The Last of Us - Season 1 Eps 7 Reaction

[@SmoothGummi]

The mall was an abandoned mall that was scheduled to be torn down in Canada (not the Stranger Things mall). They basically gave them access to do whatever they wanted since it was being destroyed anyways. Most amazing was that it was actually a one story mall and every time you see something on the second floor, it’s CGI. It’s actually unreal it looked so good.

[@jaynahoffacker2557]

I was gonna say, I was pretty sure this show shot in Canada. Stranger Things films in Atlanta. Starcourt Mall was the old Gwinnett Place Mall (though it had only a close a few months before they filmed there).

[@richardbrown3055]

This was actually the mall across the road from my High School in Calgary.

[@lynnflavin2179]

15:18 During the podcast, Neil Druckman (the creator of the game and co-creator of the show) said that some of the things you can see in Ellie and Riley's room is posters and gaming magazines. They were obsessed with video games, even tho they couldn't play them. So they would absorb as much media regarding these games as possible. One of the things that gaming magazines used to do in the 90's and early 00's was put cheat codes and game hacks in their issues so that people would know how to do things like unlock extra levels, or in this case, fatalities. It's such a minute detail that even I missed it. I'm so obsessed with the care they've placed in this world. It's so good.

[@jasonmarbach]

12:43 the song on the carousel is actually “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure and the lyrics are truly wonderful for what Ellie is feeling in that moment 😭 Lyrics: "Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick The one that makes me scream", she said "The one that makes me laugh", she said And threw her arms around my neck Show me how you do it And I promise you, I promise that I'll run away with you I'll run away with you Spinning on that dizzy edge Kissed her face and kissed her head Dreamed of all the different ways I had to make her glow "Why are you so far away?", she said "Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you That I'm in love with you?" You Soft and only You Lost and lonely You Strange as angels Dancing in the deepest oceans Twisting in the water You're just like a dream You're just like a dream Daylight licked me into shape I must've been asleep for days And moving lips to breathe her name I opened up my eyes And found myself alone, alone Alone above a raging sea That stole the only girl I loved And drowned her deep inside of me You Soft and lonely You Lost and lonely You Just like heaven

[@dalepak1955]

Thanks I was about to write this exact post. My brother and I played that song on stage for years. It’s instantly recognizable to me.

[@oldgirlgamerchristine7584]

It gave me goosebumps when I realized the song

[@jasonmarbach]

@@oldgirlgamerchristine7584 same

[@jajdhck]

Damn these lirycs...

[@TheGarytron]

😱😭🥺🥹

[@100Companions]

Oh we can't joke about Bryan, but Joel gets shanked with a bat handle and Jay's got baseball jokes 😂

[@blublubblub]

We don't talk about Bryan, just like we don't talk about Bruno. . . . . I haven't watched Encanto, so I don't know what that means. Let's pretend it's Sascha Baron Cohen, still works.

[@100Companions]

@@blublubblub im still team shank bryan all day long

[@AL-fl4jk]

@@100Companions #remembertoshankBryan

[@Kellie_McDixon]

Jays “when the bodies hit the floor” joke had me rolling.

[@madelinegarber7860]

Their let the Brians hit the floor joke a couple weeks ago had me laughing so hard.

[@Michelle-DiPalo]

I'm with Jay when it comes to the carousel. It may seem a bit boring as an adult, but when you go to a park with a kid, the ride lasts an eternity and there's just something so magical about it. My favorite picture of Dante from when we went to Disney World is him on the carousel with the biggest smile. Can't beat that.

[@thedarkknight2221]

This episode, just like the Left Behind DLC, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. When Ellie and Riley are having the time of their lives playing around the mall and especially the arcade I felt absolutely elated. I especially loved how this was also a first date between them, even though they didn’t really know it was a date. And then when they finally kissed I couldn’t help but hold my heart because I thought it would burst from pure joy. And after they both get bit I felt my heart break even harder than in the game. On the “Inside The Episode” after the show they talked about how even though Ellie felt absolutely defeated she still wants to savor every second of time that she has with the ones she loves. And it shows when she is stitching Joel up and the Left Behind theme is playing. For God’s sake just give Bella Ramsey the Emmy!

[@mjdaniel8710]

Me: "Aww, they are so happy, this is really adorable" HBO:"Mwahahaha!"

[@ValentinasWatching]

Actually Adam, that was not A-ha playing on the carousel. That was a lullaby version of The Cure "Just Like Heaven" by Rock-a-bye Baby.

[@cambion_entertainment]

Left Behind broke me when it came out. When I saw the preview for this episode last week, I teared up knowing the heartbreak I was in for. Dear gods, this episode shattered me. Bella and Storm were electric through the episode. I knew this episode was gonna hit me, but their performances, along with Craig and Neil’s incredible writing talents, made it hit 100x harder. I cried pretty hard at Sarah, both show and game. The moment the credits rolled, I ugly cried for a good 10 minutes. Seeing it in my usual reaction rotation didn’t help things.

[@bialandgren6976]

The cheat codes pre 2003 were found in game magazines according to the TLOU official podcast 😅

[@erikchristopherkc]

We had soooo many video game guide books back in the day that showed you all the moves or helped along your quest. And it seems she knows the game pretty well, I'll bet she had one

[@docyukiohattori]

i kind of imagined that the fireflies had a fun night here and one of them taught her

[@lkcullen1918]

That's what Craig and Neil were talking about on the podcast. She was obsessed with the game but never got to play it before this.

[@lovinlorne]

Yeah. Those books were everywhere. There’s no way they couldn’t have come across one in the past 20 years.

[@friendbesto2599]

The Mortal Kombat II cabinet did have the characters move list on it. Have one at my work.

[@itss_nattyj]

Isn’t it also 2023 during this episode. This happens at least 3 weeks before Ellie meets Joel and Tess.

[@nightcrawler5696]

The chemistry between Riley and Ellie was amazing. It's incredible what they've been able to accomplish with character development in single episodes.

[@mark2graves-movies689]

18:55 "the shoe hangs menacingly" 🤣🤣 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tjfkc]

Mazin and Druckmann said on the pod Riley could have known about the fatalities from video game magazines which were still popular in the early 2000s

[@EszterSzalkai]

"let the bodies hit the floor..." I lost it guys... Even after these tense serious moments, I was just dying laughing XD

[@aBloodyMonk3y]

When Jay has his kid, it's not gonna be "What's your favorite pokemon?" or "What's your favorite color?" No, the true test will be "What's your favorite carnival ride?"

[@TheFiddleFaddle]

Jay is absolutely right about the carousel. I remember every opportunity I've had to take my kids on one. A simple moment where everything is perfect.

[@Beowulfie]

When I think of someone running across rooftops I think either The Crow or Daredevil.

[@robdilauro4344]

This was a mall closing in Canada, the Starlight Mall set was located in Georgia, and it is an absolute dump that was closed a few years ago. I know because I went there thinking I would see anything left over from Stranger Things to take a few photos, there was nothing haha. It was a very sad trip.

[@Tensen01]

Ah yes, famous time before the internet, 2003! But actually, Game magazines and strategy guides my dudes. Also, not the same mall, this mall was only a single story, the second story was added in digitally.

[@jackiekreutzer166]

The mall in Stranger Things is the Gwinnett Place Mall. It's 15 min from where I live and the mall I went to as a teenager. It was the place to go back then, but has been closed for years.

[@kacektv9405]

Was watching a reviewer and she said when she got screeners both Ellie and Riley's bites were at the time unfinished VFX due to the nature of early screeners and its so crazy hearing that and rewatching that now cuz man did Bella and Storm sell that so well. TLOU really said queer people and time travel are synonymous with each other and as a queer time traveler...i feel seen yet again amazing episode for sure

[@kensalter]

I loved the playing of "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure for the merry go round.

[@deanmaynard8256]

The carousel was playing the tune from the Cure's song Just Like Heaven

[@gracegormann5492]

Time for a break from my Mandalorian S2 rewatch. ☺️

[@AmyPierrottie]

The fatality thing may have been on the side like Jay said, but also there were books that provided walk-throughs. GameStop and Waldenbooks sold them - and they were both in the mall.

[@Cramdeon1969]

Even though it's very obvious how on edge you both are, I'm very proud (of both you) sticking with this amazing adaptation. Well done fellas 👏 👍

[@detestor420]

When I think about running on rooftops the first person first thing that comes to my head is the crow with brandon Lee 1994 running and jumping on the rooftops to Nine Inch Nails

[@The4thSandersonSister]

Jay's defense of carousels gave me life.

[@GoingMach5]

Honestly, the Thumbnail captions are what I love the most lol.

[@mark2graves-movies689]

21:26 I've never seen Jay close his eyes before! WOW 👀

[@rennijo]

You can't go down those ladders quietly because they clank against their own rails. No matter how slow you move, your weight will still bounce it.

[@DASamX5453]

I learned all the MK2 moves from the strategy guide...still have it...came out in 1993 for $10...I bought most of them everytime I got a game like resident evil or FF7 or something and learned all the secrets...Riley could have found a copy of it somewhere or it might have been on their library at the QZ as they did mention they had one...

[@edenstar80]

I can relate…. Also there was a GameStop in the background so I assumed she could’ve found a book/mag from in there.

[@tking791]

The mall (and the vast majority of the filming locations ) was in Alberta Canada. The mall specifically was in Calgary and was about to be renovated so they were allowed to do a bunch more practical effects (broken floors, actual vines on walls etc) but the mall itself was only 1 floor so all the 2nd floor shots / views were CGI. But not the same place as Stranger Things.

[@EternalDensity]

Me: I wonder whether any of my subscriptions have... This: 54 seconds ago Nice!

[@ll7868]

Dancing On Glass is a 2022 Spanish drama about ballerinas, it's not really a movie for this channel but some reactors would like it. That bit where they're dancing on glass made me think of that. And yeah, I watch a lot of movies your average Patron has never heard of, unfortunately most reactors don't listen to actual cinephiles.

[@digitallystephanie142]

The song when they were on the carousel wasn’t A-Ha; it was The Cure ❤️❤️❤️

[@Drakoni23]

Your ending talk about carussels reeeeally got me! You are so right about it. Funny enough the one about the scrambler and having to sit on the outside got me too. Thanks for getting me to think of some nice memories of better times

[@khaleesimandy74]

You guys made my day. Episode was freaking amazing. I know nothing of the game, but I do know great acting.

[@rumham7466]

Hbo is a huge cable network. I’m guessing more viewers than not are people just watching a show that haven’t experienced the source material. As is the case with most movies or shows derived from original books, comics, or games. But yea loving the Show! Absolutely love apocalypse stuff. Didn’t realize just how much I did until few years back when I picked up a heavy reading hobby haha

[@NoctemAeternusMusic]

I think they knew how from finding old game magazines. Remember they used to have all the codes in the back? Makes sense cuz they both collected old comic and gaming magazines.

[@MykalNines]

I have been to many amusement parks, but the one memory that reigns Supreme is me laying down on the chariot on the carousel. I was on LSD and laying there watching the people watching the carousel. It blew my mind.

[@Ld.801]

16:36 it’s actually not the same mall as stranger things the whole top half of the mall is vfx it’s only a one story mall. They talked about it on the podcast it’s really top of the line work.

[@richardhall800]

Jay is so right about the "is it cake" soap

[@AG-co5iu]

22:00 Adam... it's the Pedro Pascal-off MARCH MADNESS. Jay has explained it's Apples and Oranges... *how do you like dem Apples?*

[@vili76]

Behind the scenes said it was an old mall in Calgary. Stranger Things shot season 3 in Atlanta

[@marmichaud]

ahhah in 1999 fatalities code was everywhere in any gaming magazine. In the "FAQ" section the list was always coming back almost every month

[@ll7868]

Next to Animal Waldorf & Statler were the best characters on The Muppet Show. They would be #1 (they're a single unit, can't be separated) but I'm a drummer and Animal was my nickname, so, y'know, bias.

[@ll7868]

Whenever you want to add a new tv show to your rotation please consider My Name or Kingdom both from South Korea. My Name is a crime drama with martial arts action and a lot of twists & turns that changes your perspective of every character each time a motive or secret is revealed. Kingdom is a zombie apocalypse that takes place in the 1600s, Kingdom: Ashin Of The North is the movie that tells the origin of the zombie outbreak, it can he watched before season 1 or after season 2, either way it ties everything together perfectly like Dude's rug before it got peed on.

[@bendavisyoutube1068]

I'm not gonna lie...the "let the bodies hit the floor" joke got me lmao

[@misshavisham1287]

“Eat soap with me!” Lmaooooo

[@spywi]

We need like a compilation of just either of you singing randomly in vids, with no other context.

[@rumham7466]

19:58 yea I’ve been pondering over that too. They’re alive, right. So it makes you wonder if a part of them is still aware. Like if a part of their consciousness is still there and they just can’t control it. At least with zombies we know they are dead and there’s just some microscopic thing taking and controlling the body like a little alien in a giant robot.

[@krampusthestoryteller1416]

15:11 even back then, a lot of arcades wrote the fatalities down and stuck them to the arcade machine so you could read them. Obviously we didn't SEE that here, but it's plausible. I still go to an arcade bar and they have that on their MK2.

[@ll7868]

This was the episode I was waiting for, Ellie's backstory, when she got bit and taken by the Fireflies. Fun Fact: Fireflies were named after the military Canadian and British tank battalions that used the US Sherman with custom British cannons designed to go head to head against the German Tigers which were destroying the American tanks. There were also Firefly Airborne and Paratrooper units that were dropped behind enemy lines in North Africa to come up behind the German tanks that dominated the battlefield. History is cool.

[@miss.seroton1n]

The mall set was actually a lot of sfx, they talk about how they got it all together in the podcast.

[@MaximeBriseboisLemelin]

I loved how typically Canadian they made the mall by leaving the A&W and Thai Express signs.

[@irerin]

"Are ya gonna kiss or what? Let's party." 😂😂😂😂

[@xTaintedRedx]

JAY YOU ARE CORRECT! The carousel AND the Ferris wheel 💕 Chill rides to talk with the person you’re with but also have fun ✨

[@misterderp4566]

A mall was closing in North Calgary, that's where they shot it with pretty much free reign

[@MavenCree]

I cannot WAIT for next week's episode!

[@themetalchica]

"Possib-LEE...go wrong. Well, that's the first thing that's ever gone wrong here at Itchy and Scratchy Land!"

[@AzraelPhrenzy]

You reminded me that hat we never got any interaction between Arya and Lyanna. Missed opportunity. I think they would have gotten along.

[@scarlettmi]

It's not still Ah-Ha playing on the carousel; it was a sweet version of The Cure's Just Like Heaven.

[@tefweebz]

Jay fell into absolute bliss over the carousel.😂

[@jasonmarbach]

It actually is a different mall than ST season 3, I was thinking the same so I looked it up. Not sure where this one is, I just saw they’re different malls

[@felixmurley-anderson5620]

I rate the episode 2 out of 2 TOASTEEEEEEs. Just like a lot of the other set-pieces from the game (the museum, the ambush in KC, the goddamned sniper level), the writers have some such an amazing job of putting in familiar material for those who have played the game (or the DLC, in this case) while still giving everyone something exciting to engage in. I especially like all the payoffs to callbacks earlier in the season, like Ellie tracking about the MK2 machine they found at Joel’s stash, right up until the last ep where Ellie declared that the alcohol in Joel’s hip flask was “still gross”. Such an amazing series and I cannot wait to see how they wrap it up.

[@MarioBellTattoos]

“A pocket full of silver, the key to heaven’s door..”

[@msnogueres]

Omg the until dawn joke!! I got so scared by that damn racoon

[@scarlettmi]

That stuff (how to play video games) was absolutely written down before the internet. In fact, it was in published books and magazines that I can imagine a kid excitedly reading about and lamenting that they could never play them.

[@AlexanderWandering]

Adam was right about the 80's montage- keeping in mind that 80's means danger

[@ll7868]

Carousel bar in Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, that's the ride I want to find in an apocalypse.

[@AnythingGeeky]

11:29 - I love Lush Cosmetics too! Fresh Farmacy is my favorite face soap

[@kfizz]

There was one carousel ride that i rode as a kid that had a rings on the outer side you could grab and you try to throw in to a hole when you go around. you win a prize too I almost hit it.

[@that1pretty.potprincess779]

16:39 no it’s not the same mall, this is kingsway mall in edmonton

[@KevinReactsTV]

A carousel in the backyard sounds absolutely delightful! I hope you get that someday soon Jay! Fantastic reaction as always! I would rate this 1/1 carousel rides

[@rumham7466]

11:00 omg “Suncoast Video”. Blast from the past

[@mitchellhp]

Awesome vid & loved this episode. Riley & Ellie had such great chemistry for only one episode. Totally agree with you re. carousels, Jay. I’m fortunate enough to have a Disneyland pass, and I personally think the carousel at night is the most magical ride & experience in the park.

[@iceman10129]

I remember being 9 playing MK2 on Sega, and knowing every fatality, having them written down in the instruction manual, and my friends and I would share all the combinations.

[@jmoney6782]

Oh Jay. That let bodies hit the floor joke is just hilarious 🤣

[@kevenpinder7025]

This here is my house. It turns out it's true, it is a money pit. And here is my carousel. It too is a money pit. Upkeep is a bay'otch.

[@tylerbrown5526]

If you listen to the podcast for the show, the showrunners mention the magazines that existed for games back then. They figure that Ellie and Riley were so obsessed that they found on and studied the MK moves.

[@rhyael3933]

[T'challa impression] "and someone... get this man a carousel!!"

[@Vlad.Larionov]

It is interesting to see your joint reaction to the films Robocop and Robocop 3. This is a cool immortal classic 👍

[@daverowe03]

I feel like i have to say it. Adam, Esprit, is pronounce "Eh,Spree"

[@marmichaud]

ho and Ramsey acting is stellar in this episode.

[@LamontWayne]

I think I'm the only one who got anxiety with "Take On Me" at the escalator. 80's music means danger...

[@kunalandshorya]

This episode is masterpiece for 90s kids...they tease us with showing a danger without showing a danger. ( As a non gamer)

[@palinode]

Before the internet, it was all written down in game magazines.

[@retriastfc]

The Carousel is playing The Cure, "Just Like Heaven" I missed it the first time

[@literallyaspider1508]

I'm entirely with Jay about lotion. I absolutely hate how it feels on my skin, especially my hands

[@DementisXYZ]

So Jay thinks Daredevil. When I think of "running rooftops," I always think Sly Cooper. "The view is always better from the rooftops."

[@darkangel4185]

The scrambler is amazing! Love it! The Merry go round is classic. 💜💜

[@FletcherTheCromenockle]

Marlene knew Ellie's mom. My Theory is that Ellie's mom got infected when she was almost having Ellie , and they got to take Ellie out of her mom, the infection got into Ellie's imune system and that's why she can't turn, its a part of her body system. And that's why Marlene didnt kill her when She found them at the mall, probably with Riley dead because Ellie had to shoot her when She turned. My Theory, since we don't have anything about her mother, but Marlene told Ellie that she knew her mom, and that Marlene was the one that delivered Ellie to Fedra to be safe. And Riley stated in this last episode that Ellie never got a family (because her mom got infected when She was preagnent, and Marlene knows Thats why she's imune) again, only a theory i came up about

[@mandipandi303]

The mall scene made my Sapphic heart so happy until... well. When Riley says she's picturing Ellie in the lingerie, I was like, "Girl, your signals are not subtle." I'm glad we didn't have to watch Ellie kill Riley. Seeing her kill Riley would just be a repeat of Sam and Henry, and I don't want to watch that again. Joel taking Ellie's hand at the end was beautiful. He finally realized he didn't need to fight his parental feelings for her anymore, and he that they would fight for each other like family. Your skin is your first barrier to infection. Trans-epidermal water-loss compromises skin. Use lotion! My mom was a nurse practitioner and drilled that into my family.

[@leoffdagrate]

Totally with Adam on the Carousel thing. In my youth I looked so forward to hitting the double-decker carousel at Six Flags Great America, but after hopping on a technicolor ram and grabbing the pole, I was soon disappointed when I realized that's all it did: up and down in a gentle motion. I was bored before the thing made one revolution.

[@sherank244]

Perfect timing y’all I just sat down for dinner

[@mikecameron6667]

I totally agree. Lotion makes me feel greasy!!!

[@scarlettmi]

This is not the mall that they shot Stranger Things in. They filmed this series in Alberta, and they used a Calgary mall (plus special effects) for this mall.

[@shamancarmichael5305]

The month of Papa Pedro begins!!