# The Last of Us - tv show discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, hbomax-wb-dc\ **Created:** [January 16, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314 "2023-01-16T16:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/182 "2023-02-07T00:25:25Z")
Any idea how or why they got sidetracked to Kansas City? Going from Boston to Wyoming doesn’t even take you through Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/183 "2023-02-07T00:52:17Z")
Dude, have you driven through Chicago at rush hour? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/184 "2023-02-07T00:55:33Z")
There might be an actual in-game explanation that I don’t know, but my fanwank is that it avoids the congestion of the major cities lining the Great Lakes without going too far out of the way. If they took I-80/90 they’d pass through Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis. Considering the state of things in Boston they may have had reason to avoid those cities in favor of less congested cities like Columbus, Indianapolis and St Louis. Just an idea. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/185 "2023-02-07T00:56:19Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I think it’s a mistake if it’s not something really well understood by current watchers, even if the choice fits the characters in story. Even somebody completely unfamiliar with Linda Ronstadt should be able figure out it’s just something that two older gay men might bond over. That’s all the audience needs to know. Better than hitting us over the head with something cliche from the Bette Midler songbook or (shudder) show tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/186 "2023-02-07T01:49:45Z")
Linda Ronstadt’s name rings a bell, but I don’t know if I ever heard a song of hers before the episode. Didn’t throw me off and don’t understand why it would. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/187 "2023-02-07T02:03:11Z")
What was the depression in the floor that rumbled? The people who found it seemed to know what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/188 "2023-02-07T02:41:40Z")
Chekov’s rumble. I bet whatever it was ends up killing one of both of those people at a moment that’s opportune for Joel/Ellie. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/189 "2023-02-07T03:43:28Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Even somebody completely unfamiliar with Linda Ronstadt should be able figure out it’s just something that two older gay men might bond over. That’s all the audience needs to know. Better than hitting us over the head with something cliche from the Bette Midler songbook or (shudder) show tunes. I mean, sure…but this conversation is happening around the episode here and elsewhere. I doubt the show runners really want this to be the thing that gets out into the ether about the show. Something cliche isn’t great but neither is something obscure. While any old thing could work narratively, you’re trying to evoke something other than confusion from the audience here. Picking the music is important, I think they missed the mark here. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/190 "2023-02-07T03:58:07Z")
This is the only place I’ve heard it mentioned and I’m addicted to twitter and youtube. Everything I’ve read and heard about ep 3 is glowing reviews: believable relationship, great acting, world building, emotional devastating. Nothing about Linda Rondstat. You might be thinking it’s a bigger deal than it is. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/191 "2023-02-07T04:14:44Z")
Don’t have to look very hard. > **[‘The Last Of Us’ Has Made A New Hit Of Linda Ronstadt’s 53-Year-Old Song...](https://deadline.com/2023/02/the-last-of-us-long-long-time-linda-ronstadt-seth-rudetsky-1235249084/)** > > Two years ago to this very day, Seth Rudetsky, the Broadway composer, musician, podcaster, host of a show on SiriusXM radio, fundraiser, musical cruise host, conveyer of pop culture trivia and, now… > **[Why 'The Last of Us' Picked That Linda Ronstadt Song](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a42705769/the-last-of-us-linda-ronstadt-bill-frank-song/)** > > The story behind "Long, Long Time," the song that broke all of our hearts. > **['The Last of Us' Co-Creator Craig Mazin Explains Choosing That Linda Ronstadt...](https://collider.com/last-of-us-hbo-linda-ronstadt-song-explained/)** > > "The idea was to hit the highlights of moments in your life where love means something different." > **['The Last Of Us' Increased Streams Of A Linda Ronstadt Song By 4,900% On Spotify](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/the-last-of-us-episode-3-song-long-long-time-linda-ronstadt-explained)** > > The most pivotal scene between Bill and Frank in the third episode of HBO’s 'The Last of Us' featured Linda Ronstadt's 1970 song, "Long Long Time". This stuff shouldn’t need an explainer. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/192 "2023-02-07T04:22:05Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > This stuff shouldn’t need an explainer. …a 4900% increase in streams doesn’t mean it needs “an explainer.” It means the song has gone viral, which means articles about the song and the show will get written, so that they _too_ can go viral within the very small window of virality until that goes away. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/193 "2023-02-07T04:32:53Z")
No, it doesn’t. It probably just means it had a really small denominator in the fraction. If it blows up on TikTok for the next month we’ll know it went viral, that’s unlikely. And if you read the links you’d know that the increase in streams is not the point, it’s a factoid. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/194 "2023-02-07T04:38:52Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > No, it doesn’t. …yeah, it does. Of course it does. It’s gone viral. The click-bait articles will get written while they can, because tomorrow nobody will care. > [@Omniscient](#): > > If it blows up on TikTok for the next month we’ll know it went viral, that’s unlikely. It’s not TikTok viral. It’s bog-standard 4900% increase in listeners viral. TikTok viral right now are dances to the classic NZ preschool song “bad hair day.” > **[bad hair day sound｜TikTok Search](https://www.tiktok.com/discovery/bad-hair-day-sound?lang=en)** > > Discover videos related to bad hair day sound on TikTok. Ain’t nobody gonna be doing an interpretive dance on TikTok to this: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A0qm8nq8RcA/hqdefault.jpg "Linda Ronstadt - Long Long Time") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0qm8nq8RcA) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/195 "2023-02-07T04:57:05Z")
LOL, wut. A song that features prominently in an extremely popular series getting more attention means that it was a stupid choice? I didn’t read super closely because I don’t care, but I don’t think any of those articles are questioning the use of the song or criticizing it for being “obscure.” I never loved a man or fought a zombie before, but those parts of the show haven’t thrown me. I don’t understand why a song I haven’t heard before is supposed to. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/196 "2023-02-07T05:04:49Z")
Whoa, what a mistake to use this song, people wrote articles about it! > **[How ‘Stranger Things’ Landed Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ for Epic Finale...](https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/stranger-things-metallica-master-of-puppets-1235307853/)** > > SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched Episodes 8 and 9 of “Stranger Things 4,” now streaming on Netflix. If Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” was the official song of Memorial Day wee… > **[Metallica's Master Of Puppets sees a massive resurgence in popularity](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11020399/Metallicas-Master-Puppets-sees-resurgence-popularity-used-Stranger-Things.html)** > > The song, which was featured on the album of the same name, was featured in a pivotal scene in the new season's finale that was centered on Joseph Quinn's character, Eddie Munson. > **[Why Metallica Approved Stranger Things' Master of Puppets Use](https://screenrant.com/stranger-things-metallica-master-puppets-approved-why/)** > > Metallica is putting a stop to music gatekeeping. > **[Metallica Gave 'Stranger Things' the Most Metal Upside Down Scene Ever](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40516875/stranger-things-4-metallica-master-of-puppets-eddie/)** > > And the band responded on Instagram. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/197 "2023-02-07T05:42:07Z")
No I-90 through Minneapolis. I-70 takes you _way_ south of where you need to be. That said, considering the state of cities, I was surprised they didn’t take the bypass and avoid downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/198 "2023-02-07T15:34:43Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Melanie Lynskey is a bit of a strange choice as the leader of a band of murderous rebels. I find it a little hard to believe that as society is falling apart that the patriarchy is going to die away. And Rose from _Two and a Half Men_ being the heavy is tough to wrap my head around. I dunno. I think Lynskey has the ability to seem sweet and nice and girly and then shoot you with no compunction thing down pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/199 "2023-02-07T15:43:26Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > There might be an actual in-game explanation that I don’t know, but my fanwank is that it avoids the congestion of the major cities lining the Great Lakes without going too far out of the way. There was a throw-away line from Joel about how there’s a lot fewer infected in rural areas, so yeah, this. He was trying to avoid built-up areas, which is part of why he’s so annoyed with himself at getting lost in a city. He knows it’s a bad idea, but he didn’t want to waste too much time back-tracking. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/200 "2023-02-07T15:53:11Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Any idea how or why they got sidetracked to Kansas City? Going from Boston to Wyoming doesn’t even take you through Missouri. Yes, the showrunners felt that Kansas City looked more like Calgary than Pittsburg (the original location in the game). Given that my family is from Pittsburg, I applaud this choice as I’d prefer to not have two cities in the show that look nothing like they do IRL. As for the how or why they ended up in downtown Kansas City, I don’t know why anyone ever does in these post apocalyptic stories. Take a ring-road around the city. At least if there is a pile up you can just offroad around it. Highways that cut through cities are usually sunken, elevated, and/or have tunnels that are too easy to bottleneck with all the wrecked cars of all the people trying to escape. Then you have to try to get off an exit, navigate a maze of ruined streets filled with zombies, mutants, crazies, and deal with that whole thing. Which is always what happens. You don’t have time to back track but you have time to spend hiding in a crawl space for days while being hunted by crazed militia until you can find a new working vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/201 "2023-02-07T15:59:20Z")
Yeah but our ring road five decades in the making isn’t quiiiiiiiite done. Was fun to see the Globe Cinema prominent in the shot with no disguising. Watched a lot of movies in there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314.md?page=11)