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‘The Last Of Us’ becomes HBO’s 2nd largest debut after ‘House Of The Dragon’ since 2010 with 4.7M viewers

MMaRsu

Banned
impressive darth vader GIF


Cue the caveman Ellie pics.
Nah lets not. Its fucking mean. And disrespectful.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
(Spoiler ahead)

The part where it ended in episode 1 is about the ~10% mark in the game. So with that, and if we get 10 episodes this season, would mean the we have TLOU1 covered in 1 season. Season 2 would be the final season then? (also sans Pedro/Joel?)

What makes you think TLOU2 will be the final TLOU game?

Either way, there's nothing saying that the rest of season 1 will play out exactly like the game, they could easily spend more time on various things that only get covered briefly in the game (and things not in the game at all) to drag it out over two seasons if they want to.

But I hope they don't. The pacing in the game is good.
 

Jinzo Prime

Member
Chernobyl, the miniseries, was excellent, and The Last of Us has a good story and great word of mouth = recipe for success. I'm just surprised that an exec at WB didn't fuck it up.
 

MMaRsu

Banned
What makes you think TLOU2 will be the final TLOU game?

Either way, there's nothing saying that the rest of season 1 will play out exactly like the game, they could easily spend more time on various things that only get covered briefly in the game (and things not in the game at all) to drag it out over two seasons if they want to.

But I hope they don't. The pacing in the game is good.
Its already confirmed the first season spans and finishes with the first game.
 

coffinbirth

Member
I hope only schedule wise, because man. That show was nailing it in the first season. The second season, still good but some moments of "ehh" in there. I quit in the middle of the third because it stopped making sense. But then forced myself to watch the rest of the third and the fourth season because I want to know what I'm hating. And... they really should have stopped at the end of the second season. The first, even.
Yup. While the writing was to blame for the demise of Westworld, the release schedule certainly didn't help things. Personally, I think a similar release schedule would harm TLOU. Don't ask me why.
 
Curious to see how they'll handle Joel for season 2, considering that
He dies earliy in part 2 and many people didn't liked that.

I don't see Bella carrying the series to be honest.
It could possibly be changed. The first episode clearly showed that Druckman is using it subtly re-write his own material to make it more cohesive in regards to character back story and why exactly they do what the do.
 

22•22

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
I remember when John got backstabbed by Joe because he was jealous of his relationship with stephanie and while the purple crystals was in Stephanie's hands. Not to mention her secret love affair with joe the whole season ended with pressing stop on my remote. Riveting.
 

Katajx

Gold Member
I'm honestly curious how many people "didn't liked that". Like as in Joe Average, not enthusiast forums such as this. Personally I think that

Joel, as a character, was already done with. While I don't agree with all of the decisions in the story of TLoU 2 (mostly due to the pacing, not the content itself), not having Joel as the main character was the only path to take. Whether killing him off so early was the right call is debatable.
Plenty of people, and for their own reasons. I waited for the ps4 remaster before I got in on the last of us.

The opening moments really made me feel for Joel and seeing how their sort of end of the world zombie like scenario seemed interesting.

Over the course of the game after Joel meets Ellie you become really protective of her. As a dad no one wants to see another Sarah scenario play out.

It wasn’t just Joel making those decisions on the journey of the first game. It was me. It was what I wanted to do and the lengths you would go to protecting her.

People really complained about companion characters back then, but this felt like something new and I enjoyed it.

So taking Joel out of the equation was like taking me out. That’s where they lost me and that connection. Wasn’t going to go through what they have you do as Ellie/Abby.
 

Yoboman

Member
You think TLOU2 is releasing in 2 years? Yeah dude...no.

Also Factions doesn't even seem to release this year from Neil's words. It only seems like they will show the game "later this year". That doesn't sound encouraging for a 2023 release tbh.
TLOU3 is releasing in late 2026 AT BEST.

People forget Naughty Dog did the Uncharted Collection for PS5, they did basically almost all of TLOU Remake, both PS5 AND PC. Factions is also their main focus right now. There's also rumors about a new IP being worked at Naughty Dog as we speak. The only work done on TLOU3 is basically the main story points i think.

I mean they are clearly busy right now...but we won't be seeing TLOU3 in 2 years.
I dont know, but they have said they are avoiding long periods between reveal and release in future. TLOU Part 1 was revealed and then released within 2 months. Once they reveal Factions we can expect it will similarly come out soon after

What is unrealistic about 5 years development time for TLOU Part 3?
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
It could possibly be changed. The first episode clearly showed that Druckman is using it subtly re-write his own material to make it more cohesive in regards to character back story and why exactly they do what the do.
I know he is a producer on it
But I doubt Druckmann really has any pull regarding that or the future of the series.
if he wanted to change anything he would of done so in the game.
all the changes in the show was probably done by the studio team and Druckmann just agreed.
And if he didn't they would have just argued about it and done it anyway.
it's been well documented that the studio does what it wants regardless of the producer/writer/director or creator.
this is why a lot of creator's & writer's leave a series because they have no power in the end.
If the studio wants to change something they will and Druckmann will just have coke & a smile with his cheque.
 
I know he is a producer on it
But I doubt Druckmann really has any pull regarding that or the future of the series.
if he wanted to change anything he would of done so in the game.
all the changes in the show was probably done by the studio team and Druckmann just agreed.
And if he didn't they would have just argued about it and done it anyway.
it's been well documented that the studio does what it wants regardless of the producer/writer/director or creator.
this is why a lot of creator's & writer's leave a series because they have no power in the end.
If the studio wants to change something they will and Druckmann will just have coke & a smile with his cheque.
Idk about that. I mean the first episode is nearly identical to the game with some things added in. I feel like Druckman was pretty heavily involved. Not just knodding his head. They even have about 6 or 7 Naughty staff members in the credits. They basically told the studio how to make the characters look and the evirmoment art, etc.
 

Yoboman

Member
It's incredible. Loved every bit of that first episode. Felt very meaty and gave us a lot to take in. Excellent acting. Whoever claimed the girl playing Ellie wasn't up to the task was way wrong. And Pedro Pascal is an excellent Joel. People foolishly assumed the girl playing Ellie wouldn't be up to the task for very foolish reasons. They hadn't seen enough of her range and how she would act. And another more pitiful group is judging the girl by her appearance, which I've seen a lot of over the internet.

Excellent production value, excellent writing, excellent acting. They've perfectly captured the Last of Us in TV Show form.
I dont get the doubts that were placed on Bella Ramsay. She was a scene stealer with very limited time on the show in Game of Thrones much like Pedro was. You don't do that without some talent
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Idk about that. I mean the first episode is nearly identical to the game with some things added in. I feel like Druckman was pretty heavily involved. Not just knodding his head. They even have about 6 or 7 Naughty staff members in the credits. They basically told the studio how to make the characters look and the evirmoment art, etc.
I'm sure he and ND was heavily involved and he was agreeable to little changes and probably came up with them too.
I'm just saying studios have a habit of interfering and they usually get their own way.
So if for instance this becomes a big success and later Druckmann leaves as producer, you probably know why.
This wasn't a knock on Druckmann, more on show business and how they treat their writers and creator's.
 

GhostOfTsu

Banned
So taking Joel out of the equation was like taking me out. That’s where they lost me and that connection. Wasn’t going to go through what they have you do as Ellie/Abby.
I don't understand people that say they were done with Joel after only 1 game. We have multiple franchises with the same protagonists for like 30 years and we couldn't get 2 games with Joel?

Naughty Dogs had 4 games + Golden Abyss with Nathan Drake too.
 
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Ev1L AuRoN

Member
Curious to see how they'll handle Joel for season 2, considering that
He dies earliy in part 2 and many people didn't liked that.

I don't see Bella carrying the series to be honest.
Just RETCON the plot and let the series be better than the game xD
 

GooseMan69

Member
I hope this show can “reunite” the fan base. I think many people have checked out of the stupid culture war bullshit that peaked in 2020. I know some will blame Naughty Dog for a stoking the flames, but idk. I really think the discourse surrounding Part II was a product of the times more than anything. Peak Covid lockdown era, election year, etc. Everything was a battleground for muh culture wars.
 
I'm sure he and ND was heavily involved and he was agreeable to little changes and probably came up with them too.
I'm just saying studios have a habit of interfering and they usually get their own way.
So if for instance this becomes a big success and later Druckmann leaves as producer, you probably know why.
This wasn't a knock on Druckmann, more on show business and how they treat their writers and creator's.
I certainly agree with you. I'm not the biggest fan of Druckman's writing especially. He does know how to design good gameplay. I can't deny how fun Uncharted 2 is because of his work.

But I also wouldn't be surprised if HBO fucks him over somehow like what Netflix did to Henry Cavill.
 

jakinov

Member
That is crazy for a new show

Normally you'd get a build up over a couple seasons
It's good for HBO standards but it's not crazy for a new show broadly speaking. Shows premier with as much as double/triple/quadriple those numbers all the time from just linear alone. . And vast majority of shows decline over time not build up, there's only a handful of exceptions. Not saying Last of Us won't build up over time. But there's nothing crazy about a new show getting 4.7M viewers across linear and streaming in 24 hours when every year you ca find handful of premiere with millions of more viewers from just linear.

It's good for the show and for HBO standards but it's nothing to get too excited about yet.
 

oldergamer

Member
Nah, not really. You're assuming we're going to see one season every 12 months of this show, which is unlikely considering the size and scope of the show, as well as Pedro Pascal's very busy schedule.

I think Westworld is a good template for how TLOU is going to play out, schedule wise. Westworld had season 1 in Oct 2016, season 2 in April 2018, season 3 in March 2020, and season 4 in June 2022.


At that pace, if they split Part 2 into 2 seasons (which they will going by what Craig Mazin has hinted at), we're looking at the show's 4th season debuting in late 2026/early 2027.
You cant compare ot to westworld. The creators of that show only wrote the first season not expecting it to continue. Thats partly why there was such a long delay after season 1.
 

analog_future

Resident Crybaby
You cant compare ot to westworld. The creators of that show only wrote the first season not expecting it to continue. Thats partly why there was such a long delay after season 1.

Okay, then compare it to Loki, or The Leftovers, or Yellowjackets, or The Mandalorian, or Severance, or Better Call Saul, or any other number of high profile shows that regularly took well beyond a year (and sometimes over 2 years) between seasons.
 

TLZ

Banned
I hope Amazon takes note and sees what good comes from sticking to the source does and gives us a decent Season 2 Rings of Power.
 

Freeman76

Member
Show total run time (all episodes) should be about 15 hrs I suppose.

Thats like length of whole game. And it doesn't have gameplay.

I suspect people will get to know these characters on a whole new level.

HBO makes some exceptional stuff, I would be surprised if it doesn't blow away the game as far as narrative experience is concerned.

I think the first episode was double length, and there are 9 episodes so runtime could be 8 hours ish?
 

Gobjuduck

Banned
Considering the marketing budget, it makes sense. You can’t do anything the past week without seeing an advert for the show. I’m afraid to look at the bottom of my shoe, because there might be an ad.

Even when I boot up my Xbox I see an advertisement lol. Not even this site is safe.
l0kthnl.jpg
 
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IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
(Spoiler ahead)

The part where it ended in episode 1 is about the ~10% mark in the game. So with that, and if we get 10 episodes this season, would mean the we have TLOU1 covered in 1 season. Season 2 would be the final season then? (also sans Pedro/Joel?)
They already said

Season 1 = TLOU 1
Season 2 and 3 = TLOU 2, if renewed
 

Freeman76

Member
funny thing is people always ignore how Owen has bigger arms than Abby

she's not even that big. just looks it next to Lev and Ellie cuz they're so skinny

Yeah i was taking the piss 🤣

I never understood the outrage over the second one. I thought it was a great sequel with some really bold decisions that made it shocking and twisted my expectations.

I dont get attached to fictional characters though, I view it as entertainment and I was entertained throughout. In some ways I even preferred the sequel. There was some woke crap in it but at least it was kept lowkey and didnt bother me like it usually does.
 

Billbofet

Member
I thought the first episode was really good. The opening scene with the talk show discussing fungus was a great idea. I also liked how the majority of the episode focused on Joel's daughter - she did a fantastic job.
Pedro seems okay as Joel and it's too early to tell on Ellie, but she seems okay. I thought Marlene and Tess were pretty rough in spots - made the show seem a bit CW.

Overall, I'm glad to see it did well. I think up to the point the episode ended, the game actually does a superior job of telling the story, but I'm excited to see where the show deviates from here.
 
(Spoiler ahead)

The part where it ended in episode 1 is about the ~10% mark in the game. So with that, and if we get 10 episodes this season, would mean the we have TLOU1 covered in 1 season. Season 2 would be the final season then? (also sans Pedro/Joel?)
No bc P2 is twice the length of P1 so that will require 2 seasons to cover. They have all the time in the world to make Part 3 a reality in between all of this
 

Clintizzle

Lord of Edge.
I saw a post online where someone was comparing the launch of this show vs the mostly negative reception of The Halo TV show. Was something like, "let this be a lesson about the advantages of sticking to the source material. Master Chief could have been a badass but he was too busy clapping cheeks" :messenger_tears_of_joy::messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Yoboman

Member
It's good for HBO standards but it's not crazy for a new show broadly speaking. Shows premier with as much as double/triple/quadriple those numbers all the time from just linear alone. . And vast majority of shows decline over time not build up, there's only a handful of exceptions. Not saying Last of Us won't build up over time. But there's nothing crazy about a new show getting 4.7M viewers across linear and streaming in 24 hours when every year you ca find handful of premiere with millions of more viewers from just linear.

It's good for the show and for HBO standards but it's nothing to get too excited about yet.
You can't really compare HBO shows to other network shows because they are only reporting on US and it's behind a pay wall no matter how you access it. It's a big number relative to other HBO shows
 
I thought the first episode was really good. The opening scene with the talk show discussing fungus was a great idea. I also liked how the majority of the episode focused on Joel's daughter - she did a fantastic job.
Pedro seems okay as Joel and it's too early to tell on Ellie, but she seems okay. I thought Marlene and Tess were pretty rough in spots - made the show seem a bit CW.

Overall, I'm glad to see it did well. I think up to the point the episode ended, the game actually does a superior job of telling the story, but I'm excited to see where the show deviates from here.
Enjoyed Anna Torv as Tess. Thought it was great casting.
From video game character Narika to video game character Tess with some Fringe in between. Love the full circle.

Btw. I don’t disagree with any of your other points.
Great show so far. Love the differences.

I don’t mind the focus on Sarah early on at the expense of Joel and Tess taking out “Georgie”? (Forgot his name). That was basically a game tutorial anyway.

I liked how they showed Sarah’s relationship with the neighbors. Made it feel so much better when the shit hit the fan.
 
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ZehDon

Member
Curious to see how they'll handle Joel for season 2, considering that
He dies earliy in part 2 and many people didn't liked that.

I don't see Bella carrying the series to be honest.
Frankly, I'd be surprised if they didn't make some significant changes for Season 2. TLOUII has pretty fundamental pacing and structural issues, and you can't gloss over that kind of thing for a television show. I believe they'll restructure the story so its told properly. I suspect it becomes Season 2 and 3, and I suspect that'll improve how that story beat is received versus the video game.
 
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