The Last of Us | Episode 9 Review (SPOILERS)

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Beau & Aaron review episode 9 of THE LAST OF US on HBO!
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[@carys7417]

I don’t think Ellie was being ‘cold’ or ‘icy’ towards Joel this episode, she was being emotionally distant after what she’d just been through with David, which is very different. The former descriptors imply she’s angry with Joel, or purposefully keeping her distance, rather than the natural trauma response she’s showing.

[@ugoeze7360]

4:28 isn’t that what they said? 🤔

[@heyitsnasira]

The way Pedro shoots the doctor and says "Unhook her" without any emotion. Just genuine emptiness with a sole purpose behind blank eyes.... that was actually the scariest I've seen Joel portrayed. He didn't raise his voice or change his cadence, just repeated the command...geez 😰

[@mbealhighjump]

Love how they took such a pivotal moment and delivered it with such callousness.

[@kendraraffington4947]

And brooked no argument. If you even thought about non-compliance, POW!! Loved that whole sequence.

[@stephaniel2850]

For real, I'm someone who firmly believes Joel made the right call, but that whole sequence was so chilling, because you really get a sense of what makes him so dangerous when he feels he needs to be. Because it's not that he's a psychopath in general or anything - he has plenty of empathy and a lot of goodness in him - but when it comes down to protecting those he loves the most? Wheeeew boy, he has taught himself how to shut that sh** RIGHT down with anyone who gets in his way. It's truly like a switch flips and then it's just full on dissociation mode. And I think, while it's not the MAIN reason he lies to Ellie, there's likely a degree to which he's not just scared of the reaction she'll have if he tells her the truth, but also pretty traumatized by the reality of how brutal he can be himself. So he keeps it tightly compartmentalized away so he doesn't have to face it or reckon with the amount of damage he's done in those moments that wasn't exactly strictly necessary.

[@leonardo47000]

Pedro is so great, yet so humble! The first moment I saw him on GOT, I was drawn in. But during his death scene, which I'll never "fan" get over, was so brilliant. Even his scene with Tyrion, which was his first GOT scene, was so intense.

[@KarlyNicole]

"You've kept him alive so that he can die at the proper moment. You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter!"

[@shellshockxd]

Nice

[@GrandAngel8000]

"Don't tell me now that you've come to care for the girl...?"

[@dgmilloway]

​​@@GrandAngel8000 Dang, dude. Perfect reply.

[@TheMMObro]

What's that from

[@silverkyre]

​@@TheMMObroHarry Potter

[@Sponce03]

Thanks for the great content all season guys! You never fail to disappoint.

[@AdamBrown1980]

It was similar to watching the “Red Wedding” on Game of Thrones and sitting there waiting for the shoe to drop and everyone I was watching with to collectively lose their minds!!

[@userxv]

The more important question is: Yay or Nay on Joe's actions?

[@AdamBrown1980]

@@userxv 💯 YAY! I am a father and I could never willingly allow my children to be killed. I’d be more willing to watch the world burn!

[@userxv]

@@AdamBrown1980 Wrong answer, dude

[@traviskeck3138]

I don't see how anyone could be surprised by Joel's actions. They set it up that he sees Ellie as a daughter. He now has a second chance to protect & save his daughter, something he was unable to do for Sarah. Absolutely no limit to the carnage a father will leave in his wake to protect his daughter.

[@mattkim5947]

So all Marlene had to do was lie to Joel and say Ellie signed off on dying to save the world? Or she just tells Ellie the truth, Ellie says her last goodbye to Joel, and the world is saved. Either way, Marlene made bad choices.

[@mbealhighjump]

Not necessarily. Think about the Joel she’s known for decades. He’s been a cold-hearted killer and smuggler for years. There’s no way she could’ve anticipated the bond he’d develop w/ Ellie. Def agree once they saw his reaction they should’ve cuffed him to the bed and locked the door but I can’t blame Marlene for assuming he still considered her “cargo.”

[@lustrazor44]

They literally state they don’t even know if it’s going to work. So she could be killed for nothing. Not only that, does anyone actually believe the fireflies could mass produce and distribute a vaccine to millions? They couldn’t even get a girl across the country.

[@MG-qc5jw]

She couldn't ask Ellie, that would have been hypocritical, as if she said "No", they would still kill her and make a cure. The stakes are just that high.

[@simpsonman956]

Thing is, Marlene would have forced Ellie to do it no matter her consent, and Joel likewise would have taken her no matter what. The point of this dillemma is not whether the vaccine would work or what they could have done differently, but rather that the one person whose opinion should have mattered most, doesnt matter at all.

[@MatiZ815]

Like Joel cares that Ellie wants to sacrifice herself. He would straight up tie her up and took her out.

[@Eveliane]

The ending hit a different in the show for me. In the game, I AM Joel, I’m going through this hospital killing these people to save my daughters life and I can justify to myself what I’ve just done. That wasn’t there in the show, don’t get me wrong I still understand his reasoning, but Jesus Christ, he was a movie villain in this. He terrified me, he felt like the terminator, an unstoppable, unfeeling killing machine, and I think it worked perfectly. I can’t wait for season 2

[@fjnemo]

Amazing how the show made me see things differently because of the change in perspective

[@cristinalabarrere2800]

Joel telling Ellie that it wasn't time that healed him is not a lack of subtlety on the part of the showrunners. It shows he cares that SHE knows that. It's a demonstration of affection, it's not for the audience's benefit. It's for Ellie's. We've known for a while how strong their bond has become. That line wasn't supposed to show US how he feels about her. We know. It's supposed to show how their relationship changed to the point that now he wants to open up and tell her how he feels. She was about to misunderstand the point of him telling her that he tried to kill himself and he set her straight because that is as close as he's gonna get to saying he loves her.

[@Infinite_Repeat]

I don’t understand why the Firefly’s we’re trying to find a cure at all there’s like no infected in this show anyway lol

[@HeWhoIsNamedPatrick]

Joel’s massacre scene looked like The Terminator police station scene, completely unstoppable! When the music kicked up as he switched out Ellie’s knife was so good it gave goosebumps! Also Joel dooming humanity is going to change when in pt3 we find out Abby’s father misdiagnosis her and if he did the surgery and killed her, all hope for a cure would have been lost.

[@christinearmington]

Pt. 3. SPOILERS 🤬🤬🤬

[@thejediofchicago6580]

He and Marlene do the exact same thing with Ellie, just opposite sides: Marlene is willing to sacrifice Ellie without giving Ellie a choice in the matter, while Joel is willing to save Ellie but possibly doom humanity without giving Ellie a choice, it's a really interesting dynamic. I do wish the season had been one episode longer, and gave us one more action sequence with the Infected, at least in the first half of the season. The second half just felt a little rushed but overall a very solid season of TV, an 8.5/10.

[@Prodrummer1603]

To be fair: I think Marlene was right when she said "Ellie would have sacrificed herself for "the greater good"". Ellie was the one who said "We have to see this thing through otherwise all the horrible things we have done were for nothing". Joel in his heart knew what Ellie's choice would look like. That's why he lied to her in the end even after everything was over. He feared her reaction when she would find out that there was actually a chance for a cure and that her death could mean the survival of so many others. For Joel Ellie was the psychological cure. Without her he was a bitter man without any purpose. And he could not stand the thought of loosing yet another person he cared for. Plus: The Fireflies showed that they were rather incompetent and not really trustworthy. So the creation of a cure was not certain even if Ellie had decided to sacrifice herself. For the Fireflies Ellie was the medical cure. Her life meant nothing to them if the whole human race could be saved in exchange. I cannot blame both parties for the choices they made. And that's the beauty of the story.

[@dgmilloway]

​@@Prodrummer1603 I think it simplifies just a little bit to say Marlene and Joel were wrong in the same way in that neither of them gave her a choice. Marlene is the one who did not give her a choice. Joel was never in that position. He could either let her die without that choice or save her. Only by living could she ever make such a choice in the future. I also think that not enough is said about Ellie and her current capacity for choice. She was a 14 year old kid who had just gone through one of the most traumatizing experiences it is possible to go through. She was so psychologically damaged that she was constantly disassociating as they were traveling. Her PTSD was extreme. Did she have the capacity to *make* a rational choice?

[@Prodrummer1603]

​@@dgmilloway I never called the decisions "wrong". Quiet contrary: The decisions both parties made were justifiable and the only decisions they could make given their situation and goals. There were two theoratical scenarios for Joel to let Ellie decide about her fate: 1. He could hold the doctors hostage and wait for Ellie to wake up. Let her make the decision and then act accordingly 2. He could act like in the show/Game, wait for Ellie to wake up. Tell her the truth about what happened (but HE DIDN'T) and if she wants to sacrifice herself try to find another doctor/scientist team. But both of these scenarios were super unrealistic and not an option. You are right that Ellie could not make a rational decision either after everything she has gone through. Even if they waited 10 more years for everything to cool down.

[@Severinate]

Maybe because I have daughter, around Ellie's age. Nothing Joel did seemed wrong to me. As for Ellie not having a choice, not being told what they going to do, the Firefly's got what they deserved. Overall a good show, but I agree, the lack of Zombies was very noticeable.

[@gabbyc1986]

Amen! Joel was protecting her. He loves her like a daughter❤ it shows what a parents primal instincts are like in my personal opinion.

[@afatsackofflour5519]

Joel killed the world

[@NikkiRen]

The world killed the world. Joel saved Ellie. And Ellie saved Joel.

[@SparkyBreaks]

I'm glad you enjoyed the show! For the lack of zombies.. sure it was less than the game at most points.. it's been 20 years. Most of the infected have died off and not as many children are being born. Cheers!

[@astrobollo]

@@afatsackofflour5519 Why? For what we know, there's a posibility that they pull Ellie's brains out and for nothing. The "cure" is only a theory at this point, and even if they make a cure out of it, how you can produce it in a massive scale? when they barely have power to keep the lights on in that tiny lab.

[@tiffanysullivan5454]

I agree with Aaron, it felt rushed, but they got where they needed to be at the end. I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but godamn, when the sound of the Infected coming up the stairs to get to Anna, was TERRIFYING. 😳😱😱

[@bobbyboy1797]

I don't understand why that scene was there.

[@mariomadyun1798]

In a way, this is how the dilemma they wanted for Danerays in GOT. They hit at brutality & just show it when she destroys Kings Landing. D&D should have considered bringing in Neil Druckman. I standby Joel, I'd have done the same thing, as he says in part 2, "if God gave me a second chance I'd do again". Also, we've seen zombie baby on Dawn Of The Dead

[@raymondsims7042]

Uhh no the situations are nothing alike. And this show will never be as good as got. Don’t do that again

[@MrHhoommeerr]

They made Ellie into DAY WALKER in other words, BLADE.

[@patriot459]

The biggest thing for me is that the show didn’t hide the fact that Joel is definitely doing something very selfish and bad but it’s for his own reasons and just like the game the audience is left to make their own choice of was it justified?

[@MrRmmk1]

My take is that it's never justified. it just makes sense for the character, who is acting through his trauma. The right thing here is very clearly to potentially save all of humanity. But the right thing for everyone is ultimately not right for Joel. Which is why it works for me

[@qfnoyvoy6353]

It’s just a hard thing to answer. Could the fireflies really mass produce a cure/vaccine? It’s almost blind faith in this group doing miracles.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Joel became monstrous - and he knew it.

[@mattgilbert7347]

@Robert Israel Agreed. It's understandable, which is not to say it is justifiable by any moral standards based on reason and compassion.

[@lustrazor44]

Everyone was doing bad. However if you actually break it all down, Joel’s choice is the most logical one. Ellie never got a choice and was lied to about what was going to happen since the beginning from Marlene They flat out state they have no idea if it’s going to work so they’re murdering someone for the off chance this miracle doctor can produce a vaccine. There’s no way the fireflies will be able to mass produce and distribute a vaccine. They couldn’t even get a little girl cross country. It’s either an innocent child dies on a gamble that’s likely not going to work or the innocent one is saved but everyone else has to die because they’ll likely come after her. Anyone in Joel’s shoes would have done the same thing.

[@cgravy97]

Me watching the show: “damn this is really brutal!” Me 6 years ago playing the game: “ get the FUCK away from MY daughter! *ignites flamethrower*”

[@AshkinsCurls]

You guys got me into “Succession”, so I’ll be right along with you on Sundays lol.

[@jdazz]

Nah, I've already seen heaps of reactors/reviewers completely misunderstand why Ellie is so quiet and distant at the beginning of this episode (even people who have played the game before). Sometimes the audience NEEDS to be told something because the subtlety goes over their heads and they miss out on important emotional elements, so I had no problem with the scene where Joel outright tells Ellie that he tried to clap himself.

[@cristinalabarrere2800]

I agree, but I also think there is a major diffence between the audience knowing something and the characters knowing. That scene, in my opinion, was to show how Joel cares that Ellie knows more about him and about how he feels about her. It tells us something else about him.

[@jdazz]

@Cristina Labarrère Oh I 100% agree, I was more addressing what these guys were saying about how it was too on the nose for the audience. I think it's a fantastic character moment between Joel & Ellie, and probably the closest we'll ever get to them saying "I love you" to each other. But if any element of it is to spell things out for the audience, then it's 100% necessary because the audience isn't always the brightest lol

[@cristinalabarrere2800]

@@jdazz yeah, I totally agree with you too. I've seen people completely missing the reason Ellie is acting the way she is.

[@Sponce03]

I traditionally watch most high profile television shows with a large group of people on Sunday nights and a good measuring stick for the show's quality I find is how often I see people on their phones while watching during the "filler" moments. I don't think I caught a single person on their phone at any time during the 9 episode run time. I understand people feeling it was rushed at times, but I think everything they gave us was pure quality.

[@raymondsims7042]

What “quality” are you taking about lad!🤔😂😂😂what the show was 💩

[@garymulligan8843]

I thought maybe there was one or two episodes that were a little lagging but overall it was one of the best series I’ve seen in a long time cheers to season one

[@MrPandaboys]

i wish they went with a tracking shot of Joel going through the hospital in one take like that would be like the game for the final

[@yogadork_namaste]

Joel is the one who kept the promise Marlene made to Anna to keep ellie safe.

[@remyd8767]

Marlene sent Ellie to Fedra and didn't take care of her and recruited Riley. Marlene could've pretty much killed Ellie in the Boston QZ with those bombs had it but been for that one infected in the mall to save the day.

[@ogMrtakinoff]

What does it mean to save the world if you lose yours in the process #teamJoel

[@mbealhighjump]

Between Ep 1 & 2 intros, Sam being deaf, Ellie’s mother’s delivery, & Kathleen I have enjoyed every non-game addition the writers chose this season. 10/10 first season.

[@raymondsims7042]

STOP PLAYING lad this show is trash😂😂😂”10/10” please. 5/10 at best

[@riakun]

@raymondsims7042 it’s cool you have differing opinions mate 👍 I’m roughly in the middle of you 2 and think it’s about an 7.5-8/10, but I still enjoyed it overall

[@CurtainRod]

I didn't mind that we saw fewer infected in the show because they seem so much more deadly. Tess and Joel fight two clickers, Tess gets bit. There are like thirty people in Kansas City fighting off a horde, they all die and Sam gets bit. Ellie and Riley fight one runner, they both get bit. If every time the infected appear, someone in your group is goin to die, your odds seem pretty bad in the long run imo.

[@aaronwise6710]

Beau I think you explain your criticisms with the show perfectly and I find myself thinking the same way, still really enjoyed watching it every sunday

[@suffer6922]

I have two daughters, I am on team Joel.

[@dustinmiron4298]

Here's a SOUPer lil easter egg in this ep. One of the nurses was played by prominent voice actress Laura Bailey, who along with Ashley Johnson is a founding cast member of the live play Critical Role D&D campaign that brought us "The Legend of Vox Machina"! Laura is the creator/voice of Vex'ahlia in the campaign and the animated series!! Plus you've probably heard her voice countless times over the years in games and animations!

[@brittany1049]

Plus she voices one of the doctors in the original scene in the game.

[@wimlay904]

@@brittany1049 And Abby in Part 2

[@leonardo47000]

I concur, Ellie had no say in the matter. At least Joel gave her a minute to think about the situation and the process. The Fireflies blew it when they threw the tear gas. One minute Marlene is thanking Joel and in the next minute, and while he’s regaining consciousness, he’s having to accept the fact that she sent her guys to knock him out and kidnap Ellie. And that on top of it, Ellie is already in the O.R.. You trust this guy to do a job, yet you don’t have the sense to approach the situation with a modicum of civility? While I realize that behind it all is Joel’s fear of letting go, it was not Marlene’s call to arbitrarily make that decision. >>On another note: does anybody think that Bella Ramsey looks like Ashley Johnson? I think other people have brought this up. Oddly enough, they even talked similarly.

[@michaelh9649]

@Leo C It was really bizarre how much they look alike, especially considering how unique their looks are. Easily could be mistaken as real mother and daughter.

[@elsagreen1476]

I agree, they look eerily similar.

[@leonardo47000]

@@ladytr0n Wow, that's really cool. So many innate similarities, and then she doubles down and works on the mimic. They're both so good too!

[@kevinw238]

Everyone in that hospital had worse aim than stormtroopers

[@animefanatic5481]

I can't wait for the TV Show Vs. Game Comparison Part 2!!!

[@mafiachef1]

In the main menu of the TLOU1 game, the window of Ellie's birth house can be seen. There are also pictures on Google in which the knife on the window frame can also be seen.

[@MrRmmk1]

I always wondered what that window was referencing

[@qfnoyvoy6353]

Is that confirmed as where she was born? That not shown in the first game as I remember?

[@mafiachef1]

@@qfnoyvoy6353 No, of course, that wasn't confirmed in-game. The only thing I noticed was that the window from the menu resembles the one from the house in the live action series.

[@vKSh87]

This was a very good first season put into 9 episodes, but I think they should have shown the viewers more clickers to put more weight on Ellie’s immunity. Her immunity didn’t seem such big of a deal in the show, while the only reason she’s important (initially) is her immunity. If you don’t show the audience what the real threat is, most people (including me) will cheer for Joel. When you would show more clickers/bloaters and what they’re capable off, people would be more understanding of sacrificing Ellie for humanity.

[@ItMeRishi]

This is such an amazing point. The show really emphasized that humans were much more prevalent as threats to their fellow humans than the zombies.

[@vKSh87]

@@ItMeRishi Exactly

[@tormentorox1]

That was sort of the point though. Humans were the main antagonists in both games. The infected were more like nuisances a long the way.

[@keeganshigh]

Very meh, it's a pale imitation to the game.

[@chicicicicicicko]

What i thought about recently, having played the game a ton and finishing the show. When marlene was talking to joel saying its not his decision to decide although ellie was down for the cause they didnt tell her she would die? They hid the details. Unless i missed something even marlene didnt want joel to see her before the surgery so he wouldnt freak ellie out... marlene wasnt going to let ellie sit and think about it either. I know in part 2 when ellie did find out she knew it could have been her purpose but thats besided the point. The point is even though joel was set on lieing to ellie and not letting her decide marlene wasnt in the green either in the end.

[@josephreusch]

Super excited for Succession S4, you guys should also check out Yellowjackets if you haven't already, S1 was phenomenal and S2 comes out 2 days before Succession

[@camstegames8437]

Though I do agree about the lack of threats. Even just having the clicker noises/screams(saving money on F/X) interrupt certain scenes, forcing them to sneak away in terror, would have hammered home the threat. Not constantly, but often enough that people never forget how dangerous the world is. As it stands, I don't think any threat except for that one horde actually survived, kind of the same issue walking dead had for me. At some point, it just doesn't feel like a threatening world if you can just stomp your way through any danger.

[@jetsgame73]

Love you guys since Game Of Thrones!

[@biggismalls8660]

What will I watch? March madness baby, go Big East teams! Also Yellowjackets comes back next week so that’s dope.

[@magz1868]

Wow was just looking for this lol

[@michaeldrabble2558]

Brilliant Episode! Never played the game so this flawed me when Joel went full on Terminator police station mode! Amazing show all round.. great acting and an emotional rollercaster! I like Giraffes too. 🦒 I think scientists believe them and cockroches would survive the end days! Great shows Nerd Soup Boys!

[@raymondsims7042]

This show was horrible

[@TheLonnie300]

I think if Marlene knew how much Joel had changed from his time with Ellie, she most definitely would have lied. The Joel she knew before their journey probably wouldn't have cared or at most he would've asked why she had to die before ultimately not caring and going home, which is why I think she didn't think she had to lie to him about the surgery

[@IMXLegedaryBard]

I feel wheter people loved or hated how the episode ended, everyone can agree....that guy should've covered Ellie ears or went downstairs. Poor baby being born and already about to have hearing problems

[@Jonsnowcone]

Did anyone else get Rains of Casteremere vibes from the music during that murder montage?

[@STEELFOX2000]

Since we have almost no infected in the series ,it doesn't make sense to sacrifice Ellie to get the cure. Joel is my hero and its damm right!!

[@strikkmoez]

The way Ellie was examining her striations after entering Wyoming, then staring off at Jackson as she contemplated Joel's oath, made me wonder if she was afraid to become a lethal wedge between Joel and the people of Jackson - Including Tommy. If Joel will literally terminate anyone to save her, she potentially becomes the embodiment the harbinger of death for the people in that valley. Does she realize this? I think she does, at least to a degree and that is the cause of her red-eyed hesitancy on that hill.

[@arisesirgareth]

I have a 3 month old coincidentally also named Ellie. I’m not saying I condone, but I definitely understand.

[@SteveBonario]

Maybe you guys will have a take on this. The point of Episode 3 hits home in this episode where Joel now sees Elllie as "his purpose". Unlike Bill, though, he wouldn't be able to go through with offing himself, or even facing those emotions, a second time (having been through it with Sarah's death). This time he doesn't want, or want to allow, Ellie to make the choice about her own life (the way Frank got to make the choice about his life).

[@orange3623]

Expect to see more action in S2, action scenes are expensive and I am certain they had to cut most of it due to budget concerns.

[@rikorobinson]

I think that city in the background was Boston, so that house can't be the one you're thinking of from part 2. That one's near Jackson, Wyoming. But someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.

[@rikorobinson]

I just found this out, but Ashely Johnson started in live action before ever doing voice acting. She was Chrissy from Growing Pains! I remember almost nothing about that show, so I don't remember her from it. But I didn't even know that was her until a few days ago.

[@austriangroyper9308]

I was watching a show called "The Killing" a few weeks ago and she was in it. I didn't recognize her at first, but as soon as I heard her speak, I knew it was Ellie.

[@AdamBrown1980]

Such an amazing story from the game, nearly perfect in its translation to live action! I missed some of the zombie action scenes from the game, but what we got that was added to the story made up for it!

[@kriswillman2779]

In hindsight it would've made sense to have more episodes but you can imagine the risk showrunners took with this show. They didn't know it would be a success, video game adaptations haven't done well. So I'm interested to see where season 2 goes

[@TheLazarusOperation]

I'll assume you're a show only person based on your wording. No spoilers, but be warned, a lot of people didn't like Tlou part 2. I personally love it, but just expect a lot of bitching and whining from those people. Also, they'll likely spoil the shit out of everything. So be careful!

[@kriswillman2779]

@@TheLazarusOperation I played the first game but not the 2nd. I heard how divisive the sequel was though.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

@@kriswillman2779 I'd highly recommend it. The pacing is iffy (can't explain without spoilers), but it's way better than people give it credit for. The gameplay is fucking STELLAR. I loved the story too, it's really just that one issue

[@abilenespidey7278]

Loved Ashley's comment on the podcast "It's not okay I believe you." It's "Okay. You're lying to my face and our relationship won't be the same from here."

[@stephaniel2850]

That's the part that hurts the most for me 😔 **Part 2 spoilers** I really do believe that if he'd just been honest with her, yeah she still would have been hurt and furious for a while - maybe still a long while - but it would have gone a *long* way in helping her work through those feelings in the long run. Then it would be about her needing the space to work through her survivor's guilt and get to a place of acceptance that she *didn't* owe the world her life. But because he also lied to her face about it and continued to double and triple down on it every time she questioned it, it also became about this massive breach of trust that was going to take a much longer time to rebuild. Without that element, they might have been able to have at least a few solid good years before the Abby of it all happened 💔

[@maytalacedo2942]

I can't believe it's been 6 months since the finale ended. I still can't wait for season 2.

[@userxv]

I would like to have them really drill the devastation produced by the cordyceps. So far we've seen very little infected and 2 people walking around rural parts of the usa. Zombies don't really feel like a real threat? Also where those damn bricks/bottles at?!?

[@CB-kh8lr]

Joel did nothing wrong? I'd kill everyone in that hospital (assuming I had the skills) to save the life of a person I love who they tried to murder. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@illacq5416]

Teddy ABSOLUTELY has mad Reiner energy so the intro is double funny

[@ValerieBleak]

You'll have the mandalorian for a few more weeks at least lol

[@matttyler8331]

I understand the lack of subtlety criticism but I also think you guys might be giving too much credit to the general populace. I think A LOT of people who watched this show (because of how popular it got) wouldn't have picked up on many things if it wasn't explicitly shown or stated.

[@hollycow123445]

I loved Joel annihilating everyone. I think it makes sense thematically and character wise. Also, what's to say the fireflies would have been able to make a cure? Seemed like a reckless plan by a random doctor...what was their plan to manufacture and distribute a cure? Seemed to me like a half-baked plan with 100% chance to kill a kid, which makes me support Joel killing everyone even more.

[@trainspotter360]

I am not a game player and didn't know what was coming and I loved how immoral his actions were but I totally get it. He was in a hazy state and couldn't stop himself going full Terminator. He didn't care if he died, losing a daughter again was not an option.

[@RubenK1992]

A golf club, I see what you did there.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

Spoooooiilllllleyyyyy

[@camstegames8437]

As a parent, there simply being more people doesn't make it a 'better' world. That entire utilitarian philosophy goes out the window when one person IS your world, or at least the majority of it. People don't seem to understand that Joel actually didn't have a choice. To him a world without her in it, isn't a world worth saving so he either has to save her or die trying. They fucked up by not letting her make the decision, SHE could have convinced Joel to accept it.

[@theprimo100]

The guy in the playthrough I watched only shot the doctor in the foot, and then claimed no responsibility for the events of Part 2. Then again, he did sing the "Flamethrower Song" as he cleared out the other Fireflies, so...

[@jamesdiaz7425]

Finally, I can have an opinion on the episode!

[@alisterfolson]

The Giraffe Scene: from Jurassic Park. The Car Garage Reasoning Scene: from Conan the Barbarian

[@darthdank1993]

Flamethrower? I didnt find that! Where was it

[@omgmacy]

Pedro pascal as the punisher when? Damn that hospital scene gave me have fucking chills and then on top of that they legit made me sob when Joel basically tells ellie they're his reason for living 😭

[@icklenatzzzzzz]

Fuck subtlety, as someone who's parent figures never said how they feel about me.. to hear Joel tell Ellie what she means to him fucking broke me.. and I wish people would be more open about how we feel about each other.

[@ChandlerBiloxi]

Wasn't that a flashbang designed to incapacitate? Not teargas

[@a.girl.has.no.name_]

I’m looking forward to Succession 🙌🏻

[@seanknapp1]

great soup

[@davidaames1624]

Joel was like Frank Castle the Punisher

[@kendraraffington4947]

Yes. He certainly was!!!

[@maytalacedo1284]

Aw man it's over I just want to saw thanks to making reviews of this best show of this season of this year.

[@morningmayan]

According to people that played the game what Joel said about there being other people immune was TRUE and in the game. Supposedly they do you say there were a lot of other people that were immune and they failed to be able to get a vaccine so maybe this puts Joel in a better light

[@1986sidewinder1986]

For the comment about the lack of infected - I think that they wanted to focus on the character development rather than just having a series of infected attacking Joel and Ellie all the time. In the game you have to travel across far more areas and you can get more immersed in the action and exploration of the areas. In the show though, I think they wanted to focus on what made the game that much better - having great characters. (Hope that makes sense).

[@mattgilbert7347]

Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. The Fireflies seem like assholes, but come on. It's the end of the fucking species!

[@boots4snootin571]

Right it's not meant to be a happy ending

[@krusnik94]

Interesting thought for me, when the game came out, I remember a lot of discussion about Joel's decision and people making the argument that because Ellie's a kid and Joel's her guardian, that his choice to rescue her is justified. NOW I hear more talk about how the Fireflies and Joel both took away Ellie's choice of body autonomy, making Joel's action seem definitively more selfish. Just a fun moral quandary that reminds me of like when Infinity war came out and people were debating whether or not Thanos had a point.

[@stephaniel2850]

I'm very much in the camp of the former, but not even so much just because she's a kid: she's a kid with severe trauma and survivor's guilt who is basically passively suicidal! Of course she would say yes to dying for the cure, because she hasn't reached a point yet where she can believe that her existence is justified if she *doesn't* . Saying no is not an option on the table in her mind yet, and until it is, there could be no giving her a choice; only exploiting a traumatized child's survivor's guilt to justify the grossness of using her as a sacrificial lamb for everyone else... for a cure that might not even be possible! So yeah, I don't believe Joel took away Ellie's choice. He gave her the chance to live, and time to work through all of that pain. And *then* maybe someday she'll be in a place where she can rightly make that sacrifice, not because she feels that she HAS to, or that her life doesn't matter if she doesn't, but because she knows she doesn't owe the world her life but wants to give it anyway. And I don't think that takes away from the moral ambiguity of the situation: Joel still did way more damage in that hospital than he strictly needed to, and he still lied to Ellie in a big, big way that was a huge breach of the trust she had in him. There's a lot he did that's morally questionable. The choice to save Ellie just isn't part of that in my mind.

[@giraffenecker]

It was so dumb of Marlene to tell Joel that they were going to sacrifice Ellie. She said the Fireflies had five guys protecting her across the country and after that bonehead move, I can't see how she merited it. I agree with Aaron that the flash bang moment was lackluster. They could have thought up a better transition than that. Seems like adding the water/CPR scene from the game would have a) extended the action and run time and b) provided a better segue. Watch Yellowjackets next, guys! So good. I promise you won't be disappointed.

[@marconungaray4693]

Just for fun, It would have been great if Joel took a sip of coffee as he hid in front of the little coffee station. Clearing rooms and enjoying a sip of joe 👌🏻

[@AprilSunshine]

Don't feel bad. AOT on the brain is the story of my Life.

[@stuffwithkim]

I agree with what Joel did to save Ellie. I don't understand why he lied, though.

[@diegobahena6533]

I wished the shootout hospital scene wasn’t a montage. It would have been cool if it was like half episode and if it was a one shot too. But I’m happy that killed a lot of ppl

[@SGustafsson]

I think the last two episodes were lacking a bit because you need those gameplay bits inbetween to really feel the struggle. Ellie desperatly escaping from davids group and joel searching for her like crazy makes it much better. And this last episode felt rushed because of similair reasons. Ah i dont know. I really liked the show but the game is ofc 10 times better, its a perfect video game story. As a tv show it doesnt work aswell. It will be superinteresting to see how they adapt part 2 though omg thats a tall order. I was hoping for the show to be a slam dunk but it was a 8/10. Game is a mad 10/10 yup. Ok bye have a great day

[@raymondsims7042]

The show was a 5/10 at best

[@raymondsims7042]

Episode 3 has no real “point” it was stupid episode that shouldn’t have been made

[@maytalacedo20]

the ending and the whole episode were better and sad in a great way and I can't wait for season 2 and how they're going to do it.

[@Subtle-System]

The videogame ending is perfect...

[@Blinkptx]

They both are.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

It's basically ver batum the same

[@raymondsims7042]

@@Blinkptx the show is trash

[@jacobypic]

is... is the nurse on the left laura baily?

[@Sangoforever]

Yes, that was her

[@h-dawg969]

Poor old David was just misunderstood hey.

[@victortg95]

The massacre scene was good but the blank face Joel doesnt do it for me. Remember when he smashed that FEDRA guards face with his bare hands? I needed some of that rage and fear. Good finale tho

[@blanchemayo9906]

Joël in this episode was the epitome of fuck around and find out!!!!

[@dgmilloway]

I haven't played the game and I have to say that I didn't really care that there were not more scenes with the infected. I can't think of a single point in the story where the addition of more infected would have improved things. All it would have done, imo, is water down the impact of the story they were telling. Put another way, it would have felt more like a game and less like a TV show. I think the need for more zombies that a number of viewers have expressed comes from the demands of genre expectation and not actual narrative necessity. "It's a zombie show! There should be zombies!" If you're writing mid-level genre action, then yeah, that's good advice. But this show is not a mid-level genre action show. Had writers heeded that advice, I think we would have been chatting over the water cooler about how The Last of Us was a really good Walking Dead clone rather than the unique and horrifyingly beautiful story that it is. Example, I think it would have been a horrible choice to not cut the action scene of David & Ellie fighting off zombies while waiting for James. Makes total sense in a game, but in a TV show, it would have made the episode less impactful. At worst, it would have felt like "oh, I guess this is where they have a fight scene in the game." But at best, the violence then would have made the final shocking scenes less impactful. Sure, I think the show could have used 1 or 2 extra episodes to flesh out the world and maybe that would have given space for a story that involved the infected in a way that was more integrated with the narrative. But if all it would have done is given more space for zombie killing action, then I'll pass. The Last of Us isn't a zombie show. It's a show about how love in extremity has both beautiful and horrifying consequences.

[@ggkinz8506]

Succession is amazing and ppl need to watch it

[@CaesiusX]

I highly recommend a 9 min video by *MADkurious* called _"The Last of Us Show Made a Crucial Mistake."_ It addresses a fundamental change they made from the game which strips away some *critical* nuance. *Edit:* 😬 I scramble to skip that _"Good soup"_ line *every time.* I liken it to hearing a nail on a chalkboard. 😖 Go figure. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@francocofn9874]

The lack of overall violence from joel in the show makes the ending so much more brutal. In the game we kill HUNDREDS of people and at this point in the game were basically desensitized with killing raiders or fedra. We see how far gone Joel is and the lengths he is willing to go to save ellie in the show and its just so well done.

[@raymondsims7042]

No it only made his character even more inconsistent

[@b2g121795]

@@raymondsims7042 no it didn't

[@raymondsims7042]

@@b2g121795 this show is complete garbage. I forgot it existed 😂

[@uncledonel1742]

​@@raymondsims7042 Said no one ever.

[@raymondsims7042]

@@uncledonel1742 I literally said it💀💀

[@riakun]

I feel like if Marlene had just given Ellie the choice to make her own decisions, Joel would have excepted it. But at the same time, I doubt that Marlene would have even risked Ellie saying “I don’t want to die for the cause “. Even if there was a %0.000001 chance, Marlene wasn’t about to give her that choice. And I feel like Joel would have had a higher chance of letting Ellie go if she HAD chosen to give up her life for a chance at the cure. Marlene will do anything “for the greater good”, including making those tough decisions. But Joel would do what most people would in that situation, I think. It was a very human reaction. Especially if he wasn’t given that final goodbye from Ellie. This ending is sad, brutal, and complicated. Ellie truly deserved her choice, whether to live, or die on her own terms.

[@pianodan10]

TV watcher here who hasn't played the game. Just because I don't want to look up spoilers going further... is this where the end of the first game leaves off?

[@jdazz]

Yep, beat for beat. Then we waited 7 years for part 2 haha

[@pianodan10]

@@jdazz Cool thanks. Also, fuck. I'm not OK.

[@TheLazarusOperation]

I literally said 'cut to black' EXACTLY when it cut to black. It was 1 for 1, like holy shit

[@30shield]

PLEASE REVIEW SUCCESSION THIS SEASON

[@bishie08]

As someone who never played the games, it didn't feel rush but it did make me go "that's it?" I'm only finding out through this podcast that this is the way the first game ended and I think I just expected more adventures?

[@benbanta2913]

After watching Creed III we decided to go back and watch all the Rocky movies so we will be set for a few weeks

[@samlanganke1262]

But .. but .. in the game ....! I cant hear it anymore. And I PLAYED it.