The Last Of Us 1x4 BLIND Reaction | Please Hold to My Hand

[@SidPhoenix2211]

Ellie knew what to do with a cassette tape because she owns a walkman in the games. I take it she has one in the show, too.

[@VoodooMcVee]

Yes, and while cassete players are really obsolete by now, they are still around even today. I bet that in many households there is one of those mini HiFi-Stacks with two tape decks and a CD-player plus a dusty suitcase full of cassetes in some forgotten corner of the basement. So it's not unrealistic to believe that Ellie's boarding school had something like that in a community room or something.

[@kiml.1565]

@VoodooMcVee Plus the outbreak started in 2003, when those things were still more prevalent. I was a college student in 2003 and I remember having a portable cassette player I listened to while commuting.

[@testfire3000]

@@kiml.1565 Indeed, science progress ceased in 2003. However, even by 1991 CDs were selling more copies than cassettes. Plus they were less likely to wear out, so realistically CDs should have been more common than tapes. But there still probably would have been plenty of tapes around.

[@CChissel]

@@testfire3000 had a cassette player in my car up until 2010 with tapes for it, so… and many people I know still have them.

[@testfire3000]

@@CChissel Oh I agree completely. I am an older dude and I have a giant stack of old cassette tapes that I just feel foolish to throw away, even though I haven't played them in years.

[@lalalarose8197]

Yes, Sam and Henry are from the game. Their meeting with Joel was different, but that’s to be expected. Also, Kathleen’s right hand man is the voice actor for Tommy in the video games.

[@htmn4712]

I thought I recognized that voice!

[@marty13612]

I actually like this version of this part better. In the game you just stumble into them randomly jumping through a window, and it seems really random why they would be in the middle of a random city filled with bad guys. Seems like this show is going to flesh out why they are here. It also makes sense that they found them, probably heard them in the stairwell talking and going up the stairs.

[@PelleFixar]

@@marty13612 They explain it in the game why they are there though. Sam, Henry and the rest of their group entered Pittsburg to look for supplies and were ambushed by the hunters, which made them split up.

[@S0LAVELLANHELL]

@@marty13612 it literally explains why they’re there in the game lol? the game is a masterpiece of storytelling it has explanations for these thjngs

[@marty13612]

@@S0LAVELLANHELL Ill admit, I didn't remember the explanation, that said it was clearly not that memorable. And how they met in the game was just plain stupid and coincidental. I'm not saying coincidences like that don't happen in real life but it doesn't make much for a compelling meeting. I think the show is doing a good thing with giving Sam and Henry a purpose and personal relationship with the antagonist of the city. It feels like Joel and Ellie are entering into the halfway point of some other show, and we as the viewers are right there with Joel and Ellie wondering what's going on. In the game this area was very one dimensional and basically just a video game level, not much plot or side story. This section of the game is making a lot more sense from a storytelling perspective than the game.

[@alwaysbreezy37]

Wanting a gun when things are trying to kill you is very normal 😂

[@fnizzelwhoop]

The thing where Bryan pleads for his life/mother is a pure stroke of genius. If you watch a bunch of reactors watching this episode you'll see that when Ellie first shoots him they are all like "Hell yeah! Vengeance! Now you're getting what you deserve!" .. but when he starts to *desperately* beg for his life, people suddenly feel conflicted. The writers chose to humanize the bad guy, just before killing him off. I really like that they didn't go with the "Bad guy says 'see you in hell!' just before dying" trope.

[@SidPhoenix2211]

While Kathleen is a new creation for the show, the inspiration for her character exists in the games. In the Regal Apartments shiv door (supply rooms that can be opened with a crafted shiv) Joel finds a note from a woman named Eva. She is a grief-stricken mother who writes about how she has decided to take up arms and swears revenge on FEDRA because they killed her son who was protesting them. Upon reading this note, Joel says (one of the few times in the games that he makes a comment after reading a note), "Well, with that kind of thinking no one wins." Here, Kathleen is a former QZ resident who joined the fight against FEDRA killed her brother.

[@ZackE2541]

Piggy backing off of this , I think its strange that they are giving this city crew almost more of a "relatable" element. In the game the crew that is hunting Henry and Sam are no name thugs that purely trap people to kill and loot them for supplies. Its very monstrous and is really leave you with no sympathy for them at all, But it is also very reasonable to assume there would be groups of people like that. I don't know why we have to give this group a Kathleen storyline where there is some genuine reasons to feel somewhat sympathetic towards their cause. (FEDRA is a bad bunch and we already knew that seems weird to play into it more ). That said the first 3 episodes and their changes have really earned my trust to see how they approach this story line and even if I don't end up liking it that's okay too, the rest of the changes have been either great or reasonable.

[@FullMetalB]

@@ZackE2541 agree with this 1,000 percent.

[@Solar-td4fj]

@@ZackE2541 I enjoy that they are giving a lot more background to the people they meet or have to interact with, particularly for those that serve as antagonists. In the game it serves to make everyone a different flavor of evil since that makes it a lot easier to dispatch them as you move from place to place. For the series that would get repetitive and boring fairly quick, not to mention that they can't have Joel and Ellie killing people every few minutes, so it serves to make some of them more relatable and show why they act how they act. This was also the main theme of the game, but here they are really expanding on the theme.

[@brunokingz]

@@ZackE2541 because this is a series and it wouldn't interested to watch Joel killing no named thugs

[@eloise2319]

@@ZackE2541 I don't think it would be as interesting in a show to go up against no name group antagonists. People can be monsters during times of crisis (especially in an post apocalypse world), but they are also people who make terrible actions but that are also complex and layered.

[@reverance_pavane]

The gun is really a symbol of personal power for Ellie. All the powerful people around her who controlled her life had guns and she has definitely taken the lessen to heart. Although she did admire the sheer violence exhibited by Joel in the first episode, especially since, unarmed, he took down someone armed with a big gun. So perhaps the power is not in the totem, but the person that holds it.

[@Jambobist]

I think you're right, power in this world is won through violence and that's what interests Ellie. It's not just the gun, she took her knife out to play with when she had some time to kill and slept clutching it, and she was more excited than scared by Joel beating that guard to death. I feel like people are getting the wrong end of the stick when they say that Ellie likes violence too much, or she's acting like a psycho, it's not the violence so much as the power it represents. She doesn't want to be weak or a victim, she wants agency in the world and sees violence as the way to get that.

[@Alex-gn6ii]

@@Jambobist and in a post apocalyptic survival scenario, violence absolutely will provide for agency of self for most situations

[@opsatr]

Very well said.

[@thefearmakerlive]

The "Silver Fox" is actor Jeffrey Pierce, he did the voice, face, and motion capture for Joel's brother, Tommy in the games.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I love that! I love when I include people that were in the games. I’m sure they feel like they were part of something special.

[@jovalin5939]

@@funnylilgalreacts The voices of Joel and Elllie are both confirmed to have appearances in the show at some point, and the actress playing Marlene in the first few episodes is the woman voiced her in the game.

[@Providence29]

@@jovalin5939 apparently the woman who plays Marlene auditioned for the part in the game but didn't get the role

[@Mordraneth]

@@Providence29 She was in fact the voice actor for Marlene from the game.

[@Providence29]

@@Mordraneth oh my fault, I misunderstood her in the post show segment

[@Ren_Davis0531]

Getting the joke book in this episode was a treat. It was one of the best moments in the game as you would be traversing the world then Ellie would pop out the joke book to tell some dad jokes. The diarrhea joke at the end was the perfect period on that setup. Watching those two bond over a shitty ( 😉 ) dad joke was such a delight. ‘Twas awesome 😂 And the porno mag scene was straight from the game and they did not disappoint. Also Jeffrey Pierce, who played Tommy in the games, plays Perry in the show. He’s the lieutenant. It was so great seeing him again in the show. He has such a great voice and he looks totally different from the way he did back when he did the game.

[@joeb918]

The joke book addition is great, it’s one of the things in the game that you can miss if you don’t talk to Ellie at certain points after lingering in them. I’ve seen play throughs where the player completely miss them and that’s quite sad.

[@ShuffleUpandDeal32]

@@joeb918 Yeah it sucks when people miss the jokes

[@weejej92]

Jeffrey Pierce (the original voice actor for tommy in the game) was such a surprise and really awesome seeing him in the show. 👏

[@TwistedSisler]

I was so confused because at first I legitimately thought it was Tommy lol

[@weejej92]

@@TwistedSisler right lol I can't wait to see Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson

[@AnthonyChats]

As soon as I heard his voice, I recognized it haha

[@murciadoxial8056]

I think he is the third or fourth cast member from the show that has shown up in the series.

[@system0fadowner251]

@Just1n Ashley Johnson being cast as Ellies mom is so poetically fitting. Ellies backstory ep is gonna be gut-wrenching, I'm sure.

[@kaylacaseygaming]

I love how they show Ellie’s inherently violent nature. People in this world aren’t good or bad, they’re survivors. If they’ve lived to that point almost all of them have done pretty horrible things to make it by.

[@mammary-lane]

Not to mention she's been raised and trained to be part of FEDRA. Society and everything in it works in uncountable ways to form our understanding of the world around us and while I get why it can be so difficult for some people to see past their own understanding of what normal means, for me it's a bit too frustrating to watch.

[@traviscue2099]

The begging and how the "enemies" call out to each other by names is so accurate to the second game.. If you injure someone they're crawl around and beg.

[@Glisern]

She wasn't trying to learn how to hold a gun at the beginning, she wanted to see herself holding it. She clearly knows something at this point about guns because she has no problem taking out the magazine and racking it to get out the bullet before pulling the trigger at a mirror. When Joel teaches her/reinforces the correct way to hold it, you can clearly see that her finger is off the trigger, Joel asks her, and she says FEDRA. She's been to FEDRA school, of course she's gotten som introduction to guns.

[@alexanderriley2979]

Agreed, the fact that she manually ejected the bullet in the firing chamber, and knew to, shows she's at least had minimal firearms training. Still not total respect for the danger of the weapon, ricochet is a killer, but I imagine things may be a bit faster and looser on the far side of the fungal apocalypse.

[@DirtSpud]

@@alexanderriley2979 new tradition. Start your kids gun training with a .45 instead of a .22 lol

[@bridgethaines7127]

Marlene pointed out that Ellie was dropped of at FEDRA Military school as an infant where the orphans were all training to be soldiers

[@Valp85]

Ellie's being pretty smart by probing Joel about Tommy. In case they get separated she at least have some clues on how to find him herself.

[@thontor]

Ellie seemed to know what she was doing with that gun in the mirror. She removed the magazine and then pulled the slide back and ejected the bullet that was in the chamber. They showed her doing that on the show so it was pretty clear it was not loaded when she pulled the trigger and she seemed to know it so she knew what she was doing.

[@barelywatch9278]

This episode explains why Ellie wants a gun, she's a trained soldier. She ejected the bullet, she knew it was empty. What she didn't know was how to make it harder for someone to grab a gun out of your hand.

[@LykosShadowmane]

She's not a trained soldier. She's been around guns all her life with FEDRA, they either gave the kids at school gun safety classes or she just knows the basics from osmosis, but it's clear she's not trained to fight.

[@barelywatch9278]

@@LykosShadowmane I didn't mean a pro soldier.. I meant more like basic training.

[@gamersthumbs4673]

I love the take you have on Ellie because she is struggling with the line of what is good and evil. Even with her questions it seems she is trying to figure it out. By her crying when Joel said "I'm sorry shows she also wants to be told its ok and she could live pass her previous trauma, cause she is dealing with some serious trauma and anger. Its amazing writing. Also you're totally right when you said kids born in that era would be way different than who we are today. Thanks for the reaction.

[@ohanna9230]

I love the detail of Kathleen finding the superhero drawing in the attic where she also said "they're running out of food, Henry wont let Sam starve" hinting at that it is Henry and Sam living there and that one of sees them/draws them as superheroes, and then we see the kid holding the gun towards Joel who has red paint around his eyes like a superhero. A really good detail to give us a little hint.

[@veera9718]

You're absolutely right about Ellie and the scene with the knife in the previous episode. The behind the episode discussion confirms that the writers mean it to come across that way. They have said that Ellie and Sarah have very different relationships to violence--where Sarah was horrified by it, Ellie is intrigued and feels protected by it. And it is understandable--these two grew up in entirely different worlds. Of course in this episode we see that it is a bit more complicated than that...Ellie isn't as easy with hurting a human begging for his life as she was an infected creature that showed no pain or expression. Nonetheless, this darkness within Ellie will no doubt help to keep her alive, but it is still uncomfortable to see and it's supposed to be. I think the reason people are pushing back against this so much is because this portrayal of Ellie is somewhat of a departure from her characterization in the game--their essence is the same, but Bella Ramsey gives us a slightly darker, more feral Ellie.

[@WarKrieg]

It’s really irritating when people push back against a reactor’s perspective. It seems most people watch reactions to see their own perspective validated, instead of being open to the reactors’.

[@GabrielDeOliveira721]

I just don't like that they made Sarah be even more "weak" (not really, but they show her more terrified by everything) and made Ellie be a future gun maniac with anger issues. Ellie in the original is not bothered by people dying because she saw executions, she doesn't ask for a gun, she takes one to save Joel's life and kill someone by proxy and she's sweet not spicy. Bella shines in the screen, she is the star on the show. But it shouldn't be. It should be about both, they are just foreshadowing the second game and other "dumb down for the viewers" stuuff or "emotional moments" for more audience. Nothing against it, it's one of the best shows I saw in my life, but it's not "The Last of Us".

[@TwistedSisler]

I was so confused for a moment when "silver fox" started talking because apparently he's the voice actor for Tommy in the game and for a moment I legitimately thought it was Tommy. The actor playing him in this show has a very similar voice.

[@steviehills4256]

I wish more people would listen to The Last of Us Podcast with Troy (voice actor of Joel) & show runners Craig & Neil. They explain a lot of the questions most people have.

[@luizamendes3222]

I'm really enjoying your reacts and many others. I played the game when it first came out and since then I've been wanting to share it's amazing story with people, but videogames are not for everyone. So yeah, when the show was announced I was so excited! Here are some fun facts about this section of the game, if you're interested (No spoilers!): 1. We don't get any scenes of them resting, camping or eating, since that would make the game feel sluggish, so these nice little moments you see are adaptations of Joel and Ellie's dialogue while they are exploring open areas. It's an awesome way to adapt the story into a different medium. Example: the joke book 2. The hostile people you encounter are not at all a "community". For starters, they are ALL men and are extremely violent for no reason. You see them killing people in the streets just to take their shoes. The show is certainly taking a more humanized approach instead of making them plain ol' evil bandits. 3. Henry and Sam in the game don't have this backstory. They are being hunted like Joel and Ellie because they are in bandit territory, not because of personal reasons. Their first encounter, they bump into each other and Joel nearly beats Henry (the older one) to death before Ellie makes him stop because he's with a kid (Sam), therefore making it obvious they are not bandits. (The bandits definetly don't keep kids around). 4. The car scene in which Ellie looks through a male porn magazine is word for word a cutscene in the game. 5. The scene where Joel teaches Ellie how to shoot in the game is less about the trauma of killing and more about Joel trusting Ellie. It makes sense considering that during gameplay you have to kill sooooo many people. To make killing such a "big deal" in the game would feel odd, since basically half the gameplay is about killing people and infected. And, these bandits in particular are irredeemable bad guys. 6. Joel in the show is a bit more emotionally intelligent than the Joel in the game, in my opinion. In the show he even said he was sorry, something he does not do in the game. 7. Ellie has pretty much the same temperament and personality in the game, but the show is definetly giving her a bit of a darker streak. Game Ellie is just a little bit sweeter and innocent. HBO Ellie seems to have a harder outer shell, despite being just as vulnerable.

[@cooliostarstache5474]

Idk about anyone else, but this was my favorite episode. Joel and Ellie's interactions were everything I've been craving. So good

[@jmwall24]

Great reactions and I just want to say thank you for getting the audio mix right. So many people make the show's audio so you can't hear it without turning the volume to max. Makes it so much better when you can hear what's going on without betting your ears blown off by the reactor lol.

[@chuckkourouklis1980]

Y’know, when they made this show, they broke the mold… . . I’ll just show myself out.

[@Ren_Davis0531]

Ellie: 😏 Joel: That’s so goddamn stupid 😂

[@MrVexedviper]

You sure are one hell of a fun guy.

[@Luster...]

11:18 "*Gasp* Chef Boyardee, the master!"

[@DariusFrench6273]

I'm loving the characterization between these two. Ellie's pun book that she kept from Riley, Joel teaching her how to properly care a gun insinuating the trust he's instilling in her, not to mention how quickly they still get in a lot of progression in despite the short runtime. They waste no time with this. The fact they even gave some depth to some of the hunters here is also a massive plus.

[@Gabriel_Moline]

Spoiler. She doesn’t know future characters.

[@philip07304]

I think the reason she knew about cassette tapes was that she learned that in the Fedra school she mentioned back in episode 2.

[@BeastModeGaming2013]

Henry & Sam are both characters in the game pretty important & things are about to get real heavy, also lil fun fact, I'm an actor & i had the honor & opportunity to audition for the role of Henry, got a few call backs but didn't get it, hopefully i planted some seeds for maybe a different character for season 2, fingers crossed lol but I'm glad my boy Lamar Johnson got the role of Henry can't wait to see him do his thing on this show.

[@Ren_Davis0531]

Who would you want to play in the second season?

[@YukonBloamie]

The begging for mercy before you finish off a baddy is straight from the games. 😋

[@oksobasicallyimmonky]

"Joel's got a lot of enemies now" and boom that's why there's a second game

[@b.u.l.1734]

Perry, the dude with long hair and an epic beard, is played by Jeffrey Pierce, who is the actor that played Tommy in the game.

[@kuyag68]

Love the acoustic versions of 80s songs used in the show. The end credit song is 'True Faith' by New order. This version is by Lotte Kestner. Ashley Johnson also sang it in the TLOU part II game.

[@OnlyInRushville]

Ellie would have come across cassette tapes and radios many times.

[@joeb918]

Love to see you upload and edit these so soon after the episode! Anyhow, I’d argue that Bill taught Joel the same lesson… just in different ways. In the game he taught Joel that he needed to not turn into him, to be better and do what has to be done for the people as he says in the game, “you have to look after.” Though he didn’t directly teach this to Joel, he learns it none the less. In the show, Joel learns directly from Bill to protect who you can, or as Tess says in this series, “save who you can save.” The game devs have always said the first game is about love, and the series is following that, but it’s how love makes us do insane things. How it can make us become what we need to be to protect those we love. Or the huge lengths we go for it, it will only become even more intense as we progress.

[@casualpotato44]

I agree, Ellie's gun facination has a dark side. But in my opinion for the most part, it's more or less an immaturity kind of thing. Ellie is a kid, she loves teasing joel, she likes telling puns (i remember I had a joke book phase myself), the playing with the flashlight, her love for comics seen in the next episode. And for a kid of a dystopian world, I think it's normal to have a fascination for the main survival tool of the apocalypse. Guns. She grew up in the military orphanage so basically around guns. Idk to what extent of training they have so her fascination of guns could be from the mixture of childlike curiosity and deriving power from it (because teens have a tendency to strive for their independence and in this apocalyptic world, part of that independence is the power to protect one's self, ie wield guns.) It's the immaturity part of her thinking that has yet to understand how to respect guns and that its power should be derived from the ability to protect and not mindlessly shoot/attack.

[@Luster...]

12:26 I saw this comment in another reaction video but the reason Joel stays up is that he made a promise to Sarah that he would get her to safety and we know where that went. When he chooses to sacrifice some or most of his sleep, he intended to make sure he was true to his word that no one will find them.

[@wtimmins]

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey have such wonderful chemistry

[@oxhine]

Hey, Angela! The Hank Williams song, the sticky magazine, the pun book are all from the game. In the game, the setting of this segment is Pittsburgh rather than Kansas City but Ellie saving Joel enabling him to trust her is the key milestone. The second key milestone is meeting Henry and Sam. Jeffrey Pierce, who plays bearded Perry, portrayed Tommy in both video games. Melanie Lynskey, who plays Kathleen, is a new character original to the show. John Getz, who plays Dr. Edelstein, is a veteran character actor from shows like "Timeless" and "Bosch" but is best known for the movies "Blood Simple" and "The Fly". The undulating floor implies something big underneath which is likely a spore-spewing bloater! The ambivalence you're meant to feel about Melanie Lynskey is something of a motif in the games which might be helpful to recall the further you proceed. Every altercation involves two people with their own back story. There's a story on each side of the gun. Joel has implied with silence that he has killed innocent people yet he is the protagonist because he's our POV character into the story. If Kathleen were the POV character, Joel would just be the guy who killed Brian. Something to chew on.

[@J_Themborn]

In the game Henry and Sam were the only other characters in this part of the story there was a town of people hunting them down and stuff but they were just enemies for you to fight, there weren’t even women or old people in that town. But there were notes you could find that gave you hints of what went down, I remember one particular being about a mother wanting revenge, it’s been a while so I don’t remember anything specific but I wouldn’t be surprised if notes and collectables are now made into physical storylines

[@JackOiswatching]

The pun book is a fantastic addition to the show! You'll like this one: I have to have a root canal done. Just the thought of it is unnerving.

[@bloatus7611]

Don't let people try to sway you on your Ellie observation! I've noticed it as well. The callousness this world breeds is very much explored in the game. I think they're leaning into it but also introduced a bit of nuance in this episode!

[@paulapisanoochoa590]

I like the chemistry of both of them much more in this episode because in the previous three they barely spoke and here they know each other more and their relationship develops more

[@actuallytheguy8395]

I was hoping they would do the dirty magazine scene. Basically word for word. Hilarious!

[@TerryYelmene]

I love these Ellie observations. Angela every odd or unexpected detail you’re attaching to Ellie: her concentration on killing the infected, her fascination with violence, her backstory with Marlene, even her seeming to be immune, is going to make sense when more is revealed. Just know that your intuition is more powerful than most about this little girl and will payoff as you watch more!

[@joits]

The part about Ellie and the infected she found and cut is something that can't be properly explained without going into spoiler territory.

[@Kampyy531]

Ellie is weird, and you’re seeing an already different child born into a cruel world where death and killing is normal. Also Ellie knows how a cassette player works because she knows what it is.

[@edinalewis4704]

A lot of people seemed to really miss the point of the trapped infected scene in the previous episode. Ellie came face to face with a creature from her nightmares, cutting its face was her convincing herself that this creature is just flesh and blood, not the magical boogie man that hides under her bed. She was grounding herself and confronting her fears. He behaviour is absolutely 100% normal in that situation.

[@s7robin105]

It's also very close to taking legs off a spider. She is a little demented and if you listen to the podcast of the show the intent of the scene was to show she has a bit of an obsession with death and violence

[@flaggerify]

100% normal? Not sure about that.

[@redrevoc]

@@flaggerify In that situation.

[@TBelen91]

Nah it's still weird to slice open a trapped creature to prove to yourself it's flesh and blood

[@redrevoc]

@@TBelen91 Sure it's weird to us. I think weird in that world is ways off what we'd consider it to be.

[@chimaxx]

In the game, this story happens inPittsburgh rather than Kansas City. The hunters there are a kind of faceless enemy whose leader we never meet (kind of like the raiders at Bill’s place). Kathleen and Brian humanize them more than anything we get in the game at this point. Later,some human opponents are given more story in game 1, and this is definitely something the second game did a lot more, where literally every person you run across is given a name and a relationship in their group. I like that they’re doing that here in the show. There is less killing, but it’s made to mean more. The episode starts closer to the game- not the gun part-Ellie doesn’t get a gun until a bit later-but the Hank Williams tape and the gay porn mag and the dialogue around them are literally from the game. So is the joke book. The “how did you know it was a raid” conversation unfolded in pretty much the same way, but the context was enough different that it felt different. But the story of Tommy being a joiner and how they got to Boston: all new. We see the same result-Joel and Tess in Boston, Tommy out somewhere in Wyoming, but we never get that explanation. But from what we know in the game, it feels absolutely right and consistent.

[@edinalewis4704]

If you grow up in a world where every adult you have ever met has had a gun, owning a gun would be just part of being a grown up. It would be weird if a 14 year old wasn’t slightly obsessed with getting a gun.

[@ChibiHoshiDragon]

Yup. A Gun is equated with adulthood and maturity. Sam with using "adult" language.

[@obenohnebohne]

My stomach got a warm feeling, when Jeffrey Pierce appeared on screen (silverfox). OG Tommy, his voice is so recognizable to me. It was a shorter episode but it sets up what’s to come.

[@thomasjohansen8152]

agree, not a filler imo (and im a hardcore fan of the games). Its truly masterfull how the two showrunners have adapted this into TV. some gamers a complaining about lack of action in the tv-show, but they were never there to ponder about the story behind, and the real people in this world. TLOU is about the "human condition". yes it is a story told a thousand times, for thousands of years, but its just the way its told! and the beautiful backdrop of the horrible world it is told within : ) ep 3 was important to show how not everyone lives a violent life, but manage to be civilized. besides having ellie and joel fight through episodes 1-9 would stretch the realism a bit to far i think. its not an action show, its actually a drama.

[@rogueninja8490]

The reason Ellie knows about the cassette player is because she carries a walkman in her backpack...well in the game anyways

[@texn7526]

Going to have to agree, Ellie slashing the infected open before stabby stabbing him in the noodle is NOT the makings of a level mind. Great episode thanks so much! The series so far is a 10/10!

[@babyychapo]

it’s so cool to see others people’s point of view of the whole game/show adaptation. it sheds so much light on people is so interesting.

[@LaMancha958]

Can't wait for Ep 5. There is definitely a beast beneath the boards.

[@BeastModeGaming2013]

Also Kathleen, the leader of this specific group who we assume are hunters & took down Fedra from that section or area, she not in the game she's a brand new character created for the show, & her right hand man his Name is Perry & he is also not in the game & was created for the show, but the actor playing him is actually the voice actor for Tommy in the actual video game, his name is Jeffrey Pierce & i got super hyped seeing him in the show. :) a lot of the original V.A's of the game will be making appearances in the show playing new characters created for the show as a cool way to honor them & pay respects for all they contributed for the video game. :)

[@s7robin105]

You're right about Ellie. In the podcast they've talked about the intent of the scene and it was supposed to show she has a fascination with violence, like when she watched Joel beat the guard to death. She equates violence with love and its something she will see a lot of from Joel as the story goes on.

[@Cryptati0n]

That guy Perry, the lieutenant or whatever to kathleen, is the voice/motion capture actor Jeffery Pierce who played Tommy in the game. It was awesome seeing him

[@DazzaSwirl]

i kept refreshing youtube waiting for this upload!

[@Spiritwolfmac]

I think with Ellie and that infected was that she knew she was bitten and that's what she could have been, she's 14, she's been through a lot... Don't let anyone tell you different, you have pretty good gut instincts

[@andre1999o]

Next episode is going to air two days earlier, because of the Super Bowl.

[@kilian-one-l]

I think Ellie's thing about guns is that her experience in the QZ has taught her that Guns = Power and agency

[@TheJokerAkaCirque]

"It wasn't my first time" Man I already know this entire series plot and the delivery still broke me.

[@brutalchicken]

Perry (the Silver Fox lol) is the voice actor for Tommy in the game! The whole car scene in the first episode was nearly a shot-for-shot recreation! It was one of the tensest moments too as you were only playing as Sarah from the moment she woke up. Kathleen and her group are slightly different. The porno mag and the joke books are almost lifted from it, from what I can remember. I'm with you on Ellie, she is off in the show and it's clear and it's realistic too. There can't be any normal kids here

[@craigvancil4410]

So happy Severance is coming to the channel!

[@anepicjourney]

Your reaction is the one I look forward to the most every week!! Also you have one of the best smiles I've seen, brightens one's day

[@jfryk]

The pre-reaction analysis is really great , love this format!

[@tegneren]

Ashley Johnsen sang a cover of the end credit song on this episode, "True Faith" , for one of TLOU pt. 2 trailers. It's a beautiful version. You can find full version of it on spotify or here on KZbin

[@brettdiving2744]

Fun Fact! Perry (the awesome lookin' bearded dude working with Kathleen) was the VA for Tommy in the games. Fans of the games will recognize that voice anywhere even if they don't recognize the guy himself.

[@ObliqueReference]

You're 100% right about Ellie. She's got a rage in her that runs deep. An unusual capacity for violence. Just like Joel. I think Gamers have a hard time separating their affection for the character they developed when they spent 40 hours adventuring with her from what this person would be like in real life. But we see much more coming to the forefront now.

[@gpeddino]

The magazine scene in the car is not only in the game, it was actually recreated almost word for word.

[@Sawyer1982OAC]

Since Angela mentioned “The Expanse”, one can almost hear Joel say “Ellie, go behind that wall because I am that guy…”

[@boforuff]

This was a great episode for us gamers. It was like we were playing the game. The scenes and the dialogue were straight out of the game down to the dirty magazine. They humanized the hunters and that scene with Brian was more brutal. Henry and Sam are in the game but Kathleen wasn’t. Always enjoy your laughter and I could listen to you all day. Loved your ez does it with the grenade action. Thx Angela💩🏃🏻‍♀️👖😂🤣😂

[@Gemini_mind]

She said she's just gonna throw her sandwich to the infected. That established why she wanted a gun. Ellie is TLOU fandom's daughter, so hearing this is like hearing there's something wrong with your daughter. in the game, you will play as Joel most of the time so you will feel like him, the need to protect Ellie and how you will love like she's your own daughter, like you must protect Ellie, the fandom is protective of Ellie

[@LokiLoverForever99]

This. Do. Not. Insult. My. Child. Part 2 Ellie? Eh, go ahead. Part 1 Ellie? I will fight you.

[@santa1563]

Murray Bartlett was Frank. It took me a minute but I finally recognized him as DK from Farscape. you should def check it out btw, it’s great space opera sci-fi. I was also a big Fringe fan and got super excited to see Anna Torv…just to watch her die the next episode 😢

[@casualpotato44]

Ellie learning what to do with a cassette and not the seat belt makes sense. In this version of the world, their modern world ended on 2003. Cassettes and CDs are very much the medium of music consumption. Twenty years later, these are probably the most accessible means of listening to music. Using the information that the show has already given, Ellie grew up in an orphanage run by military folks. She could have had a hands on experience with a casette than riding a vehicle because they were inside the quarantine zone. The first time she got out of the QZ was with Joel and Tess. A radio with cassette tapes could easily be in their recreation room or whatever. They could have had powered motorized radio in the orphanage. Or even a regular radio that uses electricity. Ellie mentions a friend who knows about Mortal Combat, the video game they saw on the way to Bill and Frank's.

[@ciscoak9074]

the guy with the bushy beard who looked to be 2nd in command behind Melani lynskis character is Tommys voice actor.

[@Gabriel_Moline]

3:40. What is “normal” about having mushroom people that are trying to infect you, and almost did! She almost became one of them, cuz she was bit. She could have been that thing, sooo, nothing normal about any of her scenario!

[@Eric_S.]

We might get the reason Ellie did that with the infected but there is definitely a "reason" she is the way she is. The trailer showed part of it and in the game it was part of the extra content they sold.💜

[@TiberiusRexXXI]

Ahem, the "other guy" is Murray Bartlett....Emmy winner from the first season of the White Lotus.

[@lakeit]

I got the runs in your jeans joke over on so many friends the last two days.. instant classic.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

The best joke are the most simple, I love it!

[@lakeit]

Friends seriously replying back.. huh, what? Explain.. are you ok.. who what.. then BAHAHAHAHA

[@ddebarre7192]

I would agree with you thinking Ellie is "off," except she was born after civilization fell apart. She also was an orphan and grew up in a Fedra military school, so she has been surrounded by military people with lots of guns. You see the Ellie that could have been in a pre-infected world, when she shows that she is scared (like asking if the people Joel warned about would find them when they were camping). At least that's what I think, could be totally wrong, lol.

[@EntertainmentGym]

Driving from the Boston area to Wyoming, a long stretch of that would usually be on I-80, which would go thru Iowa, but then Kansas City would be quite a bit out of the way. ... Unless Joel was intentionally avoiding Chicago, and detoured south through St Louis.

[@LuckDragonLair]

I think Ellie sees in the infected what she feels like a time bomb inside her. She wanted to see what by all rights she should have become. Then she let her anger out at it because she cant cut it out of herself. :-(

[@tealeafonthewind]

I know I'm late to the party and that you've already finished the show, but I think you're spot on with your read of Ellie. A lot of what makes The Last of Us compelling is seeing two deeply violent people bond over shared trauma and tragedy, and the consequences of that bond being pushed to its absolute limit.

[@Korbinnn]

Silver Fox guy you talk about was the voice for tommy in the game fun fact :D

[@unhappybacon3292]

The magazine scene is a literally copy of what happened in the game lol I love it. Only difference is that Ellie took that magazine while at Bill's place

[@asciiavatar]

This episode is one of those little 'adjustments' made to the game narration that works for TV. In the game, Joel and Ellie get ambushed in Pittsburgh (Kansas City here in the show). This group in the game are simply referred to as 'the hunters'. They are basically an ''unnamed, constant menace' that are there to drive the tension and move the action forward. If you chose to spend time looking through buildings and reading discarded notes you pick up little tid-bits about the group, that they were a group of people in the QZ that overthrew their tyrranical FEDRA regime, but that over time they became tyrannical themselves in order to survive. In the show they're using this made-for-TV character of Kathleen to sort of symbolize this and give a 'face' to the hunters, someone who started out with good intentions but has become hardened and vengeful.

[@mltorrefranca]

To jump shows here… “The way I see it, there’s only three kinds of people in this world. Bad ones, ones you follow, and ones you need to protect.” - That Guy

[@gustavocovarrubias1418]

I think you are spot in about Ellie. She has this a weird fascination with violence and I feel like observing Joel will only increase that.

[@markhackett2302]

If you go back to the previous episode, the Bill and Frank scene in 2006, all it would have taken for things to be VERY different is if Frank really HAD walked off then because Bill said "this is about resource management". That's all it would theoretically have taken, and suddenly the story of Bill and Frank would be massively different from the HBO show.

[@SaikaDeWinter]

They did an amazing job giving hunanity to the hunters. Theyre surviving the way they know how. And Joel used to be one of them. Joel and Tess did not lie when they said theyre shitty people. They really are and Joel will kill in cold blood when he needs to. Hes not a hero, just our protagonist and its heart breaking. Especially when Ellie sees it 😭

[@tommy0202]

I understand how you can feel that Ellie is 'normal'. But I feel that's the point, to show how humans have adapted and changes. Ellie is now normal given the state of the world. We noticed in Episode 1 Joel's daughters reaction when he kill the old lady compared to Ellie's when Joel beat the guard. It's brilliant creativity to show young humans changing and adapting to the state of the world.

[@carykneller1159]

As far as not knowing how a seat beat works, but knowing how a cassette player works: there probably were cassette players around that many people (including Ellie) would have access to and knew how to operate them. Ellie did go to school after all. People having access to vehicles was probably much MUCH rarer, since FEDRA more than likely controlled most vehicles and the fuel needed to run them.

[@mcfearsun]

I’m glad you picked up on a lot of Ellie’s ferociousness and need for violence, it’s something not a lot of “blind” reactors pick up on

[@INSURGENCYProduction]

Was waiting to see your reaction! Not disappointed! 🤌🏽🤌🏽

[@sampson3121]

Cassette Tapes and players can be found in many forms. It doesn't have to be a car. It could even have been a car stereo plugged into a wall. I'm sure she's tinkered with a lot of parts from different machines. She's just never been in a car before

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Which is also weird because cars and trucks are in the QZ

[@ldkinbote]

@@funnylilgalreacts Only FEDRA had working cars/trucks in the QZ and they probably don't let kids in them and probably guard them intensely. You see how difficult it was for Joel just to get a battery.

[@brandonj7458]

Yes Henry and Sam are from the game....also fun fact that extremely attractive Silver Fox is THE ACTUAL actor that plays Tommy in the game.....amazing voice and a STUNNING older gentleman

[@raphi1200]

The guy with the long grey beard and combed back grey hair who talked to Kathleen when they brought back Bryan and the other guy is the actor of Tommy in the game

[@ksbsnowowl3569]

10:49 That’s Worlds of Fun, in Kansas City. I used to live a couple hundred yards from those roller coasters, and could see them from my house. The fact that after that scene Ellie & Joel talked about still being several hundred miles east of Kansas City yet, kind of took me out of the show for a bit. I get the realities of filming location usage, but for me it broke the immersion.