For those who played the game, when Bill wrote to Joel, "But I was wrong. Because there was one person worth saving. That's what I did: I saved him. And I protected him. That's why men like you and me are here: We have a job to do. AND GOD HELP ANY MOTHERFUCKERS WHO STAND IN OUR WAY," doesn't it emphasise Joel's choice at the end of the game? I think the TV series is going to amplify this decision. In addition to the fact that at the beginning of the episode, Joel barely spoke to Ellie, yet in the end, it clearly showed Ellie is now Joel's person.
Yeah, I figure they need to put a stronger emphasis on "external" motivations for Joel to care for Ellie in the show because in the game you spend hours upon hours having little interactions between them during gameplay, making their relationship grow. This isn't present in the show in the same magnitude (due to time constraints), so in order to make his switch to care for Elle more natural, they create additional breadcrumbs. It's actually pretty well done so far.
@B20C0 exactly. An hour of banter and rapport isn't comparable to 48 hrs of listening to them bicker, humour or have fun with each other which infuses their narrative into whatever the developers wanted the players to see. But with a TV series, a 5-second interaction or even a one-liner has to deliver a lasting impact.
exactly! i saw 2 reactors said this episode was pointless and had no connection with the narrative. i guess they did not see your point that bill's letter forwshadows joel's transformation back to who he was when sarah was still alive. that he is a provider and a loving father. something that he forgot through the years of trying to just survive. in arthur morgan's words "they live their lives, they are not hust trying to survive"
I think this made for better tv than just recreating scenes for the game would have been. At this point Joel needed a final push to be motivated to take care of Ellie, and I think Bill's letter really was that turn. I like that Joel isn't just fighting infected the entire episode, or much at all. He's an older guy and it just would get ridiculous at a certain point. Kind of like how Stallone in his 60's has the stamina of a 20 year old athlete in movies, or Liam Neeson at 70 doing the same in action movies...
Exactly, in the games Joel is stronger and faster than other men in their prime and way younger than him. In the show they have put emphasis on the characters age like Tess with Ellie saying that the 10 floors with their knees is harder and in the game we have to fight a lot of infected for gameplay purpose because not everything can be cutscenes but we have unlimited amo and resources (unless you play on grounded). Joel in the show to take down two Clickers used all his amo imagine what it takes to take down a Bloater….everyone would avoid confrontation as much as possible. And in the show they have put emphasis too on accurate shooting like Joel in stress shooting at the body and then when he had a better shot he shot to the head but it’s not as easy as other people think, there’s a reason cops shoots at torso because it’s the easiest part to hit and in this episode “No. I miss too. It happens more than you think” I love that because in TWD even when the characters are running they hit headshots like nothing, perfect accuracy and I know Walkers are slower and easier to hit but still and the infected twitch a lot so it’s even harder to hit them.
Bill knew how to survive but frank showed him how to live. The biggest divergence of the game but they made the change for the better. It made Bill into and inspiration to Joel instead of his shadowy hateful self in the game. You may lose when you love but you stand to gain much more if you do
An amazing retelling of Bill & Frank purpose from the game. I'm so thankful to the directorial and writing staff for molding a hardened character in the game to someone who is hard but with the write ingredients is a soft kitty. Love the Strawberry scene. You guys are great, keep it up.
Bill and Ellie had some memorable dialogue, but the point of this episode was Bill telling Joel that men like them have a purpose. Bill's purpose was complete.
Not only that but they accomplished the same thing Bill was supposed to do by giving Joel and Ellie a truck and supplies so 🤷🏽♂️ They just made Bill and Frank actually lovable characters that will be remember unlike the game that Bill is an asshole and people that didn’t played the game wouldn’t have liked him and forget about him the next day and Frank didn’t had any importance in the game and here he is an amazing character. This show has improved a lot in what was an already amazing written story.
I've been meaning to tell you that "He was prepared for everything, but he wasn't prepared for love" sounds like the tag line for the very best 80's B-movie or a book with Fabio on the cover in a woodsman's costume.
Haha I'm glad you mentioned that. As I was saying it I was thinking about how it sounded like a tagline for something. Your idea of Dollar Store romance novels makes sense.
They shot all of this in Alberta! (I've been to a few of the locations like the Canmore Engine Bridge from the trailer and 4th ave flyover in Calgary from the second episode just to take nerdy photos). The Travel Alberta website has a whole section pinpointing locations they shot and add to it every single episode. I believe they used the abandoned section of High River for Bill's town
@Relax with J & C In 2013 Calgary had really horrible flooding and the area they shot in converted into a flood plain. The houses are all still there bit were all auctioned off. So it's like a little ghost town. Like the flooding was so bad it affected my cities river too which is 6 hours away.
As someone who never played the game this is my favorite episode. I think the fact that this is based on a game it is going to draw a certain kind of demographic that I don't belong to.
I think they could have made Bill friendly and dead (like in the show), hostile and alive (like in the game) but not friendly and alive. There's basically no reason for Ellie to travel with Joel at this junction without changing the dynamics of their relationship I think, e.g. making them much closer or something. There's no strict time limit on when Ellie has to reach the Fireflies and she might as well stay with Bill until Joel finds out where to go. I think it's also a lot bleaker for Joel that he finds out that all his friends and allies are dead at one go, that he realizes all at once that there's no one to turn to to take care of Ellie.
Although they changed this completely from the game, we still end up accomplishing what was needed to progress the story in the right way. I think it was a great addition to Bill's character and although we miss the Ellie and Bill scenes, we gained a lot more about a character that we otherwise don't think much about after his part in the game.
Yes absolutely! I was expecting action and got romance. Not unwelcome just different. I think the next episode is where we will see some action based on the trailer.
I've played the game 4 times all the way through and I've watched multiple RUclips playthroughs back when let's plays were popular. I loved this episode. I think the changes they made were really good the way that Bill and Frank's story ties Joel's story together. I was surprised that he died before meeting ellie but instead of a few jokes between Bill and ellie we've heard before we get an entire heartbreaking story between 2 characters we didn't know much about and Bill gets an ending. Loved Bill from the game but im glad that they didn't make me watch an hour long fetch quest tbh but idk just my opinion.
You are absolutely right. Bill in the show is way better than the game and I can live without the Bill/Ellie conversations. And like you said, nobody wants to watch an hour long fetch quest.
i know im way late on this. as someone who loves both games so much, i think this was absolutely the right move for the show. this is such a better arc for bill and frank than what is in the game, from a story perspective. the game is still fine, no shade bc it is not a passive medium, you need that escort mission content for the player to have something to play. in the end, bill is teaching joel the same lesson just from opposite directions. in the game he's an example of what you become if you shut everyone out and drive everyone who cares about you away. in the show he's an example of what you can have if you let people in, even if it's just one person. i think it's ok to be sad we didn't get to see the ellie vs bill snark and still also love the episode and think this is one of the best written, acted, and directed eps of tv of all time. bc it was spectacular television. and on the upside, whenever you want to see bill and ellie give each other crap, you can always replay the game haha
Im lowkey glad they cut the bill and ellie banter tbh cause there's gonna be a lot of similar scenes like that with Joel in the coming episodes, and i really dont want it to be an every episode thing.
I’m sad we didn’t get the Bill/Ellie scenes. I’m very very happy Bill got this ending instead. And both versions accomplished the same goal, getting them a ride to the next chapter, and reminding Joel to let someone in
Have to admire the irony that Frank represented some gamers’ perspective- “I do not support this… I should be furious… But I have to admit it is romantic.”
26:16 Such a great reaction!! My thoughts on the length are that this was to try and please both sides: the loyalists who would riot if it were just Bill and Frank, no Joel, no Ellie (which I have seen other shows do), and the audience who wants to see more depth/flashbacks like me. This way you didn’t have to spend an entire week’s episode on a backstory and piss off the action crowd.
I loved how different this episode was. I came to the show hoping that it wouldn’t be a exact copy of the game, cause then what’s the point? If I want to see my fave parts of the game I rather play it. In this episode initial goals for the characters were met, they needed a truck from Bill and they got one, plus more. And we got so much character development and back story on someone with whom we spent only what, 2 hours in a game running around and shooting infected? Medium of tv story telling gives us so much more and I fully appreciate it. In episode 2 Tess gave Joel a mission to accomplish and in episode 3 Bill gave Joel a purpose to live on. Over all I think it was brilliantly done in my humble opinion
This episode has been submitted for an Emmy I believe along with Murray Bartlett for his part as Frank. People who got to see the series prior to release all were blown away by it. I would assume most of those early viewers were not game players though but tv industry people.
I really liked the changes that they made, because in the game they just leave Bill and never hear about him again, and in the show they end his history in the best way possible.
I don't understand why so many people who played the game expect the show to be a carbon copy of it. I actually was a bit disappointed because they didn't change/expand more in the show, until episode 3 that is. I also liked the talk show part and the scenes from Indonesia, but this was the first episode that was really "brave" enough to achive the same story point as in the game but with some major changes. I mean in the end of the day, Joel and Ellie got a vehicle after visiting Bill. Also Joel's character opened up more to Ellie. In the game because Bill served as an example of what he never wants to become and in the tv show he is someone Joel can aspire to become. Would have been nice to see Bill and Ellie interact but I guess with Bella Ramsey playing Ellie there will be more than enough snark without that interaction.
Try to forget the game until the review part of the video. The writers have said multiple times they will be doing things totally differently. It's a big jarring to have a whole big emotional scene and to have you constantly, "oh but the game" "wait but in the game". The game is in the game. This is in the show. Characters you like will be dead. Characters you don't like will be alive. Moments you remember won't exist. Moments that didn't will. In a way this episode was also a big note from the show that, "don't assume you know the end of this because you played the game, one more time for those in the back, this be different".
I cried my eyes out. This was so good, I almost forgot it was "The last of us", more like some Oscar winning drama. Show is getting better and better with every episode. Hope it will continue. The best post watching discussion from you guys. This kind of changes from the game don`t bother me too much, because Bill and Frank sequence in game was filled with gameplay and action. So its smart for showrunners to do it with different approach, more acting based then action. Love you guys🥰
Ya honestly the more I sit with it, the more i appreciate what the show accomplished vs. the game. Sure the episode would have been fun if it matched the game, but it wouldn't have stuck with me. This episode will stick with me for a long time.
I’m a 66 year old woman. I never played the game. I am not a gamer. But I loved this show. This episode was so good. It showed that the most of important thing is love. It’s not really about gay love, just love between two people who happen to be gay. It can be applicable to anyone. Love will survive.
i also missed the scenes and bantering between Ellie and Bill from the game. But I really liked this change, it was for the better imo, in terms of storytelling. to include all the action from the games would make for a bad tv experience. Cause too much of infected, shooting, it just turns into a copy of "the walking dead". TLOU imo is about the "human condition" and i think the story will become greater. all the changes so far, actually makes me very excited. also they need to reduce the number of encounters in order to make this story a little more real and plausible. Also think that they left out the classical "got bit and killed myself" was smart, cause it gets a little repetitive and boring. Im a hardcore fan of both part 1 and part 2. So far i LOOOVE the tv adaption!
This show is doing a really good job at subverting people's expectations. We know the story; therefore, we think we know what is going to happen. But really, if it's too similar, what's the point. I feel like this episode was done this way to also subvert expectations. Certain (Definitely not all) hardcore fans are haters of anything less than perfect in their own minds. They'll be screaming WOKE from the rooftops about this one, but I'm confident this is intentional, to subvert their expectations and then silence them quickly with the next episode/s.
This comment has nothing to do with this video. Guys, you have to react to the rest of the This Is England Saga! After the movie it was This Is England 86, then 88 and then 90. I'm not even going to spoil it and tell you which is the funniest or darkest. But for real, you can't leave This Is England at the movie! The movie is a basic prologue compared to what happened for the rest of the series! My girl, you cried at the near end of Dead Man's Shoes and I'm 99.9% certain that you will cry near the end of epoxide 3 of This Is England 86. That one scene touched me so much that it inspired to me learn to play the piano because I *had* to be able to play that piece of music! That one scene transformed me for a producer to a pianist! In fact, the entire This Is England "saga" transformed me from a producer to a pianist. Before i watched This Is England I was a mostly DnB producer. Heard the beautiful piano music overlaying the horrible visuals and was hooked!
Not really sure I agree with your concern for the rest of the season's pacing because of this episode's prolonged backstory. Realistically, even if the show followed the game, this episode would have likely ended with Ellie and Joel getting a truck and leaving Bill's town heading west. It didn't happen in the same way, but the end result was the same, Ellie and Joel are taking a truck west. Also love that the show isn't relying on video game set pieces. It shows that the writers and creators are more concerned about fleshing out the characters and their stories rather than making scenes for the sake of fan service. The Uncharted movie makes that mistake, forgoing the characters to create "hey that was in the game" sequences. But yeah, still loved the reaction and can't wait to see the rest of the season with you two
You know, you're right. I still think there's plenty of time to get the rest of the story out. I think in my outro I was still just confused at first and didn't let the episode sit with me before I opened my mouth. Now that I've had the time to process the episode and watch some other channels react and see their thoughts, I've changed my mind on the pacing issue I thought.
it made sense Ellie and Bill did not meet in this version. Bill is a prepper which means he is resourceful. that is why he had that scanner with him. if bill had met ellie, he would've used the scanner on joel and ellie. and that would be the end of ellie, and the show :) this would have not worked out in the game because it would take long cut scenes to flush out bill's character. and frank's too. that would suck for a game.
While I would love to see the Ellie/Bill interactions, they had to change this episode, for many reasons: 1. The audience needs hope. They need something to make them believe this world is worth staying into 2. They need to set up a contrast for episode 7 3. We need a believeable reason for Joel to stay with Ellie 4. Bill and frank are the last pieces of Joels network, Joel and Ellie are now on their own, that would not have worked if Bill wasnt somewhat close to Joel Additionally, this episode is a bit of an amalgamation of both the B&F story, but also some more of the deep lore in the game.
These people that EXPECT this to be an EXACT live action recreation of the game should prepare to be disappointed.. this is INSPIRED by the game characters.. the storyline will follow the game but why would you expect the very same scenes? Just go play the game again if that’s what you want.
I’ve played the game and loved the episode, the show. An exact shot for shot adaptation would be boring for those who have played it, because why watch it then if you know exactly what happens every single scene? It definitely wouldn’t be as good as the game then. Also, if action took up half an episode every episode it’d get old. The show has a budget, wouldn’t be able to have the big action scenes, sets, etc to come. Games are an active medium, TV/Movies are a passive one, they’re different. Druckman said this is the most they stray from the game. It seems like a very small # of people don’t like that they changed things in the show and are watching just to complain about it. For those people, if that’s why you’re watching it, just stop watching then. Why bother when you know you’re not going to like any changes. Or, tune in for a great show and take it for what it is.
Just to be clear. I'm not complaining. I loved the episode and I totally agree with what you are saying. Also, I saw next weeks preview so I think I'll be satisfied for my action craving.
The re-imagination of Bill and Frank's story helps the audience with no history of the franchise better grasp the two characters while keeping it fresh for ppl who have played the games. It was an incredible episode, but I think the writers are doing something wrong if I felt more for 1 ep characters versus our main cast so far. I too am disheartened by the lack of Ellie and Bill scenes. I enjoyed them in the game, and the iconic magazine scene is forever lost in this version of the story. I think the two bounced off very well in the game. Again, I love Bella, but her line deliveries are inconsistent sometimes. I know they just realized that Bill and Frank are self deleted in the house with them, but I miss the loud and obnoxious version of Ellie line deliveries. The "what you say goes" here shows Ellie taking a precaution towards Joel like the game but I sense more sarcasm compared to Ellie's way of wanting to talk about Tess to Joel while realizing he's shutting her down in the game. It's still a very good scene tbh.
Because the writers bring up ptsd for Joel about Sarah in the first episode, I think the rules of 3 apply to ptsd. It's a very vague memory about ppl with ptsd doing this, so don't take my word for it. I'm just mentioning something I have probably heard before. I'm no medical person though
This was totally different from the Game.. But that also makes it more heartfelt with the Bill & Frank's backstory. All i can say, Well done HBO👍. ❤❤❤ Ray
People who think Bill and/or Frank didn't actually die are just looking for twists for the sake of twists and not thinking about what's best for the story. That kind of twist would have been so lame.
I didn't research it necessarily. because I do reactions and watch reactions these things kinda just appear in my feed. I try to avoid them for the most part but it's hard
Ppl really overexaggerate the Bill and Ellie stuff. There was like three moments of fruit on fruit bickering, it's very good and very funny but it's not like we don't still get that same smartass dynamic between her and just about every other character. The game has a repetitive formula, but it works because it's a game. Adapting fetch quests and moving from location to location with combat and walking banter for the screen can't just be a 1:1 copy paste or it'd just wind up being repetitive in a way that DOESN'T work, because it's NOT a game. And, dude. Let her speak for one minute, good god.
I Guess I’ll be the one. What a garbage episode. No Bill and Ellie banter, no bloater, no going through a town full of traps and infected? Nah let’s just give a whole episode to something that was just hinted at in the game.
If it's not explosions and shooting and witty banter like a Michael Bay movie it's worthless. This was just better for the show. Also I don't want a carbon copy, that's the games story. A carbon copy would be boring as fuck and I would have stopped watching a while ago. Also according to the show runners this is the "happy" episode. So you'll get your action and bloaters bro chill.
We saw the bloater in the trailer so we are going to see it eventually. The whole Bill chapter in the game was a glorified fetch quest and adapting that to TV would be super boring. It's great for gameplay reasons but not for telling a story. Bill in the game was an angry bitter man when we meet him & he stayed that way when we left him. That is not a character, he was one-dimensional. The TV episode gave him an actual character & made me appreciate him more than the game.
@@izumolee6714 Exactly! Comparing the video game and the tv show is comparing apples to oranges. We can't expect the show to have a carbon copy of the video game, because the video game is primarily geared for gameplay, hence there are goals you do for each chapter, you fight infected, you collect items, there's the usual npc dialogue, etc. Bill's town is too much action for one if they ever fully adapt the game, then at the end, it's just to get a car battery. That plot is dry and predictable. Might as well watch Transformers or a Marvel film if people all want is jam packed action. It's essentially a video game with a great storyline. Now for the show, they have to create an actual story not just for the audience that played the video game, but also for audiences that have no clue what this story is about. They have to balance action, drama, suspense, world building, adding more details on the world and characters that the game didn't have the time to do, and adding more depth to the characters which the game lacked, besides the 2 main characters.
Yes, they took something that was hinted at in the game and gave us two of the most amazing characters, the most beautiful love story, broke our hearts into a million pieces and gave some depth and humanity with regards to Bill, which in my opinion was SORELY needed. If they had followed the game it would just be a fetch quest tag along with an annoying and bitter old man who would not shut up and stop suggesting Joel just let a child get killed by sending her on her own like the most f*cked up person ever, which... yeah, for me would mean being over his character two seconds in, and desperately wanting them to move on the next thing as quickly as possible. Instead Bill became a favorite character of mine, which I NEVER would have expected this show to accomplish, and I cared so much about him and Frank that they had me sobbing by the end. To me that is incredible, and has me so excited to see what depth they might add to other characters.
im here because i loved your "your name." movie reaction, but i gotta say i disagree with your review and discussion part of the video. All due respect, but you NEED those "slow" mundane moments to appreciate the pay off in the end. you need thosew moments to actually care about these characters. I played the game, i loved the game, but this was BETTER than the game. Bill and Frank in the game where pretty much throw away characters. Especially Frank. Sure Bill and Ellie had some golden interactions and i am a little bummed we didnt get to see Nick Offerman interact with Bella or Pedro so much, but in the context and story for this veresion, i understand why they gave Bill the ending that they did. Besides Game Bill still exists and youre free to revisit that version anytime. In this universe he lived a long and relativly happy life and im fine with that.
For those who played the game, when Bill wrote to Joel, "But I was wrong. Because there was one person worth saving. That's what I did: I saved him. And I protected him. That's why men like you and me are here: We have a job to do. AND GOD HELP ANY MOTHERFUCKERS WHO STAND IN OUR WAY," doesn't it emphasise Joel's choice at the end of the game?
I think the TV series is going to amplify this decision. In addition to the fact that at the beginning of the episode, Joel barely spoke to Ellie, yet in the end, it clearly showed Ellie is now Joel's person.
Totally again. Joel and Ellie’s interaction change.
Yeah, I figure they need to put a stronger emphasis on "external" motivations for Joel to care for Ellie in the show because in the game you spend hours upon hours having little interactions between them during gameplay, making their relationship grow. This isn't present in the show in the same magnitude (due to time constraints), so in order to make his switch to care for Elle more natural, they create additional breadcrumbs. It's actually pretty well done so far.
@B20C0 exactly. An hour of banter and rapport isn't comparable to 48 hrs of listening to them bicker, humour or have fun with each other which infuses their narrative into whatever the developers wanted the players to see. But with a TV series, a 5-second interaction or even a one-liner has to deliver a lasting impact.
exactly! i saw 2 reactors said this episode was pointless and had no connection with the narrative. i guess they did not see your point that bill's letter forwshadows joel's transformation back to who he was when sarah was still alive. that he is a provider and a loving father. something that he forgot through the years of trying to just survive.
in arthur morgan's words "they live their lives, they are not hust trying to survive"
I think this made for better tv than just recreating scenes for the game would have been. At this point Joel needed a final push to be motivated to take care of Ellie, and I think Bill's letter really was that turn. I like that Joel isn't just fighting infected the entire episode, or much at all. He's an older guy and it just would get ridiculous at a certain point. Kind of like how Stallone in his 60's has the stamina of a 20 year old athlete in movies, or Liam Neeson at 70 doing the same in action movies...
Exactly, in the games Joel is stronger and faster than other men in their prime and way younger than him. In the show they have put emphasis on the characters age like Tess with Ellie saying that the 10 floors with their knees is harder and in the game we have to fight a lot of infected for gameplay purpose because not everything can be cutscenes but we have unlimited amo and resources (unless you play on grounded). Joel in the show to take down two Clickers used all his amo imagine what it takes to take down a Bloater….everyone would avoid confrontation as much as possible. And in the show they have put emphasis too on accurate shooting like Joel in stress shooting at the body and then when he had a better shot he shot to the head but it’s not as easy as other people think, there’s a reason cops shoots at torso because it’s the easiest part to hit and in this episode “No. I miss too. It happens more than you think” I love that because in TWD even when the characters are running they hit headshots like nothing, perfect accuracy and I know Walkers are slower and easier to hit but still and the infected twitch a lot so it’s even harder to hit them.
@@reynaldolorenzo8409 Yeah. The realism works better than an action hero arc...
13:00 Legit the tagline if their story was an independent movie, “He was prepared for everything, but he wasn’t prepared for love.” Lol
Bill knew how to survive but frank showed him how to live. The biggest divergence of the game but they made the change for the better. It made Bill into and inspiration to Joel instead of his shadowy hateful self in the game. You may lose when you love but you stand to gain much more if you do
An amazing retelling of Bill & Frank purpose from the game. I'm so thankful to the directorial and writing staff for molding a hardened character in the game to someone who is hard but with the write ingredients is a soft kitty. Love the Strawberry scene. You guys are great, keep it up.
I still tear up even just hearing Bill play the Piano
Bill and Ellie had some memorable dialogue, but the point of this episode was Bill telling Joel that men like them have a purpose. Bill's purpose was complete.
Not only that but they accomplished the same thing Bill was supposed to do by giving Joel and Ellie a truck and supplies so 🤷🏽♂️
They just made Bill and Frank actually lovable characters that will be remember unlike the game that Bill is an asshole and people that didn’t played the game wouldn’t have liked him and forget about him the next day and Frank didn’t had any importance in the game and here he is an amazing character. This show has improved a lot in what was an already amazing written story.
Bill taught Frank how to Survive, and Frank taught Bill how to live
I've been meaning to tell you that "He was prepared for everything, but he wasn't prepared for love" sounds like the tag line for the very best 80's B-movie or a book with Fabio on the cover in a woodsman's costume.
Haha I'm glad you mentioned that. As I was saying it I was thinking about how it sounded like a tagline for something. Your idea of Dollar Store romance novels makes sense.
They shot all of this in Alberta! (I've been to a few of the locations like the Canmore Engine Bridge from the trailer and 4th ave flyover in Calgary from the second episode just to take nerdy photos). The Travel Alberta website has a whole section pinpointing locations they shot and add to it every single episode. I believe they used the abandoned section of High River for Bill's town
why was that section abandoned?
@Relax with J & C In 2013 Calgary had really horrible flooding and the area they shot in converted into a flood plain. The houses are all still there bit were all auctioned off. So it's like a little ghost town. Like the flooding was so bad it affected my cities river too which is 6 hours away.
As someone who never played the game this is my favorite episode. I think the fact that this is based on a game it is going to draw a certain kind of demographic that I don't belong to.
I think they could have made Bill friendly and dead (like in the show), hostile and alive (like in the game) but not friendly and alive. There's basically no reason for Ellie to travel with Joel at this junction without changing the dynamics of their relationship I think, e.g. making them much closer or something. There's no strict time limit on when Ellie has to reach the Fireflies and she might as well stay with Bill until Joel finds out where to go. I think it's also a lot bleaker for Joel that he finds out that all his friends and allies are dead at one go, that he realizes all at once that there's no one to turn to to take care of Ellie.
Every once in a while, something really special happens. This episode was one of those things.
Although they changed this completely from the game, we still end up accomplishing what was needed to progress the story in the right way. I think it was a great addition to Bill's character and although we miss the Ellie and Bill scenes, we gained a lot more about a character that we otherwise don't think much about after his part in the game.
Yes absolutely! I was expecting action and got romance. Not unwelcome just different. I think the next episode is where we will see some action based on the trailer.
I've played the game 4 times all the way through and I've watched multiple RUclips playthroughs back when let's plays were popular. I loved this episode. I think the changes they made were really good the way that Bill and Frank's story ties Joel's story together. I was surprised that he died before meeting ellie but instead of a few jokes between Bill and ellie we've heard before we get an entire heartbreaking story between 2 characters we didn't know much about and Bill gets an ending. Loved Bill from the game but im glad that they didn't make me watch an hour long fetch quest tbh but idk just my opinion.
You are absolutely right. Bill in the show is way better than the game and I can live without the Bill/Ellie conversations. And like you said, nobody wants to watch an hour long fetch quest.
i know im way late on this. as someone who loves both games so much, i think this was absolutely the right move for the show. this is such a better arc for bill and frank than what is in the game, from a story perspective. the game is still fine, no shade bc it is not a passive medium, you need that escort mission content for the player to have something to play. in the end, bill is teaching joel the same lesson just from opposite directions. in the game he's an example of what you become if you shut everyone out and drive everyone who cares about you away. in the show he's an example of what you can have if you let people in, even if it's just one person. i think it's ok to be sad we didn't get to see the ellie vs bill snark and still also love the episode and think this is one of the best written, acted, and directed eps of tv of all time. bc it was spectacular television. and on the upside, whenever you want to see bill and ellie give each other crap, you can always replay the game haha
Im lowkey glad they cut the bill and ellie banter tbh cause there's gonna be a lot of similar scenes like that with Joel in the coming episodes, and i really dont want it to be an every episode thing.
1:28 Cassie: You’re spoiling it for ME.
Jordan: Yeah, I know, whatever.
Lol poor Cassie.
I’m sad we didn’t get the Bill/Ellie scenes. I’m very very happy Bill got this ending instead. And both versions accomplished the same goal, getting them a ride to the next chapter, and reminding Joel to let someone in
Have to admire the irony that Frank represented some gamers’ perspective- “I do not support this… I should be furious… But I have to admit it is romantic.”
Hahaha that was me 😂
26:16 Such a great reaction!! My thoughts on the length are that this was to try and please both sides: the loyalists who would riot if it were just Bill and Frank, no Joel, no Ellie (which I have seen other shows do), and the audience who wants to see more depth/flashbacks like me. This way you didn’t have to spend an entire week’s episode on a backstory and piss off the action crowd.
Yes this is true. And tbf they fit 25 years on live in one hour so that's impressive!
@@RelaxwithJC Haha word.
I loved how different this episode was. I came to the show hoping that it wouldn’t be a exact copy of the game, cause then what’s the point? If I want to see my fave parts of the game I rather play it. In this episode initial goals for the characters were met, they needed a truck from Bill and they got one, plus more. And we got so much character development and back story on someone with whom we spent only what, 2 hours in a game running around and shooting infected? Medium of tv story telling gives us so much more and I fully appreciate it. In episode 2 Tess gave Joel a mission to accomplish and in episode 3 Bill gave Joel a purpose to live on. Over all I think it was brilliantly done in my humble opinion
I loved your reaction to Frank getting the delicious food for the first time!! It made me laugh with you 😄
I had to include his face in the thumbnail! We loved that scene haha
@@RelaxwithJC The face of just pure happiness! It's just so adorable
This episode has been submitted for an Emmy I believe along with Murray Bartlett for his part as Frank.
People who got to see the series prior to release all were blown away by it. I would assume most of those early viewers were not game players though but tv industry people.
I’m glad that they changed a few things.;if what worries you is that you want to see the same things you already played…what’s the point?
I really liked the changes that they made, because in the game they just leave Bill and never hear about him again, and in the show they end his history in the best way possible.
It's cool how your channel and AR Anime List channel uploaded video on the exact same time ....now I can enjoy my time.
I don't understand why so many people who played the game expect the show to be a carbon copy of it. I actually was a bit disappointed because they didn't change/expand more in the show, until episode 3 that is. I also liked the talk show part and the scenes from Indonesia, but this was the first episode that was really "brave" enough to achive the same story point as in the game but with some major changes. I mean in the end of the day, Joel and Ellie got a vehicle after visiting Bill. Also Joel's character opened up more to Ellie. In the game because Bill served as an example of what he never wants to become and in the tv show he is someone Joel can aspire to become.
Would have been nice to see Bill and Ellie interact but I guess with Bella Ramsey playing Ellie there will be more than enough snark without that interaction.
Try to forget the game until the review part of the video. The writers have said multiple times they will be doing things totally differently. It's a big jarring to have a whole big emotional scene and to have you constantly, "oh but the game" "wait but in the game".
The game is in the game. This is in the show. Characters you like will be dead. Characters you don't like will be alive. Moments you remember won't exist. Moments that didn't will.
In a way this episode was also a big note from the show that, "don't assume you know the end of this because you played the game, one more time for those in the back, this be different".
I cried my eyes out. This was so good, I almost forgot it was "The last of us", more like some Oscar winning drama. Show is getting better and better with every episode. Hope it will continue. The best post watching discussion from you guys. This kind of changes from the game don`t bother me too much, because Bill and Frank sequence in game was filled with gameplay and action. So its smart for showrunners to do it with different approach, more acting based then action. Love you guys🥰
Ya honestly the more I sit with it, the more i appreciate what the show accomplished vs. the game. Sure the episode would have been fun if it matched the game, but it wouldn't have stuck with me. This episode will stick with me for a long time.
@@RelaxwithJC Nope... actually it's gonna stick with you "for a LONG LONG time".
@@patrickmarques2876 😅
Im sorry to be that guy but "lust of us" sounds like the title of your porn video
@@phunguyenquang1342 ahahahahha sorry, redacted
Never played the game and I don't think anybody saw this episode going in quite this direction but it was so very well done
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Omg I can't even breathe.
Love ❤️ this show.
I’m a 66 year old woman. I never played the game. I am not a gamer. But I loved this show. This episode was so good. It showed that the most of important thing is love. It’s not really about gay love, just love between two people who happen to be gay. It can be applicable to anyone. Love will survive.
Hope you two are having an great and awesome day ❤️
The show was shot in Calgary, Alberta Canada.
I haven't played the game for a long time, i don't remember bill and frank sequence. I was thinking "great now we are getting off the track"
the hole where they met. this show gets the humor with the dark.
i also missed the scenes and bantering between Ellie and Bill from the game. But I really liked this change, it was for the better imo, in terms of storytelling. to include all the action from the games would make for a bad tv experience. Cause too much of infected, shooting, it just turns into a copy of "the walking dead". TLOU imo is about the "human condition" and i think the story will become greater. all the changes so far, actually makes me very excited. also they need to reduce the number of encounters in order to make this story a little more real and plausible. Also think that they left out the classical "got bit and killed myself" was smart, cause it gets a little repetitive and boring. Im a hardcore fan of both part 1 and part 2. So far i LOOOVE the tv adaption!
This show is doing a really good job at subverting people's expectations. We know the story; therefore, we think we know what is going to happen. But really, if it's too similar, what's the point. I feel like this episode was done this way to also subvert expectations. Certain (Definitely not all) hardcore fans are haters of anything less than perfect in their own minds. They'll be screaming WOKE from the rooftops about this one, but I'm confident this is intentional, to subvert their expectations and then silence them quickly with the next episode/s.
This comment has nothing to do with this video.
Guys, you have to react to the rest of the This Is England Saga!
After the movie it was This Is England 86, then 88 and then 90.
I'm not even going to spoil it and tell you which is the funniest or darkest.
But for real, you can't leave This Is England at the movie! The movie is a basic prologue compared to what happened for the rest of the series!
My girl, you cried at the near end of Dead Man's Shoes and I'm 99.9% certain that you will cry near the end of epoxide 3 of This Is England 86. That one scene touched me so much that it inspired to me learn to play the piano because I *had* to be able to play that piece of music! That one scene transformed me for a producer to a pianist! In fact, the entire This Is England "saga" transformed me from a producer to a pianist. Before i watched This Is England I was a mostly DnB producer. Heard the beautiful piano music overlaying the horrible visuals and was hooked!
Not really sure I agree with your concern for the rest of the season's pacing because of this episode's prolonged backstory. Realistically, even if the show followed the game, this episode would have likely ended with Ellie and Joel getting a truck and leaving Bill's town heading west. It didn't happen in the same way, but the end result was the same, Ellie and Joel are taking a truck west. Also love that the show isn't relying on video game set pieces. It shows that the writers and creators are more concerned about fleshing out the characters and their stories rather than making scenes for the sake of fan service. The Uncharted movie makes that mistake, forgoing the characters to create "hey that was in the game" sequences. But yeah, still loved the reaction and can't wait to see the rest of the season with you two
You know, you're right. I still think there's plenty of time to get the rest of the story out. I think in my outro I was still just confused at first and didn't let the episode sit with me before I opened my mouth.
Now that I've had the time to process the episode and watch some other channels react and see their thoughts, I've changed my mind on the pacing issue I thought.
it made sense Ellie and Bill did not meet in this version. Bill is a prepper which means he is resourceful. that is why he had that scanner with him. if bill had met ellie, he would've used the scanner on joel and ellie. and that would be the end of ellie, and the show :)
this would have not worked out in the game because it would take long cut scenes to flush out bill's character. and frank's too. that would suck for a game.
While I would love to see the Ellie/Bill interactions, they had to change this episode, for many reasons:
1. The audience needs hope. They need something to make them believe this world is worth staying into
2. They need to set up a contrast for episode 7
3. We need a believeable reason for Joel to stay with Ellie
4. Bill and frank are the last pieces of Joels network, Joel and Ellie are now on their own, that would not have worked if Bill wasnt somewhat close to Joel
Additionally, this episode is a bit of an amalgamation of both the B&F story, but also some more of the deep lore in the game.
Great reaction guys :)
Thank you Kev!
You two are the best❤❤
😘
The part with bill character in the game and the show is the same but this was a lot better
"The series is its own thing." 24:23
And ye totally missed Bill taking the suicide drink to die with Frank. Yeah he was telling fibs to make him feel better..Jaysus.
Obviously I didn't miss it if I was talking about it. I just didn't think he actually did it. That's because of the video game he's alive. So
For me, Episode 3 is one of the best episodes of television ever.
These people that EXPECT this to be an EXACT live action recreation of the game should prepare to be disappointed.. this is INSPIRED by the game characters.. the storyline will follow the game but why would you expect the very same scenes? Just go play the game again if that’s what you want.
I’ve played the game and loved the episode, the show. An exact shot for shot adaptation would be boring for those who have played it, because why watch it then if you know exactly what happens every single scene? It definitely wouldn’t be as good as the game then. Also, if action took up half an episode every episode it’d get old. The show has a budget, wouldn’t be able to have the big action scenes, sets, etc to come. Games are an active medium, TV/Movies are a passive one, they’re different.
Druckman said this is the most they stray from the game. It seems like a very small # of people don’t like that they changed things in the show and are watching just to complain about it. For those people, if that’s why you’re watching it, just stop watching then. Why bother when you know you’re not going to like any changes. Or, tune in for a great show and take it for what it is.
Just to be clear. I'm not complaining. I loved the episode and I totally agree with what you are saying. Also, I saw next weeks preview so I think I'll be satisfied for my action craving.
the departure from the game is because frank is still alive in this universe. in the game we are in the frank is dead universe.
Was season 2 confirmed to be part 2 of the game?
from what i've seen, yes.
The re-imagination of Bill and Frank's story helps the audience with no history of the franchise better grasp the two characters while keeping it fresh for ppl who have played the games. It was an incredible episode, but I think the writers are doing something wrong if I felt more for 1 ep characters versus our main cast so far.
I too am disheartened by the lack of Ellie and Bill scenes. I enjoyed them in the game, and the iconic magazine scene is forever lost in this version of the story. I think the two bounced off very well in the game.
Again, I love Bella, but her line deliveries are inconsistent sometimes. I know they just realized that Bill and Frank are self deleted in the house with them, but I miss the loud and obnoxious version of Ellie line deliveries. The "what you say goes" here shows Ellie taking a precaution towards Joel like the game but I sense more sarcasm compared to Ellie's way of wanting to talk about Tess to Joel while realizing he's shutting her down in the game. It's still a very good scene tbh.
Because the writers bring up ptsd for Joel about Sarah in the first episode, I think the rules of 3 apply to ptsd. It's a very vague memory about ppl with ptsd doing this, so don't take my word for it. I'm just mentioning something I have probably heard before. I'm no medical person though
Not gonna lie but the show was bar far greater than game
Each episode gets better & better I’m sooo obsessed🤌🏼 if you have a second, I made a ‘last of us’ theme song remix 🫶🏼❤️🔥
It's definetly Canada. They shooted there. It's cheaper. :-)
I know it sure as hell ain't 10 miles west of Boston lol
This was totally different from the Game.. But that also makes it more heartfelt with the Bill & Frank's backstory.
All i can say, Well done HBO👍.
❤❤❤
Ray
Come on guy. Spoiled during a non-spoiler segment. Please reserve game talk for another video, or at least label it
Which part?
@@RelaxwithJC talking about Bill’s fate in the game vs the show. I haven’t played the game, but now I know Bill’s fate and how
Just accept the game is not the show. It's not hard. Get over yourself
Lol why are you so mad? I never said I didn't like the episode. And I even said I need to separate the game from the show.
People who think Bill and/or Frank didn't actually die are just looking for twists for the sake of twists and not thinking about what's best for the story. That kind of twist would have been so lame.
I don't get what you mean? I wasn't looking for a twist for twists' sake, I was basing my assumption on prior knowledge from the game.
Maybe don't research the episode before you react lol, kinda defeats the point
I didn't research it necessarily. because I do reactions and watch reactions these things kinda just appear in my feed. I try to avoid them for the most part but it's hard
Ppl really overexaggerate the Bill and Ellie stuff. There was like three moments of fruit on fruit bickering, it's very good and very funny but it's not like we don't still get that same smartass dynamic between her and just about every other character. The game has a repetitive formula, but it works because it's a game. Adapting fetch quests and moving from location to location with combat and walking banter for the screen can't just be a 1:1 copy paste or it'd just wind up being repetitive in a way that DOESN'T work, because it's NOT a game.
And, dude. Let her speak for one minute, good god.
I Guess I’ll be the one.
What a garbage episode. No Bill and Ellie banter, no bloater, no going through a town full of traps and infected? Nah let’s just give a whole episode to something that was just hinted at in the game.
If it's not explosions and shooting and witty banter like a Michael Bay movie it's worthless. This was just better for the show. Also I don't want a carbon copy, that's the games story. A carbon copy would be boring as fuck and I would have stopped watching a while ago. Also according to the show runners this is the "happy" episode. So you'll get your action and bloaters bro chill.
We saw the bloater in the trailer so we are going to see it eventually. The whole Bill chapter in the game was a glorified fetch quest and adapting that to TV would be super boring. It's great for gameplay reasons but not for telling a story.
Bill in the game was an angry bitter man when we meet him & he stayed that way when we left him. That is not a character, he was one-dimensional. The TV episode gave him an actual character & made me appreciate him more than the game.
@@izumolee6714 Exactly! Comparing the video game and the tv show is comparing apples to oranges. We can't expect the show to have a carbon copy of the video game, because the video game is primarily geared for gameplay, hence there are goals you do for each chapter, you fight infected, you collect items, there's the usual npc dialogue, etc. Bill's town is too much action for one if they ever fully adapt the game, then at the end, it's just to get a car battery. That plot is dry and predictable. Might as well watch Transformers or a Marvel film if people all want is jam packed action. It's essentially a video game with a great storyline.
Now for the show, they have to create an actual story not just for the audience that played the video game, but also for audiences that have no clue what this story is about. They have to balance action, drama, suspense, world building, adding more details on the world and characters that the game didn't have the time to do, and adding more depth to the characters which the game lacked, besides the 2 main characters.
Yes, they took something that was hinted at in the game and gave us two of the most amazing characters, the most beautiful love story, broke our hearts into a million pieces and gave some depth and humanity with regards to Bill, which in my opinion was SORELY needed.
If they had followed the game it would just be a fetch quest tag along with an annoying and bitter old man who would not shut up and stop suggesting Joel just let a child get killed by sending her on her own like the most f*cked up person ever, which... yeah, for me would mean being over his character two seconds in, and desperately wanting them to move on the next thing as quickly as possible. Instead Bill became a favorite character of mine, which I NEVER would have expected this show to accomplish, and I cared so much about him and Frank that they had me sobbing by the end. To me that is incredible, and has me so excited to see what depth they might add to other characters.
im here because i loved your "your name." movie reaction, but i gotta say i disagree with your review and discussion part of the video. All due respect, but you NEED those "slow" mundane moments to appreciate the pay off in the end. you need thosew moments to actually care about these characters. I played the game, i loved the game, but this was BETTER than the game. Bill and Frank in the game where pretty much throw away characters. Especially Frank. Sure Bill and Ellie had some golden interactions and i am a little bummed we didnt get to see Nick Offerman interact with Bella or Pedro so much, but in the context and story for this veresion, i understand why they gave Bill the ending that they did. Besides Game Bill still exists and youre free to revisit that version anytime. In this universe he lived a long and relativly happy life and im fine with that.
Watch my episode 4 intro I discuss the comment I made and explain what I meant more clearly