THE OSCAR PROJECT
Menu
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 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).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Proudly powered by Weebly