That Was A Bad Episode Of The Last Of Us

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(This contains spoilers about last night's episode of The Last Of Us. If you haven't seen it and want to punish yourself, watch that first)

The Last Of Us is not a bad show, but that was a terrible episode. For a show that is usually thoughtful, it was shockingly thoughtless. Having Jesse find Ellie and Dina at exactly the right moment at exactly the right in the middle of Seattle (which is 870 miles away from Jackson) made me laugh out loud. It was the preposterous thing in an episode that featured zombies.

Maybe this bothered me more than other people. Robbie, KenJac and Hubbs had no problem with the Jesse appearance when we all talked about the show this morning. They claimed it was reasonable that Tommy and Jesse would have tracked them all the way there (but never caught up to them) and then found the exact theater they were in (because they left the lights on) and then having Jesse find them exactly when he needed to.

Just writing that out made me feel even more sure that it was a ridiculous part of the show.

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It wasn't just that scene that stretched rationality. We have Ellie and Dina walking around the streets of Seattle openly talking…while they try to evade an army? Why turn the lights on in that theater? Aren't you trying to be inconspicuous? You're also telling me that the WLF wouldn't have any use for a giant space like a theater that has a natural gas generator?

I don't want to be just be a Debby Downer about this episode which did have some good action peppered in. I did like how the Scars are not altruistic "good guys". They will stoop to torture just like the WLF. The final scene with the spores in the air and people in the walls was creepy as fuck. If anything, these scenes can be as frustrating as they are impressive. It's an example of what this show can be when they aren't fixated on a teenage love story or people being improbably saved. 

I also wanted to talk about the fans who played the game and how they view the show. Just because something was in the game doesn't mean it's automatically good if it's in the show. The source material doesn't always translate to the next iteration. Read The Godfather or Jaws. There are many things that were changed from those books that made the movies better.

Ellie playing the A-ha song might have been awesome in the video game. I haven't played the game and have no idea. But I do know, it fell flat in an episode when you have talented actors like Jeffrey Wright torturing people. What's in the game may have been great for the game. It doesn't always work here.

It's gotten to the point where I really miss having Pedro Pascal in these episodes. He's such a good actor and adds realism to every scene he's in. I don't know if I would have started watching this if it started out as a teenage love story among zombies. It's wild to me that Ellie is far more mystified that Dina is pregnant than Dina is that Ellie is immune. 

Would Joel being there have made me believe that Jesse traveled nearly 900 miles on horseback and found these two in Seattle right as they were about to die? I doubt it. But I know I didn't believe it without him there.