KritPick's Reviews
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy. Episode 6 of The Last of Us continues the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they attempt to find Joel's brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna). The episode is set three months after the last which works great for the narrative. I appreciate when a show cuts unnecessary fat with time jumps. The characters need to get to a place but the journey there isn't exactly thrilling or full of character development and the writers shouldn't feel the need to fill in those blanks. Sometimes the destination truly is more important than the journey. After the time jump we find our protagonists well on their way to finding Tommy. What I love so much about this is how much of the source material they cut. In a video game it isn't weird to spend hours exploring the world which works well in that format. However, too much of this in a screen adaptation can actively harm your version of the story. This show rarely has that problem and nowhere in this series is it more evident than here. They cut large portions of the source material that originally took hours to get through into short 10 minute segments. It's extremely effective and shows the power of the narrative because everything that gets highlighted moves a character forward, whether it be literal movement or part of their story arc. In a previous review I mentioned that this show is hellbent on making the audience cry. Every episode feels like a ploy to poke at the audience's emotional sensibilities like a 2010s Pixar movie. While still true, the show has never forced the emotional moments. This episode actually avoids this trend. There is a true emotional heartbeat throughout this episode that largely has to do with Joel and the fear he must overcome when filling the role of Ellie's protector. Through the loss of his daughter, Joel is naturally quite guarded and only shows small bits of emotion but the writers allow him to let go in this episode. He bears his soul in a way we haven't seen him do before. He has bottled his emotions for over two decades and the only thing that has drawn them to blow the cap off is Ellie. Ellie's parallel to Sarah grows more apparent as time moves forward and it's to the point where Joel himself can't separate his duties to them both, both in memory and present. This links to something integral. Though this episode does little to progress their arcs, it ties up several loose ends in the story which have been hanging in the balance for a few episodes, even from the first episode. Not only does Joel finally come into contact with his brother but Ellie discovers that Joel had a daughter and that she passed. This bit of knowledge has been preventing Joel from letting go of the stand-offish persona he keeps around Ellie. This is told very well through Joel experiencing moments of fear induced paralysis that the audience is initially left to wonder why. We're later told that Joel, feeling his age, worries that he will let Ellie down, or worse, put her in harm's way. He's in a position where he does not want to lose another child and yet what's most interesting about this is that Ellie does not feel safe around anybody else but Joel. Ellie has absolute faith in him as a guardian, a father figure, and a friend. But it isn't until Joel is able to see this that the characters can branch and move forward. It’s not exactly character building, but rather clearing new ground so we can continue to build elsewhere. It's beautiful and written so flawlessly by the writers. Ramsey’s performance continues to impress and despite the love for Pascal, I think she is the best part of the cast. Pascal brings a lot of the emotional depth, not surprising as he is a seasoned actor, but Ramsey brings the echoes of emotion for Pascal to play against and bring it home which can be a vastly more difficult task. I do not understand the hate targeted towards her casting and this may be a case of an audience needing to maintain their expectations. Ramsey's interpretation of this character may vary slightly but she handles the adaptation as well as the show does overall. She may change some staples but she carries the overall spirit and soul of who Ellie is, which is more important than a one for one translation. It astounds me the quality this show has been able to keep up this entire time. It's been a very long time since I've seen a show where every episode adds a new element, a new arc, a new adventure, and every one is on par with the last. In last episode's review I mentioned that the show seems to be going back on that uphill trajectory and I think this episode all but confirms that. So I'm going to give The Last of Us episode 6 a... 9 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical).
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy. The Last of Us episode 5 released and it was a step up from the last. My complaints about the last episode were about it being mostly filler and set-up for the following episodes and to my surprise, all that set-up was paid off in the very next episode. In the moment, this may seem like a good thing with multiple plotlines tied off quickly so our characters can move to the next step in their journey. However, I fear the future rewatchability, especially since so much time was spent setting up plot points for it to come to an end almost immediately after. Since all those threads tie up so nicely, I fear that the greatness of this episode actively makes the previous one worse. That said, this episode is a step up from the last. Joel and Ellie are back front and center on their journey and this time accompanied by two new companions, Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard). These two bring a lot of depth to the story in the source material and I thought it would be difficult to capture it the same way given the emotional torment of episode 3. Henry is a complex character. Though we understand his position in the world, a sought after informant being hunted by those he betrayed, we also understand why he made the decisions he made. There's some discussion of morality here, the philosophy of whether making bad choices makes you a bad person, whether or not they were made with good intention, or even grey intention. I wish we got to spend more time with Henry as I think his outlook on the world and the importance of his ethics hand the show a new flavour just when it's getting dull. Sam is an equally interesting case, and though mostly a vehicle to play out Henry's dilemmas and choices, he's given more to do in the show than in the source material. For one he has the added layer of being deaf, obviously a ploy from the creators to make him a more sympathetic character, but my God does it work well! Sam is inherently more endearing given the limited information we have on him. He has a history of cancer, he's deaf, he's eight years old, and was born into the end of days. There is very little you need to add to make him compelling to the audience, especially when paired with his father and the choices he had to make. But the story does not stop there. It backs these two into a corner they could not hope to get out of and tragically puts an end to both characters in the most awful of manners. This show seems obsessed with making the audience feel heartbroken, really setting in the feeling of living in a world without hope. It's beautifully done, dare I say better than the original. Away from Sam and Henry, Joel and Ellie are back but feel less like a duo in this episode than last. They get split up and paired with their new companions which mirror their situations. We get a lot more from Ellie than we do Joel this episode since Ellie is paired with Sam and to see how she responds with other children is very interesting. We monitor her as she plays and talks with somebody closer to her age, becoming more open and full of energy. This is something we rarely see because it feels disallowed when she’s with Joel. In the case of Joel, we see him try to relate to Henry whilst also questioning his morals. But slowly we see Joel become more understanding of Henry's situation as he's in a similar one with Ellie. Not only that, he can conceptualize the horrors Henry has committed because of his own losses in his daughter. So we see Ellie become a protector for Sam and we see Joel become more sympathetic and empathetic with Henry. It's incredibly smart because the characters needed this growth for the next part of their journey but they couldn't bring it out of each other in the way that Sam and Henry could. The writers really have a good grip on the arcs Joel and Ellie must undergo to get to the eventual climax and they've pinpointed every moment where those arcs can progress, even if it's slight. A talk about this episode would not be complete without talking about the big fire fight finale. The intensity is through the roof, our main characters are in an inescapable bind and our main antagonistic force has seemingly won... but then the ground collapses and the real threat of the entire show presents itself once again. Not only does it present itself on a massive scale, it introduces a bigger version of itself; the bloater. This is something fans of the source material have been waiting for and it finally comes to us half way through the season. It was teased in the last episode and this is by far the greatest pay off this episode had to offer. It was as terrifying as it should be and the make-up/costume department outdid themselves once again. A truly thrilling and horrific way to end that storyline. The show lets you breathe for a moment afterwards before dropping the bombshell on you that Sam was bitten and his arc concludes along with Henry. A truly bitter way to end the episode and it could not have been any better. I'm very excited for the next chapter in this series and it seems as though we are back on an uphill trajectory. I'm hoping for another 10/10 episode soon but for this episode I think we'll have to settle for an extraordinary… 8 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy The Last of Us episode four is a curious case. The quality is the same as previous episodes, the writing is just as fun, and the action is just as thrilling. I enjoyed it massively, yet I'm finding myself with very little to say. Now yes, the show is still great. My lack of words should not be taken as an indicator of a dip in quality, just a moment to note that the show may be plateauing. It would be plateauing at a very high level but plateauing nonetheless. Coming off the back of episode three, which was in essence a slow paced romance short film, I expected this episode to go crazy with action and fast paced storytelling but it doesn't. I think it is vital for the next episode to pick up some momentum to avoid making the entire show a slow burn. The source material has a great balance of high intensity action and slow paced character work. The character work has always been the highlight and the show chooses to focus on that aspect for their story. That said, the creators must keep in mind that character only work so well in the game because of the juxtaposition. An action set piece happens, the characters escape or win, and then they take it easy and grow together from the experience. This episode contains one bit of action and it goes by without a true moment to live in it. The character growth between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) is truly starting to show here and their relationship is well within its budding season. Ellie’s character is tested in this episode and the decisions she makes are not only essential foundations of who she is to become, but who she doesn't want to become. Joel, though Ellie's guardian at this point, is not a good man. It is well documented and implied, even within this episode, that Joel has done many awful things to even innocent people. There are shards of a great man in him and those shards reflect his light often through his actions towards those he loves. But that cannot distract us from remembering that he is a broken person who has done a lot of damage. The second video game, which is highly controversial for this stance, tries to explain this and I think that is key to keep in mind in this episode. Joel is not only Ellie's protector, but also a warning of who she could become, the things she can be capable of if she goes down the same path as Joel. She is supposed to be better, and I think the seeds of that are starting here in the show. Aside from the chaos and torment of their situation and the future themes and meanings of their relationship, they are finally growing quite fond of each other. Ellie tells Joel a few jokes in this episode. Cringey, ugly, Dad-like jokes. At first Joel finds them annoying but by the end he laughs at one and finds them endearing. It's a small bit that carries throughout the episode that isn't integral to the plot in any way, but it's a cute way to see how Ellie softens Joel in a way that nobody has been able to in a long time. This episode focuses more on world building than the last, so we end up following another group of people for a while who directly opposed our main duo in a moment of conflict. This is one of the things that holds this episode back. Though I understand the need to build out this world, especially for the sake of future episodes, I don't find many of these scenes interesting or captivating. They just feel like moments that are happening whilst waiting to get back to Joel and Ellie. At the end of the episode we get teased with two characters who will feature more prominently in the next episode. This episode feels like a lot of setting up, even to the point where the group in the B plot are setting up potential threats for both themselves and our two protagonists. There are set ups and teases within the set ups and teases which make it feel less concise in contrast to the other episodes. I assume the following episodes will pay off and most of this episode will work better within the context of an entire watch rather than a singular episode viewing. Luckily, the next episode is being pushed forward due to the Super Bowl so you don't have long to wait to get some pay off for this episode.
AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical). Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy Spoiler Review The Last of Us Episode three released and this is the first time in the show’s run so far that takes a huge deviation from the game. In episodes prior, there had been one extra scene not from the source material and it layered the world in a slightly more dramatic way. This episode didn't have that initial extra scene before the intro, which made me curious why but the episode itself made that clear. This entire section of the game is one of the more exciting parts and one of the more beloved due to the characters introduced and expansion of the world. This episode had a lot to live up to. It chose not to try, and it thrives because of it. In the game we don't meet Frank (Murray Bartlett) but we do meet Bill (Nick Offerman). It is heavily implied in the game that Bill and Frank had a romantic relationship, but it isn't expanded on too much. Within this episode we meet Bill at the birth of the apocalypse, and he seems to flourish in a world without other people. He despises interaction and lives as a hermit…until he meets Frank. Frank changes Bill's perspective on people and that love can exist in the end times. He brings a richness to Bill that wasn't present before the show, yet all the traits that Bill is still overly paranoid, loves guns, is incredibly smart and likeable, yet anti-social. But mostly he's necessary for the journey Joel and Ellie are on. While this is Joel and Ellie’s show, this isn't their episode. We get a few minutes in the beginning and end with them and despite that, they still have incredible character growth. In the beginning, Joel tells Ellie how the pandemic started because she is curious. He tells her how people assumed the virus spread and tells a few more stories of the horrors people went through, including one of government ordered executions on those whom they have no space for. It's a chilling anecdote that leads into the Bill and Frank storyline. Then that focus is done, the story picks back up with Joel and Ellie arriving at Bill and Frank's to find that they are no longer there. They get the supplies they need, have a bit of playful banter, collect the car left to them, and go on their way. I'm pleased the showrunners decided to deviate from the source material and tell a story they felt needed to be told. Bill and Frank's relationship is full of funny and tender moments. The slow build of their connection over the episode is some of the most heartwarming television I have ever seen but the climax of their relationship is really where your heart begins to tear. Frank has some degenerative disease, perhaps ALS, and decides one day that he no longer wants to live. He feels a burden to his partner but also fulfilled in his life and knows the only way to go is down. It's a crushing realization and almost unbearable to watch happen. He informs Bill and they spend one last beautiful day together, including getting married. The writers crafted this incredibly realistic relationship in a dystopian nightmare, and it is by far the best episode of the show so far
There will be inevitable backlash from those who are against the 'woke agenda,' whatever that means. There will be hate from those who want to mask their homophobia with 'love for the source material,' but at the end of the day, it matters very little because the show benefits from this storyline in a way it wouldn't had it stuck to the original story. The Last of Us isn't about the apocalypse. It isn't even really about Joel and Ellie. It's about the relationships people can build in the most dire times and no episode so far has captured it quite like this one. I said in my last review that if this episode was better than episode two, I'd be astounded. Well count me astounded because this episode elevated above everything so far. The casting, writing, and soulful, intimate direction is all a step above and even the small action sequence is more intense than previous episodes. I could nitpick a few problems like the parallels between their outbreak and Covid being a bit heavy-handed, but I'd be kidding myself to give this anything less than a perfect score. 10 out of 10 AuthorKritPick has been writing reviews for The Oscar Project since 2022. Check out all his reviews on his main review page. Follow him on YouTube (KritPick Productions) and Twitter (@Kr1tical). |