TV Show Review: The Last Of Us (HBO) Season 2 Episode 6 - Robbing the Story of Its Genius

So we are allowed to criticise it now without being called ‘incels’?

In that case… the games are better and in my opinion it should have stayed as a game only.

There has been a 31% drop in viewership since Pascal left the show. They made a very serious mistake in doubling down on Joel's death and it is costing them.

Curious to see where season 2 ends, if its the scene at the theatre than they have a lot to do in the season finale. Pretty obvious season 3 will be Abby's part for the game.

Craig Mazin is a hack, everything he has made before and after Chernobyl has been awful, he was never the right choice to have as showrunner.

It’s no surprise that the only half decent episode this season is the one helmed by Druckmann and co written by Halley Gross.

Shame such amazing source material has been wasted with awful adapting and mediocre writing.

I think TLOU2 is a masterpiece and one of the best video games ever made but I have zero desire to watch the show after episode 2.

So would a different story in the same universe be the answer or is the adaptation and expectation of the game the issue?

I still think they should have saved Joel's death or potential death for the end of season 2 and built up the rest of the story in other ways somehow I think if they did a sopranos style fade black right as Joel get popped with the butt of the shotgun that would have been a really good way to end season 2 and have people claiming for season 3.
That being said I am all for a different take on something I've experienced already. I personally don't want to see you the same exact thing I played in the video game played out in tv beat for beat

@Zman0069 All art forms have critical analysis. If it's sent out for public consumption then people have a right to judge it.

I do agree with the Aaron here, in that although the scene in question delivers a great emotional punch, but knowing that it was a scene revealed at the end of the game makes me wonder if it has played its hand too early to have conveyed what it did in the game.

I also had a small issue with the way Joel was portrayed in this episode as far the whole Eugene segment. It was fine up until he lied about the way he died. Even though Joel was not always a good man, it seemed a little out of character to try to deceive that way.

Nevertheless, I’m thoroughly enjoying the show, as I did the game. Apparently I’m one of the few who actually is getting enjoyment out of both. 😅

@Kienda that would probably depend on whether somebody is criticising it because they don't like the writing, directing, acting etc., or whether they are being an immature incel and criticising it for happening to feature characters and storylined that include sexual orientations & gender identities different to their own.

Like the difference between people who criticise Dr Who for its often terrible writing lately, and the idiots criticising it for having a non-white gay actor in the lead role.

It's not rocket science.

Man, this show has an almost compulsive need to say the quiet parts out loud. I don't need Joel crying and pouring his heart out to Ellie to understand that he deeply loves her. The game beautifully accomplished this during that porch scene with a few words and a choked-up "yep..." from Joel. Naughty Dog are terrific at saying so much with so little, yet this show consistently flies in the opposite direction of that storytelling philosophy.

This whole season has been off imo. I love the second game and they've just messed with the sequences too much.
Starting with Abby laying out her intention in the first scene robbed the shock of her shooting Joel and then the hate toward her character till you get her backstory which I guess would be season 3 in the show.
To Tommy not being their which is gonna rob the story of the moment later on in the farm.
Not starting the season with Joel playing future days, again robbing the end of the story of it's impact with Ellie's revenge quest ending her ability to play the guitar and that song.
It's full with instances like this, it's watchable but meh

@Zman0069 First day on the internet?

@Kienda

My sister watched the show having never played the games and lost all interest by episode 3 after THAT scene.

It was a horrible decision back then and it shows now. But remember, we can't provide criticism or we are problematic.

This show is pretty similar to other big adaptions lately, like House of Dragon, Wheel of Time, The Witcher etc in that whenever the writers change or add something to the story, it's 99% of the time just pure &%¤#.

Bad writing is the main problem, along with bad casting which has been TLoU's problem all along. Production-wise/visually I really think they've nailed the look of the games, however.

@Kienda I find it ironic that PlayStation wants to add more "artistic legitimacy" to The Last of Us by raising it above the realm of video games and into the world of "premier" television, yet the show is far less subtle, well-written, and visually striking than the games. Like you said, The Last of Us should have stayed in the realm of video games, and it was a hell of a lot better there.

I don't watch the show because I really disliked the story of TLOU2, but I have a morbid curiosity about it and have been reading these reviews for that reason.

Why is it that the episode reviews constantly highlight glaring flaws in the show, but it's still getting a pass no matter what?

A week or two ago, the reviewer said it might have to be downgraded from "a masterpiece" to merely "great." But every week, one of the main topics is how weak the performance is from the LEAD ACTRESS, whose character is the linchpin of the entire show. Every choice they've made regarding the structure of the story has apparently made it weaker instead of stronger.

Is there anything they could do with this show to earn an unapologetically negative review? I don't get it.

@RBMango Exactly! The games have more nuance and don't have this level of exposition.

@Vectrex Agreed. Can't stand Bella as Ellie so I have not watched a minute of season 2. I'm happy with my memory of the game and I will leave it at that.

The best episode of each season was directed by Neil Druckmann. It's almost like he knows this story, world, and characters. Who knew?

But seriously, season two has been significantly dumbed down for television compared to the game. All the subtlety, nuance, and well-paced world building has been forgotten, in place of just playing the hits from the game. I don't know how you stretch out the remainder of the game into even one more season, let alone two

@LifeGirl it's literally the entire point of last of us 2, what else were they supposed to do? Keep him alive and then what ? It turns into the some random survival tv show,enough of them around right now, so no thanks, they have to follow the story somewhat, but I guess damned if they do, damned if they don't

I went into the second season prepared to be disappointed in comparison to the game, because the structure of the game doesn't really fit well into a regular TV series structure, or any kind of passive media really. There is a part of the review that talks about how one of the best parts of the game is being able to put things in new contexts as you play through it. Play through it being the operative phrase.

The show could be doing a much better job of not saying the quiet part out loud all of the time. But it is inevitable that the season was going to be more blunt, because the story is being expressed to people sitting back on their couches instead of scouring every corner of the environment in Ellie or Abby's shoes as gamers were in TLOU2.

It doesn't mean that a tv series can't make subtle connections (Andor just gave us a really good example of a series doing this). I am just saying that people passively watching have different expectations, and laying out the story in a more straightforward manner was always to be expected.

I told my wife when Season 1 was announced that the first season was going to be acclaimed and the second season was going to be more challenging for people. Not just because of what happened to Joel (also not the norm for television), but because the structure is not what TV viewers are generally accustomed to. It was always going to be either too straightforward compared to the game, or too disjointed for normal TV structure. I am still enjoying the show, but not as much as the game. And I am not at all surprised Season 2 is not getting the same flowers as Season 1. Part 2 was great for a game, challenging to put on TV.

@joeyflannel I have heard nothing about where the show is going so I am just speculating, but I bet we spend a big portion of the time from Abby's perspective in Season 3.

Well it's inspired me to finally start my second playthrough of Part 2. It has that going for it at least.

@Westernwolf4 Yeah, forgot about that. That would make sense

I like the show and the episode for what it is. It obviously will never compare to the game in terms of execution but I think it does a fine job conveying the story to the masses. I don't see massive issues in the writing although it can be heavy handed at times. Anyway I am enjoying it well enough

I believe this episode was called “The Price” and not “Scars.”

Bella is so bad. She’s actually made Ellie super unlikeable. And she hasn’t even turned psycho-killer yet.

Game Ellie was cool and smart. Show Ellie is dumb AF and a total brat for no reason. She doesn’t have an ounce of what made game Ellie such a beloved character.

It’s not even the look (which is awful) but the lack of talent and understanding of who Ellie is.

I’m sure she’ll win several Emmy’s come awards season 🤮

I really think the show, for the sake of not making Abby too hated (it's different being forced to control the character vs watching a tv show), should have ran Ellie and Abby's stories parallel through S02 before more or less ending on Joel's death scene. That way it creates viewers conflict into which side is right and wrong, or if Abby is even justified (given her dad was going to murder a kid after less than a day studying the immunity) by letting you sit with her and seeing her journey. I'd actually love an option to play the game that way, like how Beyond: 2 Souls eventually did.

@WhyUSoObessedWithMe while I agree Bella isn't outstanding in the role, I'd argue your grievances are more with the writers and directors than with her. It's not her fault that's the material she's been given to portray.

TLOU2 is one of my favorite games of all times but it's one of the most depressing games of all times and that's the reason I haven't watch season 2 yet

It's always easy to watch something and not like it because it doesn't portray the same events as the source material, but for me although I think the new season is decent so far, I am in puzzlement over certain decisions that the game did much better in a narrative sense. Ellie is almost a completely different character whose motivations are all over the place. Abby is pretty much non-existent in the show, and if we are supposed to either hate her or sympathize with her nothing has been shown to influence that in any way other than killing off Joel. Maybe they are planning that for the next season. I just don't see what the big picture is so far, as narratively it's pretty uncohesive.

@Americansamurai1 the problem is… if it takes 2-3 years for the next season to be released, who is even going to care? They should have filmed the whole thing back-to-back and released the final bunch of episodes next year. 2-3 years is too long a wait to see how it ends. They’ve made such a mess of this show.

@Perturbator Yeah, HotD was irreparably damaged by the atrocious writing in S2. It’s a shame because S1 was excellent.

What happened to all the great writers? Why have standards slipped so much? There must be a reason.

@MrMeeeseeeks very true, not sure why they didn't film it all back to back. Should have filmed season 2-4 at once and released it yearly. Would have probably been cheaper to do as well

To be fair it makes zero sense to put the end scene in series 3 or 4, years and years away. Watching it in a room full of people who don’t know the story, it’s safe to say they stuck the landing on this one.

@MrMeeeseeeks It's pretty sad actually... for many years I was hoping for a movie/show adaption of the First Law book series, but these days I'm just praying that never happens so yet another good story won't get ruined by some awful adaption.

Been watching it with my wife who’s not a gamer and doesn’t know the story and she’s really enjoying it. I’m enjoying it for what it is an adaption of a video game for people who don’t game

The games are certainly very good games and well made but, IMHO, are also somewhat overrated. Maybe it’s because I played the first one a few years after it came out, but I definitely didn’t think it was THEGREATESTGAMEEVERMADEINTHEHISTORYOFEVERANDDON’TYOUDARESAYOTHERWISE!!!!! Same for the sequel.
As for the TV show, It’s definitely well done entertainment and I enjoy watching it but there’s no question it has its issues, much of which has been discussed on this site already so I won’t belabor the point. Suffice it to say, it’s a good story that works well in both mediums but isn’t the be-all, end-all many make it out to be.

@Th3solution If you didn't understand that Joel was trying to do right by Gail and give her a good last memory of her husband instead of the truth in order to give her sollace amidst the pile of ***** surrounding the entire situation, then I don't know what to tell you.

Joel was very clearly lying in order to serve what he saw as a greater good (bend the truth so Gail can sleep better sort of thing). It's the exact same thing he did, though at a smaller scale/with lower stakes, regarding Ellie and the Fireflies. How can you say that'd be out of character for him?? Him lying to do right by someone is literally the biggest defining part of the character.

It was Ellie being an immature ***** in that moment who overstepped in the name of the truth. It directly echoes her drive to get the truth out of Joel regarding the hospital, consequences be damned.

It was their entire relationship in a nutshell. I thought that part was pretty brilliantly showing that.

@roe Same here. I intentionally spoiled myself during "SpoilerGate" for Part 2 to make sure I'd still be alright with playing it. I had no idea Abby's part would be so long, or that they would literally flip things around and make you fight Ellie as Abby, something I didn't want to do at all because I was playing the game to experience the story as Ellie.

Just as the showrunner made the obvious mistake of putting Joel's death early on like it was in the game, he's also going to be left with a MAJOR problem in Season 3 when most of it is Abby. There's going to be a solid portion of the viewership out there that isn't going to want to watch almost a whole season of Abby with a little Ellie and friends sprinkled in. That is if they cram a lot into this season's finale and are only doing 3 seasons.

Funny how this article implies TLOUII's Story is "genius". You can't polish a turd, but you sure can amplify how bad it stinks.

Is the real enemy...MAAAAAAAANNNN?!?!?!?
lol

@LimitedPower 100% with you here. As someone who loves the games dearly (particularly Part II, my GOAT among games), I found the direct comparison between the game and the show to be mostly useless as an exercise. Why? There's a number of reasons.

1) Being faithful to the source material doesn't equal copying it as is, regardless of the medium. Maybe that'll blow someone's mind, but sometimes you have to make changes to the story in order to better translate it between different modes of storytelling.

2) As someone SO familiar with the original story, I can only imagine how bored I would be watching a carbon copy of it. I got a sense of that with certain scenes in both seasons that directly pull the dialogue and shot compositions from the game. More often than not, in aping the original, those just feel weaker by comparison. And extrapolating those on the whole thing... I think that would feel absolutely lifeless and phony. There is something to be said about the show having its own identity and dignity about how it tells this story.

3) The changes have been mostly smart and interesting and gave me as a fan a chance to look at the world and characters, that I already love, under a different, wider lense. And on the creator's side of the coin, it gave them the ability to be creative and excited in a way they couldn't be if they were relegated to just retell something that has already been told many years ago.

Like you said, I think there is a strange disregard for the original creator's awareness of how certain changes affect the narrative. I mean, can we have a bit more faith in them making those changes for good reasons that will make themselves more apparent down the line? Or scratch that, not even faith, just basic observation skills. Like, have you watched the same show i did? They did that kind of thing all this time up to this point! To have alternate ways of exploring the things the game did and the things it didn't even touch upon. And this alternate path has its own strengths supported by these changes and unique leverages the TV format presents.

Whether or not these deviations from the canon were and will be to everyone's liking is another story (of course they won't, and that's fine), but to just not address that at all when critiquing this scene's placement within the grand narrative is silly to me. Even within the episode the placement of the scene had different strength to it, tying it to the overarching theme of growing as a child and as a parent. Again, not mindlessly putting the scene where they felt like it, but carefully sewing the familiar with the new.

@MFTWrecks Thanks for clarifying. I hadn’t considered Gail would prefer the mental vision of Eugene taking his own life as opposed to being shot. Like I said, I understood Joel’s logic up to that point, but when he changed the story about who pulled the trigger it felt self-serving there for a second, like he didn’t want to shoulder her ire or be labeled as the guy who killed Eugene. But I suppose suicide was the more heroic vision for Gail to imagine. Very ‘Japanese Seppuku’ in philosophy. The scene makes more sense with that in mind.

I think ellie almost cracked a smile in this episode and thus its worth it for that!!
I dont understand the fuss about the scene; whether she knew he had saved her at the possible expense of mankind or not she is in full on revenge mode imho in reflection of his years as a loving guardian, not as a result of that 10 minutes in the hospital.

@Bunchesopuppies Yes, this is a game site; so, obviously that matters. There's another site that dabbles into everything, and Isn't Great at aNy of it.
This isn't it.

Decent episode. First half was a long yaaaaaaawn, second half was better. Sadly still ruined by a certain casting-choice that removes all emotional impact from every single scene it is in.

I'm sorry, everyone is very upset and is mortally wounded by the show.

I'm enjoying it. As an alternative, instead of watching the episodes and rushing online to tell everyone it causes you so much pain, there are several books I can recommend that are great.

@Th3solution Don't get me wrong, I think Joel lying in those situations is ABSOLUTELY self serving. But he is doing it, in his mind, to shoulder that burden instead of lay it upon the other person's shoulders.

It's why it's such a tragic character flaw. You can see why he does it here, why he did it to/for Ellie, but in the end it costs him his life. It's simple to imagine doing the same thing for someone you know. You fudge the truth because a "littler white lie" won't hurt them, but in the end it's that exact thing that costs him his life (let alone the lives of anyone who could have been saved had the Fireflies succeeded with the cure). It's the crux of his character.