I didn't intend to report in with episode-by-episode progress, but,
damn. I did not expect The Last of Us to be so heart-wrenching. I figured we'd be getting a by-the-books zombie show. Episodes 1 and 2 were already pretty strong, but episode 3 took a slight detour and brought out some very bittersweet emotions.
Its plot deviates a bit from the game, for those who have played it and care about that kind of thing, but it does so in a clever way that has a stronger emotional impact on the audience and possibly the protagonist.
Here's how Craig Mazin (writer/co-creator of the show) described his episode 3 idea to Neil Druckmann (writer/creative director of the games, and writer/co-creator of the show), heavily edited by me to avoid spoilers:
Quote:
I thought that maybe, since we could disconnect (spoiler) from Joel and Ellie, in terms of gameplay, we could expand on (spoiler), and maybe give it a slightly different, or actually a radically different, ending. That is when I pick up the phone and say, “Neil, I’ve got a radical idea. (spoiler…)”
So, I wrote it all, I sent it to Neil, and I was like, “Uh.” And he was like, “This is my new favorite.” And I was like, “Phew.” And that’s a credit to him. I completely wandered way off the reservation there, and he loved it."
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Much like with Andor, I have been thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised by The Last of Us.
Six more episodes from now through March 12th? Not sure if I prefer to watch it spread over two months or if I'd rather wait and binge it all, but it's too late for me now!