The show was mid. Nothing about it was bad, in fact there were some genuinely quality stand out moments, the Frank and Bill episode was unexpected but really moving, but everything involving the zombies and Joel and Ellie seemed like a retread. Because it was. It was almost a 1:1 retelling of the game with added scenes that IMO felt haphazardly sewn into the main narrative. The game is more engaging and the show felt rushed due to, ironically, being shorter than the average person’s playtime of Part 1.
The best stuff in the show (side from episode 3) was lifted directly from the game. But I don’t really blame the showrunners for that. The game had spectacular dramatic moments, and some things don’t really need to be fixed.
Moments like Ellie and Joel in the truck, Ellie convincing Joel not to leave her with Tommy, and Joel arriving as Ellie saved herself from David were perfect moments, and I respect the showrunners for realizing that.
There was some stuff they changed that I understand, even if I didn’t love it. Giving Henry and Sam more of a backstory made some sense from a working perspective since so much of the bonding with those characters in the game came through gameplay moments and not the cutscenes. It didn’t work great, but I understand why they tried it.
Overall it’s far and away the best adaptation of a game I’ve ever seen.
And episode 3 is an absolute masterpiece. My parents who have always been pretty homophobic were choking up by the end of the episode.
The show was mid. Nothing about it was bad, in fact there were some genuinely quality stand out moments, the Frank and Bill episode was unexpected but really moving, but everything involving the zombies and Joel and Ellie seemed like a retread. Because it was. It was almost a 1:1 retelling of the game with added scenes that IMO felt haphazardly sewn into the main narrative. The game is more engaging and the show felt rushed due to, ironically, being shorter than the average person’s playtime of Part 1.
The best stuff in the show (side from episode 3) was lifted directly from the game. But I don’t really blame the showrunners for that. The game had spectacular dramatic moments, and some things don’t really need to be fixed.
Moments like Ellie and Joel in the truck, Ellie convincing Joel not to leave her with Tommy, and Joel arriving as Ellie saved herself from David were perfect moments, and I respect the showrunners for realizing that.
There was some stuff they changed that I understand, even if I didn’t love it. Giving Henry and Sam more of a backstory made some sense from a working perspective since so much of the bonding with those characters in the game came through gameplay moments and not the cutscenes. It didn’t work great, but I understand why they tried it.
Overall it’s far and away the best adaptation of a game I’ve ever seen.
And episode 3 is an absolute masterpiece. My parents who have always been pretty homophobic were choking up by the end of the episode.