re: The Last of Us S1 EP3 Thread - “Long Long Time” - NO GAMER SPOILERS

I'm interested to read the thread, but wanted to get my thoughts in before I did.

I saw the gayness coming, and could've done without it for the most part, but that's not what bothered me most about the episode. What bothered me the most was that it just felt like a gigantic waste of time for the most part. They could've gotten the exact same thing accomplished in half the time and still advanced the story to "Joel gets a truck and some supplies." It felt even more of a waste when we find out that neither Bill nor Frank survived, so it was quite literally a one-off episode. I think it would've resonated more with me had we gotten to know these characters a little more and grown attached to them. Like if this would've been a season 2 or 3 episode after getting to know Bill/Frank, I may have loved it. But it being the third episode of the series, it fell flat with me.

That being said, it was a good episode of TV. I just wish they wouldn't have wasted so much time with characters that I wasn't attached to in any way (and that we aren't gonna continue forward with).

It's hard to believe they could've lasted that long with that baller setup and not have many issues with outsiders. 20 years is a long arse time.

quote:

---

What bothered me the most was that it just felt like a gigantic waste of time for the most part.

---

I think they're trying to avoid TWD-itis of having to repeat the same thing 100x. Like I posted earlier, I haven't played the game but I don't think that the game gives many options for showing a loving-romantic relationship in this particular apocalypse (and given the 2 protagonists, it's not coming from that angle, either, without much bigger issues).

It's kind of summarized by the note at the end. You have to show why its worth the dangerous journey they're on.

I imagine that episode is the closest thing to normal society we will see on this entire show.

Also, per the other thread, the game could be done in a 2.5 hour movie so they need filler for an entire season.

quote:

---

But... that's not what the story is about. Not even in the smallest way.

---

And saving Jews from concentration camps wasn't what Easy Company's story was supposed to be about, but "Why We Fight" is one of the best episodes of that series' run.

This show isn't trying to be a shitty version of a shitty show like TWD, brother.

quote:

---

I think they're trying to avoid TWD-itis of having to repeat the same thing 100x.

---

And that's fine. But TWD didn't have to be that either. It just got lazy when AMC realized what a cash cow it was and they milked it for everything it was worth.

It is possible to do a zombie apocalypse type show and have original, creative ideas within the writing. It doesn't have to be "do X, rinse, repeat" over and over. And for a show that (hopefully) has a limited run and can plan a storyline out to fit within that run, "filler" shouldn't even be an issue. I wish HBO would just say "Here, we'll give you four seasons...go make a great show."

quote:

---

I haven't played the game but I don't think that the game gives many options for showing a loving-romantic relationship in this particular apocalypse (and given the 2 protagonists, it's not coming from that angle, either, without much bigger issues).

It's kind of summarized by the note at the end. You have to show why its worth the dangerous journey they're on.

I imagine that episode is the closest thing to normal society we will see on this entire show.

---

I agree with that, but my gripe is that they could've accomplished that exact thing in half the time. With zero attachment to either of these characters, this entire episode was just one giant waste of time IMO, especially for a third installment of a new series. Of course I could've done without the gay shite, but ultimately that's whatever, and at least it was acted fairly well. But spending that much time on characters that don't really seem to matter to the story feels cheap. And with the hype this episode was getting, I expected it to be a LOT better than it was. But also, after watching and seeing the content, all of the hype makes perfect sense now (and for the wrong reasons).

It really felt like this episode was made to make people feel uncomfortable, and I guess it accomplished that. Would I have enjoyed it more if it would've been a straight couple? Of course. But would I also be annoyed that it felt like a complete waste of time? Absolutely.

And I also agree with all the talk about how stupid Bill was standing uncovered in the middle of the street with a hunting rifle. That was beyond stupid and felt completely out of character for someone that was such a survivalist and so centered upon rules and cautiousness.

quote:

---

And saving Jews from concentration camps wasn't what Easy Company's story was supposed to be about, but "Why We Fight" is one of the best episodes of that series' run.

---

What an awful, awful comparison. You should feel bad for that dumb shite.

quote:

---

The only relationships that matter for this story to proceed, with all its necessary motivations, are: Joel/his daughter Sarah, Joel/Ellie, Joel and his brother Tommy.

---

Glad the writers didn’t box themselves in like that

quote:

---

There is a load of well established 'cannon' out there where you can verify that this is NOT true. It's trivial to Google it.

---

I played the game and came away feeling Bill and Frank were gay. I’m pretty sure the games creator has said it was vaguely presented, but that they were supposed to come off as having been gay. It is what it is.

That said, this episode was very good in my opinion. They did go a bit overboard with the gay relationship, but that’s easy enough to overlook. I’m just glad they’re not going with Joel and Ellie having to fight/escape/kill infected or raiders every episode. I’ve enjoyed the show quite a bit so far.

quote:

---

Worst part of the episode was Bill standing in the dead center of the street taking fire from numerous people. Made no sense for a survivalist of his level to do that.

---

Honestly was the dumbest part of the episode. They could have easily made it to where Frank ran out into the street and Bill had to leave his cover to save him, and then got shot.

quote:

---

Worst part of the episode was Bill standing in the dead center of the street taking fire from numerous people. Made no sense for a survivalist of his level to do that.

---

frickin ay. You'd think someone who created a survival horror game would understand the concept of "cover"...

Then again, Joel and Ellie corner like the fricking Titanic in the games, so...

quote:

---

if this offended you I’m sorry

---

You’re not sorry, you’re just a nasty, spiteful person who hates people for simply being born different from you.

Really depressing reactions in this and the other thread. They will pretend the reactions would be the same if one was a woman but we know they wouldn’t. The most explicit thing they showed the whole episode was two men lying next to each other shirtless and a kiss on the lips and the homophobes are completely melting down when interactions like that between heterosexual couples are all over the place in media. And they’ll continue to wonder why there’s been a push to try to normalize same-sex relationships, because people like them still exist and remain full of hate for no reason.