The last of us

[Botw1]

Is it weird to say no game spoilers? I've not played the game so don't know the game story line

Who else is watching?

The 1st 2 episodes were really good

But wow. Ep 3 is amazing.

I actually cried over characters I'd known for less than 1 hour

I think she is meant to be fourteen at the start of the series?

I didn't find it tedious, but possibly the lead up to the mall scene was slightly too long. But I really admire the fact that the writers aren't afraid to do slow burn episodes.

I loved the dialogue between Ellie and Riley and the underlying strong affection it showed. The dance was just 🥰.

I enjoyed it but feel guilty that I didn’t really take to Riley. Very sad she won’t get to enjoy what she anticipated to be a better life.

I was wondering this. Didn't they say somewhere in a previous episode that Ellie had been bitten 'a few months ago". I think it was to Tommy but I can't be sure now.

And she was 14 when she met Joel, so 13 at minimum.

I feel like the writers would really prefer if the apocalypse had occurred in the Eighties, rather than the noughties- I keep sensing a Stranger Things vibe- Walkmans, and arcades, and A-Ha etc

I thought it was all 80s Tech because anything more advanced would need the internet or constant charging to work

I thought she was 14.

Not sure how I feel about romance at that age lol.

We are loving this, me especially as I don't generally like anything with zombies or the like but this has just the right amount of zombies (i.e. hardly any!) to keep me watching

I'm in love with Joel. DH is aware! We both love Ellie. The acting is brilliant and I don't mind the odd slow paced episode I think it's great to get a real insight into characters and the plot in general.

The tension is crazy! I was a nervous wreck watching the entire last episode, convinced something was going to happen. I think the love interest for Ellie is very believable, I'm hitting 50 and very much a straight woman but I still clearly and fondly remember the mad crush I had on my (girl) friend when I was 12/13...

Yes that scene did confuse me.

I figured iPods probably wouldn't be useable due to no computers/internet but my 90s self thought they could have used a disc man 😂

There were hardly any iPods around in 2003. As I recall most people were still using discmans and the odd minidisc player until the mini and the nano came out in 2004-5. I find it pretty plausible that it would be the analogue tech that survived - cassettes, radios etc.

The eighties music is a motif and was set up in ep 3 with Bill and Frank’s code. “Eighties means trouble.”

Ellie is 14, Riley was 16, so a gentle romance is total fine. It was just a tentative kiss.

The start of the story takes place pretty soon after the the incident because the Fireflies check every day that Ellie hasn’t started to change.

I spent a whole week thinking Joel had died and was honestly really upset. I care very much about both characters.

Wait ‘til you hear about this play called Romeo and Juliet.

I'm with you here. Long, slow, cringe episode.

Or the nativity story 😳

This is very much how I am feeling....I was waiting the whole time for them both to be bitten!! And am also glad it's more about the post apocalyptic lives than the infected - although my 21 yo ds thinks episodes like this are (in his words) shit.

That was just ok. It was quite sweet but I could have done with shorter flashbacks and a bit more present day stuff going on, particularly as the mall story doesn't seem tied up yet so they will likely go back to it in upcoming episodes

Hadn't thought about the motif! Great spot!

I completely disagree. I think the horror element was a real slow burner and it worked well. I thought it was believable, and effective that there were no major twists etc.

Unpopular opinion but I'm finding myself wishing there were more zombies (and I was really not expecting to feel like this).

I watched episode 7 last night and really enjoyed it. Maybe a slower paced episode but is was funny and tender. We were waiting for the bite and it was done in a very subtle and understated way. Also liked the way they merged the flashback with Ellie looking after Joel.

I like that it is so much more than fighting of the infected. Daily life goes on.

I'm surprised how many posters aren't that invested in the characters. I think the writers and Bella Ramsay have done a marvellous job making Ellie both annoying and incredibly engaging.

Her sheer joy at an escalator was wonderful. It's a very character-driven series rather than endless shoot 'em up, which an adaptation of the game could easily have become.

I really enjoyed episode 7, I liked it more than the overhyped episode 3 of Bill and Frank. Bella Ramsey is so believable in the role.

I agree though that use of the Walkman was more in line with Stranger things. Why not a CD player?

I've always found CD players to be quite delicate so I doubt they'd hold up as well as a walkman. Plus the CDs themselves will have got scratched etc totally overthinking this now!

Is there a way to watch this series without signing up to Now? I already have Netflix, prime and Disney plus so really don't want to pay out more (although I might to watch Pedro Pascal).

Not legally, sorry. Your best free option is to ask a friend with Sky very very nicely if you could temporarily use their Sky Go login.

HBO content basically never leaves Sky / Now. You could get a month of Now for £9.99 and then remember to cancel. Alternatively, HBO series tend to appear as paid content on Prime, Google Play store etc once the whole series has aired for about £1.89 per episode - that’s what has happened with The White Lotus, at least.