# 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:** 7
**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:** [January 30, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/122 "2023-01-30T20:31:58Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Re Joel’s familiarity with the song, I can easily envision a situation where he or others stumbled onto a collection of “oldies,” and it thus became music they listened to because it was what was available. Also keep in mind there’s no such thing as new music past 2003, so their concept of oldies versus new is quite different. With nothing new coming out for 20 years, people have to go backward for anything “new”. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/123 "2023-01-30T20:53:02Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The third episode (the one with Bill and Frank) was one of the best episodes of TV I have ever seen. Some shows have episodes that play as mini movies and are just self contained greatness (Blink in Doctor Who is another example) and this was one of them. Really really well done. Agreed. This was awesome, start to finish. Had to have a little dram of whisky afterwards. Had no Lagavulin, but a nice Kilchoman will do in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/124 "2023-01-30T22:02:27Z")
Nick Offerman on the couch trying to not sob and failing broke me. This 52 year old was sobbing eight along with him, so real and raw. Great acting. As for the show I’m digging it. Loved the game and actually just completed a play of the 1st one to be very familiar with the details so I could get all the refs. etc. So far they are knocking it out of the park IMO. Like and understand all the changes so far. This episode in the game was heavy gameplay mostly with a major skill test in the middle. Turning all to that into this ep. was very clever and all basically from a letter you can but don’t have to find. Nice to see it giving some of you a reason to stay in. Also this isn’t just the usual zombie story, as in either a gore fest or a the humans are real monsters or a bit of both. This has all of that but it’s not about that. Won’t go into it an anymore as don’t want to spoil anything even on a thematic level. The letter at the end was a bit on the nose but they’ve earned a on the nose moment or two. Hope they can keep it up and nail the landing. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/125 "2023-01-30T22:16:28Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > It seems like the episode would make for a bit of a strange side mission in a videogame. This episode played out very differently compared to the equivalent section of the game. Per the request above, I won’t go into detail. I will say, though, that (a) the way this was adapted, the choices they made in diverging from the source material, it’s all very, very smart, leaving behind the limitations of game mechanics and leaning hard into the strengths of television storytelling, and (b) absent any comparisons to the game, this is simply a magnificent and shatteringly powerful episode of television. Utterly brilliant. Not a single misstep. Really looking forward to see what else this adaptation has in store. Like I said above, the first two eps are a solid B, but this was A-plus from start to finish. If most of the rest of the eps go back to solid B but we get occasional interludes as great as this, we’re looking at a good season of TV. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/126 "2023-01-30T22:19:48Z")
The voice actor for Tess in the game just passed at only 45. Cancer got her. [‘The Last of Us’ actor Annie Wersching dead at 45 (msn.com)](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/the-last-of-us-actor-annie-wersching-dead-at-45/ar-AA16Ssh2?cvid=5ba1270959a34908d011de9791400b33&ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/127 "2023-01-30T23:16:50Z")
In a more plot oriented moment, the story Joel tells about how the spores initially spread suggests that his not getting the birthday cake in the first episode probably saved his life. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/128 "2023-01-30T23:20:42Z")
And both of them refusing the cookies from the neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/129 "2023-01-30T23:21:05Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > In a more plot oriented moment, the story Joel tells about how the spores initially spread suggests that his not getting the birthday cake in the first episode probably saved his life. Also being out of pancake mix. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/130 "2023-01-30T23:24:12Z")
And skipping the biscuits. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/131 "2023-01-30T23:29:29Z")
I think the old lady was eating cream of wheat as well. I’m impressed with the amount of world building the show has given us in just 3 episodes. It’s hard not to compare to the Walking Dead but I remember TWD being practically a mystery box show at first where you didn’t know anything. We now know: how the whole thing got started, how the government reacted, that most infected don’t live that long (but some get a lot worse), and that rural areas are actually pretty safe. ---
**Author:** ![WalterBishop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@WalterBishop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WalterBishop)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/132 "2023-01-30T23:34:07Z")
I don’t think I’ve been so moved by an episode of television since Black Mirror’s _San Junipero_ (coincidentally, also a gay romance). Nick Offerman is such a wonderful actor, and his performance was both tremendously powerful and profoundly nuanced. I’m unfamiliar with Murray Bartlett, but he was superb as well. The whole thing was an astonishing piece of work. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/133 "2023-01-30T23:49:49Z")
E3 was the best episode of anything I’ve seen in ages. I keep bursting into tears when I think about it too much. I’m not a big zombie fan except for the dark comedy horror versions (Shaun of the Dead, iZombie) but I started watching for Pedro and Nick and what a good choice that was. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/134 "2023-01-30T23:55:20Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Zombie shows/movies abound, and I’m wondering if there is anything about this one that makes it stand out from “Walking Dead” and the others. …not sure if you are still monitoring the thread, but episode 3 diverges from the “Walking Dead” formula quite substantially. A few people have compared it to the impact that the episode “The Constant” had in the TV show Lost, or as mentioned the Black Mirror episode San Junipero, or “The Book of Nora” from the Leftovers. Transcendental, meditative television. It was VERY good IMHO. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/135 "2023-01-31T00:48:59Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > That episode was about the last thing I expected to get from a zombie show, but it was one of the best hours of anything I’ve seen in a while. Agree! I was on the fence about continuing to watch, but I think they’ve got me now. What a great hour of TV. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/136 "2023-01-31T02:27:05Z")
Watching it now and holy cow…this show is pretty incredible. I hope it just has a short run and then ends without going on forever. This reminds me of what I always thought a show like Walking Dead could be. Don’t run it into the ground! ---
**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:** [January 31, 2023, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/137 "2023-01-31T05:16:34Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > _World War Z_, a bad movie It is worth noting that the book _World War Z_ was quite good. The movie did almost nothing like the book did and is entirely forgettable. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2023, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/138 "2023-01-31T05:17:39Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I hope it just has a short run and then ends without going on forever. I think they are doing three seasons. Season 1 is the first game and season 2 & 3 are the second game. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/139 "2023-01-31T07:37:22Z")
> [@WalterBishop](#): > > I don’t think I’ve been so moved by an episode of television since Black Mirror’s _San Junipero_ (coincidentally, also a gay romance). Nick Offerman is such a wonderful actor, and his performance was both tremendously powerful and profoundly nuanced. I’m unfamiliar with Murray Bartlett, but he was superb as well. The whole thing was an astonishing piece of work. Murray Bartlett played the manager in season 1 of _White Lotus._ Alrhough I didn’t like the show I do recognize he did a good job. Even though all he did was go from a mustache to a full beard I took a moment to recognize him because of how differently he acted. Not the least of which having a very good American accent instead of his native Australian. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2023, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/140 "2023-01-31T09:01:47Z")
The show is remarkably well cast and directed. So far, I cannot think of an actor in this show who hasn’t turned out a top-notch job. As mentioned above by another poster (or two), Offerman and Bartlett (Bill and Frank) got my eyes watering. Very good episode. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314/141 "2023-01-31T12:07:19Z")
Well, you guys have convinced me. I’m going to give it a go. There’s no football this Sunday, so maybe I’ll binge watch 5 or 6 episodes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-of-us-tv-show-discussion/978314.md?page=8)