(episode review) - The Last of Us: Season 2 - Episode 7

 

 

So the trick is to try and not think about the games, how the story plays out and what happens next, but at the same time, you cannot help but think about the games, how the story plays out and what happens next. If I am going to be real honest with you, and that is, although I blitzed through both games within the last 9 months, I can just about remember everything that happens apart from the main story plot points AND what happens, which makes it a little difficult to discuss without going into spoilers. You see, it is a game, so the story being told has a lot of game elements to engage the player. One thing I will say before I go any further is, I heard there are talks of a season 4 after season 3, and I am not entirely sure how they plan to get to 4 seasons, but now we are on Abby, we are in for a major ride.

You see this episode was a very slow one and if I am honest, although it kept me intrigued and the set pieces were pretty much identical to the game, the street outside the theatre, the stadium at the end, and some of the streets Jesse and Ellie were walking down looked like they were ripped from the game, I was more bored trying to figure out where they were going to end it and what happens next because a lot of what happened in this episode does not happen or happens slightly differently in the game. The capturing and being hung is new for Ellie, and if I am honest, was pointless, but maybe it pays off later on. This show has gone for more character moments, which makes sense because Ellie is on a quest, and not only is she alone the majority of the time, but she is on a murdering spree. It's a game, so yeah. But that scene with the pregnant lady plays out a little differently, but they do die, and that is where the cycle continues. I kill yours, you will kill mine, I will kill yours again, it is just a cycle, but Abby's story may actually take up the entirety of season 3, I'd assume, and season 4 will be picking up years later because you juggle between the two characters in the game. This episode was good for the character moments. That big wave does take you out, and Abby at the end coming in having found Jesse, Tommy and Ellie is exactly the same, but like I said, we all side with Joel, Ellie, Jesse, Tommy and the people of Jackson, but as we saw the war starting, I am assuming by the end of season 3 we may see that war and they might even get us to change how we feel about the characters.

One thing I do wanna see, hopefully but not likely, is how much of a psycho Ellie has become when she gets into a fight. Trying not to spoil anything, but those proximity mines you create in the game and the way she moves is simply terrifying. I wonder how long we have to wait now.

(trailer review) - Welcome to Derry

First and foremost, I do not remember the 'IT' movie with Tim Curry. I think I saw it, but I might have been too scared or simply not interested, but I did watch the 'IT Chapter 1' and IT Chapter 2' movies, and I enjoyed them. Chapter 1 was a little better than Chapter 2, but ultimately, I enjoyed the two films. With that said, this trailer, I am not fully sold on this series, and even the reveal at the end felt forced and, well, not scary.

Seeing a black family in this show is cool for representation purposes, but there better be some racism here, especially during this era. I want tension that I am not simply receiving from just the clown, because people are disgusting and horrible, too. I mean, the creepy smiles is definitely good and unsettling, especially the woman at the window and you can see in the reflection the kids running and a red balloon floating, but let us see some retribution, some well earned deaths, some great scenes with the kids taking on Pennywise, fighting to stay alive. There was a shot in one of the movies, I believe it is the first one, where Pennywise comes out of the projector, which has to be one of the most terrifying shots I have ever seen on film, and by the way, the kid at the beginning had the right idea. Get out of Derry! The line about "no adult is going to believe what we saw" is great. Let's just hope we get a bit more from this show. But this is a teaser trailer so maybe we will.

(episode review) - The Last of Us: Season 2 - Episode 6

 

It has been around 50 years since Computer/video games have been in existence. In fact, it's actually 70 years, but the rise of Arcade games was in the 1970's and it is fair to say that they have come a really long way since the boing boing tennis of ping pong and the pew pew of space invaders. It has only been two weeks since the last video game trailer was released for Grand Theft Auto 6, where technology has changed over the last 70 years, which in turn, has also changed the maturity level for games has also changed. There are levels to it, but The Last of Us is a different type of mature game from GTA. The Last of Us is cinematic, it is deeply rooted in the cycles of violence, and in this case, the show is also touching on generational trauma. This episode squeezed a tear out of me, and I will tell you why.

This episode is unlike the game, as the game has flashbacks throughout it and at different points in the game, rather than how it is presented here, each year on Ellie's birthday. As it is a game, there are certain parts we go through, such as the museum, and everything in the museum is like-for-like in the game. It looks exactly the same. You get to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex and climb it, as well as the space rocket moment, etc. And the moment on the porch is shot-for-shot and almost word-for-word with a few improvements or alterations. The prologue with the dad and the scenes with Eugene are not in the game, as these serve the purpose of showing us, the audience, Joel's patterns and cycles of lies, his generational trauma, along with the latter showing us the lengths one could go to protect what they feel is their own. That porch scene was heartbreaking, and Pedro Pascal did an amazing job, acting and barely being verbal and answering Ellie's questions. The game is more verbal, but for me, this was more heartbreaking and real. It was more of a tear-jerker than in the game for me. I am likely to break this down a bit more after the finale has aired, but this episode was touching and very well done. I am wondering where they will go with the finale, because having played the game, there is a lot of ground towards cover, so where will they draw the line?