The Last Of Us 1x8 + 1x9 Full Length Reaction
Added 2025-03-10 23:28:48 +0000 UTCS01E08 When We Are in Need S01E09 Look for the Light
This week we finish up Season 1 and these 2 eps were doozies. First, see how long it takes me to finally understand what's goin on in the weird new community and then see me wrestle with Joel's decision in the final ep. Anyone else looking forward to Season 2?
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Comments
Everyone recognized Ashley Johnson for her roll in the game but I was boggled watching Chrissy Seaver give birth.
Andrew Skow
2025-03-14 03:05:28 +0000 UTCStarting off the episode with your empathy for Ellie's situation - the mom energy is definitely coming through. Talking about the lack of infected in the show brings out a big point of the show. The infected aren't the baddies or villains. They're just an environmental hazard. The real baddies are people. Just people. Seeing Ellie born at the beginning of the final episode is so powerful. I will always hear Ellie's voice from Ashley Johson since I'm so used to her voicing Ellie in the game. I was so happy she and Troy Baker (Joel's voice actor) were involved in the show. My take on the ending is that Ellie doesn't believe Joel, but she chooses to take him at his word. She has lost all the meaning she thought she had in the world. She had no idea what comes next. That's exactly how we feel watching the end of the show. As for Joel's decision, it's a contentious topic with stalwart believers on both sides. What stuck out to me most was the tone of Joel's rampage at the hospital and the music. This was not a heroic rescue. He was setting what soul he had left ablaze to save her and he knew it.
John
2025-03-11 23:32:55 +0000 UTCWow, the game seems even much more of reach/unbelievable than the series. My son loved the game, by the way.
Clay F
2025-03-11 13:19:53 +0000 UTCIf you get the time I would highly recommend playing the game. It's fun to see how well they ported it over to a tv show, but also to experience how well acted and gritty the game is. You can also take time to explore the world a bit along the way and see what dialogue transpires naturally between Joel and Ellie as you're playing, and not just in cutscenes that you watch. Loved the complicated ending, which left me feeling melancholic for days, though not just because of the ending but because, until the 2nd game was announced, that was the end of the story. Still, I enjoyed the mystery not knowing what would happen to them, imagining a future for them in a world that could no longer be 'saved.' As you noted, there are so many sides to view it from, all understandable. It's all the more heartbreaking to think that Joel was both the right and wrong guy for the job. Obviously he could get the job done, but his past trauma meant he would end up doing anything to finally save his new daughter, carrying her to safety and maybe ending the constant nightmares of his 'failure' to save Sarah, consequences be damned. I'm not sure if he even would have felt the world they found themselves in was worth saving, but he didn't really have much time to think about it. And so it all hinges on the choice that was made FOR Ellie. My opinion is that she would have volunteered, but no one let her decide. Perhaps Marlene felt the cure was more important than acquiring consent, and we already know where Joel was coming from. And yay, they both lived, but at what cost? Like Maria said, you can only be betrayed by those you trust. Does Ellie believe Joel in the end? If not, will she feel betrayed? Sorry for the long post. Couldn't help myself. Fantastic show and one of the most amazing games ever made. Thanks for watching the show!
Rich
2025-03-11 11:11:11 +0000 UTCUnfortunately some stuff from the game at the hospital were left out, including two recordings and a note I recall. One recording from the doctor confidently believe he found the biggest cure since penicillin. The creator of the game (Neil Druckmann) said in an interview few years ago and confirmed the vaccine would've been the cure. But keeping this non-definitive just fuel more debate!
Tech Citizen
2025-03-11 05:53:16 +0000 UTCGreat reactions Jen! Now welcome to the world of post first game where the fans have been debating and arguing on both sides since 2013! I know I have and I've switched side from Joel (selfish), to big love (humanity), back to Joel then back to... lol... Both main MoCap and voice actors in the game - Troy Baker (Joel) and Ashley Johnson (Ellie), have their parts in the show. Troy Baker plays James in episode 8 as right hand man to David. Ashley Johnson rightfully played Anna, Ellie's Mom at the beginning of the finale. Merle Dandridge played Marlene in both the game and the show!! Also, if you have time and are inclined to react to first game's cut scenes for comparison purpose (some movie reactors did), you definitely want to also react to the Alternate Ending (musical)! Full game movie (3 hours): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRdviLnmeMQ Alternate Ending https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8XN7eoZr0Y
Tech Citizen
2025-03-11 05:36:06 +0000 UTCYes, also married to Troy Baker.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 05:06:11 +0000 UTCfun fact, james, the 2nd in command is troy baker who played joel in the game. I was fortunate to actually meet him irl because he was a voice actor in one of the games I worked on(not tlou... I wish!!). And he was seriously one of the kindest people I've ever worked with in the industry! He went out of his way to be kind and generous and was just a pleasure to work with. He really is a class act in my experience and I was so happy to see him break into non voice acting here.
MattN
2025-03-11 04:41:35 +0000 UTCGot one more for you, one of the nurses is Laura Bailey who was also a nurse in the game and of course a somewhat important character in the second game. I think the doctor was also the same actor.
Victor M
2025-03-11 04:39:40 +0000 UTC"I can't believe I said I liked him." I agree 100% with what Joel did. That may be short-sighted, but some two-bit doctor/researcher likely having no clue about some hypothetical vaccine (or its efficacy) and saying that Ellie needed to die would not have been enough for me. "Last of Us" S2 April 13, 2025 I watched the S2 trailer at max.com Looks awesome.
Clay F
2025-03-11 02:33:35 +0000 UTCAlso, without getting into spoilers, yes the second game follows on from the story of the first game and centers most of the same characters (plus there are new characters as you’d expect). But it’s not like we’re following an entirely different group of people. Also, the second game is quite a bit longer than the first, so they actually split it up and have already announced a season 3 for the show. The story of the second game will be split into seasons 2 and 3 for the show.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 01:29:38 +0000 UTCI love that you got the nuance of the ending and didn’t immediately jump to picking Joel’s side, which is what a lot of people did, especially fans of the game. And I really feel like that misses the whole point of the story. Like you said, who is good or bad in this world is often a matter of perspective. My main problem with what Joel did, though, is that he stole Ellie’s agency (which, so did Marlene FWIW). And he did it because he believed deep down that she would have chosen to undergo the surgery and he couldn’t handle that. I mean, she basically told him earlier in the episode that’s how it would be - “after all we’ve been, through, everything I’ve done, it can’t be for nothing.” He did what he did for understandable reasons, no doubt, but they were selfish reasons nonetheless.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 01:27:48 +0000 UTCYes, I’d already mentioned them in the comments of earlier episodes. There are a lot of actors from the game in the show. I hope the same will be true for season 2, but I don’t know as I’ve been deliberately keeping a low profile on it.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 01:23:13 +0000 UTCI disagree. I think Bill and Frank were better fleshed out in the show and much better than the game IMO, but the rest of the characters are basically the same. I mean, the story is basically just the game story without so many infected fights. Also, while I think Bella Ramsey can be a somewhat difficult pick for Ellie if you’re as used to Ashley Johnson’s performance as those of us that love the games are, that’s really just because they don’t look much alike, at least as much alike as most of the other characters. From a personality standpoint, I feel like Bella nailed Ellie, and their performance from an acting perspective is immaculate. Both can be true.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 01:21:19 +0000 UTCthe secondary characters are not hashed out in the game. I completed the game at a minimum of 10 times, favorite game of all time with Horizon Zero Dawn next. the show was ok, a good casting for Joel, the casting of Ramsey as Ellie was not good. Loved Bill and his story.
zynjams
2025-03-11 00:58:27 +0000 UTCI'll admit, as a gamer, I really liked what they did with the show but there is one thing I think the game did better. During the opening credits, the game had alot of exposition letting the player know what how things had gotten as bad as they were in the QZ's although I understand given when the opening credits rolled during the first episode it wouldn't have been appropriate. I would highy reccomend anyone who hasn't had the opportunity yet to play the game and experience how many of the fans were introduced to the characters
there_is_no_gary_only_zuul
2025-03-11 00:56:39 +0000 UTCNot to forget Jeffrey Pierce, Tommy in the game and Perry (Kathleen's henchman) in the show or Merle Dandridge - Marlene in both show and game
there_is_no_gary_only_zuul
2025-03-11 00:50:39 +0000 UTCNo, most of the characters in the show are in the game as well. The only ones that aren’t are really the Kansas City resistance, that story isn’t really in the game, Joel and Ellie meet Sam and Henry a different way. But Bill, Frank, David, Marlene, Tess, they’re all characters in the game very similar to their characters in the show (Marlene is even played by the same actress).
Paul Peavler
2025-03-11 00:38:13 +0000 UTCto answer your question, no, the game is pretty much Joel and Ellie, the secondary characters are made up for the show.
zynjams
2025-03-11 00:18:42 +0000 UTCCan't express enough how awesome your reactions to this show have been , I've loved hearing your thoughts and commentary 🙌 really looking forward to season 2 and your reactions equally so 🔥
Ian
2025-03-10 23:32:20 +0000 UTCYeeeesssss, been waiting for this. Gonna watch right now. Fun production notes right off the bat: the actor that plays James in episode 8 (meat cleaver to the neck guy) is Troy Baker, who plays Joel in the games. And the actress that plays Ellie’s mom in episode 9 is Ashley Johnson, who plays Ellie in the games.
Paul Peavler
2025-03-10 23:32:11 +0000 UTCAwesome!
PapaXan
2025-03-10 23:32:09 +0000 UTC
