Why Apocalypse Stories Feel Different Now
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
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About this video essay:
An exploration of the evolution of apocalypse stories, and of how The Last of Us, Station Eleven, and The Leftovers are shifting the emphasis of the genre towards a more hopeful and humanistic tone.
Content:
00:00 The Ever-Evolving Apocalypse
01:16 The Last of Us
08:28 Station Eleven
13:02 The Leftovers
16:56 Changing the Meaning of Hope
20:49 World War Z
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Really enjoyed this insight. Left a fuller comment in the main thread. Thank you.
Try living in a world where it already seems like an apocalypse.
Not because of covid or social interactions.
But a neglect of those with negative ones 24/7 by "happy" people.
Being in constant pain due to toxic positivity zero connections to be on fight daily and not even alone to fly away.
Some of us live and survive like this and many laughing at our suffering.
What of these people rather than an viral infection? Long before anything. Nothing to lose. During the peaceful times for the majority?
With suicide never coming into light just "living".
Do a Review on Zeitgeist addendum
No because it would just be people talking about how sad they are or some crap. My emotions (눈‸눈)
I feel that the appeal to apocalypse stories like these is a sense of 'the return of meaningful action'. There's less people to replace you, less structure to adhere to, and less pressure to conform to, and in many ways that can feel liberating, knowing that nobody else around may know how to tend a vegetable garden as well as you, and it is your joy and your personal calling to do just that, and thus feeling like you are making a real difference to the world around you, while also not being forced or expected to shape your personality or beliefs to a large structured society's standards.
Wow... You put my feelings into words... All I want to do is grow plants. If all hell broke loose, I'd be free to do just that. I've got hermetically sealed totes full of seeds of all types.
The selfish desire to literally destroy societal stability so that we have overall less peace in totalityjust so I as an individual have a little bit more personal peace and significance.
Maybe a bit more self awareness and rationality is needed not the destruction of the collective machine for production?
What’s crazy is that if you want to… you really could return to that life style. Communities like that exist.
Or you could just go off the grid. Live off the land.
Not in America tho. Because someone would own the land, and even if you owned it you’d have to make enough money to pay taxes on it…
You really can’t just build a life anymore.
You can’t go into the woods and just start building a cabin. Which is BS. Tho it makes sense. If they did let you do that I doubt as many of us would keep killing ourselves for bosses that hate us.
Apocalypse stories show how much we live in a falsely structured world, that what we find to be valuable has no value in that world.
While you put it nicely, it is rather well known "science" that people struggling for survival have more "meaning" in their life and less time to get bored and depressed. Not much to add to your idea though :)
In the Last of Us (HBO show, and to a lesser extent, the game), the apocalypse is very obviously NOT the end of history; and I think that's a powerful message.
I believe that humanity won't dissapear if there's something that wipes the majority of people out of earth, some people will survive
Exactly it shows people can go up through the worst and get back up it's very realistic
Very powerful message
@@heassik3088 We're resilient little fuckers. I genuinely think there is nothing beyond a massive asteroid that could get rid of us for good. And we're already testing asteroid defence systems.
Why to a lesser extent the game? Folks been acting like the game had one or two lines of dialogue and the show created all the rest wtf
20:32 I also came to this realization watching Last of Us. The difference between surviving and living. It was episode 3 when it clicked. Joel and Bill go through the motions of surviving to see the next day. Almost mechanical. Frank and Ellie on the other hand are living: having fun, making connections. The badass survivors have also become zombies in their own right.
very interesting perspective. I was just arguing about the immediacy of death and suffering in post-apocalyptic settings makes need to survive and act clear. In this manner, we could say that post-apocalyptic life is simplified compared to modern life, where societal stability and abundance makes survival and action less self-evident.
But I had not thought about the distinction between survival and living...
I think you have the ppl backwards.
Wait until you realize we don’t need an apocalypse for people to be living in survival mode in the current world
I'd rather be the survivalist than be like Frank or Ellie being incompetent and silly
Except they had a each other and are shown to enjoy their life and that it’s ok to settle down, they don’t have to be out and are show to be far from struggling, most likely having normal days free to themselves, hell they are shown to have hobbies and to have developed artistic skills with that time and can have the resources to do so.
They can just enjoy the mundane and I think that’s beautiful in its own right.
The idea that humans have a built in resistance to despair is interesting. I recall reading that humans almost went extinct, possibly falling to as little as 2000 people. It'd be interesting if this resilience in the face of the apocalypse is inherited from ancestors who survived an apocalypse of their own.
Correct ! A small pocket in Asia I believe, survived . We are resilient .
@@july9566 Can we get more context on this?
@@Dani_1012 Look up the Toba Eruption; I believe that's what they're referring to
This didn't happen
@@Dani_1012it is widely speculated that the supervolcano in Indonesia erupted 70,000+ years ago. The ash and dirt from the eruption is believed to have covered the sun for around 6 years which made plant-based food scarce making foraging unsustainable. Also, it ultimately also affected the animals mankind used to hunt then. There's also a theory that this eruption is why the remains of mankind from 100,000 years ago are significantly larger... to survive the scarcity of food, humanity had to size down. We literally are smaller than our ancestors...we could say we are descendants of giants :')
I went to emergency room at our local hospital the other night. The waiting area was standing room only, the 2m distance stickers almost worn off the floors; aisles were crowded with dozens of sleeping homeless people, shopping carts mounded with trash blocking the ways; security guards? too many to count; two young men under guard, secured to wheelchair via tie straps yelling profanity; the nurse who installed my iv quietly wept and apologized for it....we are not so far from breaking. Thank you for offering good time stories to help me deny the truths at hand. God bless, and good luck.
that is an experience. Where did this take place, as in country?
@@cleigh113 I live in a small (65,000) northern town in Ontario, Canada. I was at the hospital from about 5pm until near midnight. The care and attention I received was top quality - the nurses unbelievably attentive. The environment, however, was absolute chaos; 3 code whites (violent person) while I was there. The hospital is a designated warming center for the homeless during colder nights. Drug abuse is out of control.
@@jlloydb1of9 Don't forget, that's one room on one bad night and it's designed to solve those problems, but it also concentrates them. Last few years have been tough on everybody, we'll get through it. Our parents went through worse and our grandparents before them too.
@@userJohnSmith thank you, for offering a more optimistic perspective.
@@jlloydb1of9 My dad was a prosecutor growing up. He lived in a world inundated with the worst of humanity, he refused to let it consume him and was an ever present positive force in my life. Everytime I get down, I just remind myself he dealt with murderers and rapists, daily, and came home smiling.
Before, we imagined how we’d die in a apocalypse. Now, we understand how we live in one.
I wonder if that could be said about living in a dictatorship.
What does that mean really? Apocalypse, then?
@@SGR403 Literally means modern life is a fucking stress and it sucks might as well call it an apocalypse experience already.
im14andthisisdeep
@@KokorocodonIt makes a lot more sense to call it a dystopia than an apocalypse
I feel like since covid began in 2020, many of us also felt the things you pointed out in this video, constant longing for connection, meaning, purpose, missing our loved ones, distrusting the current institution, fear of the future and the unknown, many of us have lost someone because of covid, many lost their jobs, properties, etc, this theme is relevant now more than ever.
Even tho the world didn't end, as in post apocalyptic and apocalyptic stories, we still felt so vulnerable and fragile, the fact that the foundation of our society was shaken to it's core due to the pandemic, our governments, families, lives as we know it, will never be the same again.
Not same for you sure kid, but my life got better since pandemic, I made money from it and now living it up.
I think... we are at the start of the apocalypse... it doesn't happen in one day..or a year... or even ten... it takes more time... I don't think we'd know when it was over until we got to the post-apocalyptic stage... idk maybe I'm just a pessimist... but in some ways I kinda hope for the end of the world as we now know it.
@@YoWotm8Lol well then you are the minority sir
Covid just showed how evil the System we live in is.
A Tate Fanboy.
Did you buy some minors in East Europe and forced them into prostitution?
Man, I still can't hear Bill saying "you were my purpose" without breaking down again. So beautiful...
😭😭😭
That makes two of us😢
I came to the comments area just to write about that line. I've never even seen the show & Nick Offerman made me cry! 8:22
Could someone please tell me what is wrong with the guy in the wheelchair? @@abisspassenger
@@DonnaBrooks it's a post-apocalypse story, we don't get a precise diagnosis. There's a scene where we see Offerman badly injured and the other guy is desperately tending to him, and then it flashes forwards many years and Offerman is the able-bodied one and his beloved is in a wheelchair with deteriorating mobility. It seems like a neurological disease like Motor Neurone to me.
I'm a mental health practitioner for chronically suicidal folks, and this isn't just how we survive the apocalypse, this is how we build lives worth living in the here and now. We need each other as much as we need food, air, or water
perpetuation of normalcy for you and those you love is all prepping is
Perhaps I'm emotional and more prone to crying than your average person, but I spent nearly the entire segment on Station Eleven in tears. I have a lot of doubts about the future we face and being reminded that things might still be alright, even if things go terribly wrong, feels like a warm hug from someone I've missed. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ive desperately needed this new found emotional breathing room.
You can read station eleven or what I really recommend is A Psalm for the Wild Built. It's a short novel about a utopia where humanity actually managed to save the world and redesign our societies to take care of our planet. It feels like a warm hug too. And it makes me feel hopeful even though I am very pessimistic about our future, regarding climate change
Omg, I was just here wondering why I also had such a strong reaction. I chuckled and felt like crying at the same time. It was so relieving.
I didn’t feel sad out of worry, only empathy, because I have peace from Jesus. Even if you’re already a Christian these are a good reminder!
“
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
“ John 3:16-21 (NIV)
“
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
“ Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)
@@Ariel_is_a_dreamer virtual hug ;-;
The thing about Station Eleven is that it makes the real world look like the apocalyptic one
Does the video contain spoilers?
@@imnotusingmyrealname4566 nope
@@warandpoetry9542 ah thx, perfect so I can watch it
Well said. Station Eleven the TV show is a very hopeful vision. The book it is based on isn't so hopeful. I preferred the TV show.
... that's cause it is. This is not the best humanity has to offer, this is a misstep along the path. We have so much, yet have done nothing to resolve the actual issues of our time. When we get past this, we'll look back on this as an age every bit as barbaric as the "dark ages" (yes, I'm aware that's a horseshit term for laymen). Nero's fiddling will be but a mild joke compared to 1.5 billion fiddlers actively shooting flamethrowers into their own homes. This time we're living in will be seen as the most childish, self absorbed, and evil time of humanity; where we had so much and did nothing with it but evil. That'll be an oversimplification of course, there is still good being done, its literally what's going to get us past this, but only the exceptionally privileged would see this as a golden age.
The show is so good. When you first get to see the city, I was blown away. They did such a good job on capturing the feeling of the world.
As someone who didn't play the game, i was in awe
The show is not good, the game is. And instead of making an adaptation and interpretation they follow the storys and scenes nearly 1 by 1!
@@For4Reel game is a great, the show is good.
@@For4Reel uhhhhh no they dont. a lot of the show is different
@@For4Reel bruh the story is the same just the way it progressed is different and theyre adding elements that werent even in the game something a proper adaptation is supppsed to do
I think one of the things that attracts us to post-apocalypse stories is the freedom they offer. Evolution hasn't changed us to any significant degree for many thousands of years. Our most basic needs and desires are no different to those of our forebears who wandered the plains of Africa, the forests of Europe and the steppe and mountains of Asia. In sharp contrast, our modern world demands different things of us. From the moment we become truly conscious, we're herded through school and then into work to sell our time on this earth for everything from our most basic requirements to increasingly fabulous novelties to ease the pain of our way of life. In many respects we're born into captivity.
I think the end of the world represents the breaking of that cage that our Paleolithic selves are trapped within. It's a fantasy, of course; such a life would often be harsh and short, but it is still a life that our instincts were made from, and from which all our fundamental drives and behaviours derive. Love, companionship, the banding together against shared adversity, and the urge to wander, to be free beyond the abstract concepts of political theory.
In short, as you put it, our true natures.
The thing is, our nature will change. We are still evolving and if we live long enough we will keep changing. It's unfortunate that there is such a disconnect between our nature and way of life but answer to that is slowly evolving nature not regressing as society. It's a bit like cottage core the romanticization of simple agrarian culture but only fantastic version of it.
It is incredibly rare I come across deep and valuable comments on this platform. I very much enjoyed your writing and admired your thinking and perception of reality my friend.
So well said. I share your sentiment
Oddly reminded of the movie Warm Bodies; how it's connection that ultimately saves humanity, not the closing of borders and distrust in others. It's a bit of a silly Romeo and Juliet-esque romcom set in a zombie apocalypse, but that message in the end honestly is why I like it so much.
Signed in just to reply bc Warm Bodies is one of my favorites. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it because the author has said that he wrote it in response to the current state of the world we're in and it takes the themes a whole lot further. It makes a lot of R's comments about "just wanting to connect" that much more effective. I remember being so pissed at how the movie was marketed as a romance (and to be fair, the romance is there) when the dark humor and overall message was what was really special about it for a zombie story.
There's also some banger quotes in the book like "There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it." and "We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next." Highly recommend :)))) Can you tell it's my favorite book?
"It demonstrates that regardless of our circumstances, it will always be human beings finding each, loving each other, and quietly living out fulfilling lives together." 🥰😊
The video is way too optimistic about people
@@LuisSierra42 As he said in the essay, having an optimistic outlook doesn't mean we can't be skeptical, much like the characters in Station Eleven. You can do both and still be a good person, it is really not that hard.
@@DaRkasSet13 In order to see what would happen with society if a government collapses, we just have to take a look at the many countries where this has happened, Haiti, Libya, Syria, Somalia, etc. People naturally form gangs and they start fighting each other for resources in the same way societies used to work in ancient times, so i don't believe that if civilization collapses, people are going to be mostly dancing and singing all around
@@LuisSierra42 We would not be where we are today if hUmAN nATurE was inherently bad. Chaos and destruction can bring about the worst of us, but that doesn't mean everyone will do so. In the current day, criminal and greedy acts are very much products of bad environments and still make up a very low percentage of the worlds actual population. If everything ends the majority of people aren't going to suddenly turn evil, and it is you being too pessimistic rather then us/this video being too optimistic.
@@gavingleason650 but that low percentage is a high percentage of our leadership soooo yeah
“I was never afraid before you came along”
Bruh. I felt that.
Whenever I watch post apocalyptic shows I always, ALWAYS, remember the way some places went through with COVID. Some places, with people inside their homes, nature slowly began to come back, wild animals etc (hence the meme "nature's healing"). This was such a great video. Thank you!
I think the major thing I remember besides wildlife exploring empty communities/cities (which isn't a surprise, Chernobyl as an example was cleared of any humans but its wildlife thrived after everyone left), was that our air apparently got a bit cleaner with everyone staying inside/not driving their cars. Wild to think about three years later.
I remember seeing a piece on how The canals and Venice are cleaner and the water's clearer and you can see fish and everything for the 1st time in decades after covid..... The healing doesn't seem to take long given time...
@@devinhyde1139 There were also videos and photos of potted plants overgrowing inside offices. And that was only the span of 1 - 2 years. So the statement that it really doesn't take long for the world to heal is true in a sense.
@YoMomsAHo incorrect the nature healing meme came from the fact that wildlife around the world was returning to urban environments in the face of covid lockdowns. the dolphins apocryphal return to venice was downstream of this phenemon
I remember seeing videos about how the canals in Venice, Italy being so calm that the dolphins came back. It was one of those beautiful moments during lockdown.
So happy to see Station 11 here! This story is one of the best I've seen about surviving after the end, not to kill each other, but to heal each other.
👍👍👍
remember the reunion of the adult Kirsten and aging Jeevan, wow. the emotion.
Finally, humans are filled with possibilities. We adapt, not only to our environments, but to the stories we tell each other. If the story is "everyone is selfish and untrustworthy," we act accordingly. We need to make stories we can live in. I love "survival is not enough," it emphasizes the kind of mindset we need to survive the future.
There's been a similar movement in sci-fi. Anyone who's read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet will know what I mean. It feels refreshing to me. And honest. Episode 3 of the Last of Us is one of the most beautiful pieces of television I've ever seen, and I'm so glad it exists.
The end of the most recent book (our spaces and the ground between?) had me ~howling~ by the end.
You might really like Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. It goes through the intensity of the changing climate, but envisions a world where we act and create something better for the ones who come after us.
episode 3 sucked.
And we are fortunate to be alive now to watch it
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is amazing. I just read it
STATION ELEVEN is my jam! I freaking love this series and convinced a friend to watch it with me. I thought he was going to watch only a few episodes, but it turned into a marathon and, in the end, he sat there crying, in stunned silence, when the final episode concluded. He eventually whispered, "Thank you for this, Thank you so much for this." I've known him for 27 years and last year was the first time I saw him cry. Interestingly, he's been avoiding THE LEFTOVERS as though it's a plague. He watched one episode and stopped. He said he doesn't believe he will be able to handle it.
There are some things that change us, fundamentally. CHILDREN OF MEN was one of those movies for me. THE LEFTOVERS and STATION ELEVEN are the shows that have done this to me, ANDOR, surprisingly, also did this to me. And, already, THE LAST OF US has been holding the same power. It's not enough to focus on survival. We require connection and love. That's where the light resides.
Andor and Station Eleven were very powerful for me too! I havent seen the other you mentioned but I will definitely check them out. I was crying for a lot of of Station Eleven 😅
I absolutely loved what they did with the Last of Us to make a beautiful story instead of a depressing one.
Plus, it was such a moving story and the actors did such a great job. We need more optimistic post apocalypses.
I love your pitch for the World War Z sequel.
I was disheartened when I saw how far the movie strayed from the original book, and really wished they had explored more of the stories. Now, I think the stage has been perfectly set (with the pandemic sort of passed) to explore the nuance of those stories in a new life. Even though the real world pandemic wasn’t as drastic as zombies, people are still scrambling to find the humanity in the last few years of isolation. Exploring that humanity in these mediums is showing to be extremely well received if the heart is in the right place.
I agree, World war Z is a collection of accounts thanks to the interviewer and I would really love to see each of those stories in an episodic way I mean if they can make the Last of Us they can definitely make a book-faithful WorldWar Z
I was hoping they would take the approach which has been so successful with other movies like, Magnolia, Traffic, or Babel, in which they used famous international casts playing a cameo roles. It could have used the documentary approach that worked so well in District 9. The approach they took was the only thing that marred the final product; relying on the star power of Brad Pitt to carry the whole thing. I’m a big fan of Pitt, but let’s face it? One guy had to be on the scene of every single pivotal event during the rapid, chaotic breakdown of society? It was that bonkersness which robbed the movie of the one thing the book had going for it: its plausibility.
Zombie media is generally not to my taste, but World War Z? I adore that book. WHen i read it the first time, i simply could not stop. WHen i reread it recently, same thing happened.
I liked world war zimmerman
I'm still haunted about the story of the family that drive into the wilderness in Canada and live out their car in a wider community. And then things just slowly unravel when they realise that none of them have the skills to live out there. It's been seared in my mind forever. It's been 12 years since I've read it.
The Leftovers really is a perfect show. Three tight seasons that told an original story in a perfect way. It takes the "mystery box" concept that the other creator of Lost (the one with more fame and less talent) constantly talks about, but actually makes the mystery an important part of the story. "I think I'll just let the mystery be."
It's pure magic. In my darkest hours, when I'm struggling with fear and losing hope, a new essay from LSOO is there and my trust in "us" returns slowly.
The “green apocalypse” trend as of late reminds me a lot of the post apocalypse world we saw in the original Time Machine and Planet of the Apes
As a wheelchair bound person who takes 13+ meds I hope that im just taken out with the first wave or I just end it. I feel like this new world there would be no place for a person like me, especially I'm sure there would be no way even if I didn't take medications. It always makes me feel sad.
Virtual hugs to you.
Hang in there bud
We are not there so it's good at least!
Half of my family went through cancer surgeries/treatments and at times when people romanticize "simple times" or any type of libertarian society the only thing I can think about is how all of them would be dead. The are rotten issues with our world now but they are solvable and life now in general IS better than it was in the past for any type of marginalized community.
I’m injured and useless
I don’t take pain meds so there’s that but I’ve nothing to contribute besides my knowledge n rational skills. I cant even demo most anything. I can’t type but on a phn, laying down. 1 finger yeah. No book happening.
Frustrating is an understatement
Knowledge and wisdom to use it- high value in that.
The Leftovers is an absolute MASTERPIECE. The story isn't about what happened, but about how we move on.
To touch on one small part of your presentation that touched me in the show…I felt that Bill and Frank’s romance was so beautiful (and would have been beautiful no matter the couple in this setting) because they were able to build this love and romance completely removed from the weight of others, either good or bad. It was literal years before they met any others at all, and it was ok because they weren’t treated as anything but themselves by Joel and Tess. A wonderful exploration.
Such a wonderful essay. The Leftovers is my favorite television series ever, and Station Eleven is near the top as well. The Last of Us Part II is the best game I've ever played. The connecting themes between them all are so strong, I love this type of storytelling.
All of these shows also use bottle flashback episodes as an exquisite storytelling device - see Ep 3 of The Last of Us with Bill and Frank, or S1E3 and 4 of The Leftovers (among others), or several episodes of Station Eleven, specifically E5 "The Severn City Airport". All three shows owe a lot to a modern pioneer of this device - LOST (no coincidence that the showrunner there created The Leftovers).
The leftovers is a hidden gm, amazing acting , music , a crime it wasn’t more popular
>TLOU 2 is the best game I've ever played
My condolences
@@buildman126 It made me do a double take ngl XD
@@buildman126 oh would it kill you to be okay with people finding joy in things you hate???
@@nessie7306he meant the storyline dude it’s absolutely terrible due to a certain company writing it
Station Eleven was a beautiful representation of a realistic post apocalyptic world. We as people don’t only need water and food to survive but also entertainment and art to truly thrive.
This feels so intuitive to me. I think a lot of people or age, that are now entering the writing field in earnest, looked at things like the Walking Dead as a refuge from the failing economy of our early careers. Looking at these types of stories as fondly remembered places full of hope and opportunity, seems so very natural.
Station eleven is a severely underrated show. It damn near made me cry at the ending. It’s so good poetically
One of the best things I've ever watched. Book is also good, but the show was perfect in how it delivered the story.
Thank you for featuring The Leftovers - that show changed my life. I wish more people knew about it.
Yeah, that show is something else, maybe more crazy than the book.
It's amazing. I just wish that there was more similar shows. The shows I've seen that has given me somewhat similar vibes (but are still very different) is Midnight Gospel and Undone.
incredibly good show
It is amazing ❤
Damn it, there is simply no one on the internet who so consistently moves me and enriches my perspective on great works of cinema and television. Thank you for doing what you do. You deserve every success that comes your way.
Most of humankind is inherently peaceful and loving, even the people that participate in violence. The outliers of humanity are the people that are born not being able to understand or feel empathy. All of this crap where they say "this is just human nature" violence is learned and it is something that we experience, not something that is natural to us.
Hands down the best channel on RUclips. I've not even seen any of these shows (yet) and I found myself deeply emotional at the discussion around each of them. Thank you for "holding back the apocalypse one good day at a time" (killer line).
In these scenarios, the one thing that is different from previous times is "resource abundance" (at least at the start). In other words, a world where people's access to the things they need to survive (land, housing, tools, food, water, etc) is not limited by the ability to pay. This means that a collective commons can spring up where before life was constricted and brutish because people needed to generate an income at all costs just to survive. A pay to play system. This kind of post-apocalyptic scenario thus produces a non-rivalrous world where human beings can once again reclaim their true nature.
that's why you gotta prep and get out of the cities...more prepared people means fewer people behaving badly
Having played TLOU 10 years ago and watched Station11, The Leftovers finale hit me in such a potent way it will always hold a special place in my heart. Every story develops its own tone and are truly worth watching and I would give my kidneys to be able to forget them and experience them again
"I don't want to survive! I want to LIVE!"
- Captain from Wall•E
The thing about apocalypse films, is it’s about the journey, and what comes with it. It reminds me what grandpa taught;
you are what you carry with you.
Great comment.
I'm preparing for the soon-to-be apocalypse by gathering as much water as i can in order to control a specific subset of the survivors. I'm also thinking of changing my name to something more dramatic like Immortan Joe or something
I'm glad you covered Station Eleven. It's such an underrated show and it's also one of my favorite books.
I always thought it refreshing that the message was that surviving is necessary but is not the only way to live.
"At it's core, humanity will always be what it already is" is a line that rocked me. Wholeheartedly agree with this reading of these stories and lovely to hear this kind of sentiment spoken in hope.
Great video. I love the framing of the apocalypse as a state of mind we encompass and breaking free of that by searching for hope. The Last Of Us is such an interesting case study as a story originally written before the pandemic and now getting a second life after it, and you can feel the way it is shaped by the collective experience of the pandemic. I'm glad it decided to bring a more hopeful message, really loving the series so far. I haven't seen Station Eleven or The Leftovers, I definitely have to add them to my watch list now.
Thank God someone is finally talking about The Leftovers. Amazing show and everyone should go watch now.
finally? were you not around when the show was on and getting acclaim...
It got acclaim by those who watched, but it was a very underrated and underwatched show, never even nominated for any major awards besides critics choice
I tried to get into it and watched up until season 2 because I thought smart people liked it, but god damn is it bad. There are no likable characters.
@S I watched it live and remember people who watched it saying it was great but have literally never met anyone irl who's seen it. Also don't think viewership was that high either.
@Taboowriter I always loved Kevin and think Matt had a pretty great arc (started off as a PoS but grew). The show is kind of about depressed people, so makes sense you might not like any of them. But as succession showed, you don't have to like characters for it to be a good show.
Glad to see love for The Leftovers. I’d include Children of Men as well in the theme of hope & something to live & fight for.
My personal favorite post-apocalypse series is the manga Girls' Last Tour because it take a truly hopeless scenario and finds happiness in it. I'd say a lot of post-apocalyptic stories take place in "mortally wounded" worlds. That is to say if something isn't done soon then humanity will "bleed out" and go extinct, but the bleeding is being stopped with new communities forming (like Jackson in TLOU) and there is a budding hope for the future. The world of GLT on the other hand is one that is letting out it's very last breath. There is no hope for a recovery. It's over before the story begins.
Despite an utterly hopeless reality, GLT is a remarkably lighthearted series following two girls as they travel through this dead world living their day to day life as they scour for means of survival. Even though there's no real hope for the future they can still enjoy life and they have a purpose because they still have each other. They can marvel at and find happiness in the simplest of pleasures like eating freshly baked bread, a scavenged bar of chocolate, or taking a photo together. The world may have ended, but their lives have not and they're going to make the most of their time together. Everything is doomed to end, but that doesn't mean we can't find joy in the time we have.
when you know that the world has ended, it frees one's mind to think about one's own life and nothing beyond that. there's nothing to fight for anymore. just pure hedonism and survival.
I still recommend the World War Z audiobook; it is one of the best. I always thought that the best way to do the book justice would be a Band of Brothers style HBO miniseries. Well, now that 10 years have passed and the streaming revolution has come, it does seem like the time is ripe.
I have always had a strong appeal towards apocolypse stories. I never knew why. Thank you so much for making this video and helping me realize.
You barely even scratched the surface of Station 11 and now I ABSOLUTELY need to watch it.
It’s definitely worth the watch
I was at HBO when "The Leftovers" was made - I read the pilot script and it just felt off - I didn't connect to it at all. Some years later, I was a devoted reader & watcher of post apocalyptic fiction and a friend at HBO said he thought I'd really like it. So I binged it and was blown away. Especially the last two episodes just tore me apart and left me sobbing. It's great storytelling.
Another great video essay on a topic I enjoy, thanks!
I loved the 3rd episode so much. It was a lovely and important contrast from the rest of the show. I would die for Bill and Frank. No questions asked.
I mean no offence when I say this, I love putting on your videos to fall asleep. I do watch them normally but I you are my go to for a nice deep sleep ❤
hahahaha. No offence intended but i watch them at 2x speed
@@LuisSierra42looooool
Soothing voice and deep themes
When post-apocalyptic settings become a fantasy about rebirth of humanity it's a sign of a very troubled times. There's so much things I feel I have to hide, even and especially from people closest to me, because of fear of misunderstanding and hurt. I feel like to do something honest to yourself and your beliefs you have to become braver and braver or to endure more and more fakeness to survive in modern society.
As an example (one of many, but fresh in my mind) I don't remember when I was moved by a scene of any marriage until Frank's and Bill's one. Marriage is horrifyingly interesting and controversial to me - even if it's a sincere act of commitment of two people loving each other I cannot shake the feeling that this one true thing is wrapped in many layers of artificial stuff, easier to swallow if you're wealthy, eager to party or don't mind to go through religious/state procedures. And it all have to follow a strict protocol. Frank and Bill were truly marrying each other, in a very personal and sweet manner, after years of love. They were as real as those strawberries in the garden among desolated land.
"Frank and Bill were truly marrying each other, in a very personal and sweet manner, after years of love. They were as real as those strawberries in the garden among desolated land."
Annnnnnd I'm crying again-
@@KristinaEspinoza If those are good tears then it means a world to me, thank you :)
Cringe
Marriage is a human universal in all known cultures historically. If you have a problem with it, then it may signal something deeper in you, or that our current world is so different than before, or that there has always been something wrong with humans.
I think both features of the apocalypse are equally true, people can be both dangerous and caring because humanity itself is complex. We both have to see the early days of the Covid Pandemic, we saw how people became individualistic and began hoarding a fighting other people for relatively obscure things. Yet, we saw how communities bonded together and helped each other.
Station 11 is so good. It starts kinda flat but really sneaks up on you.
Thank you, Tom, for your words on why both the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic genres have always been very special.
7:08 I’m a queer man, so it’s somewhat rare I see a love story in fiction that proves a good representation of how I would love somebody, but Bill and Frank were perfect, and I think that’s why it got me. Crushed me so bad that I could barely talk for almost half an hour it got me because the first time in popular culture that I had seen a real representation of gay love, the kind of love that I want as an adult, that I can only dream of experiencing for myself, the first time I saw that, it was ripped away, but it wasn’t violent. Their relationship ended the way it had existed, coming from a place of undeniable and beautiful love. They never stopped loving each other and that’s what I long for in my life. That’s why it hurt so much to see it end so soon.
As I'm sure you know, there is no such thing as perfect love, gay, straight, whatever. It doesn't exist.
However, the ideal is useful in improving the real love that we have and express to others.
So I'm not condemning the depiction for not being realistic- perhaps they chose to ignore the bad days and concentrate on the good ones, as one naturally and intelligently does when one is in love.
I have been with the same woman for over 20 years now- since 2001, and we argue semi frequently- although not too seriously.
But a common mistake I see is people clinging to an ideal of perfection. The perfect lover. They judge the person they're with against an imaginary ideal - against a perfection that does not exist. Accepting the other persons humanity- their failings, is the only way to make love last.
And so the warning against perfection.
@@dionmcgee5610 obviously, yeah perfection is unattainable. I think the show knows that though, because the make a point of showing that bill and frank DO argue.
I'm bisexual but I wanted more action in that episode. Some parts was good. But others was too slow
This was one of the main underlying themes of The Walking Dead, mainly its earlier seasons.
Most people only know the show for its viral shock moments and plot twists that became more invasive as the show went on, but it was always the same message as in the video of finding a way to live through an apocalyptic setting that I got a lot from
Your essay has struck a deep chord in me. I feel like these are things that I know, that all of us know deep down. I think I was unable to articulate them until I listened to you speak them out loud.
So thank you, for this beautiful essay, and for giving voice to things that need to be said, and talked about.
Love that line about stepping out of survival and into life.
This commentary and analysis felt like watching a flower bud unfold before my eyes - you let us in to ideas and messages that rang true, and deep. No pretension, no tortured analyses, just a gentle, better understanding. Thank you so very much for sharing your wisdom with us. You are the Professor that we all hope to be lucky enough to meet one of in University. A feast for the mind and heart.
Can we all take a moment to appreciate how funny the Inuit couple was in that short little part. I want to find them and go eat seal blubber or whatever they do. She had me rollin'.
The Leftovers blew my mind.
I loved the show because of how different and creative it was. Like he said-GO NOW if you haven’t seen it!! Go watch it! There’s a huge payoff at the end!
It’s tragic, crazy, and weird albeit INTERESTING. The interweaving storylines are beautifully told and compliment each other in a meaningful way. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen, truly.
These days, the apocalypse isn't a far-fetched idea.
People have been saying that through thousands of years, what we need to concentrate on is being the best selves for others, world is not as bad as news makes you believe it is.
It's no more or less far-fetched than it was when the US and USSR were pointing nukes at each other or when the depression wracked the planet. Humanity is an astounding sturdy species with a propensity towards the melodramatic.
Remember when one guy was the only thing that prevented nukes from flying? Yeah that was crazy.
@@alexcoyg3281 Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. How many children...not adults but children die of nutrition-related causes every 24 hours?
You're right. We, all of us, need to concentrate on being the best selves for others we can be.
I keep seeing the phrase "It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism". Living in late stage capitalism, is knowing every day is closer to midnight and being powerless to change it.
i would posit most people believe it's easier to have a civil war than to just stop paying taxes aka stop funding the destruction of our country/things that violate your conscience..and post apocalypse, voluntaryism, where we trade goods and services and each party gets what they value, will be everywhere...capitalism isn't the problem...it's psychopaths with power and armies fucking it up for the rest of us...
I haven't seen any of the shows but you still managed to almost make me cry. A beautiful video, thank you!
I was utterly blown away by the Last of Us tv show going into it blind not having played the game. The cinematography in the first episode immediately pulled me in and although the tv show isn't done yet it is one of my favorite shows. Apocalypse stories have always drawn my attention especially the way in which they portray humanity, so thank you for this new upload.
Fr me and my girlfriend loved the show I couldn't stop saying what was different
And agreed we need much better zombie shows
Station 11 is great, it drew me in like nothing else. It has this heavy sense of mystery and something greater going on.
Post-apocalyptic stories I think offer an interesting look into how we would react if civilization collapsed and how people would adapt to this new world. An interesting facet is how the meek person becomes a badass to protect the ones they love. The moral of the story is that even though the world ended, it's not the end of the world. Our humanity becomes our greatest asset overall both positive and negative.
Thank you for this. I’ve been struggling with panic attacks and anxiety the past few weeks and this really did help put things into perspective
I watch a lot of RUclips -- a lot. I have seen some truly phenomenal videos over the years, and this ranks up there with the best of them. As I write this, The Leftovers segment started, and my god.... It's my favorite show of all time. And you've helped me appreciate it on an even deeper level. Thank you for this incredible video.
do you have an recommendation for shoes similar to the Left over?
@@iniudoh6273 the first one to occur to me is Station Eleven, also on HBO. How does art survive in the post apocalypse? what is the role of loving human connection in a world where 99%+ of the population was wiped out by the flu? very well done show and excellent payoff.
The Leftovers and Station Eleven are masterpieces. Thanks for talking about them.
20:37 "This is how we hold back the apocalypse: one good day at a time" Thank you so much for this line.. The last few years have really upended my life, and I didn't know how badly I needed to hear this until I did
"holding back the apocalypse one good day at a time"
much-needed essay for where i am in life rn, and THANK YOU for introducing me to station eleven! i binged the whole show in one day and have been singing its praises to everybody ever since. jeaven chaudhary is l i f e
I knew you'd come through on this. 🙂 I rewatched your video on the game after this show started and was waiting for you to revisit. Thank you.
Well done, as always. You shocked me with the synchronicity...your thumbnail reads, "Survival is not enough" and I just uploaded and scheduled the premiere of my new song in which the chorus goes, "I wanna do more than survive...I want more than to thrive".
Keep up the great work.
I haven't even watched Station Eleven, but when you described it, I got teary eyed. I'm still wondering why.
Never heard os Station Eleven or The Leftovers, gonna have to go see how I can watch them! Great video!
they are amazing and really helped me get through the pandemic
This script just reads like a chatGPT essay
Well, thank you, i am ready to cry again. Leftovers is my favorite show ever.
It's a masterpiece
I truly do feel that one quote from Days Gone, a game I hold very dear, applies to every story, of everybody on Earth.
“Surviving ain’t living”.
That is what sets us apart from other animals, it’s not our ability to survive, it’s our ability to live.
I think this main underlying theme is the same I felt about covid times. We banded together, spent more time focusing on family and weren't distracted by the petty problems of work. I saw more people out in parks, delivering groceries to seniors, my community even did that wine basket trend. I never saw such community-mindedness before, and definitely not after. It's amazing how we automatically focus to what's really important during a crisis, that's just human nature.
I prefer the story of the Last of Us told by the game overall, but the show couldn’t really pull of Joel having a triple figure body count so… the changes were necessary.
Also, I really liked the Bill and Frank storyline. It’s just weird to cycle characters in and out in an episode. In a game you can welcome and kill off or discard characters every mission, but in a show it is weird. Which is WHY it works better as a game for me.
When I first saw the leftovers... I didn't know what was going on... But I got caught in the emotions and struggles the characters were going through... Towards the end... Even w the explanation of what actually happened... I was still lost... It didn't matter...what mattered was how the characters made it through all those hard times and the love they had for each other
The show never explains what happened. It's left ambiguous.
@@rvantong I was referring to the departure... When they "reveal" the departure
I was not expecting the emotional wallop this video essay delivered. Fantastic breakdown of something I've had a hard time articulating . This is what I like about these newer post-apocalyptic stories.
Man... I really appreciate your take on these works. Thank you.
Weird to say, but a new generation will watch the HBO show before playing the game. What happens will be people who compare the show with the game to enjoy everything again.
I love your channel.
Your channel has been a sincere inspiration to me, and so it seems, to many of us. Thank you for constantly reminding us how important stories are.
I think it's easy to see where it's going: Post-Dystopian. I started working on a story in that genre 10 and a half years ago, before hardly anyone was using that genre name. Now, it seems others have seen a similar zeitgeist and are writing stories in or adjacent to that category. Some show cultures making due by adapting and getting used to what remains. Some are set further down the road where cultures start advancing once again. Mine is set even further, where the culture has recovered and in some aspects even exceeded the collapsed culture in both technology and morality. Star Trek might be considered to be in that last frame, although their culture has moved on so far from the collapse that it can be hard to see that the collapse happened without being told explicitly of their history.
An excellent essay about the rise of the green apocalypse. You captured my opinions and feelings. I too hope that The Last of Us generates the viewers that Station 11 and The Leftovers deserve. Bravo.
idk man, I found the walking dead quote "evil is the rule, not the exception" far more true to my life experiences than these positive apocalypse stories
Then you are probably one of the only few people who will enjoy The Last of Us season 2 because part 2 of the game was extremely controversial it literally was just a painful "revenge is bad" story that emotionally drains you out by the end of it, a lot of people really hated it and wished it never existed or just a bad dream lol
Rick had give in to his darker tendencies to survive. I mean you really think he would have saved Carl, Michonne, himself, and Daryl from The Claimers if he hadn't gone utterly primal and ripped that man's throat out with his bare teeth. Sure deep dowm Rick still has a moral code but the Apocalypse pushed it or dulled it at times where "Officer Freindly" had to take a back seat.
I’d like to add „Sweet Tooth“ to this list. It’s absolutely beautiful
I think the docuseries “life after people “ inspired the new look.
It certainly changed how I thought about apocalypses and what I want in them.
Station 11 🤘 awesome!!! The scene when they found each other one more time…. 🤯
Great video! I love how you connect the different apocalyptic stories and the change in all of these stories. The apocalypse as a time for hope to thrive. Well done.
This is a beautifully made and written video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us
"The Leftovers" is the greatest tv show ever produced. Props for encouraging people to watch it. All 3 seasons are perfect in entirely different ways.
I've wanted to watch it all the way through for years but I get so damn depressed so fast watching the show. Since I already have depression, it takes a toll on me to watch
I concur. I've watched that series 3 times over and have taken something away from it each time. It is heavy, as Joe B points out, and can take take a toll on you if you internalize too much of it. But if you can disassociate it just enough, it can impart the lessons of an anti-hero story to name one
Amen for that