The Last Of US (TV) fans are calling controversial Episode 3 best television episode ever

This article is completely spoiler-free.

imdb.png

The Last of Us is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a fungal pandemic has wiped out much of humanity. The story follows Joel, a hardened survivor, and Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the virus, as they journey across the country to reach the resistance group known as the Fireflies. Along the way, they encounter hostile survivors and dangerous mutated creatures as they attempt to survive and find a way to reach their destination. Throughout the game, the relationship between Joel and Ellie deepens as they rely on each other for survival and support. In the third episode of the TV series, new characters are introduced among which prepper survivalist Bill and his partner Frank.

The first episode of the TV adaptation aired on the 15th of January and received immense praise from fans and critics, currently standing at 9.2/10 on IMDB with over 50 thousand votes. The series itself is currently rated 9.3 by 115K users, making it one of the highest-rated TV series ever. But last Sunday, after the third episode aired, some reviews praised the episode as one of the best television episode ever.

offerman.jpg


Here are some of the headlines you can find in the press at the moment (beware - if you click the links you may get a few spoilers):
  • IGN: 10/10 - Episode 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us is a sensational hour of television.
  • Esquire - The Last of Us Episode 3 Is a TV Moment We'll Never Forget
  • Dexterto - One of the best TV episodes of all time
  • GamesRadar - An early contender for one of 2023's best episodes
  • CNet - A gut-wrenching masterpiece
I could go on. Yet, as you can see on the above IMDB ratings chart, with the high number of 1-star ratings, the episode stirred quite a controversy. If you have watched the episode, you can easily understand (but not necessarily condone) why a certain part of the population may have had a hard time with this episode.

What about you? Have you watched this episode? Are you one of the lovers, or the haters? Comments may contain spoilers - be ready for it. Most importantly, please stay civil and respect each other's point of views.
 
Last edited by Costello,

mrdude

Developer
Developer
Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
3,076
Trophies
1
Age
56
XP
8,192
Yeah, that's what we need after COVID, a Netflix series about desease wiping of humanity... yeah. That will make people feel better after COVID!
The game was out years before covid, soooo, go figure. Also I guess you never watched UTOPIA? The UK version or the US version.
 
Last edited by mrdude,
  • Like
Reactions: Snintendog

Doran754

Conform comrades
Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2014
Messages
1,256
Trophies
0
Location
UTS
XP
1,761
Country
United Kingdom
Genuine question, would the critics be calling this the best episode of TV ever if it was a hetero couple? I doubt it personally. I really enjoyed the episode, it was very well-acted and written. Wish it stuck a little closer to the game in terms of source material as wasn't the majority of Bill's time spent with Ellie?
 

CoolMe

That's the way she goes..
Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
7,340
Trophies
1
Age
28
XP
32,100
Country
United States
Well, my only issue is that did Bill & Frank's story really needed an entire episode dedicated to their relationship/drama? Regardless or not if the show is following or deviating from the source material (game).
Apart from the survival aspect, being self-efficient/ paranoid characteristics of Bill and how he's that way, i think the whole thing should've been summed up in 20 mins or less.
And to be clear, i certainly have no issue with them being gay, it just that they shoehorned in too many naked/kissing scenes for no reason, when one should've been enough.
One more thing, they retconed Frank's death which in my opinion in this adaptation is pretty weak, in comparison to the game's. In the game he was bitten.. why didn't they do that in the show too? (makes for a brilliant set piece) is beyond me..
Overall, it was a good episode. Though i just don't see why/how they chose to spend an entire episode focusing on Bill & Frank's relationship knowing full well that it won't be contributing anything to the overall story..
 

CompassNorth

Denko (´・ω・`)
Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
543
Trophies
1
Age
29
Location
Seattle, WA
XP
511
Country
United States
Genuine question, would the critics be calling this the best episode of TV ever if it was a hetero couple? I doubt it personally.
Yes, because hetero couples in media is still the norm and most likely will still continue being the norm. If there was a bias against hetero couples in media we'd see less hetero media in award ceremonies. And the platform of rating is a website where anyone can review the episode.

This is all ignoring the fact that the show has been getting good ratings since it aired, the only thing controversial here is that the episode has a gay couple.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marc_LFD

drazenm

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2008
Messages
152
Trophies
1
XP
1,766
Country
United States
Waah, waah, gay agenda
Waah, waah, woke
Waah, waah, forced diversity

(Gbatemp threads, every day)

I swear conservatives had become more obsessed and triggered over a few gay characters in media than the leftest left.

As x65943 mentioned, the first game implied Bill was gay with the sticky gay porn and the mentions of his partner, so no real controversy in that. If people feels the compulsion of rating with a zero a good TV show just because they have a (more openly) gay character, the real problem is inside those guys, not in the show.


Im not even American to be republican conservative LOL!

I was talking with a friend exactly about this same thing the other day. The moment you don't peddle these clowns and agree with them you're straight away classified as republican, from 1800s, churchy etc. It's just NORMAL way of thinking, I'm sorry that you don't want to be part of that and can't/don't want to understand it.
 

RedColoredStars

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2022
Messages
777
Trophies
0
Location
Vancouver
XP
1,095
Country
Canada
I don't fully understand the appeal. It was already told in a visual medium.

A similar story was already told in a visual medium. While they have included scenes from the game, there are also some pretty big changes. As is almost always the case. To each their own. I enjoy having different versions of something I enjoy. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: duwen and Kei00

MochaMods

Active Member
Newcomer
Joined
Mar 4, 2022
Messages
33
Trophies
0
Location
Canada
Website
www.youtube.com
XP
290
Country
Canada
1 Stars were from the people who think the M&Ms aren't sexy enough
Post automatically merged:

I certainly wasn't like the TV episode from yesterday - there was no gay bedroom stuff or kissing etc, you never saw Frank at all and he basically said he couldn't stand Bill. The gay stuff is just more of the woke bullshit agenda, there was no need to put that in the TV episode as it wasn't part of the game.


If this were a striaght sex scene this comment wouldn't exist. Go shit yourself
 
Last edited by MochaMods,

RedColoredStars

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2022
Messages
777
Trophies
0
Location
Vancouver
XP
1,095
Country
Canada
I certainly wasn't like the TV episode from yesterday - there was no gay bedroom stuff or kissing etc, you never saw Frank at all and he basically said he couldn't stand Bill. The gay stuff is just more of the woke bullshit agenda, there was no need to put that in the TV episode as it wasn't part of the game.



Thanks for being so incredibly woke yourself, that you needed to inform everyone of how woke it is. Stay woke, bro!
 

subcon959

@!#?@!
Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
5,830
Trophies
4
XP
10,035
Country
United Kingdom
I was enjoying the episode but when I realised how it was going to end I was a bit miffed because I think the Bill/Ellie interaction would've been great.
 

gaga941021

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2016
Messages
631
Trophies
0
Age
29
XP
2,404
Country
Hungary
I guess I should have expected spoilers in this thread,

ah well. I guess I can watch it in a few years when I forget this

(yeah I played the game but since they changed a bit I was wondering how they would deal with that character)
Why not just watch the show as it comes out, tho?
 

Xzi

Time to fly, 621
Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2013
Messages
17,702
Trophies
3
Location
The Lands Between
Website
gbatemp.net
XP
8,369
Country
United States
That was really well written and well acted. To convince TV audiences that you're a real couple in love is no small feat, regardless of sexual orientation. Ultimately I think any series is going to be judged more as a whole than episode by episode, but IMO Offerman and Bartlett do deserve award nominations for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoolMe

Veho

The man who cried "Ni".
Former Staff
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
11,326
Trophies
3
Age
42
Location
Zagreb
XP
39,276
Country
Croatia
-phobia means scared, terrified etc

I think you'll find that the people you're describing are more disgusted than afraid.

"Homophobia" is used in the same way and sense as "xenophobia," which has been used to denote hatred, suspicion, hostility and disgust, not just fear, for quite some time now. It's a little late to start arguing the usage.

While we're at it, "homo" means "same" so "homophobia" technically means "fear of the same" which doesn't make sense either.

It's a little late to argue the etymology VS modern usage at this point. The word has a definition in the dictionary, and that's that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Y0shII and Xzi

Marc_LFD

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2021
Messages
5,328
Trophies
1
Age
34
XP
8,493
Country
United States
My sister is ecoanxious (phobia of climate changes) so i discouraged her to watch this serie because of what they say at the very very beginning
She has an irrational fear of the climate changing? Huh. That's even stranger than agoraphobia (fear of leaving home).

"Homophobia" is used in the same way and sense as "xenophobia," which has been used to denote hatred, suspicion, hostility and disgust, not just fear, for quite some time now. It's a little late to start arguing the usage.

People don't have an irrational fear of gays, if anything it's more that they just don't like them so a more accurate way of describing would be anti-Homosexual and anti-Strangers/Foreigners (xeno).

A somewhat irrational fear I have is with spiders, they aren't necessarily dangerous, but I feel scared/afraid of being near to them. I used to also be afraid of horses until I got used to them and connected with them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: holypuma

Xzi

Time to fly, 621
Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2013
Messages
17,702
Trophies
3
Location
The Lands Between
Website
gbatemp.net
XP
8,369
Country
United States
People don't have an irrational fear of gays, if anything it's more that they just don't like them so a more accurate way of describing would be anti-Homosexual and anti-Strangers/Foreigners (xeno).
You could also call them bigoted, intolerant, or close-minded, but at the end of the day homophobic gets the message across just fine. When they start trying to argue semantics, the goal is usually just to waste your time.
 

holypuma

Well-Known Member
Newcomer
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
69
Trophies
1
XP
336
Country
United States
She has an irrational fear of the climate changing? Huh. That's even stranger than agoraphobia (fear of leaving home).



People don't have an irrational fear of gays, if anything it's more that they just don't like them so a more accurate way of describing would be anti-Homosexual and anti-Strangers/Foreigners (xeno).

A somewhat irrational fear I have is with spiders, they aren't necessarily dangerous, but I feel scared/afraid of being near to them. I used to also be afraid of horses until I got used to them and connected with them.
They'll find any way to justify their butchering of the English language. It's okay, Yuri Bezmenov and 1984 already told me how this ends.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snintendog

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty: Good night