The Last of Us - Ep.2X2 "Through the Valley" UNCUT & UNCENSORED
Added 2025-04-21 08:21:28 +0000 UTC....... Ok....... so...... I have...... feelings about this.......
Warning you ahead of time, that I feel this episode does things WELL..... but also NOT WELL.
(and before you ask, yes, I'm judging it both as an "episode of tv" and also as an "adaptation")
So...... let's get into what is already shaping up to be the most controversial episode of television for 2025 so far....
Comments
Hello from Nippers Corner! 😊
Giovanna
2025-04-25 16:43:18 +0000 UTCAgreed. I think the hate Laura received was insane, and made me feel shame as another "gamer" to see such a vocal minority get through the way that they did. Hopefully Kaitlyn won't get the same kind of vitriol her way (though I've already seen upset friends facebook lol so I'm not holding my breath) Your take does make sense, and feeds even more into my "tinfoil hat theory" that the show runners may have been trying to proactively cushion the inevitable gut-punch. Though I could ultimately be mistaken.
MovieMan101 Productions
2025-04-22 06:50:29 +0000 UTCI agree that video games (as a medium) offer more in the way of "agency" by way of literally putting you in the shoes of the character(s) you may be playing as. Though I would also argue (at least in my case personally) that if you get invested in a show/series enough, the agency may still bleed through. I both agree and disagree with regards to their process in adapting the source material. I felt that Season 1 did a fantastic job as an adaptation. Granted, the series still works on it's own two feet, but all the "changes" and "additions" they made in Season 1 served to enhance the experience, add stories that didn't previously exist and even flesh out characters that hadn't previously been explored. Season 2.... I'm still feeling a bit mixed on. Don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying the show. I've been giving credit where credit is due in both 2X1 and 2X2 regarding additions and deviations. However, at the end of the day, it is still an adaptation. And I *personally* believe that there have been some key moments so far this season that have not "hit" quite the same as the source material. I certainly hope that I don't come across as under appreciating the creative process involved from all the cast and crew. I go out of my way over the course of this episode to make mention of how impressed I am with the visuals, acting, prosthetics and overall technical prowess shown across the board. However, as a massive fan of both games and Season 1, I just don't quite agree with some of the narrative changes and differences in scene execution(s) with Season 2 so far. I've seen this team's work over 9 episodes and know that they are capable of crafting the experience while staying true to the "core experience". Maybe I am holding this Season to an unreasonable expectation, but I digress. Appreciate your input!
MovieMan101 Productions
2025-04-22 06:46:17 +0000 UTCI think, unfortunately, too many game players sent death threats to Laura Bailey that they had to erase the subtleties in the show. I mean the sh*t I’ve seen toward Kaitlyn Dever even with the context of why Abby does what she does since last night is crazy. If people weren’t taking out all their hate on these people, then it would be more true to the game. I was actually less dreading Joel dying going into this than I was worrying about the actors in this, especially Kaitlyn and Bella.
Amanda Hill
2025-04-21 19:36:02 +0000 UTCCompletely agree with your feelings about the Joel scene. Like I mentioned on the last post, it was so odd for them to front load all that info about Abbey in the first episode.
ReCoN
2025-04-21 19:27:05 +0000 UTCOne thing that packs the main punch in storytelling in video games stems from the player having agency. Not only do you *play as* different characters, but you *feel* their difference; they have different options, features, handling and paths available to them. You can come to tangibly identify with them, to a degree, as the game developers design your in-game choices to be limited to the characters limitations. TV doesn't really have the same set of tools to 'allow' the audience to identify with anyone introduced later than the protagonist. The audience are passive viewers, not agents. They're locked in on Joel and Ellie. If you underappreciate just how much the medium of a video game does for the multifaceted storytelling here, it's easy to arrive at a critique of the differences between the game and the show being 'unnecessary hand-holding'. In my view, the differences are a necessary workaround to the limitations inherent to TV. You looked pained watching some of that, which is a shame because they are doing an amazing job trying to meticulously craft TLOU2 experience to TV without having all the tools required to tell the story. How they're working around that is remarkable enough by itself to make the show interesting.
Brikir
2025-04-21 12:58:17 +0000 UTC
