's 1 of the best video game adaptations of all time. The writing the dialog the characters everything was done perfectly.There was a job given to characters that didn't have a lot of screen time in the original game and it built upon the world and made it feel very genuine. Even on the watch with the episode you catch Easter eggs from the game that make it fun for fans. Definitely excited to see what they do at. Season. 2 I'm. Sure it's gonna p*** a lot of people off

I also have this 3 episode rule. If a show doesn't interest me after 3 episodes, I'm generally out. I hope more showrunners/film makers follow the example this show leads. Halo was heart breakingly bad. TLOU is heartbreakingly amazing.

if your open to any suggestions maybe ya can do a avatar 2 video, considering the CGI on that movie and worldbuilding literally blows almost every recent marvel and sci fi movie out of the water

I would love to see it, but I can´t aford a second streaming service and it is not on Netflix. 😭 Do you think they would ever put it on DVD?

Me about to buy an HBOmax membership

Hm, how very interesting, fair and valid points and opinions, I guess we’ll see if the Show will keep it’s pace or not, i hope that by end of it all, it doesn’t disappoint in the end. So, a 10 Episodes Season, huh? How much do you think the Show will be able to cover with that?

i mostly agree with what you said in your video, but episode 3 had 1 problem and it is important to acknowledge that. the portrayal of disability and suicide during a time where many countries have already implemented laws or are considering laws that put pressure on disabled people to choose suicide.

When need more watchers like a lot to watch this show like I mean it so we won’t have shows like Velma or Big Mouth getting another season and letting potential shows having only one season or getting cancelled

i really wanna watch this video before i watch the show but im worried it might be better if i just go in blindly

Just like you, when i heard about this show back in 2021, i was sceptical but it has truly blown me away. Bella ramsey as Ellie is simply amazing and the changes made are for the better, adding to the story, expanding it and making the show even more compelling. I just love that the showrunners appreciate the game as much as i do, that is a rare thing nowadays.

So far I love the show as well....only 1 thing I hate and is not the show itself is the marketing..............and is the avoiding the videogame curse thing that the creators of the show says THIS is the show that is finally breaking that...............newsflash no is not, and they totally I assume not count animation into that, because Castlevania, Arcane, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, hell, even in live action....Detective Pikachu, Sonic 1 and 2 did that, again is the marketing, not the show, so far, beautiful rendition of the game story and I can't wait for see ep.4 that probably is out now. My only concern for Last of Us story is that....they eventually will adapt Part II and.....yeah not a fan of that if they do, unless they CHANGE a LOT more....not plan on watch part II...but Part 1, I really loving and want to see it until the end, let's hope the entire season manage to nail what these 3 episodes have done so far and we can add Last of Us in the list of greatest game adaptations long Arcane, Edgerunners, Castlevania and Pikachu and Sonic.

The HBO adaptation is a huge success. Most of the changes are for the better. I only have a few quibbles: 1) They established a pattern of pre-credits cold opens in Episodes 1 and 2 and then seem to have abandoned it. In episode 1 especially, I would have hewn more closely to the game and placed the credits immediately after Sarah’s death. It allows the viewer to absorb the impact of what just happened. In the TV show, it’s a bit too much to absorb: the world ends, Sarah dies, a 20 year jump, now who’s this kid stumbling around outside Boston? Also, the back-to-back child deaths seem sort of excessive in that sequence. The episode 2 cold open in Indonesia was great, but in hindsight it feels a bit out of place when they don’t continue the pattern established. 2) The accents of Ellie, Tess and Henry are just a bit off in certain scenes. I guess one could justify it by saying that culture would’ve been shaken up in such a world. 3) The university scene in episode 6 was a bit underwhelming. I understand it’s more grounded than Joel falling off a second story mezzanine onto a conveniently positioned piece of rebar, but they still could’ve done a bit more with it. The game’s version fighting their way out of the building was so impactful, memorable and iconic; the TV version didn’t have to match it exactly, but IMO they could’ve made it more dramatic than “Oh shoot I think I got stabbed. Get on the horse!”

I wasn’t worried about the start, I’m still worried about how it ends. The first game had a perfect ending, which was undercut by the writing in the sequel. And I say that without even thinking about the events of the sequel. The way what Joel did is talked about and treated turns something ambiguous and clever into something more generic and black and white

The biggest problem I have so far is that the characters feel more like in part 2 than the original. I really loved OG Joel and Ellie. Joel led whenever there was something to do so that if something goes wrong, he knows he did what he could. Ellie was rude and swore a lot, but you could very well see the hurt little girl hiding behind this mask. In the series, Joel doesn't really lead as much, he lets things happen, and at least so far, there is no girl hidden behind the mask of rude swearing Ellie. This in combination with how they depict the ending in regards to the cure will make or break the show for me. The core of the issue is that Druckman split the fanbase in two equal parts with Part 2, and the difference is what they felt when they played the game. Feelings can't be argued about, they are simply felt. Half the people felt the feelings they were supposed to feel, which gave them the great experience it should have been. The other half grew more and more distant from what the writers wanted them to feel, and they saw the manipulation trying to make them feel a certain way that is, to them, completely unjustified. They hated it more and more over time, and their opinion is just as fair as that of the other group. Just like with The Last Jedi, radical decision-making that tried to frame what happened differently and changed characters in ways that were questionable split the fan base in two groups that are both justified, and I fear that Druckman will simply cater to the group loving Part 2, which would only divide the fanbase further

1:56 this got my blood boiling- The Wtcher was a book series first. I'm pretty sure the series was based off of the book series. I still liked the video but goddamnit-

I'm so worried they're going to ruin the ending

Was halo a 1 to 1 adaption? Like I don't think it's based on any game and the witcher is based on the books not the games

...the disaster of the witcher? 🤨 bro, what show were *you* watching?

The Tv show “The Witcher” kind of… isn’t a game adaptation, though? The games are a sequel to the books, which were (the basis for) the steadily-crappier show.

It's amazing that they captured the spirit of the game so perfectly yet madd meaningful enough contributions to justify its existence. I was worried with Neil Druckman at the helm we were going to get more political bullshit, but I respect his restraint and respect for the original team's vision. Very odd choice to make the first season just two episodes long, but I guess that's an HBO season for you.

My take: The first two episodes are easily, easily the most faithful. The third is, so far, the least faithful and the most controversial. I like the first episode the second-most. The second is the best and most engaging. The third re-writes an entire character arc, removing most if not all of the tension or involvement to the rest of the overall story, and ruins Frank and Bobby as characters for me. The game: - The subtext of romance gave the two characters romantic symbolism. A meaningful amount of love, without it being the forefront of the, pardon moi, fucking shit in the end of the shitty world. The subtext gave flavor to the characters, without it coming off as tasteless, as the show has presented it. The show doesn't value the subtext enough to compartmentalize the "Two dicks, one love" mentality. We know. They're gay. They kissed one another. We get it. We don't need to be reminded every five fucking seconds. - Bobby being an asshole is more or less the same, but the show doesn't give enough credence to Bobby's anti-human sentiments in the game. In the game, we aren't shown an incessant amount of human empathy or compassion or romance. We only know that he's alive-- someone else isn't-- and he probably has a cornucopia of personal experience regarding humans wanting to harm him and his own. But the show fails to elicit this expectation of danger, by not only minimizing his entire character to a boy-toy, or a sex object of gay fanservice. But it doesn't capitalize off the human cruelty. The show makes Frank's death ultimately meaningless, because it's not BOBBY'S fault that he dies. In the game, they have a lover's spat and this results in Frank doing something rash. This is so much harder, romantically, to get correct, because it not only puts Bobby's love in a position to be challenged, but Frank's death is so much more impactful BECAUSE Bobby is the direct cause. Bobby's response would feel more organic, because he'd have a strong reason to be hateful, vengeful and even extremely disillusioned, even depressed, on account of his own actions having real consequences. The show removes all consequence in favor of an ideal world. A world where they don't fight and they don't go too far. And that's why I can't get over that episode. Bobby's asshole character just stops mattering and doesn't carry the weight of an actual consequence. He and Joel don't get to SHARE half an arc, with Bobby FINDING OUT that Frank died because of him, or MOURNING Frank's death while helping out Joel. I don't hate episode 3, but this is why I don't respect Druckcuck. He doesn't approach sexualization in an organic way and it shows in how he highlights 'gay' or 'abnormal' themes in a way to pander. The episode felt overall jarring. - The gay-glorification ruined the third episode for me, critically speaking. You can be gay and not make it the end-all of everything. You can have any character be anything, but still make them organic and alive outside of their sexuality. The 'Survivalist' aspect was underdeveloped and Bobby only really used it for thrill-killing, but never showed us how his traps would fail-- and how he'd improvise. I guess shlongs are more important.

I agree with nearly everything you said except for putting Arcane on a pedestal. Arcane had lazy writing and static uninteresting characters. The only people that actually think it’s good are those that play league all day

Nothing like pushing disgusting political opinions in TV.