They've made Ellie so emotionally stunted that it's going to be tough to buy what's ahead.

Got one poster on the non-gamer thread equating it to the red wedding scene…..pretty much going exactly as I expected over there so far….

And I still need to watch it

That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

AJ02 said:

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That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

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since you're on the gamer thread….let me share….

We went through the same thing. I remember playing it and when I saw Joel get shot in the knee with the shotgun…I thought, "ok wow! How's he gonna get out of this one?"

Then the way the game plays out you slowly realize….no….he ain't getting out of this one…..

I literally stared at the tv…jaw wide open….the character we'd played as the entire first game was now dead and I was legit sad…..seriously…..

I'll spoiler tag this (should be obvious) this but the game even after the death has you as Ellie walk through Joel's house and re-visit all these memories between the two of them and Ellie's regrets after his death….it was slow and painful and Neil Druckman knew exactly what he was doing to set off the events of the rest of the game.

We are at the point in the game where I just put down the controller and walked away for a good couple of days. And some say video games aren't art...

Fricking hell. Knowing what was coming, the amount of anxiety and dread I had as this episode played out was off the charts.

I'm glad I get a week before the next episode. Playing the game, I had to put it down for a few days.

On another note, why do we think they switched it up from Tommy/Joel to Dina/Joel? Was it simply to give us the Jackson action scene in the show?

If I remember correctly Dina didn't need motivation to go to Seattle with Ellie. She went willingly. Maybe a bit more naive than the show Dina, but still down to help Ellie out.

jokershady said:

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AJ02 said:

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That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

---

since you're on the gamer thread….let me share….

We went through the same thing. I remember playing it and when I saw Joel get shot in the knee with the shotgun…I thought, "ok wow! How's he gonna get out of this one?"

Then the way the game plays out you slowly realize….no….he ain't getting out of this one…..

I literally stared at the tv…jaw wide open….the character we'd played as the entire first game was now dead and I was legit sad…..seriously…..

I'll spoiler tag this (should be obvious) this but the game even after the death has you as Ellie walk through Joel's house and re-visit all these memories between the two of them and Ellie's regrets after his death….it was slow and painful and Neil Druckman knew exactly what he was doing to set off the events of the rest of the game.

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Yeah, my husband and I both said afterwards that we were thinking most of the scene "hmm....so now they'll have to fit Joel with a prosthesis for the rest of his life? Bummer. That means he won't be doing much more fighting." And then as the brutality went on, I just kept thinking "okay, so now Ellie will find a way to get loose and murder everyone in the room and get Joel to safety."

NEVER crossed either of our minds that it was the end. Both of just waiting for what we thought was the inevitable, that Ellie would find a way to rescue him.

I liked what they started in the hospital with Abby talking to herself, would have been nice to have more of it in that episode.

jokershady said:

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AJ02 said:

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That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

---

since you're on the gamer thread….let me share….

We went through the same thing. I remember playing it and when I saw Joel get shot in the knee with the shotgun…I thought, "ok wow! How's he gonna get out of this one?"

Then the way the game plays out you slowly realize….no….he ain't getting out of this one…..

I literally stared at the tv…jaw wide open….the character we'd played as the entire first game was now dead and I was legit sad…..seriously…..

I'll spoiler tag this (should be obvious) this but the game even after the death has you as Ellie walk through Joel's house and re-visit all these memories between the two of them and Ellie's regrets after his death….it was slow and painful and Neil Druckman knew exactly what he was doing to set off the events of the rest of the game.

---

Also to add, gamers waited 7 years for the second game after the first. Imagine that experience after waiting that long

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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jokershady said:

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AJ02 said:

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That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

---

since you're on the gamer thread….let me share….

We went through the same thing. I remember playing it and when I saw Joel get shot in the knee with the shotgun…I thought, "ok wow! How's he gonna get out of this one?"

Then the way the game plays out you slowly realize….no….he ain't getting out of this one…..

I literally stared at the tv…jaw wide open….the character we'd played as the entire first game was now dead and I was legit sad…..seriously…..

I'll spoiler tag this (should be obvious) this but the game even after the death has you as Ellie walk through Joel's house and re-visit all these memories between the two of them and Ellie's regrets after his death….it was slow and painful and Neil Druckman knew exactly what he was doing to set off the events of the rest of the game.

---

Also to add, gamers waited 7 years for the second game after the first. Imagine that experience after waiting that long

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good point. Also reminded me of something else they did to us….there were scenes in the previews/trailers that showed Joel in what appeared to be later scenes in the game….and then we see Joel get killed and find out when we get to those scenes that it was always going to be another character and they manipulated those previews to make it seem like Joel was still going to be around….

Yeah….it was a solid kick in the nuts….

Don't forget that pretty much all of us played that during peak pandemic lockdown. I don't think I've ever been that depressed in my entire life.

Oops, I thought I posted that in the non gamer thread lol

tk for tu juan said:

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Maybe Kaitlyn Dever should have been Ellie. That was pretty good

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In the podcast they said Dever was gonna be Ellie back when TLOU was gonna be a movie. But that fell through and when the show came around she had aged out of playing Ellie. Then Abby's character appears in part 2 and it was perfect for her

#1 said:

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Page 1. Hopefully I'm still 6 feet above when this comes out

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Still here. And I loved the episode.

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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jokershady said:

---

AJ02 said:

---

That was me. I was that poster and I'm GUTTED.

---

since you're on the gamer thread….let me share….

We went through the same thing. I remember playing it and when I saw Joel get shot in the knee with the shotgun…I thought, "ok wow! How's he gonna get out of this one?"

Then the way the game plays out you slowly realize….no….he ain't getting out of this one…..

I literally stared at the tv…jaw wide open….the character we'd played as the entire first game was now dead and I was legit sad…..seriously…..

I'll spoiler tag this (should be obvious) this but the game even after the death has you as Ellie walk through Joel's house and re-visit all these memories between the two of them and Ellie's regrets after his death….it was slow and painful and Neil Druckman knew exactly what he was doing to set off the events of the rest of the game.

---

Also to add, gamers waited 7 years for the second game after the first. Imagine that experience after waiting that long

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Yep. Most shocking thing I've ever witnessed playing a game I'd been so hyped for so long for and nothing will ever be able to top it.

tk for tu juan said:

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Maybe Kaitlyn Dever should have been Ellie. That was pretty good

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I had the exact opposite reaction. I wasn't crazy about her acting and thought it was one of the lone negatives of the episode. Ellie on the other hand was nails.

This episode was perfect in terms of showing how it happened in the game. The acting was great all around. I remember this moment while playing the game, and while shocking, it made me super motivated to continue on to see how this revenge story plays out.

In terms of the Dina/Tommy switch, I think it does two things.

It lets Tommy get a hero moment defending the town (I really enjoyed this addition as I love planning how I would defend a town against a zombie horde)

But it looks like they are going to change the narrative a little and have Dina more hands on in the Seattle portion. I am curious how that changes any dominoes down the line but I can dig it.

AvsB said:

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We are at the point in the game where I just put down the controller and walked away for a good couple of days. And some say video games aren't art...

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Rather than a couple of days it was a couple of weeks. I was so upset when that happened I didn't know if I'd pick up the game again and finish it. I was dreading this point in the show and it hurt to watch but probably not as bad as those that didn't play the games.

Max Power said:

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AvsB said:

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We are at the point in the game where I just put down the controller and walked away for a good couple of days. And some say video games aren't art...

---

Rather than a couple of days it was a couple of weeks. I was so upset when that happened I didn't know if I'd pick up the game again and finish it. I was dreading this point in the show and it hurt to watch but probably not as bad as those that didn't play the games.

---

Glad I (we) picked the controller back up because the next 20 hours+ was some of the best story telling I have ever witnessed.

And I am team Santa Barbara should have been start to third game

I think the early marketing for the game gave it away that Joel would die early one. People were speculating g from the very first e3 trailer. So I don't think I was as shocked as most when the game came out

Saxsoon said:

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I think the early marketing for the game gave it away that Joel would die early one. People were speculating g from the very first e3 trailer. So I don't think I was as shocked as most when the game came out

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I don't remember that ND actually promoted or even hinted at Joel's fate. It was only when gameplay from game tester (or was it a hack?) leaked showing Joel's death scene.

It was never revealed but there was a notable absence of Joel in the trailer and context that heavily hinted an early death. Long before the leak

Future trailers tried to course correct

At 42:32 is the 2019 release date reveal trailer that had hints then a misdirect at the end

AvsB said:

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Max Power said:

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AvsB said:

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We are at the point in the game where I just put down the controller and walked away for a good couple of days. And some say video games aren't art...

---

Rather than a couple of days it was a couple of weeks. I was so upset when that happened I didn't know if I'd pick up the game again and finish it. I was dreading this point in the show and it hurt to watch but probably not as bad as those that didn't play the games.

---

Glad I (we) picked the controller back up because the next 20 hours+ was some of the best story telling I have ever witnessed.

And I am team Santa Barbara should have been start to third game

---

Yep, TLOU 2 was my jam. Dark, gritty, and unflinchingly, extremely brutal. You feel every enemy encounter in that game deeply.

Kill a WLF? Next thing you know their brother/sister/child is crying out about their lost family member after they find the body, promising "I'm gonna kill you mother****er!!!"

Kill an owner of one of the hunting dogs? When the dog discovers the body they start whimpering and stay by their side.

Kill a hunting dog? You experience the anguish from the WLF dog owner when they discover.

All of Ellie's attack animations and voices for killing in this game are just incredible. There's a consequence for every action you make.

And then the flip in perspective halfway through! So awesome.

It is a top gaming experience for me. I have so much love for this game. TLOU 1 was phenomenal, and TLOU2 for me raised the quality dial on every parameter there is.

I can barely keep secrets.... and I knew about Joel from the moment we started watching season 1 live... I insisted my wife watch the episode last night as I had a hunch about it being episode 2.

She was "Walking Dead" or "red wedding" shocked as she kept thinking someone would save him/go wrong. It hit HARD with her. Fits the narrative of recent shows killing off main characters early, but really appreciated the show staying almost completely true to the game once we talked about it.

Ghost of Bisbee said:

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AvsB said:

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Max Power said:

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AvsB said:

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We are at the point in the game where I just put down the controller and walked away for a good couple of days. And some say video games aren't art...

---

Rather than a couple of days it was a couple of weeks. I was so upset when that happened I didn't know if I'd pick up the game again and finish it. I was dreading this point in the show and it hurt to watch but probably not as bad as those that didn't play the games.

---

Glad I (we) picked the controller back up because the next 20 hours+ was some of the best story telling I have ever witnessed.

And I am team Santa Barbara should have been start to third game

---

Yep, TLOU 2 was my jam. Dark, gritty, and unflinchingly, extremely brutal. You feel every enemy encounter in that game deeply.

Kill a WLF? Next thing you know their brother/sister/child is crying out about their lost family member after they find the body, promising "I'm gonna kill you mother****er!!!"

Kill an owner of one of the hunting dogs? When the dog discovers the body they start whimpering and stay by their side.

Kill a hunting dog? You experience the anguish from the WLF dog owner when they discover.

All of Ellie's attack animations and voices for killing in this game are just incredible. There's a consequence for every action you make.

And then the flip in perspective halfway through! So awesome.

It is a top gaming experience for me. I have so much love for this game. TLOU 1 was phenomenal, and TLOU2 for me raised the quality dial on every parameter there is.

---

TLOU2 took everything about the first game and turned it up to 11. Once you get over what happened to Joel, it's a better game and it's a huge game too. All the stuff in Seattle including the Seraphites is still yet to come. My favorite part of TLOU2 was when you're in that small neighborhood and they're hunting you. There's people all over and you gotta deal with them and the dogs, going in and out of houses, I just really enjoyed that whole sequence. I wonder how bad the non-gamers are gonna flip out when the Rat King makes his appearance.

I'm guessing that "little" surprise doesn't happen until season 3….pretty sure it was later in the game when we were playing as abby

My wife just quit the show.

I knew vaguely it was going to happen but nothing else. Still rough to watch.

When will the first flashback occur, next episode or after getting to Seattle?

I'm guessing we get the museum flashback next episode where she gets in the Apollo capsule and he plays that tape recording for her while she's in it…

Besides that one and the flashback with Abby where we get her side of Joel's massacre, what other flashbacks were there? Only played the game once and can't remember everything as good as the first game….

Oh wait we get the flashback where Joel tells her the truth about the firefly's also….forgot that one…..doubt we get that one anytime soon….

The post dance porch conversation is the final flashback, guess that will be next season