The Last of Us TV show’s latest massive change from the game may be its most polarizing one yet
Here we are again, gamers and viewers. Another episode of The Last of Us has come and gone, and it's got people talking all across the internet. And with good reason. Season two's penultimate episode, "The Price," was an excellent episode of television. There's no debating that. But the show's continued handling of the game's events is leaving a lot to be desired for many, myself included, especially since this particular episode contained one of the most important and emotional scenes from the entire game franchise. Spoilers lie ahead for both the show and The Last of Us Part II game, so be warned. Screenshot by Destructoid via Max/HBO The porch scene. Oh, the porch scene from the ending of TLOU2, how beautiful and painful and iconic you are. And how wishy-washy I feel about the show's portrayal of it by comparison. The overwhelmingly emotional encounter between Joel and Ellie, the last time the two spoke to each other before he gets murdered by Abby, ended off this week's episode the same way it capped off the incredibly devastating events of the game...but this time, without nearly as much weight as it should have had. In the game, the revelatory scene is presented right at the conclusion of the game, after Ellie has gone through hell and back and slaughtered dozens, only to let Abby survive. It's one of the biggest emotional gut-punches in gaming, finding out that Joel and Ellie had somewhat reconciled before he died, and that the two were going to attempt to reconnect after having their connection severed in the wake of Ellie finding out what Joel did at the end of the first game. It's the final kick in the stomach from a game that provides many. And instead, here in the show, it's presented before we see much of Ellie's journey into Seattle as she sinks further and further into her quest for revenge, becoming something of a monster throughout. It just does not hit the same whatsoever, and it's really unfortunate. The show also combined the porch scene with the TLOU2 scene where Ellie discovered the truth about the Fireflies in Salt Lake City, which is another unfortunate byproduct of the different mediums. I get it, it makes sense to do so, because having Ellie trek off to Utah wouldn't work as well as it did in the game. But the show replacing Ellie's growing resentment for Joel with his decision to lie about the circumstances surrounding Eugene's death does not hold a candle to her being upset about finding out about Joel's murder spree in the Fireflies hospital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3LZ6Lc39F4 It also makes sense to have the "forgiveness" revelation in this episode and not wait on it for a couple more years for season three to air, but man, it really takes away a lot of the power and weight of that scene. In the game, Ellie knew the truth about what Joel did. She knew it deep down before he ever confessed in Salt Lake City. She knew it, and she ignored it and hoped it wasn't true because it was too horrifying to deal with. You see it through the number of flashbacks throughout the game that the show was forced to speedrun through, and as is often the case in the different mediums, it ended up feeling rushed. Judging from reactions I'm seeing online today, many are calling "The Price" the best episode of the series, period. It's being lauded for its writing and other spot-on recreations from the game (the museum portrayal was beautiful) by some, while others like me are feeling the disappointment of how the biggest and most important scene was portrayed. I appreciate the episode for what it is, and the performances by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey sold the scene and its emotions well. I fully understand why changes and concessions have to be made when translating the events from a game to a TV show. It must be very difficult to pull off. But for me, it just doesn't compare. So, I ask you, dear reader, how do you feel about this season of the show and its handling of the game's iconic porch scene? The post The Last of Us TV show’s latest massive change from the game may be its most polarizing one yet appeared first on Destructoid.
Here we are again, gamers and viewers. Another episode of The Last of Us has come and gone, and it's got people talking all across the internet. And with good reason.
Season two's penultimate episode, "The Price," was an excellent episode of television. There's no debating that. But the show's continued handling of the game's events is leaving a lot to be desired for many, myself included, especially since this particular episode contained one of the most important and emotional scenes from the entire game franchise.
Spoilers lie ahead for both the show and The Last of Us Part II game, so be warned.
The porch scene. Oh, the porch scene from the ending of TLOU2, how beautiful and painful and iconic you are. And how wishy-washy I feel about the show's portrayal of it by comparison.
The overwhelmingly emotional encounter between Joel and Ellie, the last time the two spoke to each other before he gets murdered by Abby, ended off this week's episode the same way it capped off the incredibly devastating events of the game...but this time, without nearly as much weight as it should have had.
In the game, the revelatory scene is presented right at the conclusion of the game, after Ellie has gone through hell and back and slaughtered dozens, only to let Abby survive. It's one of the biggest emotional gut-punches in gaming, finding out that Joel and Ellie had somewhat reconciled before he died, and that the two were going to attempt to reconnect after having their connection severed in the wake of Ellie finding out what Joel did at the end of the first game. It's the final kick in the stomach from a game that provides many.
And instead, here in the show, it's presented before we see much of Ellie's journey into Seattle as she sinks further and further into her quest for revenge, becoming something of a monster throughout. It just does not hit the same whatsoever, and it's really unfortunate.
The show also combined the porch scene with the TLOU2 scene where Ellie discovered the truth about the Fireflies in Salt Lake City, which is another unfortunate byproduct of the different mediums. I get it, it makes sense to do so, because having Ellie trek off to Utah wouldn't work as well as it did in the game.
But the show replacing Ellie's growing resentment for Joel with his decision to lie about the circumstances surrounding Eugene's death does not hold a candle to her being upset about finding out about Joel's murder spree in the Fireflies hospital.
It also makes sense to have the "forgiveness" revelation in this episode and not wait on it for a couple more years for season three to air, but man, it really takes away a lot of the power and weight of that scene.
In the game, Ellie knew the truth about what Joel did. She knew it deep down before he ever confessed in Salt Lake City. She knew it, and she ignored it and hoped it wasn't true because it was too horrifying to deal with. You see it through the number of flashbacks throughout the game that the show was forced to speedrun through, and as is often the case in the different mediums, it ended up feeling rushed.
Judging from reactions I'm seeing online today, many are calling "The Price" the best episode of the series, period. It's being lauded for its writing and other spot-on recreations from the game (the museum portrayal was beautiful) by some, while others like me are feeling the disappointment of how the biggest and most important scene was portrayed. I appreciate the episode for what it is, and the performances by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey sold the scene and its emotions well.
I fully understand why changes and concessions have to be made when translating the events from a game to a TV show. It must be very difficult to pull off. But for me, it just doesn't compare.
So, I ask you, dear reader, how do you feel about this season of the show and its handling of the game's iconic porch scene?
The post The Last of Us TV show’s latest massive change from the game may be its most polarizing one yet appeared first on Destructoid.
